Plant Nutrition Basics

HGV Premium Plant Nutrients

Why HGV?  They aren’t like other fertilizer companies. Their fertilizers stand on their own containing all the essential elements needed for healthy plant growth without the need for expensive “additives”.

Fertilizer Formulations

HGV is formulated for the correct balance between all the elements. Many elements are antagonistic of one another, meaning that high levels of a particular nutrient in the soil can interfere with the availability and uptake of other nutrients. By using “boosters” or “additives” you are throwing off the delicate balance between each element that has been carefully calculated and proven to provide superior results.

They also source the highest quality raw materials. We have tested every form of N (nitrogen), P (phosphorus), K (potassium), as well as secondary and trace elements, and only use what has given the best results time after time in our own commercial facilities. No Ammoniacal or Urea products are ever used. While we could make a lower-cost product, that is not our focus. Quality is always at the top of their list, and it should be at the top of yours as well.

Does Nutrient Source Matter When Feeding Plants?

Something you may have never considered is the nutrient source you are feeding your plants.

There are two sources of nutrients for plants: organic and synthetic.

But this can be broken down even further, as organic plant nutrients can be either derived from plant sources or animal sources. 

Which of these is best when it comes to absorption, price, and overall plant growth/yields? We’ll look at some of the research to come up with an answer to this.

Mixing Plant Nutrients - How Order Affects Absorption

There are a lot of growers who are unaware how mixing plant nutrients affects uptake and absorption rates. 

You may not have realized it, but if you don’t mix plant nutrients in the right order, you can cause some to turn to precipitate, and thus they won’t be taken up by your plants.

In this post, we are going to teach you the proper order to mix your nutrients in. But first, we want to cover the basics of mixing plant nutrients and some general safety information.

NPK Ratio & Nutrient Balance In Plants

You have likely seen the NPK ratio on the bottle of nutrients you purchased or are shopping for, but are you aware of how the ideal plant nutrient ratios change throughout the plant’s life cycle?

If you aren’t already aware, nutrient balance is one of the most important factors affecting your plant health, quality, and yield.

There are many different schools of thought on which NPK ratio is best across the different stages of growth.

Growers constantly try and manipulate their feeding schedule with additives and supplements to tweak nutrient balance. We'll cover why this is not a great idea.

How Often Should I Give My Plants Nutrients?

One of the most common questions new growers ask is “how often should I give my plants nutrients?”.

The answer varies based on tons of factors, including how young your plant is, what nutrients you’re feeding, and what stage of growth you are in. Plus, your growing method has a direct effect on your nutrients.

Reading a feeding chart or feeding schedule will help you determine how often you need to give your plants nutrients. But, they don’t tell the whole story.

Garden Soil and Nutrient Solution Testing - pH, TDS, and More!

Garden soil and nutrient testing will be your biggest responsibility on a day-to-day basis while growing. Plants are generally pretty resilient, but they can develop some pretty nasty issues if certain aspects of their nutrition are out of whack. 

Some of the most common things you’ll need to test include pH, PPM, TDS, EC, Temperature, and moisture. You won’t need to test all of these, but there are a few that are definitely important to measure regularly.

We’ll break this post into two sections - testing your garden soil and testing your nutrient solution. If you’re growing hydroponically, you’ll just need to worry about testing your hydroponic reservoir.

But if you grow in soil, you may need to test not just your nutrients, but your soil, and sometimes even your runoff.

In this post, we are going to teach you everything you need to know about soil and nutrient testing!

Best Plant Nutrients Of 2024

Using the best plant nutrients can be the difference between a weak, lackluster harvest and a heavy, potent harvest. After all, the nutrients you use to grow are responsible for giving your plants the compounds they need to grow. But, can you just run to your local garden center and grab any fertilizer? Not if you want impressive plants. 

Which nutrients are best for your grow will depend on how you grow. We’ll cover the best soil, hydro, and organic nutrients, but first, we need to cover some basic plant nutrition.

What is OMRI Listing?

Growing organically is easy, but you must refrain from using unnatural or synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, and nutrients. Not all organic nutrients or pesticides are created equal, however.

When diving into the world of organics, you will notice a seal on select products that shows the phrase “OMRI Listed”, but what does this small label mean?

Plant Nutrients & pH

Every plant has a preferred pH range for healthy production. The soil or hydroponic solution pH affects chemical and biological reactions such as availability of essential nutrients, toxicities caused by non-essential elements, and soil health. In short, if your plants are not as healthy as you would like, check you pH first.