Aptus - N-Boost

A nitrogen booster built on organic nitrogen and L-amino acids. 30 to 50 ml per 100 litres of water, through the growth phase.

Nitrogen attached to an amino acid

Most nitrogen fertilisers deliver the element as a loose salt: nitrate, ammonium or urea. The plant can reach it directly, and that is exactly the problem. A loose salt arriving faster than the plant can process it accumulates in the root zone, and that is where burning starts.

Aptus supply the nitrogen bound to L-amino acids. The plant has to use that compound rather than simply absorb it, which puts a brake on the pace. Aptus themselves say that organic nitrogen from L-amino acids raises vegetative growth without risk of burning or overdose.

That is a claim to read as intended. It does not say you can give unlimited amounts; it says your margin is wider than with a mineral nitrogen feed.

The nitrate left behind in your harvest

There is a second reason to look at the form, and it is about what you end up with rather than about the plant.

Nitrogen offered as nitrate and not converted stays in the plant tissue as nitrate. In leaf crops that is a well-known point; in anything you consume yourself it counts. Aptus name a low nitrate content in the end product explicitly as a benefit of this approach.

The mechanism behind it is straightforward: if the nitrogen arrives via amino acids, part of the conversion the plant would otherwise have had to do is already done, and there is less loose nitrate left to remain.

What else it does

The amino acids are not only a delivery vehicle. Aptus state that they drive growth and biostimulation and that they stimulate soil life, so you are feeding the medium while you feed the plant.

Aptus also name a better sugar content, compact and firm growth, and greater resistance to fruit damage. The product is fully water-soluble and leaves no residue.

The reason to choose it over Startbooster

Aptus give a concrete tip here that you will not read elsewhere. If you work with a drip system, replace Startbooster with N-Boost as your growth and root stimulator, specifically to avoid clogging. Startbooster is 100% organic and raises the chance of build-up in narrow lines; N-Boost is fully water-soluble and does not.

And a warning the other way: do not use N-Boost together with Startbooster if the nitrogen level in your schedule is already high. Stacking two nitrogen sources is exactly what this product saves you from having to do.

In use

Shake well before use. Mix 30 to 50 ml per 100 litres of water, that is 3 to 5 ml in 10 litres, and give it through the growth phase.

Fully water-soluble, so suitable for any irrigation system. Set your EC once everything is in the tank.

Available sizes

Technical Specifications:

• Type: organic nitrogen booster
• Manufacturer: Aptus
• Contains: organic nitrogen (N) and L-amino acids
• Dosage: 30 to 50 ml per 100 litres of water
• Period: the growth phase
• Solubility: fully water-soluble, leaves no residue
• On drip systems: recommended by Aptus in place of Startbooster
• Do not combine with: Startbooster when nitrogen is already high
• Before use: shake well

Frequently asked questions

Can I burn my plants with this?
Aptus state that organic nitrogen from L-amino acids raises growth without risk of burning or overdose. Your margin is wider than with a mineral nitrogen feed, but keep to the dose.

What is the advantage of organic nitrogen?
The nitrogen arrives bound rather than as a loose salt, which limits the pace and, according to Aptus, gives a lower nitrate content in the end product.

Why does Aptus recommend this on a drip system?
Because it is fully water-soluble and leaves no residue, where a fully organic product like Startbooster can build up in narrow lines.

Can I give it alongside Startbooster?
Only if your nitrogen level allows it. Aptus warn explicitly against that combination when nitrogen is already high.

How much is that in a 10 litre tank?
3 to 5 ml.