Questions and Answers

Q. I have been using another brand of nutrient, is it OK to change to a new brand mid-cycle?

A. Absolutely, plants don't recognise brands, only nutrient availability and nutrient ratios…otherwise known as "Quality". If you switch to a good quality, reputable brand with a proven track record, your plants will love you for it.

Q. I have noticed that the Flower Power range of nutrients has three stages, "Growth", "Bloom" and "Superbloom", which is recommended for use only in the last 2 - 3 weeks of flowering. Why the two stages in flowering instead of the traditional grow and bloom like other brands?

A. Plants have different nutrient requirements at the start of flowering than they do at the end of flowering, therefore one bloom nutrient for the entire flowering cycle is not ideal and won't allow the plant to achieve it's maximum yield or quality. To combat this problem, most nutrient manufacturer's suggest that a "PK" or "Potash" supplement be used in addition to their bloom nutrient in the last three weeks of flowering, adding extra expense and possibly creating nutrient imbalances if you don't get the ratio's just right, a lot of guess work is involved, something that you don't want at this very critical stage of development. Flower Power Superbloom does away with this extra expense and guess work, and provides your plants with all the vital nutrients and trace elements that they need at this critical stage, and all in the perfect ratios to maximise development, yield and quality.

Q. The leaves towards the top of my plants are loosing colour or yellowing, what is causing it?

A. Many factors can cause the leaves on a plant to yellow, the two main causes of leaf yellowing in a hydroponic system are Nutrient deficiencies and Root disease. In the case of a deficiency, this will normally show up as yellowing of the leaf veins or yellow blotches between the veins on new or relatively new growth, in extreme cases these yellow blotches will turn into necrotic or dead patches. If you are using a good quality nutrient, deficiencies should not occur, provided that the pH and water temperature of the nutrient solution are kept at their optimum and the solution is replaced regularly in a recirculating system, regular solution replacement is not necessary in a run-to-waste system. Ideally water temp' should be kept between 20 - 25 degrees, speak to your local Hydro' shop for more information on optimum water pH as this varies depending which growing medium and technique you are using. Another factor that may cause the leaves on the top of your plants to yellow, is that your grow lamp may be to close and the heat from it is yellowing the leaves and tips. For leaf yellowing due to Root disease please refer to the next question.

Q. The leaves on my plants are yellowing from the oldest leaves at the bottom of the plant, upwards. The leaves at the top of the plant are still green but are starting to wilt or droop, what is happening?

A. This is normally a very good indication that you have root disease, this normally occurs due the nutrient solution being too warm, insufficiently oxygenated and/or not being changed regularly enough in a recirculating system. Root disease can also be a secondary effect bought on by damage to the root system from re-potting or insect damage such as that caused by Scarid fly, a small, black, midgie like insect that lays eggs in the growing medium. The young larvae that hatch from the eggs can dessimate the root system of a healthy plant in only a few days, exposing the root system of the weakened plant to attack from the disease (fungal root rot). If the damage is caused by an insect then you need to eradicate the insect pest as well as treat the root disease, contact your local hydro shop for expert advice on how to do this.

Q. I was told that changing from a Growth to a Bloom nutrient will not trigger my plants to start flowering, how do I get my plants to start flowering then?

A. This is true, changing from a growth to a bloom nutrient will not induce flowering in your plants. Most flowering plants require an environmental trigger such as less hours of light in a day or maybe a temperature change, or a combination of both. To induce flowering turn your lights "down" from an 18/6 light/dark regime to a 12/12 regime, this will induce flowering in most flowering/fruiting plants. To induce flowering more quickly some indoor growers recommend that before commencing your 12/12 light regime that you turn the lights off for 36hrs straight, this allows the female flowering hormones that flowering/fruiting plants produce during darkness, to build up to critical levels much quicker. These females hormones are very easily destroyed by light, so to ensure good flower development it is absolutely essential that no light leaks into you growing area during the "lights off" period each day.

Q. I want my plants to grow quicker and yield more, is there anything that I can add to my nutrient solution to give my plants a bit of a boost?

A. Your plants could only benefit from adding a "Booster" to the nutrient solution, but there are so many of these products on the market these days, which one do you choose? Most additives or boosters are formulated specifically to increase one stage of the plants development, such as a root enhancer, a growth accelerant or a yield maximiser. Most of them work by increasing, stimulating or inhibiting certain hormonal functions within the plant. At Extreme Hydroponics we prefer a more natural approach to increasing plant output, this is why we developed Flower Power "Rush", a naturally occurring "Humatic isolate" that comes from the breakdown of organic material (Compost). Humatic Isolates act as chelating agents, basically attaching themselves to nutrient molecules, which then allows plants to absorb more of the nutrient, at a faster rate. Humatic isolates also stimulate extra activity in the plants own immune system, making the plants far less susceptible to pest and disease attack. Ask you local stockist for Flower Power "Rush"… The natural alternative!