Grow-Products We Love

Nutrients are a big part of the success of indoor gardening. While we have used many that work well, we have had really good success with the following products. For passive hydroponics, be sure to use a nutrient that is designed for hydroponics.

Here are two nutrient products we recommend:

• MaxiGro and MaxiBloom by General Hydroponics. These products by General Hydroponics have provided us with consistently good results, an inexpensive price tag and long shelf-life. We offer MaxiGro for sale on this website and you can purchase a 2.2 lb bag via this link. (Link to purchase MaxiGro).
• Botanicare Pure Blend Pro.
  In our search for an organic fertilizer that we could be impressed with, we revisited this brand. It works significantly better than most of the other organic fertilizers we have played with.

Q: Is Pure Blend Pro completely organic?

A: Pure Blend Pro is natural and organic-based, not “100% organic.” Although it is created from natural and organic inputs such as humic acid, guano, kelp, rock phosphate, and carbonates, these naturally-occurring inputs are processed for enhanced stability and product quality purposes which prevents it from qualifying as completely organic.

Honestly, you can grow microgreens in so many types of containers. They grow very quickly and there are many no-fuss varieties. A very economical choice is to reuse a greenhouse flat with drainage (like the kind you buy your annuals in) and place in a tray without drainage. But we did invest in this seed sprouting tray from LeJoy Garden and it works amazingly! The hood helps to keep in humidity until the seeds germinate, it’s BPA free, and it’s easy to clean.

Most of our favorite varieties of greens and vegetables are available from Fruition Seeds. They have a terrific selection, great germination, and their customer service leaves warm, fuzzy feelings in your heart. Bonus: The seed and plant descriptions are just straight up entertaining and one of the co-founders does some really great webinars.

B.J. was pretty excited when she discovered this container by HydroFarm for growing veggies indoors! She had it set up and planted within days of receiving it. It has so many cool and practical features like a 4-foot trellis, self watering capabilities, and WHEELS!! Plus, it is deep and has pretty sturdy construction. It was simple to put together.  Coming soon is a series of YouTube videos on B.J.’s adventures with this planter.

Once our customers have done a bit of seeding or  growing using the Kratky method and realize how easy it is, some, like us, get a bit enthusiastic. We love the multi-tiered shelving unit because you can grow SO MUCH without using a large footprint of your household space AND it provides a built in, convenient place to hang the lights. We set the adjustable shelves to different heights, the shortest being on the top (about 14”) and the tallest on the bottom (about 30”). We use the top shelf for the initial seeding and germination and move the plants down as they grow. This way, you don’t need to keep adjusting the lights. Bonus points for shelving units that have castors.

If you just want to start a few plants at first, you can use a mini version of the large baker’s rack – it has all the benefits of its big brother but cute and compact. You can pick these up at any home improvement store or online pretty inexpensively. Just make sure you get one with adjustable shelves.

Commercial PAR meters can run into the thousands but we have had luck with this Hydrofarm Quantum PAR meter and its readings are only a couple decimal points from the reading on our much more expensive version. Seedlings, many low-light loving houseplants and leafy greens need to have a minimum PAR reading from about 80-150 micromoles. Herbs and light loving plants grown for foliage appreciate higher values from 150-400 micromoles. Plants you are growing to produce a fruit or flower will do best if exposed to PAR valus of 400 or more micromoles. This easy-to-use meter will let you know exactly what your light is delivering at any distance from the plant, which makes it the perfect tool to determine the ideal distance your plants should be from the light.  It is sold by Hydrofarm on a variety of online retailers with a 1 year warranty.  Just be sure you get a PAR meter and not a meter that reads lumens.

Amazon description – Keep in mind this is a large bag of vermiculite. A smaller option is listed below.

• Horticultural vermiculite is permanent, clean, odorless, non-toxic, sterile and pH neutral. It will not deteriorate, turn moldy or rot. It is typically mixed with soil, peat, composted pine bark, fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides and promotes faster root growth and quick anchorage to young roots.
• Horticultural vermiculite is a natural ‘wicking’ mineral. The vermiculite granules attract and hold ammonium, potassium, calcium and magnesium needed for the growing plants. Additionally, the vermiculite/peat mixture provides excellent aeration and retention of plant food and moisture. The growing plants take what they need (food, air, water, minerals), when they need it from the vermiculite granules, thus less maintenance for the grower and healthier plants with higher yields.
• Because the vermiculite granules can soak up to over three times its original volume in water it can be a very useful component in a passive hydroponics system that does not utilize pumps or other devices to force the nutrient solution to flow. Additionally, it is perfect for seed germination and cutting propagation.
• Vermiculite Medium Granule. Horticultural medium grade is brown in color. Density is 6.5 to 8.5 lb. per cubic foot. Used for plus mixes, soil-less mixes, germination mixes, or rooting mixes.

Garden Variety Organics description – Click the link for full details

Masterblend’s Complete Tomato & Vegetable Fertilizer System is made with the same premium grade Masterblend fertilizer that has been trusted by professional growers worldwide for decades.

The kit comes with two components:

1. Water Soluble Fertilizer & Epsom Salt Combination—Water soluble 4-18-38 formula mixed with Epsom Salt which gives a final N-P-K of 5-12-25
2. Calcium Nitrate —15.5-0-0

Amazon description –

• IMPROVE MOISTURE RETENTION: This fine grade lightweight soil amendment enhances water retention, binds nutrients and facilitates nutrient exchange promoting faster seedling and transplant root growth. Great addition to potting soil for indoor and outdoor plants.

• 8 Quart, 1-Pack, Vermiculite (8qt)

Coco Brick & Mega Brick are lightweight and easy to transport blocks of compressed premium coir. When hydrated, these bricks expand into the renowned, RHP certified, Nutrifield Coco Premium with the same excellent liquid retention and friability properties. The RHP certification ensures that the coir maintains a high level of consistency and quality, is pest and disease free, thoroughly rinsed, pH stabilised, pre-buffered with calcium and has a very low salt index.
The Coco Brick and Mega Brick expand to 9L and 55L of fresh, ready-to-use coco, respectively. Coco Brick & Mega Brick are portable, space efficient versions of Nutrifield Coco Premium, which is an ideal substrate for exceptional plant growth.

All Expanded Clay is not the same Hydro Crunch Expanded Clay Pebbles are made with only the highest quality clay, producing a media that is uniform, stable and low in inherent E.C, meaning you get the best outcomes from your plants. Our special kiln-fired Expanded Clay Pebbles are lightweight aggregate that is super-heated and formed into pebbles 8 mm round in size. The ceramic shell and inner pore structure retains moisture and releases it back to your plant’s roots as needed. Clay Pebbles will not compact, ensuring excellent aeration for the life of your plant. Hydro Crunch Horticultural Expanded Clay Pebbles are made from 100% natural clay. They are clean, pH stable and offer great aeration and drainage in hydroponics. Due to their unique structure and ability to cover a large surface area, they offer the ideal environment to foster beneficial bacterial growth around the root zone, leading to naturally healthier plants. The heavier the clay the LESS porous it becomes. Our clay is light and has lots of air inside for better results in the root zone. Hydroton is very dense, so while it does not float, it also does not hold the air. Our Expanded Clay Pebbles is not suitable for flood and drain systems as initially it can float, however if used in media mixes in pots it is by far the better performer.

3 inch net pots fit perfectly in wide mouth canning jars.

We use these to grow all kinds of things, especially tomatoes and peppers.