Growing Monsters: Blossom Boosters Live Up to Their Name!!!

        Having been on the subject of nutrient supplements I would like to tell you about what I think is the most important fertilizer supplement.  It is the Blossom Booster category (yes, it has its own category there are dozens to choose from!)  These fertilizers are “the dessert” to a balanced base nutrient’s “meal.”  They encourage large numbers of flowers, bigger flowers, overall more massive fruit or vegetables, and also improve floral fragrances, & increase essential oil production.  I have found that the properly timed addition of a blossom booster can single handedly increase overall production 10 – 20%.  It is a pretty big jump for one additive to make.   They all contain a significant amount of Phosphorus and Potassium.  The Phosphorus within these products encourages blooming and plays a vital role in plant metabolism.  While the Potassium helps to improve bloom/fruit quality and optimizes photosynthesis and starch production.  So give one a try and see the results for yourself!  You can use:

• Via Bloom
• Pure Flowers
• Grotek’s Monster Bloom
• Botanicare’s Hydroplex
• Earth Juice’s Meta – K
• Dutch Master’s Potash+
• Advanced Nutrients’ Big Bud
• Fox Farms’ 3 part Open Sesame, Beastie Bloomz, & Cha Ching
• General Hydroponics’ Liquid & Dry Kool Bloom, & Bio Bud
• Technaflora’s Awesome Blossoms

Phosphites: Is there a New Class of Blossom Booster???

     Many of us use one brand of Phosphorous boosting supplement or another.  These products which I call “dessert for plants,” tend to increase the size and quantity of flowers and fruit/vegetables produced by most fast growing annuals.  There are many, many to choose from: Via-Bloom, Monster Bloom, Big Bud, Kool Bloom, Beastie Bloom, Awesome Blossoms, Hydroplex, etc.  All of these are similar in their composition supplying a boost of Phosphorous and Potassium which plants need more of during the fruiting and flowering phase of their lifecycle.  Most of the above listed supplements use one or more forms of the chemical molecule Phosphate.  Phosphate is a Phosphorous atom bonded to four Oxygen atoms, and is very stable.  This stability lends to the property of Phosphates to be slow to break down and having poor solubility in water.  For hydroponic growers this necessitates application of large quantities to allow our plants to uptake the amount of Phosphorous they need during flowering and fruiting. 

     There is however mounting research that Phosphates are not our only option.  A very similar molecule called a Phosphite (sold under the name PURE FLOWERS) has some properties indoor growers might enjoy.  Instead of 4 Oxygen atoms bonded to 1 Phosphorous atom, a Phosphite has 3 Oxygen and 1 Hydrogen atom.  This slight change in molecular form causes many significant differences that influence its solubility, plant uptake, and effect on plant metabolism and physiology.  Phosphites are much more soluble in water are also able to be absorbed by plants and microorganisms with greater ease than Phosphates.   An even bigger benefit to indoor growers is that Phosphites have a proven ability to protect plants from harmful fungi; most notably Phytophora & Pythium.  While Phosphites do control the above mentioned harmful fungi they have little effect on beneficial fungi like those found in Piranha by Advanced Nutrients and Sub Culture – M by General Hydroponics. 

      There is dependable evidence that Phosphites are absorbed into plant tissue more easily than Phosphates.  This has been proven in experiments conducted with citrus and avocado leaves.  Using a single foliar application of Phosphites to oranges in a study conducted in Florida significantly increased flower number, & yield when compared to an untreated crop (Abrigo, 1999). 

     All this good news is not without a caveat.  Phosphites can cause phytotoxicity more easily than Phosphates.  Also there is some evidence that Phosphites applied to soil can take several months to truly benefit plants.  So my advice is that you should try PURE FLOWERS (the Best brand of Phosphite based blossom booster) starting with a single foliar application before your plants fruit or flower.  Then apply in place of your traditional blossom booster if you see any signs of root disease.   

Fertilizer Science & Math

      Today let’s talk numbers, more specifically about fertilizer numbers.  Most of us use a ppm meter (parts per million), an EC meter (electrical conductivity), or a TDS meter (Total Dissolved Solids.)  All three of these measurements are different ways of expressing the same information.  Basically it is the amount of fertilizer or solute that is dissolved in our fertilizer and water mixture.  Knowing this value allows us to push our plants to grow to their maximum genetic potential! 

