Friday seems to be a good time to disregard the morals set in stone Monday-Thursday (although Thursday is a cheat for many). Before the fun begins, we here at Fifth Season like to start the weekend by saluting products that make the store, our clientele, and us happy. Each week, we’ll feature an item we feel enhances the gardening experience.
General Organics Fertilizer Line
General Hydroponics, a thirty year company on the cutting edge of the hydroponic industry, recently decided to put all their scientific efforts towards an organic line. The end result, General Organics, is a complete vegan line (sans the Bio Marine, derived from squid) which provides the building blocks for superior soil as well as nutrition for microbes.
The main fertilizers, Bio Thrive Grow (4-3-3 for the Vegetative Stage) and Bio Thrive Bloom (2-4-4 for the Flowering Stage) set the plant up for success by providing a well rounded set of nutrients. Vitamin boosters like alfalfa meal and glacial rock powder (which contains a broad range of trace minerals) give the plant a full meal, while cane sugar and molasses satisfy the microbes’ voracious sweet tooth.
Alongside the two building blocks are the GO amendments that give plants a nutrition buffet of glutinous proportions. BioWeed (0.2-0-0.3) comes from cold pressed seaweed, which alleviates plant stress, strengthens soil, and contributes to overall growth. BioRoot (1-1-1) contains vitamins, enzymes, and humic acids that remind the root of its essential role. The nutrient encourages root growth and shows the root where to uptake nutrients.
BioBud (0.5-0.1-1) gives the plant flower power. It induces larger clusters of flower, which in turn gives out larger and more flavorful fruit. The (not so) secret weapon is protein hydrolysate (vegetable based), an amino acid split by enzymes which allows more nutrient uptake, increased plant leaf sugars, and superior fruit taste.
CaMG+ gives the plant much needed calcium and magnesium, which provides it with an insatiable metabolism.
The “loner” of the bunch, BioMarine (due to its non-vegan status), should be used outdoors only (since the fishy smell can draw all sorts of undesirables indoors). Derived from cold processed enzymatically digested squid (a good sustainable choice for production due to its overpopulation), BioMarine contributes to overall health and color for the plant as well as providing defense mechanisms towards pests.
General Organics should be used primarily for soil and soil-less growers. Hydroponic folks should exercise caution (especially with the thickness of BioThrive, Diamond Black, and BioBud), since clogs in the systems can happen.
Also check out the General Organics Feeding Schedule for specifics on using the GO line for the full life stage of the plant.
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