What Additives Do You Use?

Not counting your base nutes what additives do you use? The plant gets all the macro and micro nutrients it needs from the base nutes (if you're using good nutes) so what purpose does your additive serve? I am curious how many of these additives are snake oil. I am talking about things like, Roots Excelerator, Bud XL, molasses, etc. Some additives have micro/macro nutrients too, like Bud Blood. Bud Blood is considered an additive right? Shouldn't good base nutes have all the nutrients the plant needs? I've used additives in the past but very few of them have given a noticeable result. Some of the best weed I've smoked has been grown with a 3-part or 4-part nutrient schedule.

I am switching to hydro for the first time. I am using Dyna-Gro as my base nutrient, and I can't think of any additives that would be necessary. I've never used it but DG is suppose to be a good balanced nutrient that has everything the plant needs, and I've never seen an additive that has a noticeable effect. So, somebody try and sell me on an additive on top of the DG base.

Hey Smurf,

Yeah the world of additives is vast and confusing, I used to be tempted by all the impressive claims on the bottles, but never observed any real benefit from any yet. Ready to try one if it does.....

I was advised long ago to keep it simple and stick to a 3 part mix, I use GH micro:veg @ 1:2 and micro:bloom @ 2:2. BUT i must admit in flower i use GH liquid kool bloom up to the last 2 weeks then swith to the kool bloom powder the week right before the last week then flush it all out for the ending week. The kool bloom makes the buds a bit harder or should that say denser.

I've never used additives during flowering, but I have notice the effects of it during the veg. I add fulvic acid(liquid Karma,diamond nectar) which helps prevent nute burn. Cal-mag for my RO water. I used silica blast and there was a slight strength added to the limbs and stem.

i recently bought some snow storm ultra & i am impressed. already noticed a difference in soil & just started adding it to my hydro.

Stoner Smurf said:

Not counting your base nutes what additives do you use? The plant gets all the macro and micro nutrients it needs from the base nutes (if you're using good nutes) so what purpose does your additive serve? I am curious how many of these additives are snake oil. I am talking about things like, Roots Excelerator, Bud XL, molasses, etc. Some additives have micro/macro nutrients too, like Bud Blood. Bud Blood is considered an additive right? Shouldn't good base nutes have all the nutrients the plant needs? I've used additives in the past but very few of them have given a noticeable result. Some of the best weed I've smoked has been grown with a 3-part or 4-part nutrient schedule.

I am switching to hydro for the first time. I am using Dyna-Gro as my base nutrient, and I can't think of any additives that would be necessary. I've never used it but DG is suppose to be a good balanced nutrient that has everything the plant needs, and I've never seen an additive that has a noticeable effect. So, somebody try and sell me on an additive on top of the DG base.

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You have a mindset that is going to get you excellent results. I use Foliage Pro as a base nutrient. Since I use RO water, I also use Mag Pro to give a little bit of an increase in Mg. Finally, I use Pro Tekt; really nothing more than adding silicates, which is not a bad thing if you are growing anything green. When flowering, I'll use a 50/50 mix of Foliage Pro and Bloom. When the bottle of Bloom runs out, I am going to try using the General Purpose (7-9-5) as a flowering food as running 100% Bloom causes the plants to turn yellow (needs nitrogen). That's pretty much how simple it can be. Heck, I could probably stop using the Mag Pro and the ProTekt and still get excellent results.

I am a fan of the flora series, never had a problem with them. I have also seen good results with miracle grow 20-20-20, simple is better less can go wrong.
but ya micro,grow,bloom for me.. oh and ph up/down

They are all VooDoo and magic sauce, don't need nothin but good base nute to grow kick ass dope.

i use bio-root, diamond nectar and molasses. the first time i used the diamond nectar, the next day my plants were noticeably healthier and bigger...not sure if the bio-root or molasses does anything but i'm gonna keep using them, they're cheap.

Stoner Smurf said:

Not counting your base nutes what additives do you use? The plant gets all the macro and micro nutrients it needs from the base nutes (if you're using good nutes) so what purpose does your additive serve? I am curious how many of these additives are snake oil. I am talking about things like, Roots Excelerator, Bud XL, molasses, etc. Some additives have micro/macro nutrients too, like Bud Blood. Bud Blood is considered an additive right? Shouldn't good base nutes have all the nutrients the plant needs? I've used additives in the past but very few of them have given a noticeable result. Some of the best weed I've smoked has been grown with a 3-part or 4-part nutrient schedule.

I am switching to hydro for the first time. I am using Dyna-Gro as my base nutrient, and I can't think of any additives that would be necessary. I've never used it but DG is suppose to be a good balanced nutrient that has everything the plant needs, and I've never seen an additive that has a noticeable effect. So, somebody try and sell me on an additive on top of the DG base.

Click to expand...

If you're using DG, you don't need any NPK type additives or boosters. MagPro is for people who use RO water and ProTekt has a high pH which balances and stabilizes the pH of your reservoir. I use the 7-9-5 and 3-12-6 in different ratios throughout flower in order to keep the plants green, but I've also used Floralicious plus and florablend with good success. They are by no means needed but I've found that I get a stronger aroma and better resin production when using them. However, the final product doesn't seem to taste better or be more potent but I already have them so I might as well use them up.

Use DynaGro, learn what your plants like and don't overfeed. Once you've figured out what keeps your plants the healthiest, you'll probably find that you don't need anything else.

