Nutrients — FloraFlex

Four parts through the cycle, plus two ripeners each with their own moment. V and B work in pairs: neither half does the job alone.

FloraFlex splits its base feed not into A and B but into numbered parts per phase: V1 and V2 in growth, B1 and B2 in bloom. At first glance that looks like any other two-part system, but it is deliberately built differently, and once you see how the elements are divided across the two parts it becomes clear why neither half works alone.

Growth: V1 and V2

V1 supplies the nitrogen and the calcium, at 15% calcium and a ratio of 13% nitrate against 1% ammonium. That ratio is why this part carries the calcium side: nitrate and calcium belong together. V2 brings what V1 leaves out, namely phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and sulphur. Together they are a complete feed and separately neither is. FloraFlex build their schedule around source water at an EC of 0.2 to 0.3, so if your water is harder you are starting higher than they assume.

Bloom: B1 and B2, and what changes

B1 holds the same 14% nitrogen as V1, but with less ammonium, the calcium halved and well over five times the potash. That is the switch into bloom in a single bottle. B2 contains no nitrogen at all, which is the interesting part of this design: in bloom all your nitrogen comes from B1, so changing the ratio between the two lets you steer how much nitrogen your schedule carries. With a system where both parts contain nitrogen you cannot do that.

The two ripeners are not interchangeable

Bulky B is the early one: P2O5 14% against K2O 43%, plus 11% sulphur. That is mostly potassium, for the phase where the tops build volume. Full Tilt is the late one: P2O5 47% and K2O 35% from monopotassium phosphate, intended for the last two weeks before you flush. They sit side by side on the shelf and do different things at different moments, so the question is not which is better but which week you are in.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use V1 without V2?
No. V1 carries the nitrogen and calcium, V2 the phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and sulphur. Neither is a complete feed on its own.

Why is there no nitrogen in B2?
That is by design. In bloom all the nitrogen comes from B1, so the ratio you dose the two at decides how much nitrogen you give.

My tap water is above EC 0.3. What then?
Then you are starting above the point the schedule assumes. Measure your source water before dosing and allow for it; the product page states what FloraFlex themselves work from.