Nutrients & Additives
Hydroponic Nutrients vs. Additives: Navigating Your Plant's Nutrition
Whether you're setting up a new hydroponic garden or tuning your current system, understanding the difference between hydroponic nutrients and additives is crucial for ensuring your plants thrive. Each type of "food" or supplement you provide can significantly impact your plants' health, growth rate, and yield. Here’s a straightforward guide to help you make informed decisions about which products will best meet your garden's needs.
Understanding Base Nutrients and Additives
1. Base Nutrients: The Foundation of Plant Nutrition
Base nutrients are the core of your plant's diet. They provide essential minerals and vitamins that are crucial throughout the life of your plants. Typically, these nutrients are divided into two main categories:
- Vegetative Formulas: These nutrients promote leaf and stem growth during the vegetative stage.
- Bloom Formulas: Used during the flowering stage, they support the development and maturation of fruits and flowers.
Base nutrients are vital whether you’re growing in soil, coco coir, or using hydroponic methods. They are specially formulated to support your plants from seedling to harvest, adapting to each phase of growth.
2. Additives: Enhancing Growth and Quality
Additives or supplements are used in conjunction with base nutrients to target specific growth factors or correct deficiencies. These can include:
- Flower Boosters: Enhance bloom size and quality.
- Mycorrhizae and Beneficial Bacteria: Improve root health and nutrient uptake.
- Enzymes and Vitamins: Aid in plant metabolism and stress reduction.
- Root Stimulants: Encourage robust root growth.
- Sweeteners and Sugars: Improve taste and aroma of the final product.
- Flushes and Leaches: Remove excess salts and chemicals before harvest.
Additives are not typically essential for basic plant survival but are used to maximize the health and output of your garden.
Matching Nutrients with Growing Media
The effectiveness of nutrients can depend greatly on the growing medium you use. Nutrients formulated for hydroponics are designed to be completely soluble, providing immediate nutrition to plants in water-based systems. In contrast, nutrients for soil-based media often release more slowly and may be part of a more complex soil ecosystem.
Organic vs. Synthetic Nutrients
- Organic Nutrients: Best suited for soil and coco-based media, organic nutrients are often more complex and can provide a slower, more natural nutrient release. However, they may clog systems if used in hydroponics due to larger particulate sizes.
- Synthetic Nutrients: Common in hydroponic systems, synthetic nutrients provide quick, controlled nutrient release and are clean enough not to disrupt water systems.
The Importance of pH Levels
Regardless of the nutrients or additives you choose, maintaining the correct pH level in your growing medium is crucial. Nutrient availability is heavily dependent on pH, which should ideally range from 5.5 to 6.5 in hydroponic systems and 6.2 to 7.2 in soil. Adjusting pH with solutions like pH Up and pH Down can help optimize nutrient uptake.
Balancing Your Plant's Diet
Choosing the right combination of hydroponic nutrients and additives can feel like fine-tuning a complex recipe. By understanding the roles and appropriate uses of base nutrients and additives, you can create a balanced diet that promotes vigorous growth and bountiful yields. Remember, the key to successful cultivation is not just feeding your plants but feeding them well.
For any grower looking to optimize their plant's health and productivity, a well-informed approach to nutrition can make all the difference. As you gain experience, you'll find that mastering the balance of nutrients and additives will become an invaluable skill in your gardening repertoire.
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Vendor:Atami
Bloombastic 5.5 Liter
Bloombastic is a revolutionary nutritional supplement based on optimal levels of bio mineral nutrients combined to create a one of a kind nutrient additive specifically designed for the flowering and ripening of your plant. The warranty period for Bloombastic is 3 years if it...- $1,009.99
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Vendor:Atami
Bloombastic, 10L (2.6 Gal.)
