Feed Me, Seymour

When I bought my first plants I used Schultz Plant Food; the same plant food I saw my grandmother use. It is a great all-purpose plant food and very easy to use. However, after a long battle with fungus gnats and knowing they lay eggs in soil, I moved toward non-soil media such as coco-coir and Pon. Since soil contains naturally occurring minerals that are not present in coco coir or Pon, I decided to use hydroponic fertilizer. This became even more crucial when I began using RO-DI water that has no minerals. To offset this lack of minerals,

About the time I learned about hydroponic fertilizers, I started reading about Silica. What I found was that Silica helps to improve structural strength, enhances pest and disease resistance as well as stress tolerance, increases nutrient uptake and supports photosynthesis. I’ve been using General Hydroponics FloraNova Grow mixed with TPS Silica Gold for several months now and I’m very happy with both products. With my change of fertilizer, I also began checking the pH of my nutrient water.

Hitting a plant’s pH sweet spot allows the plant to absorb nutrients more efficiently. My bottle of Flora-Nova Grow suggests a pH between 5.5 and 6.5. A little more research suggested different sweet spots for different plants.

In an effort to be a good plant grower, I decided to see what pH levels my plants actually preferred. I did a Google search for every genus of plant that I own. My search criteria was: [Plant Genus] plant watering pH requirements. For my plants, the average recommended pH level should be 5.6 – 6.6. That’s an average of 6.1, so that’s what I shoot for.

Now that you know what goes into my plant’s water, it’s time to put everything together. To make things easier, I keep the nutrients I use in 2 oz. Dropper Bottles. Depending on how many of my plants need water, I usually mix 2 gallons every 4-10 days, and this is my process:

• Fill two gallon jugs with RO-DI water.
• Add 4 droppers of Silica. (Silica is optional.)
  • Silica should be added before other nutrients.
• Shake well.
• Wait 30 minutes.
  • Most brands/types of Silica require waiting 30 minutes before adding additional nutrients to allow the silica to bond with the water.
• Add 4 droppers of Hydro Fertilizer (I use General Hydroponics FloraNova Grow).
• Shake well.
• Check pH for each bottle (mine is usually around 6.7 at this point)
  • Some supplements can raise or lower your water’s pH, so readings should be taken after all supplements have been added.
• Adjust pH for each bottle to 6.1 (your sweet spot might vary)
  • For my water, I usually need 2 or 3 drops of pH Down. (approximately 1 drop for a .2 decrease.
  • Your water may react differently than mine, so adjust with only a few drops at a time.

All of my plants receive this water except my Orchids, Carnivorous Plants and Mini Monstera which is very sensitive to nutrients. My Orchids have their own regimen, and Carnivorous Plants that are a totally different kind of plant. The advice I give to you is to do your own research and see what works for your plants. Also, don’t make too many changes too quickly. It may take several weeks before you see the consequences of a single change.

Here’s an example about the time it can take to see the consequences of an action you take today. About two weeks ago I chopped and re-potted my Mini Monstera (Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma). I had air-layered (wrapped a node in moist sphagnum moss) a node and it had finally grown a root, so I planted it with some other cuttings. A day or two ago, I noticed some yellowing leaves. Apparently, the root was not ready for planting and the leaves were letting me know. So be patient and keep your eyes open.