Score: 4/5
Introduction
Current Culture H2O is a Fresno, California-based company founded in 2006. It specializes in hydroponic cultivation systems and nutrients. Current Culture H2O is dedicated to horticultural innovation and to producing premium plant nutrients for consistently high-yield hydroponics.
This ambition reflects on the company’s Cultured Solutions line of premium nutrients, designed for high-performance hydroponic applications including Deep Water Culture, RDWC, Aeroponics, Drip/Drain to Waste, Soilless, Coco, and Rockwool. The Cultured Solutions Growers’ Nutrient Pack includes seven of Cultured Solutions’ products, paired for various hydroponic project sizes. It is recommended for use with indoors or outdoors hydroponic cultures.
All the products included in the pack are liquid and highly soluble. Current Culture H2O has recently announced that they are now sourcing all their ingredients with the purpose of eliminating impurities and heavy metals from their products. Although their products are derived from chemical formulas, the company uses no preservatives and no dyes.
The products included in the Cultured Solutions Growers’ Nutrient Pack aim at ensuring consistently high yields. They cover the full growth cycle, from root development to flowering and fruit formation. The pack comes with a nutrients feeding schedule to follow (dosages are in ml/gal). Although each product included in the pack is ready to use, you need to read the feeding schedule carefully to use it correctly according to the life stage of your plants.
The pack comes in various sizes, to accommodate hydroponic cultures of all sizes. It is available in Small (for water volume under 35 gallons), Medium (30-90 gallons), Large (90-225 gallons), X-Large (225-450 gallons), and XX-Large (450-1350 gallons). The small pack comes at $135, or under $20 per product.
Ingredients
Base and Composts
The Cultured Solutions Growers’ Nutrient Pack is designed for hydroponics. It does not include any soil or compost.
Minerals
One of the risks with hydroponics is the formation of mineral deposits in the hydroponic installation and media, which results in damaging the plants’ roots. While plants still need mineral nutrients, these need to be balanced and kept under control because of the hydroponic method used.
This is why one of the most important products included in the Cultured Solutions Growers’ Nutrient Pack is the UC ROOTS, a root zone optimizer that keeps your hydroponic system clean, reduces microbial hazards, and improves nutrient & oxygen uptake. This enhances the growth of healthy roots. Users report that they see their roots become (and stay) white and healthy when using UC Roots. The formula is suitable for all hydroponics applications (Rockwool, NFT, DWC, RDWC, Ebb-N-Flow, and DTW).
On the nutrients’ side, the pack contains 6 products that provide different minerals and dosages in highly concentrated formulas, depending on the culture stage. They all aim at ensuring healthy growth and exceptional crops. The products contain NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium), which are the primary nutrients necessary during the plant’s lifecycle. They also include micronutrients, which are secondary nutrients that plants need in smaller quantities (iron, magnesium, calcium, etc.).
Most nutrients in the various products are chelated, i.e. chemically bonded with amino acids. Chelated minerals are very stable, highly soluble, and produce fewer deposits—all important qualities for success with hydroponics.
Formulas
The formulas included in the product are the following:
- Veg A and Veg B: A two-part formula that has been specially designed for the early growth stage. Veg A is an NPK 5 – 0 – 0.3 (rich in nitrates) formula that is rich in macro and micronutrients, in particular ammonium calcium nitrate, potassium nitrate, iron, copper, manganese, sodium molybdate, sodium borate, and zinc. Veg B is an NPK 1.3 – 2 – 5.9 formula (rich in phosphorus and potash) containing potassium phosphate, potassium nitrate, and magnesium sulfate. Nitrogen is a key component of chlorophyll, and thus it is the most important nutrient during the period the plant is growing stems and leaves.
- Bloom A and Bloom B: A two-part formula that has been specially designed to support the plant during the transition from growing leaves to developing flowers. The ingredients in Bloom A and B are the same as in the Veg A&B formulas, but dosages differ (A is NPK 3.7-0-3, and B is NPK 0.9 – 4.8 – 6.2). Plants need more phosphorus as they go into their reproductive phase, as it is used for photosynthesis, respiration, and storage and transfer of energy. A deficiency in phosphorus means that plants cannot complete their reproductive phase effectively. Later, when flowers turn into fruit, the plant has an increased need for potassium to transport starches and sugars to flowers and fruits. This is why Bloom A and B contain increased phosphorus and are extremely rich in potassium (K).
- Bud Booster Mid. The company offers three bud booster formulas (early, mid, and late). However, the pack does not include all three of them. Instead, it has chosen Bud Booster Mid, an NPK 0 – 4.5 – 4.8 formula to use mainly during the primary flowering phase. The formula incorporates high levels of phosphorus and potassium but zero nitrogen, as excessive nitrogen at this stage can delay crop maturity. It also supplies sulfur and magnesium to assist in the synthesis of essential amino acids. This encourages the production of complex sugars and starches, both of which are crucial during fruit and flower formation.
- Coco CAL: a concentrated blend of Calcium and Magnesium to be used during the whole plant lifecycle. Although calcium and magnesium are considered secondary nutrients, their deficiency causes poor plant growth at all stages. Calcium is crucial for healthy cell development, while magnesium is a central component of the chlorophyll molecule. Both ingredients promote larger yields and help plants grow vigorous.
As expected, there is no specific product for the ripening or flush-phase, during which the plants utilize the nutrients they have already absorbed and don’t need any new nutrients added.
Soil Amendments
As the product is designed for hydroponics, it includes no organic soil amendments.
Quick Summary—Pros and Cons
Pros
- Made by a reputable company dedicated to hydroponic systems and hydroponic nutrients.
- Provided in many different sizes, to fit any hydroponic project size.
- Covers the whole growth cycle and includes most of the company’s star products.
- Special care is taken to eliminate impurities and heavy metals, and to provide highly soluble formulas. Most ingredients are chelated.
Cons
- It can be hard to understand what nutrients the pack includes since it consists of other Cultured Solutions products. You need to check each of the products to identify the nutrients contained in the pack.
- You need to read the feeding schedule carefully to use it correctly according to the life stage of your plants.