     First understand that PURE water actually conducts no electricity.  That being said the more fertilizer dissolved in water the more conductive of electricity it becomes.  So measuring the amount of electricity that is transferred from one electrode and received by a second electrode gives us an idea of how much fertilizer is present in a solution.  This is the basic way all of these meters work.  Suppose though you want to know more than just the total amount of fertilizers combined in a solution.  What if you want to know how much of that PPM value Potassium is… then read on!

         The N-P-K ratios are the 3 numbers present on most if not all fertilizer packages.  But aside from figuring out which one is for vegetative growth (a high Nitrogen number,) or what might be better for fruiting or flowering (a higher 2^nd and 3^rd number,) what do they really tell us?  If you want to really understand the N-P-K ratio on your fertilizer then the information below will be very helpful. 

 TDS or Total dissolved solids is a measure of everything that is dissolved in the water

• PPM or parts per million is a proportional measurement of solute (dissolved stuff) in the water.  IT IS A WEIGHT / WEIGHT PROPORTION… 1 part per weight of a solute in 1 million parts per weight water = 1 PPM
• 1 gallon of water (H20) has a volume / weight of 3.785 liters or 3,785,000 mg

(It can have both a volume and weight because at 3.98 degrees Celsius 1 liter of water weighs 1,000 grams & only changes by 4% from 0-100 degrees Celsius)

• If we are looking to determine how much actual Nitrogen, Phosphorus, or Potassium is actually in a solution of XXX ppm then follow the steps below:
• For this example lets use a fertilizer that has an N-P-K of 15-7-11.  Our fertilizer after weighing 10 tsp has an average weight of 1.74 grams per tsp or 1,740 mg.
  • First let’s find how many PPM there are in 1 tsp of fertilizer added to 1 gallon of water.  Take the weight of fertilizer in grams and divide it by the weight/volume of 1 gallon of water.
    • 1,740 mg fert. / 3.785 Liters of water = 459.7 PPM  
    • We will round up and call it 460 PPM
• Now of that 460 PPM how much actual Nitrogen, Phosphorus, or Potassium actually is there.
  • Nitrogen is measured as Elemental Nitrogen so it is the easiest to determine… Just multiply 460 PPM by the amount of Nitrogen in our fertilizer’s NPK…15% or .15 so there is (460 PPM x .15 = 69 parts per million Nitrogen in our solution
  • Phosphorus is more complicated, the NPK uses P₂O₅ which is the oxide form of Phosphorus so we need to multiply by .437 to get the elemental amount of Phosphorus.  So we have [460 x (.07 x .437)] = 14.07 Parts per million Phosphorus in our solution.
  • Similarly Potassium is complicated; the NPK uses K₂0 which is the oxide form of Potassium so we need to multiply by .82 to get the elemental amount of Potassium.  So we have [460 x (.11 x .82)] = 41.49 Parts per million Potassium in our solution.
• So 1 Gallon of water with 1 tsp of 15 – 7 – 11 fertilizer has a total of 460 PPM, of which 69 parts are Nitrogen, 14 parts are Phosphorus, and 41 parts are Potassium. 

• So if you thought that simply 7% or 32ppm of the 460 parts per million in this water was phosphorus then you now see the value of the above calculations!

 If math isn’t your favorite subject then feel free to ask our knowledgeable staff for their recommendations regarding what fertilizers or supplements might best complete or complement your feeding regiment. 

Hello Growers,

      After years of growing I have tried many, many additives.  Most are good, but some make the kind of difference we all search for.  Silica is one of the “big difference” products!  I wrote about silica in my blog “Plant Food Buffet” and the three products I will discuss today all contain Silica in the necessary amount to truly benefit your plants.  The three Products are:

• Botanicare’s Silica Blast
• Dutch Master’s Silica
• Advanced Nutrient’s Rhino Skin

      Silica works by allowing plant cells to build thicker cell walls.  Thicker cell walls have several benefits.  Thicker cells in the leaves make it more difficult for insects to pierce the leaf and thus make those plants a less attractive choice. The thicker cell walls make bigger stems and branches which in turn allow more food & water, as well as plant secretions to move up and down the plant’s Xylem and Phloem (the highways of the plant.)  In addition thicker cell walls mean your favorite plants will be more resistant to environmental stressors such as: extreme heat, drought, and the stress caused by transplanting.  These are just a few reasons to add Silica to your feeding program.  There is even evidence coming out in new scientific studies that Silica treatments can systemically lower if not alleviate your powdery mildew problems!!!  What more do you need to hear?

