Terra Aquatica - Starter kit TriPart hard water

The full TriPart base nutrient in small format: 500 ml Grow, 500 ml Bloom, 500 ml Micro in the hard water version and 25 grams of pH down. For hydroponics, coco and soil.

Only one of the three bottles is water-specific

This is the first thing to know and it saves you money later.

Only TriPart Micro comes in a hard water and a soft water version. Grow and Bloom are universal and work with any water type.

So if you move to an area with different water, or switch to reverse osmosis, you replace one bottle rather than the whole set. It is also why this kit exists in two versions while two of the three bottles are identical.

Hard or soft: 70 mg per litre of calcium

Terra Aquatica draw a firm line. More than 70 mg/l of calcium in your tap water means the hard water version, which is the one you have here. Less than that, or reverse osmosis water, means the soft water version.

You do not have to guess at this. Water companies publish their water quality per distribution area; the value you are looking for is calcium in milligrams per litre. If you work with collected rainwater or a reverse osmosis unit you are almost certainly below the threshold and need the other version.

Get it wrong with this bottle and you put too much calcium into your solution, with precipitation and blocked drippers as the result.

Add the components one at a time, and rinse your measuring jug

The mixing order is not a suggestion with this system.

• Shake each bottle well before use.
• Add the components separately to the water and stir well each time.
• Clean your measuring jug between components.

The reason: undiluted concentrates react with one another. Bring them together neat and salts precipitate that the plant can no longer take up. A measuring jug with a little Micro left in it that you then pour Bloom from does exactly that on a small scale, and it happens more easily than you would think.

The ratio shifts with the phase

The idea behind three separate bottles is that you change the ratio rather than change product.

Micro is used throughout the grow. In growth the emphasis is on Grow, in flowering on Bloom. The components sit broadly between 0.5 and 2 ml per litre, depending on phase and crop.

For exact weekly values Terra Aquatica publish their own feed chart. Use that rather than a chart from another brand: the three bottles are matched to each other and the ratio is the whole point of the system.

The 25 gram sachet of pH down belongs with it because mineral feeding always needs correcting. Add it after all three components are in and stirred through, never before.

TriPart used to be called Flora Series

Terra Aquatica grew out of GHE and the range was renamed. FloraGro became TriPart Grow, FloraBloom became TriPart Bloom and FloraMicro became TriPart Micro.

Worth knowing, because plenty of charts and guides are still circulating under the old names. They are about these bottles and you can follow them as they are.

Available sizes

Technical Specifications:

• Type: three-part mineral base nutrient, starter format
• Manufacturer: Terra Aquatica, TriPart range, formerly GHE Flora Series
• Contents: TriPart Grow 500 ml, TriPart Bloom 500 ml, TriPart Micro hard water 500 ml, pH down 25 grams
• Water-specific: the Micro only; Grow and Bloom are universal
• Intended for: tap water above 70 mg/l calcium
• Not for: reverse osmosis or soft water, which need the soft water version
• Substrate: hydroponics, coco and soil
• Dosage: broadly 0.5 to 2 ml per litre per component, depending on phase
• Mixing: add components separately, clean the measuring jug in between
• pH: correct after all components have been added

Frequently asked questions

How do I know whether I have hard or soft water?
Look up the water quality for your distribution area at your water company and check calcium in mg/l. Above 70 mg/l this is the right version.

I use reverse osmosis water, can I use this kit?
No, you need the soft water version. RO water sits far below the 70 mg/l calcium threshold.

What if my water changes later?
Then you replace the Micro only. Grow and Bloom work with any water type.

Why do I have to add the bottles separately?
Because undiluted concentrates react with one another and salts precipitate that the plant can no longer absorb. Rinse your measuring jug in between for the same reason.

Can I use an old GHE chart?
Yes. FloraGro, FloraBloom and FloraMicro are the old names of these three bottles.