Before we go any further, here is important information that I would like to discuss.  On the front of each bottle, generally three numbers are listed.

Each number is important and is a listing for a different nutrient.
The numbers go in this order:

Nitrogen – Phosphorus – Potassium

Nitrogen helps a plant to establish a good root system and aids in the overall juvenile health of the plant to help it get strong.  Nitrogen aids with development of fruit size and leaf size and quantity.  It is a large part with manufacturing of chlorophyll and is made mostly of amino acids and enzymes.

Phosphorus is what the plant utilizes overall to help the plant develop flowers, and foliage and develop and maintain a strong root system. Phosphorus is made up of nucleic acids, phospholipids, and NADH, NADP and mostly ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) which are important units of energy that the plant utilizes during photosynthesis (it gets a little complicated from here, we will stop there).

Potassium helps the plant to continue to grow and maintain maturity.  Potassium helps the plant to activate water transport (osmosis) using activated enzymes.  Obviously water transport is extremely important in plants.  While potassium is important in all of the plant stages, as the plant ages, it is more vital for the plant.

***Keep in mind that there are more complex nutrients needed for plant growth and development, with macro- and micro- nutrients at work in various numbers and at various stages.  That discussion is for another page.

Now, on to the good stuff:

In the 2017 growing season we discovered the “FloraDuo” system by General Hydroponics which worked out well for us during the season which we will be using again in the 2018 season.

Here is a copy of the feed chart we followed last year: FloraDuo Feedchart

**During the 2017 season we followed the suggested schedule by General Hydroponics for the system; however, during the 2018 season, we will be cutting all of the numbers by a third.  It seemed as if the use of nutrients was too much over the course of the week and some of the nutrients were getting lost in the flush at the end of the week rather than getting into the plants.

Each week during the water changes, the tables are flushed with clean water for about an hour just to wash away and residual nutrients that are left in the table.

Here is the breakdown of the product system:

The FloraDuo parts A and B are the backbone of the system.

SDS FloraDuo A / SDS FloraDuo B

The combination of the two give a thorough base nutrition panel, but using the feed schedule, they get fortified with other things.

 

 

The addition of the CALiMAGic, as stated on the front of the bottle is to supplement with Calcium and Magnesium.  There is also a percentage of magnesium and iron included in the mixture.

 

 

 

The addition of the Diamond Nectar is an additive of phosphorus and potassium electrolytes and as state on the bottle includes a small percentage of Humic Acids.  Humic acids are a complex molecular mixture typically used in agriculture, but I would not recommend drinking the mixture.

 

 

FloraNectar contains a mixture of the potassium electrolyte, magnesium and sulfur.  The product also stages that it contains a percentage of cane sugar and molasses.  With respect to a soil tent, this would be particularly beneficial, but because it’s a hydroponic system, these ingredients aren’t really as important.

 

 

The FloraBlend contains a main mixture of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium; however, this particular product also includes brewers yeast (for added proteins), alfalfa meal (which provides some micro- and macro- nutrients to the plants such as boron and iron), cottonseed meal (high in nitrogen), sea kelp (contain an abundant amount of vitamins and growth hormones that plants need), and soybean meal (also has a high nitrogen concentration).

 

 

The Liquid KoolBloom is very heavy on the phosphorus and potassium.  It also has a small amount of magnesiumThis product is used once the plants have reached their bloom cycle.