     If you do decide to add Silica there are two things you should know.  First, most fertilizer is acidic and Silica is alkali (it will raise your pH.)  It is best to add it to your water either first before any other fertilizer or add it last but diluted in water (for example 100ml of Silica in 1 gallon of water.)  This dilution in water will minimize localized chemical reactions (that cloud that appears when you pour concentrated fertilizers or pH adjustment chemicals into your reservoir) which make nutrients bind together and become unavailable to your plant. The Second thing to note is that plants only need a small amount of Silica for all of these benefits so please follow the manufacturer’s instructions.  This is Not on of those things that if a little is good more is better!!!

      No one wants wimpy plants, try some Silica and make your plants HEFTY, HEFTY, HEFTY!!!!

Acids are Cool: Supercharging with Supplements!

     Everyone now has the tools to diagnose nutrient deficiencies and correct them.  Let’s turn our attention to the vast array of supplements that will help to supercharge our plants.  While a complete hydroponic fertilizer provides everything a plant Must have in order to grow, supplements will allow your plants to go beyond just growing and help them to fully maximize their genetic potential.  Even supplements that do not contain “food” can improve a plant’s performance by accelerating nutrient uptake, boosting blossoming, protecting the plant’s root system, and controlling growth habits.  Today I would like to talk about two related supplements that can boost a plant’s performance by improving nutrient uptake. 

      Humic acid is known as a soil conditioner.  It improves the quality of soil/soilless mediums by increasing their ability to retain water and helping to facilitate the movement of nutrients from one soil particle to another making the soil more evenly nutritious.  In addition, it acts as a chelating agent latching onto micronutrients; as they are absorbed by the plant’s roots the humic acid-micronutrient compound effectively increases the efficiency of the plant’s uptake of these micro-nutrients.  It is most associated with increased absorption of Magnesium, Calcium, Zinc, Manganese, and Iron. 

      Fulvic Acid is essentially a more refined version of humic acid.  It is most beneficial in hydroponic systems.  Fulvic Acid accelerates the absorption of nutrients by aiding the transport of these nutrients through the pathways by which they enter the plant.  Fulvic Acid essentially grabs hold of immobile or heavy molecular compounds and streamlines their absorption.  It is most associated with increased absorption of the same elements as Humic acid but also Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium.  They are transported into the plant tissue faster and easier, resulting in more rapid growth & bigger yields.  Fulvic acid also allows plants to thrive in higher ppm nutrient solution, effectively cutting down on the risk of over-fertilization.

     Both Fulvic and Humic Acid are safe to use in all stages of plant growth from cutting to bloom.

 Humic Acid Products:

 Fulvic Acid Poducts:

     Continuing with the theme of nutrient disorders, diagnosis, & what to do about it; this week let’s talk about pH.  What would you say if I told you that you could have a grow-room designed by a team of MIT engineers, Texas A&M botanists, & a fertilization program designed by top NASA scientists (what are they going to do now that they can’t put more men on the moon anyway?) So basically I am saying you have the very best of everything but if one little thing overlooked, even with all other necessities of plant growth met and surpassed your plants will shrivel and die in a few short weeks? 

      That’s right, it your pH.  PH is short for potential of hydrogen.  You may ask what kind of potential does hydrogen have? Does it want to grow up and become an astronaut?... it still can't go to the moon.  All we really care about is that pH is a measure of acidity and alkalinity.  It is measured on a 14 point scale 1 being the most acidic, 7 is neutral and 14 being the most alkali.  This is a logarithmic base 10 scale so 9 is not just one point more than 8 on the scale, but it is 10 times more alkali, and likewise 10 is 100 times more alkali then 8. 

A couple of tips about pH:

 Always dilute your adjustment chemical (pH up or down) in a solution of water to about 1 part pH adjuster to 100 parts water.  Use this to adjust you reservoir.  Putting in a concentrated acid or base can cause localized chemical reactions and precipitates thereby binding your nutrients and disallowing them from being absorbed by your plants.

