General Hydroponics - Flora Vs. FloraNova???

I've used the entire FoxFarm line up vs the entire Technaflora line up in a side by side comparison so see which was better. I assumed going in that the FoxFarm stuff was better stuff from what i've read on these forums but so far its looking like like the Technaflora buckets are producing much bigger/fuller buds. The next grow i plan to try the General Hydroponics line, i just haven't decided if i want to use the Flora line or the FloraNova line. A lot of local guys at the grow store swear by GH products but i want to hear advice from other growers who aren't trying to sell me stuff...

Those of you who use the General Hydroponic line, which do you prefer, the Flora of FloraNova??? Any info, advice, pics or suggestions are welcome!

i did 3 grows with the 3-part flora series & used the 2 part flora nova i like the floranova better i use tap water 75 ppm ph 7-7.5 when i mix my nutes i put my nutes in milk jug &1/2 gal water & shake well before dumping in res. the plants grow at about the same rate with either type but my ph comes out 5.9 every time with the floranova & you dont have to use micro with it outside of these differences they perform about the same gh is the small-block chevy of the nutrient world

horribleherk said:

gh is the small-block chevy of the nutrient world

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now i can relate with that! nice quote

the 3 part flora series is the best nutrient for hydroponics if you are growing in soil or coco then use the nova series but make sure you shake it real good because it has the micro mixed in the grow-bloom.

johndoecangrow said:

the 3 part flora series is the best nutrient for hydroponics if you are growing in soil or coco then use the nova series but make sure you shake it real good because it has the micro mixed in the grow-bloom.

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It seems like the 3 part was just a marketing ploy. I mean the lucas formula states you just need the bloom and micro. 2 nutes. just like the nova series. the more nutes to a group the harder it is to switch to a different kind or run out of nutes at the same time. so the nute co's keep you locked in. But i used the 3part first, it did very well. and now we use the general organics line. its all been great. I want to do a lucas formula side by side with my new organics its been so long since i had syn bud.

horribleherk said:

i did 3 grows with the 3-part flora series & used the 2 part flora nova i like the floranova better i use tap water 75 ppm ph 7-7.5 when i mix my nutes i put my nutes in milk jug &1/2 gal water & shake well before dumping in res. the plants grow at about the same rate with either type but my ph comes out 5.9 every time with the floranova & you dont have to use micro with it outside of these differences they perform about the same gh is the small-block chevy of the nutrient world

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So with the 3 part you needed to adjust ph?

Thats one thing i hate about the FoxFarm line, the stuff is so damn acidic it would turn my 7.9ph tap water to 3.5ph when mixed...

At this point i'm kinda leaning towards the FloraNova just because its one less bottle of nutes i have to add to the mix but i'd still like to hear more from people with experience with GH.

I use the GH expert line and am currently testing it against DynaGro. GH is great but I've found the pH to be a little more unstable compared to the rock-solid pH of DynaGro. I've never used floranova but I'd highly recommend the GH 3-part as a good base nute. I'd also recommend a few of their additives as well.

EDIT: I would be careful when using the suggested feeding schedule from GH as I've found that it will burn plants pretty bad. Following the simple 1-2-3 type feeding instructions on the bottles will get you very good results. When you start using additives, be careful.

the 3 part didnt require extreme ph adjustments & or have any negative traits ,i recently bought out another grower & got the floranova as part of the deal & after using it i like it but am happy with the 3-part flora series it is more economical to use & if you shop around you can get good deals on it i just find the floranova fits my style a wee bit better until i see something better with my own eyes gh is gonna be my product of choice

homebrewer said:

I use the GH expert line and am currently testing it against DynaGro. GH is great but I've found the pH to be a little more unstable compared to the rock-solid pH of DynaGro. I've never used floranova but I'd highly recommend the GH 3-part as a good base nute. I'd also recommend a few of their additives as well.

EDIT: I would be careful when using the suggested feeding schedule from GH as I've found that it will burn plants pretty bad. Following the simple 1-2-3 type feeding instructions on the bottles will get you very good results. When you start using additives, be careful.

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The only additives i've been using are SuperThrive duing veg for B vitamins and Advanced Nutes Rhino Skin during flowering for a dose of silica. Would you recommend i stick with those additives with the GH line? What additives are you using with the GH line (what was it lacking)??? I plan to fully read your Dyna-Gro vs GH thread when i have time!

Anyone else using GH?

Huel Perkins said:

The only additives i've been using are SuperThrive duing veg for B vitamins and Advanced Nutes Rhino Skin during flowering for a dose of silica. Would you recommend i stick with those additives with the GH line? What additives are you using with the GH line (what was it lacking)??? I plan to fully read your Dyna-Gro vs GH thread when i have time!

