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S01E12 – Nutrients

Getting Feeding Right

Getting your nutrients right means more than simply following the measurements on the bottle. Your starting water, EC, pH, growing media and chosen system can all affect what your plants need.

In this episode, Sarah’s late arrival turns into no arrival at all, leaving Karlos to step in and take care of her plants. With nutrient brands picked from a hat, Karlos gets Plant Magic, Jasmine takes on House & Garden and Ian demonstrates with Athena.

The maths causes problems on both sides, nutrients end up on Ian’s freshly painted walls, and Karlos makes a crucial mixing mistake. Once the chaos is over, Ian shows us how it should be done.

What You’ll Learn

This episode covers one of the most important parts of any grow environment:

Why you should test your starting water before adding nutrients
What EC and pH tell you about your nutrient solution
The correct way to mix nutrients and additives
Why products should be added individually and mixed thoroughly
How your growing system affects your nutrient regime
Why recirculating systems need regular monitoring and fresh solution
How growing media can affect the amount of nutrients you need

Understanding EC & pH

Before adding anything to your tank, Ian recommends testing the EC and pH of your starting water. This gives you a baseline and helps you understand what adjustments may be needed before feeding your plants.

EC – How Much Food?

Ian describes EC as the food. Measuring EC gives you an indication of the strength of the nutrient solution you’re giving your plants.

Your starting water matters too. If you’re beginning with hard water, for example, you may need a nutrient designed for those conditions and will need to adjust your feeding accordingly.

pH – Is That Food Available?

pH determines how available different nutrients are to the plant. If the pH moves outside the appropriate range, some nutrients may no longer be available for the plant to take up — even if they’re present in the solution.

That’s why getting the nutrients into the tank is only part of the job. You also need to check that the final solution is within the correct range for your grow.

Ian’s Guide to Nutrient Management

After watching Jasmine and Karlos tackle their nutrients, Ian steps in to show us how it should be done. From mixing nutrients in the right order to adjusting your regime for different growing systems and media, he breaks down the key things to consider when feeding your plants.

Mixing Nutrients Properly

Ian starts by checking the EC and pH of his water before adding anything to the tank.

He adds Athena B first and thoroughly mixes it into the water before adding the same amount of Athena A and stirring again. Only then does he retest the EC and pH and compare the results against the recommended feed chart.

The same principle applies when adding supplements: add one product at a time and mix thoroughly before adding the next. Combining concentrates before they’re properly diluted can cause problems — as Karlos discovers after putting root stim and enzyme into the same jug.

Make Adjustments Gradually

Ian moves on to his additives, he uses Cleanse to help with salt build-up, particularly useful with dripper systems.

After testing again, he uses Balance to adjust the pH. Rather than adding a large amount at once, Ian works gradually, adding a small amount and testing as he goes until he reaches the figures he’s looking for.

Your Growing Method Matters

Your nutrient regime needs to suit the way you’re growing. A recirculating flood and drain system, for example, needs to be managed differently from a run-to-waste dripper system.

In a recirculating system, plants continually take what they need from the nutrient solution. Over time, what’s left in the reservoir won’t necessarily contain the same balance of nutrients you started with.

Ian recommends checking the girls’ tanks around every three days, topping up with half-strength nutrients where required, and replacing the old solution with a completely fresh mix regularly rather than continually topping up the same tank.

Don’t Forget Your Media

Your growing media also needs to be considered when working out your nutrient regime.

An inert medium doesn’t provide nutrients itself, giving you control over everything the plant receives. A pre-fertilised medium already contains nutrients, so your feeding needs to account for what’s already available rather than simply adding a full nutrient regime on top.

Featured Products

Athena Nutrients

House & Garden Nutrients

Plant Magic Nutrients

Aqua Master Combo Meter H600 Pro

Aqua Master P110 Pro Combo Pen

The Scoreboard

With Sarah away, Karlos steps in to keep her side of the competition alive — but his nutrient mixing doesn’t quite go to plan. After contaminating the mix by combining products together instead of adding and stirring them separately, the point goes to Jasmine.