Most fertilizers are acidic and will lower the pH of a water nutrient solution.  The main exception is a silica based additive (i.e. Rhino Skin by Advanced, Silica by Dutch Master, or Silica Blast by Botanicare) these are all alkali and will raise your pH. 

Most fast growing annuals, i.e. tomatoes and peppers will thrive at a pH range of 5.5 – 6.5 in hydroponics, and a pH range of 5.8 – 7.0 in soil.

The ideal area to adjust your pH for hydroponics is 5.8, the ideal for soil is 6.3.

Different nutrients are absorbed at different pH values.  It is best to adjust your solution to the lower end of the scale and allow the pH to fluctuate within the ideal range without adjustment so all nutrients are absorbed. 

Chelated - a chemical compound that contains both a metal and an organic molecule in such a way that the metal is bound within the organic molecule and holds onto it like a "claw".

 Why do you need to know this??????????

 Because!  Many of your micro-nutrients are metals and are often supplied in fertilizer in a Chelated form to allow them to dissolve into the water for easier plant uptake.  Iron, Zinc and Manganese for example are often chelated.  Although being chelated makes them more soluble pH extremes can affect their ability to dissolve.  Iron for example can be chelated in two ways:

•  Iron in the form of Fe-EDTA but this will become unavailable to your plant if the pH is raise above 6.0.
•  Iron in the form of Fe-DTPA a more stable molecule (and expensive to produce) will remain soluble up to a pH of 7.0.

Hello to all of my readers!  Let me start by saying gardening or plant related questions are always welcome even if they are not related to a particular blog.  My goal is to make the world full of better gardeners!  Any questions to that end I will gladly answer. 

Now, this week I have chosen to continue on our path to nutrient enlightenment.  Last week I discussed what elements do for the plant and their mobility or lack there of; that information is vital to diagnosing nutrient deficiencies but it is only the first step.  Mobility will narrow the field but more information will help you become a certified diagnostician when it comes to plant nutrient deficiencies.  To that end I have created the charts bellow. 

 Nutrient Deficiency Symptoms & Remedies

Plant Food Buffet: What Your Plants Want to Eat and Why!!! 

Let’s talk about what your plants want to eat, shall we?  Not the fertilizer brand like General Hydroponics or Botanicare but the actual atomic elements plants need to sustain growth.  There are only 20 elements that plants need!  These are used in 3 levels of quantity: 

• The Big 3 - Hydrogen, Oxygen & Carbon – Massive amounts used.
• The Macro 6 – Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium, Sulfur, Calcium, & Magnesium – Large Amounts used.
• The Tiny Trace Elements – Iron, Copper, Zinc, Boron, Chlorine, Manganese, Molybdenum, Sodium, Silicon, Cobalt, & Nickel – Minute amounts used.

 So if that is all they want to eat then let’s look at what each one of these elements do for the plant. 

 (H) Hydrogen – supplied by water and air… used for everything.

 (O) Oxygen - supplied by water and air… used for everything.

 (C) Carbon - supplied by water and air… used for everything.

 (N) Nitrogen – used in the making of proteins, vitamins, chlorophyll, hormones, & nucleic acid.  A major part of the vegetative growth process.

 (P) Phosphorous – used in photosynthesis, and regulation of plant metabolism.  Essential for Fruiting and flowering phase of plant development…note a pH under 4.0 will cause a lockout of phosphorous.

 (K) Potassium – necessary for photosynthesis and for respiration, also an activator for many enzymes.  Integral in the manufacture of sugars, carbohydrates, and in cell division.  Known to enhance flavor and color in fruit and vegetable crops. 

  (S) Sulfur – an important component of amino acids, proteins, enzymes and vitamins.  Helps impart flavor to many vegetables.

  (Ca) Calcium – activates enzymes, and is a structural building block of plant cell walls.  Also has an effect on water movement within the plant. 

 (Mg) Magnesium – required for enzymes, carbohydrates, sugars, proteins, and lipids. Necessary for all metabolic functions. Used in the formation of fruits and nuts.

 (Fe) Iron – required for photosynthesis, respiration, as well as enzymes. 

