Score: 4/5
Introduction
Kelp4Less is a family company based in Idaho. It was created in 2007, but the company’s owners’ experience goes back to the 1970s. The company operates through e-commerce and aims at providing fair priced products without compromising quality. The Cali Grow Pack is a water-soluble dry mix of NPK nutrients, recommended for hydroponics, soil, and soilless horticulture.
The Kelp4Less Cali Grow Pack is an NPK / 7-7-8 nutrient that needs to be diluted in reservoir water to be used. It combines NPK nutrients with volcanic ash, kelp, humic acids, and yucca extract. It is best to use it during the vegetative growth stage, as the company proposes a different mix for the blooming stage. While Kelp4Less has a different Grow Pack which is not available in California, its Cali Grow Pack ships to all states.
The Kelp4Less Cali Grow Pack comes in two different packs, Grow A and Grow B, which you need to mix before adding water. It is available in various packages, from 8 ounces to 20 pounds, for all sizes of gardening projects. The 1-pound package is priced at $39, which provides enough nutrients for 100 gallons of reservoir water.
Ingredients
Base and Composts
The Kelp4Less Cali Grow Pack is an amendment that you add to your own soil, soil-less base, or hydroponics. It does not include any base or compost.
Minerals
The Kelp4Less Cali Grow Pack is an NPK 7-7-8 formula, which means it is extremely rich in nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K).
Potassium is necessary for many basic functions of the plants, from enzyme activity and respiration to the transportation of water and nutrients to the xylem of the plant. All these functions are really important during the growth stage. By supplementing your plants with potassium, you encourage root growth, increase pest resistance, and help them cope with environmental stress such as a cold winter.
The mix derives potassium from multiple sources that combine it with other important nutrients. Potassium nitrate is one of the ingredients that add both potassium and nitrogen to the soil. Another ingredient is potassium sulfate, which provides sulfur to the soil to help adjust the pH.
Phosphorus is the second mineral the mix is rich in, again derived from multiple sources. Phosphorus is necessary for cell health, cell growth, and the creation of new plant tissue. The Kelp4Less Cali Grow Pack contains monopotassium phosphate, which provides both potassium and phosphorus. Monoammonium phosphate is also included as a source of phosphorus and nitrogen. In fact, monoammonium phosphate contains the most phosphorus of any common solid fertilizer.
Finally, an organic mineral ingredient included in the mix is volcanic ash, which contains dozens of trace minerals like magnesium, calcium, sodium, sulfur, copper, iron, and zinc. Plants need such elements in small quantities, and volcanic ash can deliver them slowly and in the long term.
Soil Amendments
The Kelp4Less Cali Grow Pack contains few organic soil amendments. One of these amendments is plant-derived protein hydrolysates, a plant biostimulant that helps increase the germination, productivity, and quality of a wide range of crops, and stimulates the plant microbiomes.
The other organic amendments in the mix mostly provide plants with nitrogen when beneficial microorganisms in the soil decompose them. These ingredients thus feed and encourage the development of microorganisms before feeding the plants themselves after they decompose. They include cane molasses extract, kelp meal, and humic acids. Cane molasses extract is high in trace elements like calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, and sulfur. Kelp meal, made from dried seaweed, is a great organic source of potassium, phosphorus, and nitrogen, while humic acids mostly decompose into nitrogen.
Finally, the mix contains yucca extract. Yucca extract is used as an antimicrobial and antifungal agent because of its high content in saponins. Saponins are a natural wetting agent that breaks the surface tension of liquids and increases the capacity of the roots to absorb water and nutrients from the soil.
Quick Summary—Pros and Cons
Pros
- The Kelp4Less Cali Grow Pack contains a great range of organic and chemical NPK sources.
- Is on the economical side.
Cons
- Not all ingredients are organic, if organic is what you are looking for.
- It is not a ready-out-of-the-bag amendment. It requires mixing and adding water.
- Kelp4Less is a rather small brand and their packaging is not industrial, so apparently mistakes sometimes happen with orders and delivery. The company, however, guarantees replacing any damaged/missing items, no questions asked.
