Plagron - Alga Grow

An organic grow nutrient on an algae base, NPK 4-2-4, certified by Control Union. A maximum of 4 ml per litre of water, that is 1 to 250, at every watering during the growth phase.

This nutrient only works after about two weeks

This is the most important thing to know about organic base nutrition, and it is why a schedule built on Alga looks different from one built on a mineral feed.

Plagron say it themselves: unlike their Terra range, the Alga nutrients are not directly usable by your plant. They first have to be converted by the soil life, and that takes about two weeks. The plant does not eat what you pour in, it eats what the bacteria have made of it.

One practical rule follows: you start earlier than you think. If you feed at the moment you see the plant asking for something, you are two weeks late. The dose going into the pot today is food for a fortnight from now.

Plagron tie that to the substrate. On a poor soil such as Lightmix or Promix you start straight away. On Growmix you start from week two.

On a rich soil you do not use this in growth at all

That is the other side of the same arithmetic, and it is unusual advice for a shop page because it saves you a bottle.

Plagron's richly pre-fertilised 100% NATURAL substrates, Allmix, Batmix and Royalmix, are pre-fertilised for at least six weeks. That covers the growth phase of most plants. If you grow on those, you do not need to give Alga Grow during growth, and if you do anyway you are stacking on top of what is already there.

So Alga Grow is above all the product for growing on a poor or neutral soil. If you do not know what is in your bag, look there first before building a schedule on this.

Why you do not have to steer pH and EC here

Growing organically on Plagron's 100% NATURAL substrates, you do not need to regulate the pH and EC value of your nutrient solution. The soil life does that, and it also catches an excess.

Note the condition. That holds in combination with those substrates, not on any soil and not in a system without soil life. Grow on something else and the buffer is gone, which puts you back to measuring yourself.

Dosing

Shake well before use. Add a maximum of 4 ml per litre of water, 1 to 250, and give that solution at every watering during the growth phase.

If your mixed solution develops a smell after a while and turns cloudy, that is normal. It is the bacterial process starting up after dissolving, and it is exactly what you want to see from this type of nutrient. It is not harmful and it does not mean there is anything wrong with the bottle.

Organic cultivation

Alga Grow is 100% organic and certified by Control Union, which makes it suitable for organic growing. If you grow under your own certification, always check it against the current list of your own control body.

Available sizes

Technical Specifications:

• Type: organic base nutrient on an algae base, for the growth phase
• Manufacturer: Plagron, 100% NATURAL range
• Levels: NPK fertiliser 4-2-4 with micronutrients
• Dosage: maximum 4 ml per litre of water, 1 to 250
• Frequency: at every watering during the growth phase
• Conversion time: about two weeks, via the soil life
• Starting point: Lightmix and Promix straight away, Growmix from week two
• Not needed on: Allmix, Batmix and Royalmix during the growth phase
• Certification: Control Union, suitable for organic growing
• Before use: shake well

Frequently asked questions

When do I start feeding?
Earlier than you would expect, because conversion takes about two weeks. On Lightmix and Promix straight away, on Growmix from week two.

I grow on Allmix or Batmix. Do I need this?
Not during the growth phase. Those substrates are pre-fertilised for at least six weeks and cover that phase themselves.

Do I need to measure my pH and EC?
In combination with Plagron's 100% NATURAL substrates, no, because the soil life regulates it. Grow on something else and that buffer is gone.

My solution has started to smell and gone cloudy.
That is normal for an organic nutrient: a bacterial process starts up after dissolving. It is not harmful.

Can I use it as a foliar feed?
Alga Grow is an organic nutrient that needs soil life to become available, so the soil route is the one it is built for.