In the course of measuring Growthful’s effects on a variety of crops, HydroGarden spearheaded a trial testing Growthful on Pak Choi plants. HydroGarden is the UK’s leading manufacturer and distributor of hydroponic equipment and services – they have been supplying specialist hydroponic equipment to the trade since 1996 and are a leader in the UK and international markets to retailers, commercial growers and research organizations. During this case study the performance of Pak Choi plants watered with a nutrient solution containing Growthful were compared with those watered with a nutrient solution without Growthful.
The Trial
DATE: December 2017 – February 2018
SUBSTRATES: ROOT!T sponges, VitaLink 100% Coir, VitaLink Clay Pebbles
NUTRIENTS: VitaLink PlantStart, VitaLink Coir Classic Grow SW, Jungle Control Growthful
PLANT: Pakchoi (Brassicarapasub.pekinensis) F1 Glacier seeds from MolesSeed
Procedure
Pak Choi plants in this trial were propagated in a propagation tent under propagation light with 18/6 photoperiod. Then, ten plants of similar size and developmental stage were chosen for each group, Growthful and Control. The plants were then transplanted into small pots with clay pebbles drainage layer and filled with coir. They were placed in a greenhouse with natural light and supplemental CFL light with 12/12 photoperiod. After being transplanted the plants started to be watered with Coir Classic Grow nutrient solution with or without the addition of Growthful. After three weeks they were re-located to grow tent with HPSlight in order to speed up grow time. At the end of the trial, the plants were cut closely to a substrate level, cleaned, and weighed.
Results
Growthful produced a 32% increase in average plant weight!
Pak choi plants watered with the addition of Growthful performed better in this trial than the control plants. Average plant weight and total yield was significantly higher in plants from the treated group compared to plants from the control group. The average weight of the plants was calculated at 35.50 grams for the control group and 46.87 grams for the treated group, 32% higher!
In total, 113.7 more grams were harvested from the Pak Choi plants in the Growthful-treated group compared to the control!