Once you start becoming successful at growing vegetables, flowers, or herbs hydroponically, you might notice there are some flavors and aromas that may be missing from
your plants – the flavors and aromas you normally get from the same plants cultivated in rich garden soil outdoors. Mineralfertilizers can surely grow your plants, but your babies will most likely need some additional help to live up to their best genetic potential. That is where supplementing with carbohydrates comes into play.
The main purpose of adding carbohydrates to your mineral regimen is to send energy where and when it is needed in your plants. With this extra boost of energy, your plants can build thicker stalks, healthier leaves, larger tastier fruit, more vibrant and aromatic flowers, and more successfully bounce back from any shocks they might have been exposed to.
Most feeding charts will recommend you use a carbohydrate supplement starting immediately when you transition from vegetative growth to the bloom cycle. At this point in your feeding regimen nitrogen levels will decrease, so that your plants will focus on producing fruit or flowers rather than extra leaves. Your plants will start using all their stored energy and sending it to the upcoming harvest. By supplementing with a “simple sugar” source, you are giving your plants that extra boost of energy that will result in a larger and tastier yield — the moment we all cherish!
Sucrose is one of the most available forms of carbohydrates within plants. Glucose and fructose are also used by plants for energy. All of these can be categorized as “simple sugars”. People have tried to increase simple sugars in their plants in all kinds of ways, using raw cane sugar, malt syrup, and I’ve even heard of people using maple syrup on their crop! These grocery store solutions can be messy and really hard to measure, not to mention the damaging effects they can have in gumming up your equipment.
Fortunately, the industry has some great carbohydrate supplements that can enhance flavor, aroma and yield.
Our recommendations include:
- Botanicare Sweet Products
- General Hydroponics Flora Nectar Series
- Advanced Nutrients Carbo Load
- Fox Farm Bushdoctor Bembe
- NPK RAW Molasses
Check out the difference carbohydrate supplementation can make for your plants – you’ll be glad you did!
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