Canna - Start

A complete one-part feed for seedlings and rooted cuttings on propagation media. 40 ml per 10 litres, with a target EC of 0.7 to 1.3 mS including tap water and a pH of 5.2 to 6.2.

With young plants the EC is the whole story

This bottle states something most feeds do not: a target for your EC, namely 0.7 to 1.3 mS including your tap water. For a seedling or cutting that number matters more than any individual nutrient.

The reason lies in how a root takes up water. Water moves from the side with less dissolved material to the side with more. As long as the concentration inside the root is higher than in the medium, water flows in. Let the concentration in the medium rise above that in the root, and the flow reverses and the plant loses moisture to the pot.

A mature plant has a large root system and plenty of margin. A week-old cutting has neither: little root volume, thin tissue, and direct contact with the solution. At an EC that is normal for a growing plant, such a cutting is already drying out in wet medium.

Hence the low target, and hence its being given inclusive of tap water. Live in a hard-water area and you start at 0.4 or higher before anything goes in, leaving less headroom than the label suggests.

Why diluting is not an alternative

The obvious thought is: I already have vegetative feed, I will just use less of it. CANNA say themselves why that does not work, and it is the most convincing argument for this kind of product.

Dilute an ordinary vegetative feed until the EC is low enough and you dilute everything with it. The macro elements land where you want them, but the trace elements drop below their lower limit on the way. The result is not a safe feed but a deficiency, and you see it as yellowing tissue.

So this bottle has its own ratio rather than being a watered-down vegetative feed: low in total concentration, but complete in what is in it.

One bottle, but not every system

This is a one-part feed, so no A and B to measure separately. It is meant for propagation media and works broadly across them: rockwool plugs, coco pellets, jiffy plugs, seed mixes and most other propagation media.

There is one clear exception you need to know: not in recirculating systems and not in clone machines. For a product aimed at this phase that is not an odd boundary, because it is exactly in those devices that concentration is hard to keep low and overfeeding happens fastest.

That it is not tied to one medium makes more sense in this phase than it sounds. A substrate-specific feed corrects for what the medium itself does to the nutrients, and over a few weeks in a plug that effect is limited. What does count is that the concentration is right and the ratio complete. Once the plant moves into its final pot the substrate does become decisive, and you switch to the CANNA line that goes with it.

In use

Shake the bottle well before use. Add a maximum of 40 ml of concentrate per 10 litres of water, a ratio of 1 in 250, and check your EC. Hold a pH of 5.2 to 6.2, depending on your substrate.

If you come out above 1.3, dilute rather than accept it; at this plant size there is little room between enough and too much. When moving to your normal nutrient line, build up gradually rather than switching in one step.

Technical Specifications:

• Type: complete one-part feed for the early phase
• Manufacturer: CANNA
• For: seedlings and rooted cuttings
• Substrate: rockwool plugs, coco pellets, jiffy plugs, seed mixes and most other propagation media
• Not suitable for: recirculating systems and clone machines
• Dose: maximum 40 ml per 10 litres of water (1 in 250)
• Target EC: 0.7 to 1.3 mS, including tap water
• Recommended pH: 5.2 to 6.2, depending on the substrate
• Before use: shake well
• Packaging: dosing bottle in polyethylene, free of PVC and cadmium

Frequently asked questions

Why such a low EC?
Because a small root system loses moisture to the medium as soon as the concentration there exceeds that inside the root. A cutting then dries out in wet soil.

Can I not just dilute my vegetative feed?
CANNA advise against it: dilute until the EC is low enough and the trace elements fall below their lower limit, so you get deficiencies rather than safety.

Does my tap water count towards that 0.7 to 1.3?
Yes, CANNA give the value inclusive of tap water. On hard water you start high and keep less headroom.

Can I use it in my recirculating system?
No. CANNA exclude recirculating systems and clone machines explicitly. For the other propagation media it is intended.

When do I switch to my normal feed?
When the plant goes into its final pot. Pick the CANNA line that matches your substrate and build up gradually.