A Perfect Balance of Micro and Macronutrients

A few postings ago, I told you how I switched over my main nutrient source to Sensi One Grow and Sensi One Bloom, with the addition of Overdrive to guarantee fast and prolific bud formations as well as large flower size.

Since then, I’ve been finding out wonderful things about my main nutrients. Sensi One Grow NPK: 13-4-12 and Sensi One Bloom NPK: 11-8-17 are the best powdered concentrates specifically designed for the vegetative growth and the flowering cycles of my carnations.

The micro and macro nutrients in both of these products are perfectly balanced. They contain Ammonium Nitrate, Boron EDTA, Boron Proteinate, Calcium Carbonate, Calcium Chelate, Calcium Nitrate, Di-Potassium Phosphate, Iron DPTA, Iron EDDHA, Iron EDTA, Iron Proteinate, Magnesium Carbonate, Magnesium Nitrate, Magnesium Phosphate, and Magnesium Sulphate/Sulfate.

Furthermore, the ingredients in these two products include Manganese EDTA, Manganese Proteinate, Molybdenum EDTA, Mono Potassium Phosphate, Phosphoric Acid, Potassium Bicarbonate, Potassium Borate, Potassium Carbonate, Potassium Nitrate, Potassium Phosphate, Potassium Sulphate/Sulfate, Urea, Zinc EDTA, and Zinc Proteinate.

No I don’t have a scientific mind and they might as well be talking gibberish when the Advanced Nutrients website lists these names of synthetic nutrients. However, I do know how to punch things up on Google and there I found that Boron, just to pick one at random, is an essential micronutrient for plants, even though its role in plant metabolism is not fully understood.

Normal cell division is thwarted by a case of boron deficiency. This can result in the development of side shoots, which I definitely do not want on my carnations, as well as brown specks and stripes on the stems and the leaves, which would lessen the market value of my flowers.

In addition to Overdrive, I will start using Bud Blood in week one of flowering, Big Bud in weeks two, three, and four, and Overdrive in weeks five and six. Then I’ll give the bloom accelerators a rest.

I always keep in mind that I can’t use the above three products at the very same time. This would burn my carnations to a crisp.

The size of my flowers is increasing and more markets are opening up for my carnations. I enjoy making beautiful bouquets just as much as tending my sensitive crop of long-stem Sim carnations.

Sometimes mistakes turn out to be blessings

Further to my episode with HyOx, I forgot to mention that when you reintroduce Piranha, Tarantula, and Voodoo Juice, it is a good idea to do it at half the recommended strength. It seems that these three microbial root colonizers should be used at half-strength in a hydroponic setting, especially when used in conjunction with Carbo Load Liquid or Powder.

The carbohydrates in the latter product energize and increase the size of the microorganism colonies to such an extent in water, that they tend to overgrow and turn the roots into mush covered in brown slime. I was spared this experience, since I used the HyOx for a short time, which killed off half the colonizing microbes.

In fact, for those growers who find themselves in a similar situation with these products, the correct remedy is to flush their hydroponic systems with a mild solution of HyOx and then reintroduce the Piranha, Tarantula, and Voodoo Juice at half the strength. With some crops, especially sensitive vegetables, the Piranha and Tarantula are too aggressive, and only the Voodoo Juice should be reintroduced.

Oddly enough, this problem does not exist if you’re growing in soil. This is why I was not aware of it before I switched to my hydroponic system. The general rule with hydroponics, according to the technical expert at Advanced Nutrients, is that synthetics work better than organics, since the larger parts per million of organic nutrients and additives tend to clog up hydro grows.

When asked what products I should use to increase the size of my flowers and accelerate their growth, he said that Colossal Bud Blast was safe to use as a foliar spray, even though it contains organic chelators and transfectants. It gets absorbed by the plants and won’t clog up by hydro system.

The Advanced Nutrients tech guy also warned me not to use Bud Blood, Big Bud, and Overdrive at the same time, because doing so would burn my plants to a crisp. They are meant to be used in succession, with Bud Blood during the first week of flowering, Big Bud during weeks two, three, and four, and Overdrive during the fifth and sixth week. During the final two weeks you should not use any accelerant. I was told to flush my system at this time with pure water, a step especially important for edibles.

I told him that the entries for these products on Advancedepedia could be misread by growers, since they emphasize that these products should be used together. He promised to look into it but reiterated that using them together at the same time would be calamitous since they each contain high levels of fertilizing chemicals that could irreversibly damage your plants.

The rule of thumb is to use one base nutrient and one bloom enhancer at a time. The more time I spend with my carnations, the more I learn about what their needs are. They are very sensitive to what I feed them and it’s my responsibility to give them only nutrients and additives that help them grow into beautiful, ornamental cut flowers.

Advice? Don't forget the grain of salt

Be careful whose advice you take is a good motto. My version is never listen to fellow growers who don’t know what they’re talking about.