Bloombastic is a revolutionary nutritional supplement based on optimal levels of bio mineral nutrients combined to create a one of a kind nutrient additive specifically designed for the flowering and ripening of your plant. The warranty period for Bloombastic is 3 years if it...- $1,672.99
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Vendor:Spray-N-Grow
Coco-Wet, 8 oz
Turbo Charge Nutrient Foliar Sprays with Coco-Wet Organic Wetting Agent Nonionic, compatible with all nutrients Improves efficacy of all foliar nutrients Lowers surface tension on leaves Effective in root drench applications Maximizes product absorption Visit Spray-N-Grow's website to see proven results by world renowned...- $12.49
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Vendor:Hygrozyme
Hygrozyme 5X Concentrate USA 20L
Hygrozyme Concentrate®️ is your enzyme solution for licensed/commercial growers at a 5X concentrated formula allowing them to get more for less! Dosage is 1.5 ml to 1 gallon of water.- $1,907.99
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Vendor:Hygrozyme
Hygrozyme 208L (55gal) SPO
Hygrozyme® is a concentrated enzyme formula and is an essential addition to any grow system. With over 20 years of medical and horticultural enzyme formulation and production experience, SIPCO perfected a proprietary formula to help plants reach their full genetic potential. Hygrozyme provides a...- $7,403.99
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Vendor:Hygrozyme
Hygrozyme 500ml
Hygrozyme® is a concentrated enzyme formula and is an essential addition to any grow system. With over 20 years of medical and horticultural enzyme formulation and production experience, SIPCO perfected a proprietary formula to help plants reach their full genetic potential. Hygrozyme provides a...- $30.49
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Vendor:Hygrozyme
Hygrozyme, 4 lt
Hygrozyme® is a concentrated enzyme formula and is an essential addition to any grow system. With over 20 years of medical and horticultural enzyme formulation and production experience, SIPCO perfected a proprietary formula to help plants reach their full genetic potential. Hygrozyme provides a...- $178.99
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Vendor:Hygrozyme
Hygrozyme, 20 lt
Hygrozyme® is a concentrated enzyme formula and is an essential addition to any grow system. With over 20 years of medical and horticultural enzyme formulation and production experience, SIPCO perfected a proprietary formula to help plants reach their full genetic potential. Hygrozyme provides a...- $787.99
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Vendor:Hygrozyme
Hygrozyme, 1 lt
Hygrozyme® is a concentrated enzyme formula and is an essential addition to any grow system. With over 20 years of medical and horticultural enzyme formulation and production experience, SIPCO perfected a proprietary formula to help plants reach their full genetic potential. Hygrozyme provides a...- $50.99
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Vendor:Hygrozyme
Hygrozyme, 10 lt
Hygrozyme® is a concentrated enzyme formula and is an essential addition to any grow system. With over 20 years of medical and horticultural enzyme formulation and production experience, SIPCO perfected a proprietary formula to help plants reach their full genetic potential. Hygrozyme provides a...- $418.99
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Vendor:South Cascade Organics
South Cascade Organics SLF-100, Quart
SLF-100 is a commercially proven enzymatic formula with over 18 years of proven success. It is a 100% organic and OMRI listed formula specifically designed to break out salts. Used as a cleanser for hydroponic systems and soilless media SLF-100 goes to work immediately...- $35.99
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Vendor:South Cascade Organics
South Cascade Organics SLF-100, 5 Gallon
SLF-100 is a commercially proven enzymatic formula with over 18 years of proven success. It is a 100% organic and OMRI listed formula specifically designed to break out salts. Used as a cleanser for hydroponic systems and soilless media SLF-100 goes to work immediately...- $591.99
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Vendor:South Cascade Organics
South Cascade Organics SLF-100, 15 Gallon
SLF-100 is a commercially proven enzymatic formula with over 18 years of proven success. It is a 100% organic and OMRI listed formula specifically designed to break out salts. Used as a cleanser for hydroponic systems and soilless media SLF-100 goes to work immediately...- $1,366.99
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Vendor:South Cascade Organics
South Cascade Organics SLF-100, Gallon
SLF-100 is a commercially proven enzymatic formula with over 18 years of proven success. It is a 100% organic and OMRI listed formula specifically designed to break out salts. Used as a cleanser for hydroponic systems and soilless media SLF-100 goes to work immediately...- $133.99
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- Unit price
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Vendor:Xtreme Gardening / RTI
Mykos Mycorrhizae Granular, 20lb
Mykos - Pure, Fresh & Alive: Being beneficial organisms, mycorrhizae live on the roots of plants and form a symbiotic relationship. They then extend microscopic straw-like filaments called "hyphae" into the soil with which they extract, transport, and dramatically increase a host plant's supply...- $232.99
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Vendor:Xtreme Gardening / RTI
Mykos Granular 2.2lb Bag
Mykos - Pure, Fresh & Alive: Being beneficial organisms, mycorrhizae live on the roots of plants and form a symbiotic relationship. They then extend microscopic straw-like filaments called "hyphae" into the soil with which they extract, transport, and dramatically increase a host plant's supply...- $35.99
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- Unit price
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Vendor:Xtreme Gardening / RTI
Mykos Granular 1 lb
Mykos - Pure, Fresh & Alive: Being beneficial organisms, mycorrhizae live on the roots of plants and form a symbiotic relationship. They then extend microscopic straw-like filaments called "hyphae" into the soil with which they extract, transport, and dramatically increase a host plant's supply...- $23.99
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- Unit price
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Vendor:Xtreme Gardening / RTI
Mykos Wettable Powder 15 lbs
Mykos Wettable Powder is refined to provide an effective inoculant that may be injected through a sprayer, applied in hydroponic reservoirs, and used as a seed or cloning treatment. It is a fast-growing, beneficial fungi that connects many of the beneficial microbes in soil...- $403.99
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Vendor:Xtreme Gardening / RTI
Mykos Wettable Powder 2.2 lbs
Mykos Wettable Powder is refined to provide an effective inoculant that may be injected through a sprayer, applied in hydroponic reservoirs, and used as a seed or cloning treatment. It is a fast-growing, beneficial fungi that connects many of the beneficial microbes in soil...- $69.99
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Vendor:Xtreme Gardening / RTI
Mykos Wettable Powder 12oz
Xtreme Gardening RTI 2202 Mykos Wettable Powder MYKOS mycorrhizae is a natural and organic species of beneficial soil fungi that create a "sponge-like" mass which collects and stores nutrients and water, increasing the uptake of both. This single species of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi contains...- $30.99
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