Atami - Ata Atazyme

A concentrated enzyme preparation from Atami, dosed at 2 ml per litre. Aimed at loosening accumulated nutrient salts and keeping the medium fit for a following cycle.

The problem is not only dead root material, it is the salt

A pot that has been fed minerally for a whole cycle holds two kinds of debris by the end. The dead plant material every enzyme product talks about, and a less visible build-up of nutrient salts the plant never took up.

The second is the one you see on your meter. The EC of your medium climbs without your having fed more, the plant looks over-fed although your schedule has not changed, and correcting by feeding less only half works because the salt is already in the pot. Atami aim this product explicitly at that side: it makes locked-up salts available again rather than leaving them sitting there.

The difference from flushing is that flushing throws the salt away, while here some of it still ends up in the plant. That saves feed, and it makes the end of the cycle calmer because you are pushing against your own build-up less.

The real gain is in the cycle after this one

Soil and coco usually get thrown out because nobody is sure what is in them. There are dead roots in there, there is salt, and there may be a fungus that has taken up residence on that dead material. A new bag is cheaper than a failed cycle, so the bag goes.

An enzyme treatment changes that calculation, because it removes the two things you were unsure about. Treat the medium at the end of the cycle and again before new plants go in, and loosen it in between so the liquid reaches everywhere. What you are left with is a medium whose history you know.

This works in soil, in coco, in rockwool and in hydro. It does not work on a medium that is already diseased: enzymes clear dead material, they do not fight an infection that is already running.

Dosing

Mix 2 ml per litre of feed water. Atami specify weekly use through the vegetative and flowering phases. That is a higher dose per litre than most competitors ask for, which says nothing about the product's strength but plenty about how fast the bottle empties: when comparing, work per litre of feed water rather than per bottle.

Add it to the made-up reservoir and stir thoroughly. Enzymes are proteins and are destroyed by strong oxidisers, so do not put them in the same tank as hydrogen peroxide.

Available sizes

Technical Specifications:

• Type: concentrated liquid enzyme preparation
• Manufacturer: Atami
• Dose: 2 ml per litre of feed water
• Frequency: weekly, through the vegetative and flowering phases
• Targets: accumulated nutrient salts and dead root material
• Substrate: soil, coco, rockwool and all hydroponic systems
• Application: add to the made-up reservoir and stir thoroughly
• Packaging: 100% recyclable polyethylene, free of PVC and cadmium

Frequently asked questions

Why do I dose more of this than of another brand?
Because the concentration differs per bottle. Across the brands on this shelf there is a factor of ten in dose per litre. Compare per litre of feed water, not per bottle.

Does this replace the final flush?
No, it works alongside it. Flushing carries salt away, this makes some of it available again. Many growers do both.

Can I reuse my soil with this?
Yes, provided the medium is healthy. Treat at the end of the cycle and again before the new planting, and loosen the medium in between.

Does it help against root rot?
It removes the food source by clearing dead material, which helps preventively. It will not fight an infection that is already under way.

Can it go in with hydrogen peroxide?
Better not. Peroxide is an oxidiser and breaks enzymes down, so you lose the effect of both.