How to choose the right nutrients for your growing plants

The Ultimate Guide on Choosing the Best Nutrients for Top-Quality Harvests

Understanding your plants nutritional needs is essential for ensuring you achieve a healthy harvest. Plants typically obtain nutrition in two ways:

Autotrophic plants refer to a group of plants that process their own food from water and carbon dioxide through the photosynthetic process.

Heterotrophic plants, plants are unable to synthesize raw materials or draw nutrients from host plants. They can also absorb water and nutrient solutions through their root zone, and carbon dioxide from the air.

Professional growers across the globe utilise a wide variety of fertilisers, boosters and supplements to create the ideal condition for their plants growing in soil, or hydroponic systems.

At London Grow we stock a plethora of top-quality formulas from industry leading brands such as Athena, Biogreen and CANNA. These tried and tested products have been developed over the years to help deliver consistent outstanding results. We feel it’s important that you choose the right nutrients for your plants so we’ve compiled some useful information below to cover the basics and importance of supplements and boosters for explosive blooming.

 

Biogreen

 

Athena

 

Canna

 

 

 

Understanding Macronutrients and Micronutrients

Much like people, plants have basic nutritional needs which need to be met in order to obtain maximised yields.

To break it down, essential nutritional elements are divided into two categories – macronutrients and micronutrients.

Plants require higher concentrations of macronutrients than micronutrients. Macronutrients include elements such as Oxygen, Carbon, Hydrogen, Phosphorous, Nitrogen, Magnesium, Sulfur and Calcium. They can be further divided into two groups – primary and secondary. Primary macronutrients include Nitrogen, Potassium and Phosphorous.

Secondary nutrients include Magnesium, Calcium and Sulfur.

To optimise plant growth, it’s important to take into consideration micronutrients. These only need to be applied in trace amounts when compared with Macronutrients. The seven micronutrients that will help stimulate strong development include Zinc, Boron, Iron, Manganese, Copper, Molybdenum and Chlorine.

A deficiency in any of the above micronutrients or macronutrients can cause damage to your crops. Depending on the nutrient, low availability can slow down growth, cause chlorosis or stunt development. Extreme deficiencies of any of the above can cause your plants’ cells to die.

Organic Plant Nutrients

Organic plant nutrients are derived from animal or plant waste. In general, they’re ecologically stable and renewable, ensuring a small footprint on the ecosystem. While hydroponic organic plant growth is a well debated topic, by using these nutrients you can avoid adding mineral salts to your plants feed schedule. Due to the higher density, organic nutrients can in some cases clog your hydroponic system so it’s advised to use products like FloraKleen or D Block to help prevent this. Opting for organic nutrients over chemical can help lower the risk of overfeeding whilst lowering the risk of nutrient waste. Significant improvements in natural flavours and aromas can also be observed when using organic plant nutrients.

Biobizz nutrients are widely used by professional growers as these are made for use with all hydroponic mediums and soil. You’ll find a variety of Biobizz nutrients made for the vegetative and blooming phases such as Biobizz Grow and Biobizz Bloom. Use the formulas in the recommended dosages. These nutrients contain natural and organic ingredients, which boost and sustain strong plant development. The fertilizers are highly soluble and are less likely to clog your system or leave residue.

 

 

Biobizz

 

Dr Forest

 

Ecothrive

 

 

What Are Mineral Fertilisers

Providing optimised levels of fertiliser will ensure you achieve the high harvest yields you’ve been hoping for. Mineral fertilisers are composed of salts derived mainly from Nitrogen Phosphorus and Potassium. They’re chemically engineered in order to fulfil your plant nutritional requirements for each stage of its lifecycle.

The Importance of PK Boosters for Explosive Blooming

When the time has come for your plant to flower, you can give them a little push with the help of a PK Booster. When growing plants in hydroponic or soil systems, you should consider the results you want to achieve so you can tailor your feed cycle to this. During the vegetative stage it is essential that your plants receive a balanced ratio of macronutrients like Phosphorous, Nitrogen and Potassium. Nitrogen is a key element for the vegetative stage. Phosphorous and Potassium are utilised by the plants during the flowering phase to maximise blooming and fruiting capabilities.

Athena PK is a powerful additive that can be used during the flowering phase to maximize plants’ flowering potential. Growers use the supplement from the second half of the blooming phase up to a week before the flush. Add the supplement to your water reservoir at a recommended dosage of 1.5 ml/L.

Growers also use Canna PK 13/14 in combination with Canna Boost for extreme blooming. Canna Boost increases your plants’ metabolism and Canna PK 13/14 provides additional flowering elements for strong blooming. You can also use supplements from the Biogreen range such as Biogreen X-Blast, to help your plants deliver larger and denser flowers.

Phosphorous will help accelerate blooming and fruiting, which in turn can help your plant reach maturity faster. Introducing this alongside Potassium can direct your plants energy from the ends of the stems, encouraging flower and fruit development. Phosphorous is also used as an energy boost that is required for the photosynthetic process that aids energy transfer.

Phosphorus accelerates blooming and fruiting, speeding up your plants’ maturity. With the help of extra Potassium and Phosphorus, your plants can direct energy to the ends of their stems, encouraging the development of flowers and fruits. Phosphorus is the energy boost and it’s required for the photosynthesis process, aiding in energy transfer. It also strengthens your plants’ cells and improves your plants’ immune systems. On the other hand, Potassium is a regulator element. It enters your plants’ cells and enables a variety of physical and chemical processes. Potassium activates your plants’ enzymes and accelerates the chemical reactions inside plants’ tissues. The element also adjusts your plants’ breathing, allowing water vapours and oxygen to exit the plants and carbon dioxide (CO2) to enter, increasing the rate of the photosynthesis process.

 

CANNA BOOST Accel.

 

Biogreen X-Blast

 

Athena PK

 

 

Conclusion

Depending on the stage of growth, you must deliver the right nutrients to your crops to achieve top-quality harvests.

Ensuring your plants receive all the nutrients they need right from the start, and at the correct stages throughout your plants lifecycle, will help ensure that you achieve high quality harvests in abundance.

If you’re growing plants in hydroponic systems, you can use special hydroponic nutrients. But high-performance nutrients and supplements are suitable for use in both hydroponic growing systems and soils. Your plants will easily absorb them, and they don’t leave residues.

 



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Plant nutrition