Beginners and pro’s alike are always on the hunt for ways to improve their crops, whether it’s finding the best base nutrient program or improving quality with additives and supplements. While lots of growers say "it’s not all about the nutrients, but the way you use them" (GrowAce included), nutrients can and will play a huge role in your garden's life.
That’s why we wanted to feature some of the most popular brands of nutrients we offer and some that are taking the growing scene with force: General Hydroponics, Advanced Nutrients, Humboldt County's Own, and BioBizz. Here, we’ll be going over the advantages and disadvantages of these brands so you can choose which brand works best for you and your grow:
A staple for growers big and small, General Hydroponics offers a wide range of nutrients for a fair price.According to most growers, General Hydroponics has one of the best base and flowering formula’s for their price range, and we agree. We carry them because they’re affordable, simple to follow, and have a wide range of products without being too daunting.In fact, their Flora Series nutrient package only consists of a few nutrients that you mix at different strengths, compared to other starter packs that require at least 4-5 nutrients.General Hydroponics nutrients can grow pretty much any plant you can think of, which is a gift and a challenge. You have the freedom to use these nutrients for plants and ornamental plants alike. But because they’re so jam-packed with what plants need, you’ll want to scale back the recommended amount of nutrients they provide. Some growers have reported nutrient burn because of the strength of these nutrients, but once they scaled back their grows were on track.Who should use these nutrients? We recommend General Hydroponics for growers with a little experience under their belt checking pH and PPM levels and know what to do to adjust those levels. If you know how to adjust feedings for your specific plants General Hydroponics will get your plants to grow big and save you some money at checkout.
BioBizz nutrients are very concentrated, so you’ll want to scale back slightly on the recommended feedings. However, their ingredients are organic, they have a vast selection, they’re affordable, and they're awesome for indoor and outdoor growing.Their additives, like BioHeaven, help you grow tremendously, but you’ll need to watch how much you’re putting into those feedings so that you don’t end up burning your plants.Their sweetening nutrients are pretty high in sugars, so if you’re using BioBizz nutrients and their supplements you might want to learn a little about scaling back your nutrients (which can involve some tricky math), and about the proper/safe use of sugars in your grow.Who should use these nutrients? We recommend BioBizz for seasoned growers who know exactly how to pinpoint deficiencies and correct them to scale. If you’ve got a keen sense of what your grow needs down to the nutrient, BioBizz will get any professional grow on track without wasting your time with ingredients you may not need.
Humbolt County's Own is made to supercharge plants and make an awesome garden even better. Their complete line of nutrients includes nutrient teas and nutrients that promote intense resin growth for tastier, more aromatic yields. We should note that they're used as additives and boosters, though, so while they'll boost aspects of your grow these are not made exclusively as base nutrients.Humboldt County's Own line of nutrients is designed to take your plants to the next level, so we recommend them for advanced growers who have experience fine-tuning their nutrient regimen.They use a combination of organic and man-made ingredients to make their nutrients. All it means is you might need to watch your PPM levels and assure your water doesn’t get stagnant. Man-made ingredients take longer to break down and absorb than organic ones, which isn’t a bad thing as long as you can keep an eye out on your plants and keep water flow consistent (you don’t want any gunked up nutrients in your reservoirs). However, be aware that boosters can spike nutrient levels, so be careful when using these (or any) boosters/additives.Who should use these nutrients? While these are fantastic nutrients that will put your plants over the top, they're very strong and should be applied by seasoned growers. Novice or inexperienced growers that are unaware of how/when to mix in additives can ruin a crop by not mixing them in properly. In the right hands, though, these nutrients will have your yields smelling stronger and tasting better.
