About Base nutrients
Base nutrients are the main feed in any growing programme. They supply the nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium and trace elements your plants need through the grow and bloom stages, and everything else you add sits on top of them. We stock base feeds for soil, coco and hydro from Canna, Plant Magic, Dutch Pro, Athena, Plagron, Shogun, Ionic, Buddha's Tree and Advanced Nutrients.
Many of these come as A+B nutrients, also called two-part or AB feeds. Read on to find out why, and how to pick the right one for your setup.
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What are A+B nutrients?
A two-part nutrient splits a complete feed across two bottles, Part A and Part B. The reason is chemistry. Calcium reacts with sulphates and phosphates when they are concentrated together, and forms a solid that drops out of the solution. Once that happens, those nutrients are no longer available to your plants. Keeping calcium in one bottle and the sulphates and phosphates in the other stops this happening on the shelf. When you dilute both parts in water, they stay in solution and your plants get the full feed.
That is why you should never pour A and B straight into each other. Add Part A to your water, stir, then add the same amount of Part B and stir again. One-part feeds such as Canna Terra Vega Soil Nutrient or Ionic Coco Grow are formulated so they can go straight into your water with no A and B mixing.
How to choose a base nutrient
By growing medium
- Soil: choose a feed made for soil, such as Plagron Terra Grow, Plant Magic Soil Grow, Dutch Pro Soil Bloom A+B or the certified organic Canna Bio Vega and Canna Bio Flores.
- Coco: coco holds on to calcium and magnesium, so it needs a coco-specific feed. Try Shogun Samurai Coco A&B, Plant Magic Coco Grow A&B, Buddha's Tree Coco A&B Hydrobase or Dutch Pro Hydro/Coco Grow A+B.
- Hydro: for recirculating systems such as NFT, ebb and flow and DWC, use Canna Aqua Vega A&B and Canna Aqua Flores A&B. Plant Magic Hydro Grow A&B suits clay pebbles, rockwool and perlite.
Athena Nutrients Blended Line Grow A&B is a flexible option that works in coco, hydro, rockwool or soil.
By growth stage
Most ranges come as a grow feed for the vegetative stage and a bloom feed for flowering, because plants need more nitrogen while they build leaves and stems, then more phosphorus and potassium once they flower. Pair the matching bottles from one range, for example Plant Magic Coco Grow A&B then Plant Magic Coco Bloom A&B, or Advanced Nutrients Iguana Juice Grow then Iguana Juice Bloom for an organic option.
By water type
Some feeds come in hard and soft water versions. The Plant Magic Hydro and Coco A&B ranges let you choose: pick Hard Water if your tap water is hard, which covers most of the Midlands, or Soft Water if your tap water is soft or you use RO water. Not sure? Ask us in store.
Base nutrients FAQs
What does A and B mean on nutrients?
It means the feed comes in two bottles. Each part holds ingredients that would react with each other if they were stored together in concentrate. You use both, in equal amounts, to make a complete feed.
Can I mix Part A and Part B together before adding water?
No. Add each part to your water separately and stir in between. Mixing the concentrates directly can cause nutrients to drop out of solution.
Which base nutrient should I use?
Match it to your medium first. Use a soil feed for soil, a coco feed for coco and a hydro feed for hydro systems. Then pick the grow or bloom version for the stage your plants are at.
Do I need additives as well as a base nutrient?
A good base feed will grow healthy plants on its own. Additives and boosters do specific jobs on top, such as supporting roots or flowering. See our additives and boosters or the full nutrients and boosters range.
How much should I feed?
Follow the feed chart for your chosen range and check pH after mixing. Our guide on how to read a nutrient feed chart explains the weeks, doses, EC and pH figures.
Want to go deeper? Read Hydroponic Nutrients Explained: How A/B Solutions and Additives Boost Plant Health.
Order online for free Click & Collect from our West Bromwich store, or get free UK delivery on orders over £94.99. Need advice? Call us on 0121 553 7872 or pop in.