When growing flowers in a hydroponic bloom enhancers system, the most common question is “how can I make my plants grow faster?”, followed by “how do I increase the number of flowers?” and finishing it up with “do you know how to increase the size of the flowers?”. There is no simple answer to these questions. However, in this article, we will provide some tips, tricks, and knowledge to help you on your way.
At its simplest, a hydroponic nutrient solution consists of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). For vegetative growth, these are usually elevated to higher levels, while for flowers, K is reduced to lower levels.
How Do I Increase My Blooms?
The most common and easy-to-implement tip for increasing your blooms is to add nitrates (NO3). While this increases vegetative growth, it does not promote flowering in any way. What it does do, however, is increase the nutrient availability within the flowers themselves which results in an increase in the size and number of blossoms.
To increase the nutrient availability in flowers directly and to produce larger and more abundant flowers, we must look at other elements than just nitrogen. The most common element for this is potassium (K), which can be added as Potassium Nitrate (KNO3) or Potassium Phosphate (KH2PO4).
While these elements are present in different forms, they both contain potassium and will work equally well. For best results, we recommend adding K only once the blossoms have already started to develop.
What Is The Best Bud Enhancer?
I recommend using Advanced Nutrients Big Bud Liquid Fertilizer Bloom Booster for flowering. You can get order it on Amazon and it comes in different sizes, so you can try the 1/4 L. (9 fluid oz.) at first, or go for the big 23 L. (778 fl. oz.) if you have a bigger garden or greenhouse and you’ve had some experience with Big Bud before.
The use of four L-form amino acids promotes blooms and increases the number of flowers.
So when you ask “what are the best bloom nutrients” Big Bud is my first choice.
How To Use Bloom Booster Fertilizer
To use, add 2mL per liter in your reservoir during weeks 2 through 4 of your plant’s life. You can also add it with every reservoir change or even directly to the roots when watering. When adding it together with your normal nutrient solution, simply mix it evenly into the water you are about to use. Make sure that there are no undissolved parts left before you apply the mixture to your plants.
Homemade Bloom Booster
To make your own, combine 5 parts (by volume) worm castings, 1 part (by volume) alfalfa meal, 20 parts water, and 10 ppm of potassium nitrate. Mix all this together in a bucket until you notice that the consistency is similar to thin mud. Then apply with your normal nutrient solution at a rate of 2mL per liter in your reservoir during weeks 2 through 4.
What To Use In The Vegetative Stage?
In the vegetative stage, there are many products available that will help you achieve faster growth and more leaves.
However, if you want to produce more flowers, we recommend the Advanced Nutrients Voodoo Juice and adding one or two teaspoons of high P bat guano per 5 gallons (20 liters).
When Do I Increase The Bloom Enhancers?
You can start using them after your first true leaves have appeared. However, it is not advised to use any bloom booster before week 2. This is because at the beginning of a plant’s life, its roots develop and you don’t want to run the risk of overloading them with nutrients. It can quickly become an issue if your plants are still very small when you feed them with too much nutrient solution.
Now I know what someone may be thinking: “how can I improve on what Advanced Nutrients has already done?”
While you can do a lot by taking the nutrient elements from other sources, it is not worth trying to reinvent the wheel. This is because this company and its researchers have spent years developing and optimizing their products to mimic what nature does as closely as possible. For that reason, I have yet to see a company beat them in regards to producing a complete, balanced and effective nutrient line that will provide the best yields possible.
Organic Bloom Booster
I also recommend Maxicrop Liquid Seaweed Extract. This will provide your plants with NPK, amino acids, and micronutrients.
When do I add this?
You can add this throughout the vegetative stage because it is a seaweed product that slowly releases its nutrients into the water over time.
On top of all that, I recommend adding seaweed extract once a week during weeks 3 and 4 of the flowering stage. This way you provide your initial buds with nutrients they can rely on until harvest time.
You can get Maxicrop’s extracts on Amazon here.
