CANNA produces 4 different substrates for different growing methods. All have advantages and disadvantages and depend mostly on the growers ability and experience. Of the 4 growing methods the easiest for starters is CANNA TERRA line as the substrate has extra benefits added deigned to reduce mistakes. Using CANNA TERRA according the grow guide will always give a wonderful yield with minimum attention required.
Substrates have 2 main functions. The first being to hold the plant in place for optimal growing. The second depends on the type of substrate. Substrates such as TERRA, COCO, potting mixes and soil also hold water and nutrients that can be available to the plant roots. The substrates will hold the nutrients that are ready to use or through chemical processes they will convert the nutrients into a form the plants can use. Inert substrates like clay balls, rockwool or sand do not have those capacities and simply function to hold the plant. Roots in these systems need to be kept moist at all times.
Plants require different amounts of certain nutrient elements at different times during the plant cycle. During the Growing or Vegetative phase the plants need additional nitrogen, calcium and magnesium for strong growth to get the plants quickly to the desired size. During the flowering phase the plants need additional Potassium and Phosphorous for good flower and fruit development. If all elements would be together in 1 solution the balance in the root environment is disrupted causing deficiencies. Only with CANNA Coco A&B nutrients all elements are in the same bottle because of the unique buffering characteristics of the Coco substrate.
Plants require the flowering nutrient as day lengths become longer or shorter depending on your crop. Plants such as chillies and tomatoes that normally flower and fruit during the summer months start to flower as the day length becomes longer. For plants that flower during the autumn /winter months such as citrus and brassica's start to flower as the day length becomes shorter. For outdoor plants this will happen naturally with the seasons. Indoors this happens with changing the amount of time the lights are on. The flowering nutrients should begin when the day length become shorter or longer depending on your crop.
For indoor gardeners the sign of flowers may not appear until the day length is changed with the exclusion of auto flowering plants. Change the light cycle first then start your flowering nutrient.
Some nutrients are divided into two bottles, an A&B, because in a high concentrated form the elements in these solution react with each other if mixed together. Then precipitation occurs and the nutrients are not available for uptake by the plant any more.
The use of A&B nutrients must always be mixed in equal amounts. Add A nutrient first, stir, and add B nutrient and stir again.
When using measuring equipment make sure you clean it in between measuring both A and B. If any solution is left in the equipment, the elements will bind. Alternatively separate equipment for A and B can also prevent binding of nutrients.
The ingredients of the nutrients and additives are sourced from different origins, which is the main difference.
Mineral nutrients are inorganic salts made from mineral sources and are directly available to the plants for plant growth and bloom.
Organic nutrients are derived from organic sources such as plant and animal materials and can work as a slow release nutrients through reactions with the substrate and any micro organisms in the mix. For more information see article Organic/ Mineral, what´s the deal?
CANNA nutrients and additives always have a “Best-before” date on the back of the bottle or can. CANNA guarantees that until this date the quality and effect of the product will be optimal. Conditional to the products stored and handled the right way and not opened yet. The date serves as a quality insurance for CANNA products and it guarantees it's freshness. The length of time for each products has been determined by extended testing over the years.
Our products are still safe for usage after their best-before date has passed, however the product might gradually lose it's effect compared to the high standards we have set to it. Note that they will never become toxic for plants, these are not “expiry” dates. However depending on how the products were handled over that period of time, they may become less effective. The way the product changes after it's best-before date all depends on storage and on the working ingredients within the product.
