Growing in hydro can produce fantastic results with incredible yields but it takes a nutrient solution to get the results other growers will envy.
I used Prescription Blend Nutrients during the recent 420 Magazine GSC Comparative grow that included 40 different growers using different products and growing methods. I just switched from a Deep-Water Culture (DWC) hydro method to using Coco and was hoping to find nutrients that would produce similar results.
As part of the medium change, I wanted to move away from non-organic products which I have primarily used in the past. Prescription Blend uses organic non-GMO plant extracts and minerals from natural biological sources which is what I was looking for. Prescription Blend provides an organic solution that works in most mediums and is great for hydro or Coco.
Using a solution with several parts can sometimes be a pain but the detailed feeding chart and information Prescription Blend provides with the nutrient kit makes it pretty much fool proof. In order to be successful, make sure you follow the directions to the letter. Add the components in the order listed with the correct amounts and mix well before adding the next component. You can make large batches of the solution for a reservoir which will keep for a week if you provide some aeration and occasional stirring.
One thing to keep in mind, is when growing in hydro the input pH from your water source is important and affects nutrient uptake. When mixing Prescription Blend the final nutrient solution pH will balance between 5.8 and 6.4 depending on the source and starting pH value. The pH in my local water is 8.0 and the solution’s final pH ended up at 6.3 and was easily adjusted to the 6.0 pH I prefer. As with all nutrient additives, if using a reservoir always check the pH regularly for potential drifting prior to providing to your plants.
Although Prescription Blend provides a complete solution in can be used with an additional calcium or magnesium product. Growing in Coco can deplete calcium in the medium so adding calcium can be expected. For this grow I used only small amounts of additional calcium, to account for the normal Coco uptake, with little to no Cal/Mg deficiencies. Prescription Blend can also be safely combined with any high-quality beneficial microbe product so no worries with hurting beneficial fungi and bacteria.
I was very impressed with the amount of growth during the veg period and the first 34 days were outstanding as seen in the video below. Plant size seemed to almost double daily even with major quadline crops and defoliation.
When flipping to the flower stage I added just one addition component to the solution which changes the NPK ratio to favor the development of flowers. The flower development was great, and I ended up with a yield 50% more than what I expected. With quadlining, I trained each plant to be just 24” (61 cm) tall in 4-gallon pots and yielded over 300 grams (10.8 oz.) with two plants. Each plant had a dozen or so extra large colas with final dried weights averaging 4-grams per bud.
Trichome development was also great covering me with a sweet stickiness every time I trimmed. The terpenes produced a very aromatic and tasty finished product.
In Conclusion
I was very impressed with the quality and ease of use of Prescription Blend Nutrients and finding an organic non-GMO product to use in hydro is always welcomed. The Prescription Blend team started out as medical growers in the Pacific Northwest and began to make their own optimized nutrient blends for craft and medical gardens from scratch in 2007. The team are experts in biochemistry and horticulture and provide a quality product you will appreciate, and the results of my grow confirm it. And thankfully, it’s now available for the rest of us growers.
420 Magazine Product Review by: Brett Blaze
For More Information: Prescription Blend
