50. How to set up A/B testing in hydroponics to obtain clean data
After analyzing systems, nutrients, light, automation and artificial intelligence, we come to the most advanced point in professional indoor growing: scientifically measuring what really works.
This is where A/B testing applied to hydroponics comes in.
Doing A/B testing means comparing two controlled variants of the same growing cycle, changing only one variable at a time, to see which choice generates better results in terms of yield, quality or stability.
What is an A/B test in hydroponics
An A/B test involves:
- Group A: "standard" growth cycle
- Group B: identical cycle, with only one variation (light, EC, temperature, photoperiod, nutrients...)
Everything else must remain absolutely the same:
- same variety
- same substrate
- same planting
- same environment
- same time period
Only then are the data collected clean, comparable and reliable.
Which variables to test (one at a time)
The most useful A/B tests in hydroponics involve:
- Light spectrum (e.g., variation in an LED channel)
- Photoperiod (e.g., 16h vs. 18h)
- EC target
- Macro/micro nutrient ratio
- Water temperature
- Seeding density
- Cycle duration
Testing multiple variables together renders the data inert and unusable.
How to design a proper test
A good A/B test must:
- Have a clear objective (yield, speed, quality, stability)
- Last a full cycle
- Be repeatable
- Generate measurable metrics, not feelings
The most commonly used metrics are:
- grams produced
- days to harvest
- uniformity of plants
- energy consumption
- waste or stress
Common mistakes to avoid
- Changing several parameters at once
- Doing tests that are too short
- Trusting the eye instead of the numbers
- Not documenting every variation
Poorly done A/B testing is worse than no testing: it leads to bad decisions.
From testing to continuous optimization
The true value of A/B tests emerges when:
- they are accumulated over time
- they become historical data
- they feed predictive models
- they enable automatic optimizations
This is where hydroponics evolves from "cultivation" to a data-driven engineered system.
Conclusion
With this article we close our journey:
From the basics of hydroponics to advanced experimental testing, via vertical farming, automation and AI.
If you have followed this series, you are now no longer simply farming:
you're designing controlled, measurable, and scalable production systems.
👉 Thank you for following along so far.
If you would like to learn more, discover Tomato+ solutions, or understand how to apply these concepts in a practical way, please visit our website or contact us directly.
The future of indoor growing is built with data, method and vision.
Tomato+ Team