Product | Shelf life in years |
CANNA Terra Flores | 3 |
CANNA Terra Vega | 3 |
CANNA Aqua Vega A | 3 |
CANNA Aqua Vega B | 3 |
CANNA Aqua Flores A | 3 |
CANNA Aqua Flores B | 3 |
CANNA Coco A | 3 |
CANNA Coco B | 3 |
CANNA Classic Vega A | 3 |
CANNA Classic Vega B | 3 |
CANNA Classic Flores A | 3 |
CANNA Classic Flores B | 3 |
CANNA RHIZOTONIC | 2 |
CANNA PK 13/14 | 5 |
CANNAZYM | 3 |
CANNABOOST Accelerator | 3 |
BIOCANNA Bio Flores | 3 |
BIOCANNA Bio Vega | 3 |
BIOCANNA BioBOOST | 3 |
CANNA CALMAG AGENT | 2 |
At CANNA we have done testing and development of our products for almost 30 years, along with almost 30 years of satisfied gardeners from around the world. This makes us believe our products meet the growers and plant needs. For distribution of our products we rely on our loyal retail stores who are fully capable of giving proper advice and explain the benefits of our products. As a company we do not want to bypass our loyal retailers, so we do not provide product samples ourselves. Also we believe in the products and in the growers capacity to successfully get their return on investment. If following the CANNA grow guide usage of our products will give results to match our high standards. We believe our quality will prove itself.
pH has a great influence on the availability of the different nutrient elements. Therefore be sure the pH is always in the right range. The best availability range in the substrate is from 5.2- up to 6.2.
But CANNA recommends a different range for each type of substrate:
TERRA | 5.8 – 6.2 |
COCO | 5.5 – 6.2 |
Others | 5.2 – 6.2 |
EC means Electrical Conductivity. EC is the concentration of salts in the water or nutrient solution. Water quality varies depending on the water source or conditioning (ie. RO water) and should be tested prior to adding nutrients as it may effect the EC of the nutrient solution applied to the plants. Which can then affect plant growth by adding to much or too little.
We recommend to use PK 13/14 always for one week! CANNA nutrients already contain a certain amount of P and K. When the plant is in a certain stage of the flowering stage we can't increase the feed for the plant any more, so we change the PK-ratio by adding PK 13/14 for one week.
Trichoderma (a fungus family) do not kill bacteria. Most Trichoderma protect the plant against harmful fungi. This is because they eat other fungi. They stimulates the root environment so roots can develop better and with more root hairs. As a result the plant gains more vitality.
There are many different substrates and growing methods, which roughly can be classified into 4 groups. CANNA sells different nutrients specifically developed for these different substrates or methods. The four groups are CANNA TERRA (peat based mixtures), CANNA COCO (coco substrates) and for inert substrates CANNA Classic (run-to-waste) and CANNA AQUA (for recirculating systems).
The type of substrate will depend on your system and growing experience. Some substrates are easier and more forgiving to use while others are more intensive. Choose your system or substrate based on these parameters. For new gardeners just starting out the recommendation would be for using CANNA TERRA or CANNA COCO as there are fewer chances of making mistakes. For more advanced growers CANNA Classic or CANNA AQUA might be more suitable for your skill level. This is all more or less a matter of growers preference and skills. There is no substrate type better than others. It all depends on your preferred growing system.
CANNA specially developed CANNA AQUA for recirculating systems. It contains all the nutrients the plants require in an available form. Remember to check EC and pH of the nutrient solution regularly.
CANNA Classic is designed for use in substrates such as rockwool and should be in a run-to-waste system. It also contains all the nutrients the plants require in an available form.
In New Zealand, CANNA products are distributed through CANNA Australasia Pty Ltd. To purchase CANNA products for your store, business or Licensed Production, please contact them at:
+618 9217 4400 or via the website: www.canna.co.nz/contact
All potential dealer applications received go through authorisation which can take some time to follow up. To check the progress of your application please call +618 9217 4400
A CANNA authorised dealer is in an elite group of shops or business that can take advantage of the special programs designed for each business. You will be assigned an account manager, have access to special programs from CANNA Australasia, have the rights to display CANNA products and promotional material, ongoing technical support for CANNA products and gardening questions, have access to preferred dealer section of the website and have your business advertised on the website as a preferred dealer with shop contact information available to potential customers.