  (Cu) Copper - required for photosynthesis, respiration, as well as enzymes.  Also used in nitrogen metabolism.

  (Zn) Zinc – a component of a multitude of enzymes.  Necessary for DNA replication, gene expression, and carbohydrate metabolism.

 (B) Boron – necessary for calcium uptake, root growth, building cell walls, and the movement of hormones within a plant.

  (Cl) Chlorine – Integral in the regulation of water with in cells.  Needed for the proper function of the stomata.

  (Mn) Manganese - required for respiration. Also used in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism.

  (Mo) Molybdenum – necessary to make the enzymes that convert nitrates to ammonia.

 (Na) Sodium – involved in osmotic and ionic balance.

 (Si) Silicon – Helps to manufacture thick cell walls which are resistant to insect piercing as well as improving resistance to drought and temperature tolerance. 

 (Co) Cobalt – essential to nitrogen fixation and enzymes.

 (Ni) Nickel – Necessary to break down different types of nitrogen molecules into a usable form.

Mobile Nutrients

Immobile Nutrients

Slightly Mobile Nutrients

 An element’s translocatability in the plant is important in diagnosing deficiencies. If the element is translocatable, that is the plant can remove it from tissue in one area and transport it for use in another, then symptoms of deficiency typically appear in the older tissue as the plant mobilizes the element from the more expendable older tissue to the newer growing areas. Conversely, if it is not translocatable, then the deficiency will show more in the new growth areas of the plant. Another diagnostic indicator to pay attention to is the location of the symptoms, are they marginal, inter-veinal or generalized on the leaf?  Check back next week when I will discuss more about diagnosing nutrient deficiencies and how to correct them.

I remember when I was in sixth grade I was given a test.  We were handed a piece of paper with what looked like 100 questions front and back.  The first line said “write your name,” the second line said “read all questions before beginning.”  Well being the impetuous young man I was I wrote my name and started tearing through questions.  I was not even half way done when people started handing theirs in.  That only made me answer questions faster.  I got to the last question and read the following “now that you have read all the questions please write your name and turn your paper in…do not answer questions.” 

So why have I chosen to share this little moment of my past with all of you?  Simple, some of the best advice I can give novice growers when it come to fertilizers, additives, and supplements is to follow instructions.  Not what you have read in a third rate magazine or what you read on a completely unregulated website, not even what a friend of yours told you he heard from a friend of a friend of his who has been growing 25 years the Wizard of OZ himself.  No No No! Follow the instructions of the manufacturer of your products.  Any reputable Fertilizer company has formulations made by scientists that are then extensively tested to ensure effectiveness and quality.  I hear all the time from growers that they like to feed at half strength because they don’t want to over-fertilize!  A reasonable concern for the novice grower, especially those without a PPM meter (A MUST HAVE ITEM), but the fertilizer they are using is not meant to be given at half strength!  It would be like feeding a person only half of the necessary caloric intake (half of each meal) and then asking them to run a marathon.  You see as an indoor grower you have the luxury and benefit of pushing your plants to grow as fast as they can.  We control all aspects of their environment, most importantly the five limiting factors of plant growth:

1. Light – it is never cloudy in your grow-room!
2. Water – There is never a drought in your grow-room (I hope!)
3. Air – Air movement is essential to cool leaves and to move Co2 around the leaves.
4. Co2 – can be enriched from the 400 ppm which is normal to the optimum 1,500 ppm which allows plants to grow faster and bigger!
5. Fertilizer – The subject of our discussion, the plant’s food!

By giving a plant a perfect growing environment we are in essence asking them to run a marathon; to grow as fast as possible beyond that which Mother Nature is capable of providing!  So to ask them to do this in a malnourished state will never end with good results.  The same is true of growers who subscribe to the philosophy of “if a teaspoon is good, then 4 teaspoons is better!”  This overfeeding will inevitably end with over fertilization as plants are incapable of assimilating that much nutrient.  Their attempt to help their plants grow faster will “kill them with kindness.” 

So my simple advice to you, the grower is to follow instructions.  As you become more experienced you may tweak the manufacturer’s recommendations to your specific plant’s needs.  For the most part however, this is only for the experienced grower who has the proper tools to carefully monitor these adjustments, the experience to correct any errors, and an intimate knowledge of their crop’s needs & potential.