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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:Xtreme Gardening / RTI
Azos Nitrogen Fixing Microbes, 20lb
Azos is a naturally occurring bacteria that promotes plant growth. Azos converts nitrogen into a usable form that is readily available to the plant. Nitrogen is critical for forming vegetative matter and supporting abundant growth. Azos promotes growth, while boosting natural root development.Azos has...- $952.99
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Vendor:Xtreme Gardening / RTI
Azos Nitrogen Fixing Microbes, 8lb
Azos is a naturally occurring bacteria that promotes plant growth. Azos converts nitrogen into a usable form that is readily available to the plant. Nitrogen is critical for forming vegetative matter and supporting abundant growth. Azos promotes growth, while boosting natural root development. Azos...- $411.99
- $411.99
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Vendor:Xtreme Gardening / RTI
Azos Nitrogen Fixing Microbes, 12 oz bag
Azos is a naturally occurring bacteria that promotes plant growth. Azos converts nitrogen into a usable form that is readily available to the plant. Nitrogen is critical for forming vegetative matter and supporting abundant growth. Azos promotes growth, while boosting natural root development. Azos...- $59.99
- $59.99
- Unit price
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Vendor:Xtreme Gardening / RTI
Azos Nitrogen Fixing Microbes, 6oz Bag
Azos is a naturally occurring bacteria that promotes plant growth. Azos converts nitrogen into a usable form that is readily available to the plant. Nitrogen is critical for forming vegetative matter and supporting abundant growth. Azos promotes growth, while boosting natural root development. Azos...- $36.99
- $36.99
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Vendor:Xtreme Gardening / RTI
Azos Root Booster/Growth Promoter 2oz
Azos is a naturally occurring bacteria that promotes plant growth. Azos converts nitrogen into a usable form that is readily available to the plant. Nitrogen is critical for forming vegetative matter and supporting abundant growth. Azos promotes growth, while boosting natural root development. Azos...- $23.99
- $23.99
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Vendor:Roots Organics
Roots Organics Terp Tea Grow 9lb
TERP TEA GROWNPK / 7 - 1 - 1DERIVED FROM:Bat Guano, Fish Bone Meal, Langbeinite, Kieserite, Dolomite, Soybean Meal, Feather Meal, Kelp MealRoots Organics Terp Tea Grow delivers critical nutrition for heavy-feeding, high-yield plants. Recommended for both large and small-scale gardens, this high-quality dry...- $53.99
- $53.99
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Vendor:Roots Organics
Roots Organics Terp Tea Bloom 9lb
TERP TEA BLOOMNPK / 3 - 7 - 4DERIVED FROM:Feather Meal, Dolomite, Soybean Meal, Langbeinite, Kieserite, Crab Meal, Fish Bone Meal, Bat Guano, Kelp MealRoots Organics Terp Tea Bloom delivers critical nutrition for heavy-feeding, high-yield plants. Recommended for both large and small-scale gardens, this...- $53.99
- $53.99
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Vendor:Roots Organics
Buddha Grow 1 qt
Roots Organics Buddha Grow is a one-part organic vegetative growth nutrient formulated for potting soil and potting soilless gardens. Buddha Grow is a proprietary blend of the finest organic ingredients, specifically created to promote vigor and increase growth and yields in potting soil grown...- $24.93
- $24.93
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Vendor:Roots Organics
Roots Organics Buddha Grow 1 gal
Roots Organics Buddha Grow is a one-part organic vegetative growth nutrient formulated for potting soil and potting soilless gardens. Buddha Grow is a proprietary blend of the finest organic ingredients, specifically created to promote vigor and increase growth and yields in potting soil grown...- $74.83
- $74.83
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Vendor:Roots Organics
Buddha Grow 5 gal
Roots Organics Buddha Grow is a one-part organic vegetative growth nutrient formulated for potting soil and potting soilless gardens. Buddha Grow is a proprietary blend of the finest organic ingredients, specifically created to promote vigor and increase growth and yields in potting soil grown...- $318.63
- $318.63
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Vendor:Roots Organics
Buddha Grow 2.5 gal
Roots Organics Buddha Grow is a one-part organic vegetative growth nutrient formulated for potting soil and potting soilless gardens. Buddha Grow is a proprietary blend of the finest organic ingredients, specifically created to promote vigor and increase growth and yields in potting soil grown...- $179.17
- $179.17
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Vendor:Roots Organics
Buddha Bloom 1 qt
Roots Organics Buddha Bloom is a one-part organic flowering nutrient formulated for potting soil and potting soilless gardens. Buddha Bloom is a proprietary blend of the finest organic ingredients specifically created to promote vigor and increase growth and yields in potting soil grown plants...- $24.93
- $24.93
- Unit price
- per
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Vendor:Roots Organics
Buddha Bloom 5 gal
Roots Organics Buddha Bloom is a one-part organic flowering nutrient formulated for potting soil and potting soilless gardens. Buddha Bloom is a proprietary blend of the finest organic ingredients specifically created to promote vigor and increase growth and yields in potting soil grown plants...- $318.63
- $318.63
- Unit price
- per
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Vendor:Roots Organics
Buddha Bloom 2.5 gal
Roots Organics Buddha Bloom is a one-part organic flowering nutrient formulated for potting soil and potting soilless gardens. Buddha Bloom is a proprietary blend of the finest organic ingredients specifically created to promote vigor and increase growth and yields in potting soil grown plants...- $179.17
- $179.17
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Vendor:Royal Gold
Royal Gold Crown Jewels Grow, 5 lb
Royal Gold Crown Jewels Grow 3-2-2 is your single source solution to feeding plants throughout their vegetative, non-flowering growth period. Intended for use through incorporation into new or recycled soil or growing mediums and as a top-dress, to encourage vigorous plant growth. Created in...- $23.39
- $23.39
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Vendor:Plant Success / Great White
King Crab 32 oz
Plant Success King CrabIncrease yields, maximize phosphorous solubility, and add life to the root zone! The active microbes in King Crab were specifically selected to increase the availability of nutrients during the vegetative stage and increase yields in the flowering stage. With 275 million...- $99.99
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Vendor:Nectar for the Gods
Zeus Juice, 1 gal
Zeus Juice was "Part C" of Oregon's Only original three part line. It is the plant supplement in the line and is an essential part of nutrient absorption without a microbial field. Compounds in Zeus Juice are 100% water soluble and are absorbed immediately,...- $75.99
- $75.99
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Vendor:Nectar for the Gods
Zeus Juice, 1 qt
Zeus Juice was "Part C" of Oregon's Only original three part line. It is the plant supplement in the line and is an essential part of nutrient absorption without a microbial field. Compounds in Zeus Juice are 100% water soluble and are absorbed immediately,...- $22.99
- $22.99
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Vendor:Nectar for the Gods
Mega Morpheus, 5 gal
Mega Morpheus is a fully digested source of readily available natural phosphate, and the only guano tea on the market today that is free of grit and sand. Oregon's Only unique process completely filters out grit and sand, offering a consistency suitable for soil,...- $184.99
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Vendor:Nectar for the Gods
Mega Morpheus, 2.5 gal
Mega Morpheus is a fully digested source of readily available natural phosphate, and the only guano tea on the market today that is free of grit and sand. Oregon's Only unique process completely filters out grit and sand, offering a consistency suitable for soil,...- $103.99
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