Always test from the most recently matured leaves, in this case just below the flowers.
“The plant is the final judge,” says Dr. Harry Mills of the aptly named Micro Macro International labs, which uses real science to determine exactly what your plants need right now. Even if the plant looks picture perfect, it may harbor a deficiency that could reduce flavor, oil content and overall vigor.
“It’s what the plant has taken up that matters,” stresses Mills. “That’s the only real way to know what you need. We test each sample to see if what you’re doing provides all 16 essential elements of plant growth. If we just tested soil or water, that just tells us what’s present, but not necessarily what’s available to plants.”
If you’re not a math head, getting a hydroponic garden up and running can become a mind-boggling series of calculations. Don’t let it discourage you from taking the leap into this innovative way of cultivation because the first time is always the hardest. From then on you’ll have a baseline for adjusting your media and plant fuels to obtain the very best results.
Everybody talks about change, but they don’t know if the change is really better or just different. Coca Cola discovered the hard way that changing the formula of this iconic soft drink was a bad idea. But when change brings true innovation by raising a good product to the next level, everybody wins.
Would you risk your crop to save $25? Of course not, so why would you reuse growing media that may prove less than ideal for your valuable plants? This is the question every grower weighs after harvest: Whether to replace the growing media or reuse it another time.
If you’re still not sure, consider the triple threat: Three very important reasons why fresh Sunshine Advanced soilless media will always perform.
Beginning with carefully selected ingredients and formulated by a team of professional horticulturists, the Sunshine Advanced #4 Growing Mix is made from high quality raw materials and provides an ideal growing mix for your indoor and outdoor growing needs.
The foundation of the growing mix is Canadian Sphagnum peat moss, sustainably harvested from carefully managed bogs in rural Canada. The peat moss is screened to remove large clumps and sticks and is blended with horticultural grade perlite and coir (a by-product of the coconut industry). Peat moss reduces the leaching of nutrients from the growing mix allowing them to release slowly over time. Perlite keeps air spaces open while coir combined with peat allows good water retention. This provides a balance of air and water that results in good root growth and the foundation for good stem and flower growth. Dolomitic lime, a starter organic fertilizer, mycorrhizae and an organic wetting agent are added to complete the mix. Lime adjusts the pH for optimum fertilizer availability; the starter organic fertilizer helps transplants establish; mycorrhizae assists in fertilizer uptake and the organic wetting agent helps peat moss absorb water better. Continue reading “Sunshine® Advanced Growing Mix #4 – How It’s Made”
Purchase professional laboratory testing through our partners at MMI Laboratories.
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IMAGE: Plants grown in Sunshine Advanced Mix #4 showed superior root development to plants grown in competitive mixes.
In controlled trials, plants grown in Sunshine Advanced Mix #4 had superior vegetative growth, better foliar color and more flowers than plants grown in competitive mixes. This is due in part to a much more robust root structure similar to what is pictured here... MORE
