At GH, we are all loving the results we see from FloraBlend, but What Does It Do? I’ve got a Q&A covering all the details with Jessica Lilga. And below is a photo from Darrick at Hydro Depot. He did a side by side comparison, and the results are fantastic. The plants on the right were grown with Flora Series, and the plants on the left recieved Flora Series and FloraBlend. Impressive, isn’t it?

TigerLilly: Flora Blend is Gen Hydro’s vegan plant booster and is frequently compared to live, active aerated compost tea. What is Flora Blend made from?

Jessica: Flora Blend starts out with a variety of ingredients to numerous to list in its entirety. Some include; seaweeds, rock powders, micronized leonardite and plant materials including alfalfa meal, chamomile, comfrey, yarrow and other herbs. The inoculum that provides the beneficial bacteria and fungi has an extremely concentrated and diverse variety of beneficial living organisms compared to many other sources. The tea is then given a unique highly nutritional food source to stimulate the biology.

T: How is it made?

J: The beneficial organisms flourish and reproduce in a highly oxygenated fermentation process. During this process, organisms completely digest the tea ingredients creating numerous organic compounds, enzymes and metabolites. Once the organisms have eaten all the food, they die off and become a source of carbon.

T: How is it different from an active aerated compost tea?

J: The main differences are that Flora Blend does not need to be continuously oxygenated, used at a specific time and there is no concern of breeding bad organisms such as e. coli. Flora Blend has a shelf life of over a year and is made a different way from an active aerated compost tea. Flora Blend is not considered a compost tea. It is a fermentation byproduct of living organisms, full of organic compounds, enzymes, phytochemicals and carbon. It is similar to what actions take place when an active aerated tea is put in a diverse, nutrient rich soil, organisms break down the soil slowly releasing some beneficial compounds for the plant. Flora Blend goes through a similar step before being put in the bottle, so the beneficial compounds are immediately available for plants to uptake. Flora Blend has a huge variety of food sources and organisms. For every type of ingredient ( food for organisms to break down ) and for each species of organism that consumes an ingredient, a new organic compound or metabolite is potentially created.

T: What does it do for a plant?

J: Flora Blend does so much for plants from beginning to end. The enzymes, metabolites and organic acids in Flora Blend all help to accelerate the plants ability to perform critical functions.

*CUTTINGS/SEEDS – Stimulates root growth in seedlings and cuttings. Boosts new growth and reduces transplant shock.

*VEGETATIVE - Increases metabolic rate, plants grow faster with tighter intermodal spacing and more vegetation. Immunity and ability to resist stress are also key benefits.

*FLOWERING/FRUITING – Provides carbon building blocks for the plant processes responsible for color and flavor of fruits and vegetables. Promotes increased blossoms and heavier fruit, while enhancing flavor and aroma.

I have seen a room where half the plants received Flora Blend and the others did not. Flora Blend was the only variable and the visual difference was remarkable. With FB, plants were taller, tighter with more leaves that were larger. The room went through massive heat wave for two weeks. I thought for sure that the Flora Blend plants would not survive because of the increased vegetation but the Flora Blend plants withstood the heat stress significantly better. What a relief!

T: Can you use it in any kind of system (hydro, aero, soil) or is it more suited for a particular type of system?

J: Every kind of Plant, every method of growing and every stage of growth is benefited from using Flora Blend.  Try it in an aeroponic rooting machine.

T: How do you use Flora Blend?

J: Foliar spray or water it in to your root zone.  Add it to your regular nutrient schedule.

I like to use 20-30 mls/per gallon for cuttings.  10ml/per gallon for veg and bloom with each watering.  For those who like to go every other watering by feeding with nutrients and next feeding use plain water,  I like to add it with every feeding including the plain water.  It does have a low pH, so test your mixture before giving it to your plants.

T: Why do growers love FloraBlend?

J: It is all-naturalall natural and cost effective for how many plant functions it benefits.  The ease of use is fantastic.   Adding a bit too much doesn’t drastically hurt the plant, so you don’t have worry about super precise measurements.  One ml over will not fry your garden like some products can.