Plagron - Start Up

A complete growth nutrient with root stimulator for seedlings, rooted cuttings and young plants. Maximum 7 ml per litre, weekly through the vegetative phase. Not suitable for hydroponics.

Seven millilitres per litre puts this in a different category

The additives on this shelf are dosed at 0.1 to 2.5 ml per litre. This bottle asks for up to seven, a ratio of 1 in 150.

That is not an additive dose but a feed dose, and it is immediately the most useful thing you can know about this product. The dose tells you what category something falls in, even when the packaging calls it something else. Anything you give seven millilitres of per litre is the feed for that phase.

The practical consequence is that you have to adjust your base feed for it. Seven millilitres per litre lifts your EC considerably, and putting this on top of a full vegetative dose takes a young plant past what it can handle quickly. Treat it as the feed for that phase, not as something you add.

Why there is no NPK figure here

On most of our pages the manufacturer's declaration is given. Not here, and that is deliberate.

Two declarations for this product are in circulation. One is NPK 4-7-5 with the nitrogen entirely as urea nitrogen. The other is NPK 3-1-3 with the nitrogen entirely organically bound, based on hydrolysed proteins, beet vinasse, algae extract and humic acids. Those are not two ways of writing the same thing: urea is a mineral nitrogen form and organically bound nitrogen is not, and the ratios differ substantially besides.

Normally you settle that with the manufacturer. Here you cannot: Plagron no longer carry Start Up in their range, so there is no current declaration to weigh the two against.

We would rather print nothing than a guess. What you can do is pick up the bottle you buy and read the label: that carries the declaration belonging to your batch, and it is the only one that is right for you.

What is settled

The instructions are the same across every source, and they are the most useful part.

You use it weekly through the young plant's vegetative phase, at a maximum of 7 ml per litre. It is meant for germinated seeds, rooted cuttings and young plants, and Plagron also name it for use after plants have been moved or transported.

Two limits come with it. First: this is not suitable for hydroponics. If you use an irrigation system, flush the lines after use. Second: once dissolved in water the nutrient solution keeps for a maximum of 24 hours, so use what you mix on the same day. A week's supply in a reservoir is not a good idea here.

Available sizes

Technical Specifications:

• Type: complete growth nutrient with root stimulator
• Manufacturer: Plagron
• Composition: not stated, see the explanation above and the label on your bottle
• Dose: maximum 7 ml per litre of water (1 in 150)
• Frequency: weekly, through the young plant's vegetative phase
• Intended for: germinated seeds, rooted cuttings and young plants
• Not suitable for: hydroponics
• Shelf life once mixed: maximum 24 hours
• Before use: shake well

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to adjust my base feed for this?
Yes. Seven millilitres per litre is a feed dose and lifts your EC considerably. Treat it as the feed for that phase rather than an addition.

Why is the NPK not given?
Because two different declarations circulate and Plagron no longer carry the product, so there is no current declaration to settle it. The label on your own bottle is the only one that is right for you.

Does it work in rockwool or clay pebbles?
Plagron give it as unsuitable for hydroponics. If you use an irrigation system, flush the lines after use.

Why only 24 hours once mixed?
It contains organic material, and organic material in water changes composition within a day.

How often do I feed it?
Weekly, through the young plant's vegetative phase.