I use AN, 3part plus b-52 (basic b vitamins)

I use bud candy in flowering, it sweeten's the flavor and smell... makes my SuperLemonHaze turn into sweet lemonaid... (budy said it smells just like an energy drink)

I have used "big bud", "overdrive" as well, but I can't really comment on how much they contributed to my grow... (I can say all togeather it was better than the 3part alone...

GH floral G/M/B advanced big bud and voodoo juice great results so far, going to switch to avn GMB when the PH perfect stuff
comes out

hellraizer, thats a wicked avatar.

Right now I use MG tomato as a veg base, it's basically 20-20-20 then I add a little MG bloom during flowering. I've been using vinegar to PH down my water and it works, it just doesn't seem to hold well in soil and I end having to do a flush or two to get the PH back to normal. I'll be getting some actual PH down next run.

I add:

-A few drops of Superthrive every watering during veg. stage.
-1 pinch of epsom salt once a week after 1st month or so from sprout.
-1TBS of molasses into hot water, then into the watering can once a week during flowering.
-1TBS of hydrogen peroxide per 1-2 gallons every watering.

Next run I will be switching to a hydro setup using Dyna-Gro's 2 part system and HP in the water to keep the roots clean. That's it! =)

I use liquid karma and hygrozyme, was thinking about adding a bloom supplement, but the plants seem fine.

I think a lot of these companies just add stuff that is technically good for the plant, but actually does not get utilized or add any benefit outside of what is already present. As long as it doesn't kill the plants people start swearing by it and an industry is born.

I use GH flora series, and add floralicious plus, flora blend, koolbloom, proteKt, hygrozyme, and starting today I'm adding flora nectar.

I am impressed with what pro-teKt has done for my plants. It was noticeable how stout and fast they grow when I added it to my mix.

I have been following homebrewers grows, and would love to see results like his.

I would like to hear some opinions on sugar supplements like flora nectar, and sweet, etc.

Here is the product claim for floranectar:

FloraNectar ™
Sweetener


Our scientists have formulated FloraNectar to optimize the greatest transference of sweetness and aroma into your fruits and flowers.

FloraNectar contains all natural raw cane sugar, molasses, malt syrup, select plant based esters, L-amino acids, organic acids, polyflavonoids, vitamins and essential minerals.

This unique blend of ingredients helps your plants regulate enzymes that trigger specific reactions involved in maintaining optimal metabolism. This allows your plants to achieve a balance between respiration and photosynthesis in high intensity growing environments where the rate of respiration can sometimes exceed the rate of photosynthesis.

As a result, FloraNectar ensures optimal metabolic rates during the flowering and fruiting phase when nitrogen levels have been reduced.

FloraNectar also promotes a sturdier plant structure during the vegetative phase when high levels of nitrogen are present.

FloraNectar fulfills the additional energy requirements of your plants throughout all phases of growth and during stressful times of transition.

And the claims for sweet:
Sweet helps plants maintain optimum metabolism and proper balance between photosynthesis
and respiration. Plant physiologists have stated that low phosphorous to nitrogen (P/N) ratios
favor vegetative growth, while high P/N ratios favor fruit development. Common practice is to
reduce nitrogen for the final stage and increase carbon dioxide concentrations, temperatures,
and light intensity during fruiting/flowering. These practices cause metabolic imbalance and
decreased photosynthesis, resulting in soft, yellow-leaved plants. Sweet helps plants recover and
flourish despite this sudden change. With Sweet, you’ll see sturdy stems with shorter internodes
and an abundance of buds, flowers and fruits.


Is it the sugars that are providing the balance between photosynthesis
and respiration? Is this the same idea of balancing the osmosis pressure during flush with a sugar solution?
I read the ingredients on clearex, and its all sugars.... and smells like listerine.

I would love to have a better understanding of what these carbs are doing for my plants.

I have heard quite a few people say that sugar / molasses based products are no good unless you are an organic grower. The reason is that the sugars are not usable by the plants, but they do feed beneficial organisms that break down organic matter into nurtients that can be absorbed by the plant. Now I am not sure about sweet specifically. I bought some because it was bundled with something else, maybe I will use it. I know it really throws off your PH so make sure you test before giving it to your plants.

GH lucas formula, Floralicious Plus, Liquid Kool bloom, and Powder Kool Bloom, on the Blue Bonic Strain. ppm is low about 770ppm @ 700, how much does everyone boost their Lucas Formula to get to 1300-1400 ppm @700 or 2 ec

devero420 said:

I have heard quite a few people say that sugar / molasses based products are no good unless you are an organic grower. The reason is that the sugars are not usable by the plants, but they do feed beneficial organisms that break down organic matter into nurtients that can be absorbed by the plant. Now I am not sure about sweet specifically. I bought some because it was bundled with something else, maybe I will use it. I know it really throws off your PH so make sure you test before giving it to your plants.

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You don't need to be organic to use beneficials.

Rick Ratlin said:

GH lucas formula, Floralicious Plus, Liquid Kool bloom, and Powder Kool Bloom, on the Blue Bonic Strain. ppm is low, how much does everyone boost their Lucas Formula to get to 1300-1400 ppm @700 or 2 ec

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When you say @ 700 do you mean like the 700 and the 500 on opposite side of the bluelab meter. If so GH use the 500.

yeah z, exactly, i use a bluelab truncheon nute meter. 8 mL micro per gallon and 16 mL Flower per gallon give me an ec of 1.2 or 770 ppm (ec x 700) or 550 ppm (ec x 500) what number should I shoot for on the 500 side? is that personal preference, or because of GH nutes? Thanks for the knowledge.