Creating Your First Nutrient Solution

Mixing nutrients can seem a confusing and daunting task for first time growers. Thankfully though, it’s not difficult! This guide aims to help beginners and in-experienced growers build up confidence and move to the next level.

In our example we’re going to use the following items commonly found in the popular setup for XL tents featuring 4x 12L RhizoPots filled with Tropic Mix:

• 1 x 1L SHOGUN Samurai Terra Grow
• 1 x 1L SHOGUN Samurai Terra Bloom
• 1 x 250ml SHOGUN Katana Roots
• 1 x 250ml SHOGUN PK Warrior 9/18
• 1 x 250ml SHOGUN Sumo Boost
• 4 x 12L RhizoPots
• 4 x 30cm Round Saucers 
• 1 x 25L Bucket
• 1 x 20ml Nutrient Measuring Syringe
• 1 x 1L Measuring Jug
• 1 x 50ml Ecothrive Neutralise
• 1 x 50L Tropic Mix

Before mixing nutrients, you should make sure your water is primed for use by dechlorinating it. To do so, you can just leave water to stand for 24 hours. However, we’d recommend either using GroWell’s RO Water Refill Service (in-store only) or applying Ecothrive Neutralise (5 drops for 5L of water).

For your first grow, you may want to start out with only the base nutrients, and in time gradually bring additives into the mix. We’ve selected SHOGUN Samurai Terra Grow and Bloom as our base nutrients. In the example setup, Terra Grow is used from week 3 due to the small amount of nutrient content already in Tropic Mix.

Bottles of nutrient and additives include dilution rates on their labels. You’ll also find feed charts on the websites of suppliers for guidance.

For a 5L batch and a dilution rate of 3-4ml/L for SHOGUN Samurai Terra Grow, all you need to do is multiply 5 by 3 or 4. We’ve done the former, which gives us 15ml. This is added into the bucket of water and stirred.

Later in the veg stage when plants are larger, begin to use the higher suggested dose of 4ml/L.

The same applies to SHOGUN Samurai Terra Bloom when it comes to feeding your plants during the flowering stage. The slightly stronger ratio of 4ml/L means that 20ml is added to the 5L batch.

How long you keep your plants in the veg stage is up to you. We recommend switching to flowering and applying Terra Bloom instead of Terra Grow when your plants are half as tall as you want them to be at harvest.

In terms of how often you schedule feeds, this ultimately comes down to the needs of your plants. The most common feeding frequency is twice a week during the veg stage and 3 times a week during flowering.

Always keep an eye on the health of your plants and check how heavy they feel. If another feed seems necessary, don’t hesitate to give them more.

After a successful crop, you’ll want to reassess your options regarding additives. Speak to GroWell as well as checking out bottle labels and feed charts to get ideas on what to use.

We recommend introducing SHOGUN Katana Roots, SHOGUN PK Warrior and SHOGUN Sumo Boost. Katana Roots helps young plants germinate and lay down roots, then aids growth over most of the life-cycle. In flowering, adding Sumo Boost increases yields whilst PK Warrior ups the phosphorus and potassium levels for heavier fruits and flowers