Hi everyone, Dr. NPK at it again in today's blog post: I wanted to continue the discussion about getting right to the “science” of the Elite nutrient products. With that….I want to introduce: Elite Root Tonic C! What is its purpose, why do we care about it, and most importantly, how does evidenced-based science motivate the development of this product to help us grow the biggest plants we can!

Concentrate on the Concentration!

When we were developing our line of nutrients, we did not focus on a single product to make; instead, we wanted to have a total fertilizer nutrition profile. It is well-known that phosphorous and potassium are critical during the entire life cycle of the plant. Specifically, we wanted to develop a highly concentrated product that delivers phosphorous during the veg and early bloom phases to help expand the root structure (this is in addition to our mycorrhizal-based product Elite Root Igniter). Phosphorous is also an important element in general plant growth (Both veg and bloom cycles), an essential component in nucleic acids and phospholipids, and as an intermediate in carbon metabolism (Veneklaas et al, Ann Bot. 2006, 98, 693­­–713). The non-science summary: phosphorous is important in processes that are done by the plant through its entire life.

Like phosphorous, potassium plays an important role in the life cycle of the cannabis plant. Most growers understand potassium is important when your plants are in the flowering stage. Few realize, however, how important potassium is during the veg phase as well. Potassium’s primary benefit in the veg stage is in the photosynthetic process (if you forgot what that is, it’s when the plant converts sunlight to energy). The chemical gold that’s made during photosynthesis is adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Despite ATP containing the word “phosphate,” the role of potassium is extremely important because it maintains an electrical charge balance at the reactive site (Better Crops, Vol. 82(2), 1998). Thus, too little potassium = slower ATP formation = LOWER YIELD!!!

Now, back to the title of this subsection: concentration. Elite Base Nutrients A and B were designed to provide well-balanced nutrition (loads of elements provided through the entire life cycle of the plant). Elite Root Tonic C’s goal is exclusively to provide potassium and phosphorous. By using the chemistry available to us in water-soluble form (mono- and dipotassium phosphate), we could turn up the total amount of deliverable phosphorous and potassium. At an NPK rating of 0-10-12, growers can use less fertilizer and still get the necessary boost of macronutrients that they need to grow great bud.

Elite Root Tonic C is a 0-10-12 fertilizer; extra concentrated for extra results!

pH Balance

The last facet that we wanted to address when designing Elite Root Tonic C was pH balance. Most growers know that the ideal range to grow good bud is in the pH range of 5.7-6.4 or so (I’ve read anywhere from 5.5 to 6.5 as well). Recall that typical water is in the range of 6.7-7.1, so clearly the pH must be lowered in some way. If you check out the Elite Nutrient Feed Chart, you’ll see that Elite Root Tonic C is always used in tandem with Elite Base Nutrient A and B. The base nutrients have very acidic pH’s (4.0–6.0 combined), so we had to balance these out with a higher pH-based product. This is why Elite Root Tonic C has such a high pH (~7.4) in comparison to the other nutrients: it will bring your total pH up into a range that is closer to what the cannabis plants require to have the right nutrient uptake.

More Than Roots?

I know, it seems crazy. I literally just spent over a page telling you it’s all about roots. Well, I was MOSTLY being honest. You may have checked out our feed chart on the site…notice how Elite Root Tonic C is used in the beginning parts of flower….seems weird if it was just exclusively for roots why we’d care about it during flower. One of the key advantages of Elite Root Tonic C is just how concentrated it is; it provides a high degree of phosphorous and potassium. As you are pruning/cutting (to stimulate lateral growth), you need this extra boost of K/P to be able to support the additional bud. Thus, Elite Root Tonic C is an excellent way to improve lateral growth. Finally, additional K/P can work wonders to minimize stress on your plants; stress is one of many factors related to stretch (too large of internodal spacing, resulting in weak plants), so if you’ve ruled out other causes of stretch, consider upping your K/P via Elite Root Tonic C to tighten those internodes for more bud sites!

Closing Thoughts

Elite Root Tonic C is fine-tuned chemistry in a bottle. We had three main goals when developing it: support our base nutrients, make it concentrated, and make it help with pH balance. We believe we got it right!

Who is Dr. NPK? With a PhD in Chemistry from UC Irvine, Dr. NPK was instrumental in developing the Elite Nutrient line.  Learn more about him here.