Canna - Biocanna Bio Boost

Bio BOOST is the bloom stimulator from BIOCANNA, CANNA's organic line. There is one thing about this product that CANNA state themselves and that you will not read on any shelf: it is not certified organic.

What CANNA say about it themselves

Their own product information says that although Bio BOOST is made as natural as possible, it is currently not certified organic and therefore not suitable for Organic Food Programs. In the same breath they add that it contains no micro-organisms.

Those are two statements you do not expect from a manufacturer, and both are useful.

The first is simply honest. A product in an organic line implies a certification, and that certification is not there. If you grow for yourself, nothing changes about what the product does. If you grow under a scheme that requires certification, this is the sentence you needed.

The second clears up a misunderstanding. Bio BOOST is a fermented plant extract, and fermented sounds alive. People treat living products differently: they worry about chlorine in tap water, about reservoir temperature, about how long something stands. With this product none of that applies, because there is nothing in it that lives.

What it is instead

A naturally fermented plant extract, developed by CANNA Research from tropical rainforest plant extracts and enhanced with a mineral component. CANNA explicitly do not call it a nutrient: it supplies your plant with no nutrient elements and so replaces nothing in your schedule.

What it does, in their account, is raise the plant's metabolism during the period when demand for it is highest. The result they describe is a firmer and more vital fruit set with a higher fruit-sugar content, plants less susceptible to diseases and pests, and a fuller taste, because a higher rate of photosynthesis raises sugar production in the fruit.

They also name natural bloom regulators, which CANNA say help develop fruit more evenly and close off flowering more strongly. On a harvest you take in one go, evenness is as useful as size.

Not alongside hydrogen peroxide

CANNA specify never to give Bio BOOST at the same time as hydrogen peroxide based products. We sell two: Aptus System-Clean at 8% and Aptus Fungone at 3%.

Note why that applies here, because it is not the reason you would expect. With a product containing living bacteria or fungi, peroxide is a problem because it kills those organisms. Bio BOOST contains no micro-organisms, as CANNA say themselves. So the reason is not that you are killing something alive, but that an oxidiser degrades the bioactive components of the extract.

The upshot is the same: do not give them in the same round.

Dose and use

Shake well before use. CANNA hold to 1:500, meaning 2 ml per litre of water, from the moment flower formation begins. For more exuberant flowering you can give double, so 4 ml per litre.

You can apply it by hand, through your irrigation system, or as a foliar spray. Do not spray in bright sun or under bright light, because of the risk of burning.

On shelf life after dilution CANNA are not consistent: their Dutch text says to use the diluted solution straight away, their English information gives seven days. We hold to the stricter one. Mix what you will use in that round and do not leave it standing.

Bio BOOST can be used on any medium and with any nutrient line. CANNA advise dosing it in combination with BIOCANNA nutrition. Store it hermetically sealed, in the original packaging, protected from heat, frost and direct sunlight, preferably between 10 and 30 °C.

Available sizes

Technical Specifications:

• Type: fermented plant extract, bloom stimulator, not a fertiliser
• Manufacturer: CANNA, BIOCANNA line
• Certified organic: no, per CANNA's own statement
• Micro-organisms: contains none
• Dose: 1:500, meaning 2 ml per litre of water
• For a stronger effect: 4 ml per litre
• Start: as soon as flower formation begins
• Application: by hand, through irrigation or as a foliar spray
• Do not spray: in bright sun or under bright light
• Do not combine with: hydrogen peroxide based products
• After dilution: use straight away
• Storage: hermetically sealed, dark, 10 to 30 °C

Frequently asked questions

Is this an organic product?
It sits in CANNA's organic line, but CANNA state themselves that it is not certified organic and therefore not suitable for Organic Food Programs.

Does it contain bacteria or fungi?
No. CANNA state explicitly that Bio BOOST contains no micro-organisms.

Then why not alongside hydrogen peroxide?
Not because something living is in it, but because an oxidiser degrades the extract's bioactive components. We sell two peroxide products, System-Clean at 8% and Fungone at 3%.

Does it replace my bloom feed?
No, CANNA do not call it a nutrient. You give it alongside your regular feed.

How long does a mixed reservoir keep?
CANNA are not consistent about this. Their Dutch text says use it straight away, their English says seven days. Mix what you will use in that round.