If you're using a hydroponic system, cleaning salt build-up is one of the essential things you need to know about.

Starting a hydroponic system often causes individuals to forget about the salt build-up. It is essential considering that clogged lines and an unclean reservoir can be detrimental to your plant's growth.

Therefore, this article will explain why it's necessary to clean out your hydroponic system. We'll explore how and why salt build-up happens, and then we'll cover some tips on how to clean your hydroponic system.

Why it's essential to clean your hydroponic system

You need to clean salt build-up in any hydroponic reservoir because salts can pertain to your hydroponic lines and drip emitters as well.

Therefore, if you don't take care of salt build-up timely, your hydroponic lines will get clogged up.

Further, your plants will not get the required nutrients when your lines are blocked. Subsequently, you will see them suffer, and by then, it might be too late. Therefore it's essential to ensure that your plants get the nutrients they need in a precise and uniform quantity.

There are other reasons why keeping the system clean regularly is essential. Therefore, timely maintenance is more cost-effective than letting a problem come to a level where the cost of repairing it is sizeable.

Inconsistent maintenance will also shorten the life of your irrigation system. That means you'll eventually have to replace your system, which can be costly.

Causes of salt build-up in hydroponics systems

Usually, the main reason for the build-up of salt in a hydroponic system is the nutrients your plants are getting.

Using organic nutrients in your hydroponic system is not ideal because they are too thick for the lines. It means that you'll have to use a salt-based solution, i.e., you'll have to use hydroponics nutrients. Therefore, this feed will inevitably leave salt and other mineral deposits throughout your lines, emitters, and the walls of your reservoir, leading to biofilms.

Biofilms

Biofilms are an amalgam of microorganisms that usually grow in almost all hydroponic setups. Given that a hydroponic system is a very conducive environment for their growth, your plants have plenty of oxygen, constant moisture, and nutrients. Therefore, it won't be hard for the biofilms to grow.

Hence, it's clear how biofilms can be a problem for your hydroponic system. Your lines getting clogged is just one aspect of the problem because if left unchecked, biofilms can grow and end up in the root zone and even the media.

If that happens, you'll have to deal with the nutrient burn, not to mention a variety of root pathogens. You need not fear, though, as we will go over how to stop this from happening. Therefore, let's discuss tips about how to remove salt build-up from a hydroponics system.

Cleaning salt build-up from a hydroponics system

Suppose you're maintaining a grow room as a hobby or have a limited budget. In that case, there are many household items that you can use to descale salt build-up in your hydro system. The following list of household items can help you:

Lemon juice and salt

Oxyclean

Vinegar

Phosphoric Acid

UC Roots (if you're a hobbyist)

UC Roots Current Culture

If you are a hobbyist, UC Roots is an excellent solution for preventing biofilm/salt build-up and maintaining a hydroponic system's health.

UC Roots optimizes your root zone, which will help your hydroponic plants to grow well. This solution has been mainly developed for descaling salt/mineral build-ups and getting rid of biofilms.

If you are maintaining a grow room as a hobby, UC Roots is a must-have for your grow room.

If you work as a professional grower, it's a completely different story. In that case, consider using a hypochlorous acid, like Clear Line.

Clear Line - Hypochlorous Acid by Current Culture

Current Culture is widely known as one of the leaders in the hydroponics industry. They are notably well-known for their DWC systems and Cultured Solutions nutrition line.

Current Culture has recently developed Clear Line, a hypochlorous acid specifically designed to eliminate salt build-up in hydroponic systems. Therefore, it is among the best solution available as of now.

Benefits of using Clear Line

If used correctly, Clear Line has a range of benefits that make it a worthwhile investment.

Let us have a look at the list of some benefits it provides:

Non-hazardous and non-corrosive, hence keeps everybody safe

Increased Oxidation Reduction Potential (ORP) therefore improves the quality of water

Neutral chemistry, so it's compatible with all fertilizers, i.e., it doesn't affect pH values

The high concentration makes it cost-effective if you are a large-scale farmer and grower

How to Use It

You can use Clear Line during cropping every time you irrigate as a preventive measure. Hence, it will ensure that your hydroponic system remains free of salt build-ups.

All you need to do is inject it when you are injecting the nutrients in your fertigation equipment.

Clear Line is compatible with the following:

Standard irrigation/fertigation systems

Drip/Drain to waste

Aeroponics

DWC/RDWC/NFT

Make sure that you use Clear Line to clean out your system after each grow cycle ends.

Final Thoughts

Knowing how to get rid of salt build-ups and biofilms is essential for a healthy hydroponic system. At GroIndoor, you can get cleaning tools for a reasonable price and with top-notch service. Visit our website and get started today!