Advanced Nutrients
It seems you can’t go to a grow conference or event without seeing a stand for Advanced Nutrients. Countless growers love using Advanced Nutrients because they’re designed specifically for them, which means growers don’t need to adjust the PPM or pH of their solutions as often as they do with other nutrient brands out there. Growers across the board agree that Advanced Nutrients are some of the easiest to work with and require less maintenance than others.However, growers will also agree that Advanced Nutrients are the most expensive nutrients out there. They might be easy to use, but as with most things the easier it makes your life the more expensive it probably is- and nutrients are no exception.Who should use these nutrients? We recommend Advanced Nutrients for any grower with a big budget and a small amount of time for maintenance. You may not have to do as many (if any) nutrient adjustments as other growers, but you’ll also need to be ready to spend some serious cash getting the crop you want.
“They’re both right, actually. See, here’s the thing about growing: there are general rules and guidelines growers and nutrient manufacturers go by because nutrients try to be compatible with as many plants as possible. However, because not all plants are the same, growers can tailor their feeding schedule to add/omit nutrients for optimal growth as they see fit.
For example, a nutrient feeding chart given to you by a nutrient manufacturer may tell you to put in x-amount of nutrients, but when you do so your plants are harmed. This is a sign not that the manufacturer is wrong, but that you’ll just need to adjust the solution for your plant species. Whether that means using half the recommended dosage of nutrients (or less) or you to use/not use suggested nutrients, the name of the game is adjusting nutrients for your garden so your plants grow as much as you need them to."
Lev
i switched from Canna to Advance sensa series and quite a few other additives in their range and my yeilds went from 1lb per plant to 1.5 and even 1.8 lbs plant, same lighting same everything just nutrient brand change, its expensive as around $280 AUD per plant per grow, well i only grow 1 at a time anyways. i wont change id rather spend the extra cash and grow easily and have great yields than chasing PHs, EC and having to calibrate your Ph tester, you can throw that stuff in the bin with confidence using Advanced, its no wonder they offer a money back garantee, coz they know nobody can or will complain.
Marshall Tyler
I use Fox farm, but want better results in bud size. Will advanced nutrients do better?
Dylan Sanders
I hope you never stop! This is one of the best blogs Ive ever read. I myself use BioBizz and Humbolt nutrients and i would have to agree with this 100%
Devin Martinez
You know, we haven’t had the chance to check them out, but we’ll look in to their nutrient line and see if they have anything GrowAce growers can find useful.
T$
What about Flairform Nutrient line. They were the balanced ph nute. Advanced bit that phrase off them.
6 comments
Devin Martinez
“They’re both right, actually. See, here’s the thing about growing: there are general rules and guidelines growers and nutrient manufacturers go by because nutrients try to be compatible with as many plants as possible. However, because not all plants are the same, growers can tailor their feeding schedule to add/omit nutrients for optimal growth as they see fit.
For example, a nutrient feeding chart given to you by a nutrient manufacturer may tell you to put in x-amount of nutrients, but when you do so your plants are harmed. This is a sign not that the manufacturer is wrong, but that you’ll just need to adjust the solution for your plant species. Whether that means using half the recommended dosage of nutrients (or less) or you to use/not use suggested nutrients, the name of the game is adjusting nutrients for your garden so your plants grow as much as you need them to."
Lev
i switched from Canna to Advance sensa series and quite a few other additives in their range and my yeilds went from 1lb per plant to 1.5 and even 1.8 lbs plant, same lighting same everything just nutrient brand change, its expensive as around $280 AUD per plant per grow, well i only grow 1 at a time anyways. i wont change id rather spend the extra cash and grow easily and have great yields than chasing PHs, EC and having to calibrate your Ph tester, you can throw that stuff in the bin with confidence using Advanced, its no wonder they offer a money back garantee, coz they know nobody can or will complain.
Marshall Tyler
I use Fox farm, but want better results in bud size. Will advanced nutrients do better?
Dylan Sanders
I hope you never stop! This is one of the best blogs Ive ever read. I myself use BioBizz and Humbolt nutrients and i would have to agree with this 100%
Devin Martinez
You know, we haven’t had the chance to check them out, but we’ll look in to their nutrient line and see if they have anything GrowAce growers can find useful.
T$
What about Flairform Nutrient line. They were the balanced ph nute. Advanced bit that phrase off them.