A few postings ago I mentioned that I started using HyOx, a perfectly good Advanced Nutrients product designed to increase oxygenation of your root systems. A friend who grows orchids hydroponically told me about it, and it sounded good.

Yesterday, I was casually browsing through the Advanced Nutrients website, and exploring one of their new features, called Advancedepedia. It has in-depth information on all of their very effective products and how they help growers to get higher yields in a hydroponic setting.

When reading all about Tarantula, a blend of 57 types of beneficial micro-organisms that colonize your root systems, I came across a reference to HyOx and how it should definitely NOT be used in conjunction with Tarantula, Piranha, Voodoo Juice, or SensyZym. It seems that the increased oxygen will kill the organisms contained in these products, thus rendering them ineffective.

Needless to say, I stopped using HyOx immediately and then I started to panic. By trying to help my carnations, I ended up inadvertently hurting them. I looked up the technical help number for Advanced Nutrients and literally started to sweat as I dialled it.

A very helpful man on the other end of the line asked me to calm down and proceeded to explain that although I might have killed some of the helpful microbes supplied by the root enhancing additives, the process is not irreversible. He said I did the right thing by stopping the HyOx immediately.

The next step is to reintroduce the beneficial bacteria, fungi, microbes, and enzymes of the four products mentioned. It might take some time, but my carnation roots will be re-colonized, without too many adverse effects, since I only used HyOx for a short time.

He told me that it was a trade off. Some growers prefer the high oxygenation provided by HyOx to the benefits of using Tarantula, Piranha, Voodoo Juice, and SensiZym. Others use an air stone in their nutrient reservoirs, which is also an effective oxygenating agent, and it doesn’t harm the micro-organisms.

I was very grateful to this man, who managed to allay my fears. My carnations will continue to get the synergistic benefits of the bacterial and fungal root colonizers, while making sure that their oxygen supply was up to snuff.

In order to help my carnations get passed this stressful error on my part, I fed them some B52, an anti-stress formula of B vitamins. In addition to all the essential B’s, Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Biotin, and Folic Acid, it contains humic acid and kelp, as well as calcium and magnesium. B52 can be used from start to finish of the complete cycle of my flowers, either as a root feed in the nutrient reservoir or as a foliar spray. It not only counteracts stress, but also stimulates growth.

To calm my nerves further after this episode, I started looking through photographs of bedside bouquets that I supply to hospital gift shops in order to select one to feature in a brochure. Seeing the beauty of my flowers served to cheer me up.

Sims Carnations, One-part Fertilizers, High-Carb

Being a novice in this business until recently, I had to learn quickly. For instance, other growers kept referring to Sims or disbuds, as opposed to spray-type carnations. I knew that the former indicated single flower, straight stemmed carnations, but why call them Sims?

Google worked its magic, and I soon found out that they’re named after a Scottish horticulturalist, William Sim, who emigrated to America in 1885 and started breeding carnations in his greenhouse operation near Boston around 1900.

Although he died in 1940, his successors continued to breed and spread the many hybrids that he perfected. From 1950 to 1985 the Sim carnation dominated the market. Subsequently, spray carnations and other Fusarium resistant strains increased in popularity, but I still prefer the classic look of the Sim carnation.

Depending on how long I want the stems, I cut my carnations every five weeks. The stock plant stays active and produces more blooms for about 18 months. It could go on flowering for a much longer period, but it is wise to start with fresh seedlings every 18 months, since flowers from old stock are more susceptible to diseases.

I use Piranha early on in the growing cycle to strengthen my root systems with beneficial fungi and help with nutrient absorption. The experts at Advanced Nutrients recently told me that Piranha can also be used as a foliar spray, in order to ward off mold and mildew, as well as Sclerotinia, Pythium, Fusarium, and Rhizoctania, and all the various ailments these pathogens cause.

I have switched over my main nutrient source to Sensi One Grow and Sensi One Bloom, with the addition of Overdrive to guarantee fast and prolific bloom formation as well as large flower size.

I decided to go with the one-part grow and bloom fertilizers, because I am not very good at mixing according to formula and I am finding that this powder dissolves completely, doesn’t clog up my drip irrigation system, costs less than other fertilizers, and guarantees fatter flowers.

Only Advanced Nutrients has a 100% money back guarantee on all their plant nutrients. If the product doesn’t live up to your expectations, you get a refund. But I’ve yet to return any Advanced Nutrients product since they all do what they claim to do!

For that organic touch, I add Grandma Enggy’s Seaweed Extract, which brings the energy of the oceans into my grow room. My carnations love the Seaweed—as soon as I started using it I could discern a noticeable perking up and brightening up among my flowers.

I still use Colossal Bud Blast as a foliar spray to further increase the size of my buds, as well as Emerald Shaman to use the ancient Oriental technology of fermented plant foods to increase vigor and guarantee bountiful harvests.

And before I give my carnations a chance to get sluggish, I add Carbo Load Powder to my nutrient regimen, which enhances their energy with much needed carbohydrates. Regardless of how my flowers are an extension of my personality, carnations have no need of low-carb diets!