-Mike Weeks-
When I got into growing indoors back in 1999, I visited my first hydro store in Athens Georgia and was completely overwhelmed by all of the brands of fertilizers that they offered. Many are still considered the tried and true brands because they simply work. From three part formulas, to the A and B combos, there were clearly many ways to feed plants. The one thing that all of these nutrients had in common was that they were liquid and available in gallons or quarts. I was aware of powdered brands like Peters back then, but I always put them in the category of fertilizers for houseplants. Recently, we have seen several brands of powdered synthetic fertilizers emerge that have tailored their formulas to be favorable for growing cannabis. For those that are new to this conversation, cannabis growers fall into 2 categories when it comes to nutrient preferences: synthetic or organic. Today we will be talking about dry synthetic fertilizers and where they fit in.
If you want to grow hydroponically using a recirculating approach or even drain to waste, you may very well determine that a synthetic nutrient is best for your application. It’s clean, predictable, and easy to measure if you have the right tools for the job. Why choose a dry fertilizer, you may ask? Because shipping is becoming increasingly expensive and many of the older brands of fertilizers are mixed with water. Below is an example of what it would take to mix a 5 gallon reservoir for your plants: liquid on the left, powder on the right. This may not seem like a big deal for a hobbyist mixing a few gallons at a time, but if you were to scale up, this would for sure cut into your profit margin. The powdered fertilizers do not cost as much to get to you, the grower, and the cost per gallon of mixed fertilizer is considerably less.
At Fifth Season, our stores are currently stocking a couple powdered lines:
Flora Flex: This line has a 2 part vegetative formula (V1 and V2) and a 2 part bloom formula (B1 and B2) with the addition of a bloom booster and 2 optional foliar sprays.
Lotus Nutrients: This is another easy to use line that consists of a Grow, Bloom, and Boost. They are now offering a cal-mag as well as a carbo flush, but these are optional.
One of the keys to keeping your dry nutrient functional is keeping the moisture out. If you purchase one that does not come with a desiccant pack, get some to put into the package and make sure that you keep it sealed up between uses. As with any nutrient, add a component and then stir well or agitate before adding the next components. The final step will always be to measure EC and pH to ensure your plants are getting what they need and in the correct concentration and pH range.
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