Nutrients and Boosters

How to choose the right hydroponic nutrient for you

Start with one decision: organic or mineral. Organic feeds work with life in the root zone and are forgiving and simple to use. Mineral feeds give you direct control over exactly what reaches the roots at every stage. The gap between the two is far smaller than it used to be – organic grows can yield heavily, and mineral feeds produce excellent quality. Choose organic for an easy, low-input grow, or mineral if you want to fine-tune your nutrient solution through the grow and bloom stages.

Growing with an Organic Nutrient Solution

Organic hydroponic nutrients feed the beneficial microbes in your soil or coco, and those microbes break down larger organic molecules into food the plant can use. Keep that population thriving:

• Chlorine and chloramine in tap water harm microbes. Ecothrive Neutralise removes both instantly – add it before mixing your feed.
• Top up beneficial microbes every week or two with an inoculant such as Ecothrive Biosys.
• Use a proven organic feed – BioBizz or Plant Magic Oldtimer.
• Choose natural protection such as BioBizz Leaf-Coat.

Organic solutions are thicker than mineral feeds and tend to block drip lines in recirculating systems, so keep them to hand-watered soil and coco.

Growing Semi-Organically

Semi-organic feeds give you the cleanliness of a mineral feed with organic inputs on top, and they're safe to run in hydro systems with clay pebbles. Emerald Harvest is a strong example – its Cali Pro base feeds pair with organic-based additives. Alternatively, run Buddhas Tree Organicus alongside your mineral base to add organic material without changing your whole schedule.

Growing Non-Organically

Mineral feeds give you the most control and the fastest response. Shogun base feeds carry SmartZen for better nutrient uptake, Athena's Blended and Pro Lines are built for consistency at any scale, and Advanced Nutrients pH Perfect feeds hold your pH in range for you. House & Garden and Canna are also stocked in full. Whichever you choose, use a reliable pH pen and EC meter to keep the solution on target.

What do plants need to thrive?

Plants need a balance of macronutrients and micronutrients to put on growth and increase yields. Key minerals include calcium, potassium, magnesium and nitrogen, and how your plant takes them up depends on whether you grow in a system or in media such as soil or coco. Getting your nutrient solution right is what keeps those minerals soluble and available – if it's off, plants miss out on vital micronutrients and macronutrients, and growth slows.

In a hydroponic system, the nutrient solution goes straight to the root zone, so key minerals such as calcium, potassium, magnesium and nitrogen are taken up directly. In soil or coco, nutrients are absorbed through the substrate around the roots.

pH Perfect Nutrient

A correctly pH-balanced nutrient solution lets your plants take up everything you feed them. Between 5.8 and 6.2 is the range where most micronutrients and macronutrients – calcium, potassium, magnesium and nitrogen among them – are most available. Advanced Nutrients pH Perfect base feeds are designed to hold pH in that range for you.

See our pH section here

Macronutrients & Micronutrients in Nutrient Solution

Learn about the key macronutrients and micronutrients below

Magnesium

Calcium

Nitrogen

Potassium

To learn about more macronutrients and micronutrients, read our guide to plant deficiencies.

How to Mix up Nutrient Solution

Mixing your nutrients properly is key to healthy plant development – nutrients have to be in a soluble form your plants can take up and use to fuel growth.

When mixing nutrients, you'll need:

• Your nutrients
• The nutrient feed chart
• Something to mix in – we recommend a 20L bucket
• A pH meter
• An EC meter
• Syringes for accurate measurements

You can find out how to mix your base nutrients in our blog here.

Powdered VS Liquid Nutrients

When choosing between powdered and liquid nutrients, the main question is how much control you want. Some growers run full hydroponic systems for maximum control over their feed; others want an easier schedule with less effort that still gets good results.

Choose powdered nutrients if you want full control or are growing large numbers of plants. Powders are easy to store and transport, so you're not carrying large volumes of liquid to wherever you grow. They need a little more checking and effort, but you reap the rewards when your plants are thriving – Athena's Pro Line and Veg+Bloom are both powdered options.

Choose liquid nutrients if you want to get up and running quickly with little effort. Liquids have been a staple in hydroponics for years and are the easiest way in for beginners.

Tips for maintaining your Nutrient solution

Through summer and cold weather alike, keeping your hydroponic nutrients at optimal levels matters, whatever the temperature outside. Heat or cold in a hydroponic system can lock out nutrients and cause a range of other problems.

Summer Growing

Heat raises the risk of pythium (root rot) in hydro systems, and it can take hold quickly. Keep reservoirs cool with a water chiller and use Silver Bullet Roots to keep the system clean. If you grow year-round in hydro, mineral feeds work best alongside Silver Bullet.

Cold Weather Growing

Low temperatures slow growth and nutrient uptake. Hold your room temperature with grow room heating and keep reservoirs above 18°C with a tank heater.

Silicon

Silicon is key to strong crops when conditions aren't in your favour. It builds stronger stems and makes plants more resilient to pests and disease, helping them carry extra growth.

What are our favourite nutrient ranges?

Shogun

Made in the UK, Shogun carries SmartZen in every base feed for better nutrient uptake. Our pick of the range? Sumo Active Boost.

Athena

American mineral feeds built for consistency, from a single tent to a commercial room. The Athena Blended Line is the easiest way in.

Advanced Nutrients

Californian Advanced Nutrients pH Perfect feeds take the guesswork out of pH, with a huge range of boosters to build on.

Emerald Harvest

Simple 2-part Cali Pro feeds from California that are easy for a first grow and consistent for experienced growers – browse Emerald Harvest.

BioBizz

Based in Spain, BioBizz is organic feeding at its simplest, with excellent results in soil. Bio-Heaven is our go-to in the range.

House & Garden

A long-standing favourite with growers. Our pick from House & Garden? Roots Excelurator.

Canna

Canna coco, soil and hydro base feeds, stocked in full.

How can you increase weight, flavour and yield?

Once you've chosen your nutrient range, the right additives help increase yield and quality.

Increasing Plant Weight

Choose a booster containing triacontanol, a naturally occurring growth stimulant. Shogun Sumo Active Boost is built for the job.

Stronger Roots, Better Results

A strong root system drives everything above it. Try Shogun Katana Roots or House & Garden Roots Excelurator.

Need help choosing? Check out our beginner's guide.

Complete Grow Kits

Starting from scratch? Our grow tent kits combine tent, light and extraction matched by our team, with beginner, LED and professional options for every budget.