Anyone else using GH?

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How much silica is that rhino skin giving you? Their site says this: http://www.advancednutrients.com/hydroponics/products/rhino_skin/rhino_skin_faq_nutrient_facts.php

DynaGro has, what looks to be, a better product called Pro-tekt with 3% potassium silicate and it's half the price. Anyways, I use a few GH organics and pseudo organics with the floralicious bloom and the florablend. Not required but they do help. I also use koolbloom liquid and dry at different stages. These additives do help but the difference wont be night-and-day. Their price does justify the quality though. The reason I'm testing DynaGro is that I hate using 7 different bottles of GH nutes in flower only to have to adjust my pH 3-4 days per week (add 2 more bottles of pH up and down to that list).

ProTekt is supposed to be one of the best potassium silicate additives on the market. I use DM silica but might give the ProTekt a try when I run out.

homebrewer said:

How much silica is that rhino skin giving you? Their site says this: http://www.advancednutrients.com/hydroponics/products/rhino_skin/rhino_skin_faq_nutrient_facts.php

DynaGro has, what looks to be, a better product called Pro-tekt with 3% potassium silicate and it's half the price. Anyways, I use a few GH organics and pseudo organics with the floralicious bloom and the florablend. Not required but they do help. I also use koolbloom liquid and dry at different stages. These additives do help but the difference wont be night-and-day. Their price does justify the quality though. The reason I'm testing DynaGro is that I hate using 7 different bottles of GH nutes in flower only to have to adjust my pH 3-4 days per week (add 2 more bottles of pH up and down to that list).

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I only use the Rhino Skin at 1/4 strength. Being that its not part of either of the nute lines i'm using i'm playing it safe, i figure if the plants really need it even 1/4 strength should help.

The constant ph ajdustment you've mentioned with the GH line kind of scares me. With my current nutes i only have to adjust once a week when i do my feedings, for the rest of the week i add ph adjusted water and my res always holds +/- 0.1 point. From reading your other posts i've gathered you're also adding some of their organic line in as well, i wonder if that is the reason for your ph fluxuations. I only plan to use 5 GH total, which will be 1 FloraNova grow, 2 FloraNova bloom, 3 Floralicious Plus, 4 FloraBlend and 5 KoolBloom. Which really is only 3 products in veg and 4 in flower total.

This shouldn't even be a question. GH has been making great hydro nutes for a long time. The lazy man uses Nova. Basically you have to ask whether you want to mix or not to mix. But after having used the Nova series once, and only once, I don't like it. It's easy to get nute burn with it. The PH is fairly balanced but for some reason the Nova burned my plants more often when I followed GH's schedule. The best grows for me have been from using the Flora series, along with Liquid Karma (throughout the entire grow), along with some Super Thrive for transplants and the occasional burn fix. A 1/4 tsp of Super Thrive (available at any gardening center) per gallon is a perfect elixir for those plants that look like they're hurtin. They'll be back to their healthy self in a day or two. I have been using http://www.advancednutrients.com/hydroponics/products/connoisseur/connoisseur_product_information.php connoisseur for the bloom stages and OH MY LORD OF POT, this stuff is a miracle.

I think I'm going to change over to Advanced Nutrients for all of my new grows. Only problem, I can't find them at my local store, I have to order online to get them. Kinda expensive, but holy weed they're awesome. After my next grow is harvested I'll let you know how it works out. But honestly, GH Flora is way more consistant than Nova. Just watch the schedule that GH gives you and keep the seedling schedule about 1 week into mild growth. If you use their "mild growth" schedule too early you will burn the crap outta your babies. I usually stick to after the first branches with 5 leaves pop out switch to mild growth schedule for about a week maybe two depending on the strain (indicas seem to kinda like nutes more than the sativas do at a young age), then go right to Veg. schedule. Don't worry about all the rediculous additives that are sold out there the 3 part flora, with a stimulant like liquid karma is honestly all you need for a decent grow, and if you're just getting started growing it's the best, most reliable "starter kit". I really don't know too many people that use it that don't love it. And of those people NONE of them will use Nova. My two cents.

i have used gh maxi series for a few years and have been getting good results. i have used it side by side with fox farms but two different strains...this fairly makes the comparison void. did not notice any potency differences, only within the phenotypes of the strains themselves. this last grow i have been using gh maxibloom along with fox farm 3-part flower additives (beastie blooms, open sesame and chaching) seems to be working well.

what exactly does the silica do? is it recommended in soil? i have a silica additive from dutch masters.