Plants

Water & RO protocol

RO → CalMag → fertilizer → pH. Step-by-step mixing for every watering.

RO (osmosis) → CalMag → Fertilizer → pH

Mixing protocol

  1. 1
    Pour in RO water
    Pure osmosis water, the TDS meter should read 0-10
    PPM: 0
  2. 2
    Add CalMag (ATAMI CALMAG)
    Drop by drop, measuring PPM
    Bring to the group's base PPM
  3. 3
    Add fertilizer
    Drop by drop/by dose, measuring PPM
    Bring to the group's target PPM (in growing season)
  4. 4
    Adjust pH
    pH Down (Green Farmer) drop by drop
    Bring to the group's target pH
  5. 5
    Mix and water
    Use immediately, don't store for long

Water groups

Sensitive

Very high

Recipe for this group
  1. 1
    RO water (osmosis)0 PPM
  2. 2
    + ATAMI CalMag→50 PPM
  3. 3
    + Fertilizer
    growth1/4 of the label (Universal)→80-100 PPM
    restDo NOT fertilize→50 PPM
  4. 4
    pH Down (Green Farmer)→pH 5.8-6.3
Plants in group
Calathea lancifoliaCalathea ornataPeace Lily (Spathiphyllum)GuzmaniaAlocasia (Polly / Amazonica)Alocasia FrydekAlocasia Regal ShieldsAnthuriumAnthurium clarinerviumFern (Nephrolepis)Selaginella martensii

Orchids

Very high

Recipe for this group
  1. 1
    RO water (osmosis)0 PPM
  2. 2
    + ATAMI CalMag→30 PPM
  3. 3
    + Fertilizer
    growth1/8 of the label (Universal — vegetative)→60-80 PPM
    bloomOrchid fertilizer (per the label, weak dose)→80-100 PPM
    restDo NOT fertilize→30 PPM
  4. 4
    pH Down (Green Farmer)→pH 5.5-6.0
  • •Orchids require the lowest PPM
  • •Minimal CalMag — only basic minerals
  • •During bloom use orchid fertilizer instead of the universal one
  • •Watering by soaking for 15-20 minutes
  • •Do not allow salts to accumulate in the substrate
Plants in group
Orchid (Phalaenopsis)

Aroids and standard

Medium

Recipe for this group
  1. 1
    RO water (osmosis)0 PPM
  2. 2
    + ATAMI CalMag→60 PPM
  3. 3
    + Fertilizer
    growth1/2 of the label (Universal)→120-150 PPM
    rest1/4 of the label or do NOT fertilize→60-80 PPM
  4. 4
    pH Down (Green Farmer)→pH 6.0-6.5
Plants in group
Monstera deliciosaMonstera adansoniiPhilodendronPhilodendron selloumPhilodendron XanaduEpipremnumAglaonemaBegonia maculataChamaedoreaSpider Plant (Chlorophytum)African Violet (Saintpaulia)Arrowhead Plant (Syngonium podophyllum)

Easy-care

Low

Recipe for this group
  1. 1
    RO water (osmosis)0 PPM
  2. 2
    + ATAMI CalMag→80 PPM
  3. 3
    + Fertilizer
    growth1/2 of the label (Universal)→150-200 PPM
    restDo NOT fertilize→80-100 PPM
  4. 4
    pH Down (Green Farmer)→pH 6.2-6.7
Plants in group
Dracaena marginataDracaena fragransCrotonSnake Plant (Sansevieria)Zamioculcas (ZZ plant)Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera)

Semi-Hydro

Medium

Recipe for this group
  1. 1
    RO water (osmosis)0 PPM
  2. 2
    + ATAMI CalMag→60 PPM
  3. 3
    + Fertilizer
    growth1/2 of the label (Universal) — every top-up→150-180 PPM
    rest1/4 of the instructions→80-100 PPM
  4. 4
    pH Down (Green Farmer)→pH 5.5-6.0
  • •In semi-hydro, fertilizer is needed EVERY time you top up the water
  • •The substrate is inert — no nutrients other than what is in the water
  • •pH lower than in soil — minerals in the substrate (zeolite, lava) work better at 5.5-6.0
  • •Once a month flush the substrate with pure RO water to remove salts
  • •When transitioning from soil — first 2-3 weeks only CalMag without fertilizers

Variegated

High (due to the white areas)

Recipe for this group
  1. 1
    RO water (osmosis)0 PPM
  2. 2
    + ATAMI CalMag→50 PPM
  3. 3
    + Fertilizer
    growth0.4 ml/l Universal (between 1/2 and 1/4) — lowering N→100-130 PPM
    restDo NOT fertilize or 1/4 of the label→70-90 PPM
  4. 4
    pH Down (Green Farmer)→pH 6.0-6.3
  • •High N → loss of whiteness (more green leaves)
  • •PPM lower than for regular deliciosa — the white areas don't contribute to nutrition
  • •Light is critical — 12h+ of supplemental lighting is optimal
  • •Do NOT use "steroids" / elevated PPM
  • •KF-IRON with caution — may cause dark spots on white areas
  • •Do not use KF-MACROBOOST — it will break the N/K balance
Plants in group
Monstera albo variegataMonstera Aurea (yellow variegation) — orderedPhilodendron 'Pink Princess' — orderedSyngonium 'Mojito' — rooting

Carnivorous

Critical

Recipe for this group
  1. 1
    RO water (osmosis)0 PPM
  2. 2
    + ATAMI CalMag→0 PPM
  3. 3
    + Fertilizer
    growthNOTHING! Only pure RO0
    restNOTHING! Only pure RO0
  4. 4
    pH Down (Green Farmer)→pH 5.0-5.5
  • •NO additives in the water
  • •Pure RO only (TDS < 10)
  • •Any minerals/fertilizers kill the plant
Plants in group
Venus Flytrap (Dionaea)

Common mistakes

  • Add fertilizer BEFORE CalMag
    → Always CalMag first, then fertilizer
  • Don't measure PPM after each step
    → Measure PPM after CalMag and after fertilizer
  • Adjust pH before adding fertilizers
    → pH only at the very end, after all additives
  • Store the fertilizer solution for a long time
    → Prepare a fresh solution for each watering
  • Use the same PPM for soil and semi-hydro
    → Semi-hydro gets fertilizer with every top-up, but weaker
  • Pure RO without CalMag (except carnivorous plants)
    → Always add CalMag as a base
  • The same recipe for orchids and the rest of group A
    → Orchids — a separate group with the lowest PPM