General Hydroponics Flora Hardwater Micro - 1 Quart

Ammoniacal Nitrogen (N) is a plant-available form of ammonium (NH₄⁺) that provides a steady, gentle source of nitrogen for healthy green growth. Unlike fast-release nitrogen types, ammoniacal nitrogen feeds plants slowly, helps stabilize root-zone pH, and works well in cooler temperatures. It is commonly used during early vegetative growth because it supports strong leaf development without burning young roots. If plants show pale leaves, slow growth, or weak stems, they may need more available ammoniacal nitrogen.

Even in tiny amounts, molybdenum is crucial because it helps plants convert absorbed nitrogen, especially nitrate, into forms they can actually use to build new growth. That makes ammonium molybdate unique from many other micronutrient sources: it supports nitrogen-use efficiency, so a shortage can make plants look nitrogen-deficient even when feeding is adequate, leading to slow growth, pale leaves, and weak vigor unless the bottleneck is fixed.

Ammonium nitrate is unique because it provides nitrogen in two plant-usable forms at once, which can give a fast green-up while still supporting steadier uptake depending on the root-zone conditions. That matters because it can correct true nitrogen shortages quickly, but it also needs careful balance since too much can push overly soft growth and trigger pH drift and nutrient imbalances.

Boron is essential because it stabilizes cell walls, supports root and shoot growth, and regulates sugar movement throughout the plant. What makes boron unique is its limited mobility and extremely narrow range between deficiency and excess, which causes new growth to show symptoms rapidly when levels fall out of balance.

Calcium is important because it builds and stabilizes plant cells as they form, acting as the structural support that keeps new growth strong and functional. Unlike other nutrients that drive color or speed of growth, calcium’s role is unique because it controls cell wall strength and membrane stability, making it essential for healthy roots, shoots, and long-term plant resilience rather than quick visual results.

Calcium carbonate is important because it supplies calcium while gently buffering acidity in the root zone, helping nutrients stay available and uptake stay consistent over time. It’s unique because it works gradually as a stabilizer, rather than acting like a quick, soluble calcium boost that can spike levels and create new imbalances.

Calcium nitrate is important because it supplies calcium in a fast, highly available form that supports strong new growth and healthy root tips, while also providing nitrate nitrogen for steady, usable growth energy. It’s unique because it delivers calcium together with nitrate nitrogen, making it especially effective during rapid growth phases when plants need both structure-building calcium and immediately available nitrogen at the same time.

Chelated copper is important because it supports key enzyme systems that drive energy flow, strong tissue formation, and healthy new growth, while chelation keeps copper available and stable in the root zone. It’s unique because plants need it in extremely small amounts and it can become unavailable or toxic more easily than many other micronutrients, so chelated forms help deliver precise, predictable copper without big swings.

Chelated iron is important because it keeps iron usable for plants even when growing conditions would normally lock iron out, helping prevent the classic yellow-new-leaf symptom caused by low chlorophyll production. It is unique from other iron sources because the chelation protects iron from becoming insoluble, making it a more reliable way to correct iron-related chlorosis when regular iron can fail.

Chelated manganese is important because it keeps manganese available for photosynthesis and enzyme activity even when pH or water chemistry would normally lock it out, and it’s unique from similar micronutrients because it strongly supports the plant’s energy-processing systems that drive healthy, resilient new growth.

Chelated zinc is important because it keeps zinc available for uptake even when pH or root-zone conditions would normally lock zinc out, helping plants form normal-sized, healthy new growth—something that makes zinc uniquely different from many other nutrients that mainly affect older leaves or simple leaf color changes.

Cobalt nitrate is important because cobalt can be a limiting micro-piece for active root nodules, which helps legumes supply their own nitrogen more reliably. It’s unique because it works in extremely small amounts and acts more like a precision support for nitrogen-fixing biology than a general-purpose growth nutrient.

Copper EDTA helps keep copper dissolved and available to roots longer, so plants can absorb it more consistently when copper would otherwise tie up in the growing medium. It’s important because copper supports enzyme activity and healthy new growth, and it’s unique because the chelate improves predictability while allowing very small, controlled copper dosing.

Molybdenum is important because it helps plants convert nitrogen into usable building blocks for chlorophyll and growth, and it’s unique from many nutrients because it mainly supports enzyme-driven “nutrient use” rather than directly building plant tissue.

Nitrate Nitrogen provides a stable, easy-to-absorb form of nitrogen that supports steady growth, strong foliage, and reliable plant development without sudden nutrient swings.

Soluble potash (K2O) is important because it helps plants control water use, move sugars to new growth and fruit, and build stronger, higher-quality structure under stress. It’s unique from many other nutrients because it acts more like a regulator and transport helper than a direct “building material,” so the biggest benefits show up as steadier growth, stronger stems, and better finishing instead of just bigger leaves.

Total Nitrogen is important because it directly drives leafy growth, chlorophyll production, and overall growth speed, which sets the pace for the entire plant. It’s unique because the “total” number can include different nitrogen forms that behave differently in the root zone, meaning the same total amount can produce very different results depending on the nitrogen type and plant stage.

Iron DTPA keeps iron dissolved and available in the root zone so plants can build chlorophyll properly in new leaves, which is why it’s so effective for yellowing at the growing tips. It’s unique because the DTPA chelate protects iron from becoming tied up as quickly as many non-chelated sources, making it a dependable fix when pH drift or water alkalinity would otherwise cause iron lockout.

Iron EDDHA is important because it keeps iron usable when alkaline conditions would normally lock iron away, helping new leaves stay green and growth stay strong. It’s unique because it remains stable and plant-available at higher pH where many other iron forms quickly stop working.

Iron EDTA keeps iron dissolved and available long enough for roots to absorb it, which is why it can quickly improve new growth color when iron is tied up in the root zone. It’s unique because the EDTA chelate balances stability and accessibility, making iron more reliably usable in mildly acidic to near-neutral conditions compared to many non-chelated iron forms.

Manganese EDTA is unique because the EDTA chelate keeps manganese stable and more available during delivery, helping plants absorb it more reliably when manganese would otherwise lock up. This matters because manganese drives key enzyme functions tied to photosynthesis and healthy new growth, so consistent availability can prevent pale, chlorotic young leaves and stalled vigor.

Potassium borate supplies boron in a concentrated form that helps plants build strong new tissues and move sugars into growing tips, flowers, and developing fruit, which is why it can improve new growth quality and reproductive performance when boron is low. It’s unique because it delivers boron as a borate salt while also adding a small potassium contribution, so it can correct a micronutrient gap while slightly influencing overall nutrient balance.

Potassium nitrate is often better for quick correction when the plant needs both potassium and fast nitrate nitrogen, because it dissolves cleanly and is taken up quickly, unlike potassium sources that don’t supply nitrogen. It’s unique because it can restore leaf color and growth momentum while also improving water regulation, but it can backfire if nitrogen is already high or if salt levels are already stressing the roots.

Urea can burn plants because it must convert in the root zone, and that conversion can create a concentrated, temporarily harsh micro-zone that stresses roots, especially if urea is piled, left on the surface, or not watered in. That conversion step is what makes urea unique compared with nitrogen forms that are already plant-available, so correct placement and moisture are critical.