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MASTER GROWER TIPS
For vigorous vegetative growth
As your seedlings or cuttings develop, their root mass expands and lateral roots grow thin root hairs to more efficiently uptake nutriment and water from the substrate. Your plant is currently in a vegetative state of growth as the roots, a stem and leaves progress. For photoperiodic plants that depend on the light/dark cycle to determine their growth stages, they can usually be kept in a vegetative state as long as they receive a minimum of 16 hours light per day.
A healthy, happy green vegetative plant will always yield the most delicious fruits or flowers. To achieve the best results with your vegetative crops, always ensure to follow our 5 helpful tips for vigorous results:
1. Environmental Control:
Maintain a healthy airflow throughout the growroom, this prevents stratification of air surrounding the leaves, ensures adequate CO2 and encourages stronger stems through the production of lignin and cellulose. Keep a slightly higher humidity during the vegetative period; between 60-70% is generally ideal for lush green growth.
2. Nitrogen Power!
The plant uses high levels of Nitrogen during vegetative growth but lower levels are required during the seedling, clone and flowering stages. N is mainly responsible for leaf and stem growth and is most active in young buds, shoots and leaves. Being mobile within the plant, N deficiencies are easily remedied with a foliar application of Nitrogen N27% or Magic Green.
3. Love the blues
For indoor horticulturalists: The spectral quality and quantity of your grow lighting is essential. Using lamps that emit a higher ratio of blue/white light encourages shorter internodal spacing, stronger cell development and thicker stems. Traditionally some growers use Metal Halide globes during the vegetative state for stockier plants but we suggest adding CMH (Ceramic Metal Halide) luminaires. These lamps have an incredibly high colour-rendering index; ensuring powerful vegetative growth and increased essential oil and resin production in flower.
4. Nature makes the best flowers
The H&G Range has incorporated a number of organic compounds into our feeding regime. These organic biostimulants encourage much faster plant development through a range of natural biological processes. They gently interact with the roots, the substrate, the mycorrhizae and beneficial bacteria and this stimulates a more efficient uptake of nutrients. Enzymes help to break down dead root matter and convert unusable compounds into more absorbable forms. Sea Kelp also provides a whole assortment of delicious trace elements and even aids as a stress reliever!
5. Keep your pH in check!
The pH (The acidity or alkalinity of an aqueous solution) affects the uptake of certain nutrients and should be carefully monitored in both hydroponic and soil cultivation. The influence of hydrogen ions (H+) affects the capacity of positively or negatively charged ions within the soil, water or growing medium. Our range of nutrients is pH stable, which ensures they will adjust the pH when added to water at the correct ratios. However as plants grow they use certain compounds and the root exudates and mucilage influences the ratios within the water. It’s always worth checking the pH of your reservoir and runoff with an accurately
calibrated pH pen. Also note that not all tap water is created equal.
During the vegetative state your plants leaf and stem development is powerful and exciting.
They will thrive if given the right conditions and grow into a beautiful fruiting crop.
For best results always ensure to follow our recommended feed charts and don’t over water!
MASTER BLOOM ADVICE
Want bigger fruit and flowers?
Find out how with our 5 secrets to booming blooming!
We understand that florae utilise different ratios and quantities of mineral nutriment during the distinctive stages of growth and according to their environmental conditions. When flowering the growth patterns and internal chemistry changes, stems elongate, leaf structure varies, green chlorophyll production slows and less nitrogen is required.
To reach the plants floral genetic potential we need to understand and recognise these physiological changes in our crop so we can adjust accordingly. Try following our 5 steps for booming blooming and see the results first hand!
1. Nutritional Demands for Macro & Trace elements
Plants biologically require a complete balanced profile of macro and trace elements throughout all growth stages. Inadequate or excessive quantities of any essential macro or microelement will negatively affect plant growth. Ensure you’re following our precisely calculated feed charts; we’ve done all the hard work for you.
2. Organic is always essential
Organic biostimulants such as kelp, amino acids and enzymes aid in overall plant health through a variety of biological processes. Amino acids for example, incite enzyme production and promote the natural breakdown of nutrients within the medium for increased plant consumption. Organics also encourage far greater beneficial bacteria, trichoderma and mycorrhizal activity. This aids plant development in a beautiful symbiotic relationship.
3. Environmental Control
For generative growth in photoperiodic plants we understand the required lighting is usually 12hrs / 12hrs off. We need to remember the changes that occur as lighting can drastically influence temperature and humidity levels. Always ensure you have appropriate environmental control to account for increased night time humidity spikes as well as daytime heat and humidity control. Aim for 50-60% humidity and you shouldn’t encounter any problems.
4. Make your plants work harder
Crop manipulation and selective training will ensure you can maximise your spatial efficiency and get the most from every plant. Investigate the best relevant practices for your crop species but always be tender so as to not shock the plant. De-leafing, topping, supercropping and LST are all different methods of adapting the plant to better suit their surroundings. If done effectively, this can increase airflow to the plant and reduce problems with mould and bacteria on flowers.
5. Select your genetics carefully
For the best possible results in any field of horticulture it’s essential to begin with the best possible genetics available for the selected plant species. My favourite homegrown strawberries came from a rare hybrid that my aunty had produced on her farm outside of Sydney. Regardless of the seasonal weather and how much I neglected them, they still outperformed my average store-bought strawberry seedlings.
Try searching online for the elite providers of your desired plant species, and try
to pick genetics that suit your current climate.