
Photos courtesy of Bill Sutherland.
One doesn’t often get a chance to pick the brains of an old-school hydroponic grower with 40 years of growing experience. The Emerald sat down in a coffee shop in Amsterdam with Bill Sutherland to learn about hydro and everything a beginner needs to know.
Emerald: How would you describe hydroponics to a first-time grower?
Bill Sutherland (BS): Hydro means to grow without soil and to use an inert growing medium, pumps, and a reservoir of nutrient solution. Hydroponics is easier to grow in than soil from my experience, as a good hydroponic growing system will maintain the proper water, oxygen, and nutrients for your plants.

Emerald: How do plants absorb nutrients in hydro and which are used?
BS: This is still not truly understood by botanists but the plant will adjust the growing medium bringing the pH into a zone where calcium can be absorbed into the plant. Plants need 13 mineral elements to grow properly, which are absorbed through the roots. If you take any one away, the plant will become deficient.
Emerald: How should a grower mix nutrients correctly?
BS: Have the correct volume of water to add your nutrients to in a good volume mixing container, and use separate measuring containers for each bottle of fertilizer used. This way no cross-contamination can happen. All the fertilizers that can be bought are in separate bottles because of the mineral compatibility. If you get a certain volume of minerals contaminated with others, they will dissipate out of the solution. Meaning they are not available to your plants.
If we drink water with too much sugar or salt in it we do not quench our thirst and it’s the same for weed plants. Use the right amount and they will grow just fine.
—Bill Sutherland
Emerald: Why does the reservoir need changing and how often should it be changed?
BS: The reason is that plants are constantly looking for nutrients and by changing the nutrient solution, you are giving them fresh plant food. The volume of water in your reservoir will depend on how often you will need to change your nutrient solution. [It also depends] on the size of your plants and the genetics in question.
My recommendation is to change the nutrient solution when the EC reading drops by 4 EC. (200 ppm). This could be as often as every other day to a couple of weeks before changing. Keep your nutrient solution oxygenated by using an air pump.
Emerald: Can you break down pH, EC, and the effect on nutrient uptake and availability?
BS: Plants grow best within certain parameters allowing chemistry to work properly. By bringing the nutrient solution into the proper pH range, more minerals will become available. The best pH for growing vegetation is 6.1 pH and for flowering 5.7 pH. Then allow the plant to adjust the pH of the solution for best absorption.
An EC level that is too low may cause plants to starve, resulting in poor growth and yields. Now when EC levels are too high for the plant’s liking, what you are doing is having way too much nutrient salts, slowing a plant’s growth. If we drink water with too much sugar or salt in it, we do not quench our thirst and it’s the same for weed plants. Use the right amount and they will grow just fine.

Emerald: What are the various hydroponic growing mediums?
BS: There are plenty of different types of growing mediums to choose from: rocks, perlite, vermiculite, rockwool, and the list continues. A great growing medium does not absorb water, as you want the water with nutrients to coat the growing medium with a light film of water.
An excellent growing medium is something pH neutral, and holds the right amount of nutrient solution with lots of oxygen. Remember that oxygen will make your plants grow exceptionally well.
Emerald: What do you recommend for growers with a small grow tent?
BS: When growing in small spaces, you can use cuttings and grow small plants. A healthy cutting can give you a yield of 1 oz or more [per plant]. Using lots of cuttings placed 4 inches apart (called the Sea of Green method) and flowering them once they have grown a few inches can give an exceptional yield. A 2x4x3′ grow space can easily yield over 1 pound if you know what you are doing.

Emerald: What are your best tips for growing the biggest yields possible?
BS: Pay attention to your plants as they will tell you everything you need to know! There are signs to look out for such as slow growth. The different colors of leaves will represent the lack or toxicity of nutrients.
Are the leaves flat and droopy or are they curved upwards or curled down? All these subtle signs tell you what’s going on with your plants. We want a nice green that looks shiny, then you know your plants are doing well and getting ready to give you a fantastic harvest.
Emerald: How is flushing different from hydro and what should be considered?
BS: Hydroponics flushing [washes] residue from fertilizer away so that the plants can work the minerals that they have picked up. Then it turns them all into sugars and starches without new minerals being absorbed.
Getting rid of as many fertilizer salts as possible creates a better-tasting joint. With hydroponics, the growing medium contains almost nothing and is easily flushed out of fertilizers. As long as the light is on a plant, it will absorb nutrients. This is why it’s important to have no nutrients in the growing medium while flushing.
Emerald: What advice do you have for our readers who want to start growing hydro?
BS: Something to remember when growing is that every fertilizer contributes to a plant’s taste. Hydroponics isn’t just about growing plants. It’s about gardening, plumbing, water quality, electricity, air movement, chemistry, and later on inventing new or improving existing growing systems.
This is where all the fun comes from, and based on my 40 years of experience, how you truly learn about your weed plants. When hydro is done right, the growth and yields are unparalleled and you will fall in love with the process.
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