VitaLink Hydro Feed Chart – Hydro MAX A&B Doses
VitaLink's own published Hydro MAX BASIC schedule for hydroponic systems. Week by week, in millilitres per litre of water.
- All dosesper litre
- pH and EC5.8 – 6.5 · EC 0.5 – 2.4
- Base feedGrow 1-2ml to 4ml, Bloom 3-4ml to 4ml
Every figure is millilitres per litre, so multiply by the water in the tank: a 50-litre reservoir at 4ml per litre takes 200ml. Both base feeds are two-part, and the figure in the column applies to each part on its own — Part A and Part B always go in at the same rate.
Getting it right
- Dose the water that is in the tank. Fill it, note the litres, then work the figures out on that number. Dosing a half-full reservoir for a full one doubles the strength.
- Part A in first, Part B once it has mixed through. With the pump running, add A, let it circulate, then add the same amount of B. Neat, the two react and the calcium drops out.
- A reservoir moves between checks. Plants take up water faster than nutrient in some weeks and the other way round in others, so the EC and pH you set will have shifted a day later. Read both daily.
- Top up with plain water. As the level falls, plain water pulls the EC back down towards where you set it. More feed into a shrinking tank sends it the other way.
- Empty and remix weekly. Recirculating solution accumulates what the plant is not taking, which is a problem hand-watering to waste never has.
- Cool, dark and aerated. Roots in solution need dissolved oxygen and warm water carries less of it. Run an air pump around the clock and keep light off the tank.
- The EC figures assume clean water. They are quoted from a background of zero, so whatever your tap water reads before anything goes in is added on top.
- Flower 7 is Finale on its own. Bloom, Turbo and Buddy all stop and Finale goes in at 3-4ml per litre. Flower 8 is the finish — a fresh tank of plain water.
Everything on the chart
Hydro MAX Grow A&B
From £11.49
1-2ml rising to 4ml, Grow 1 to 4
Hydro MAX Bloom A&B
From £11.49
3-4ml then 4ml, Flower 1 to 6
VitaLink RootStim
From £9.49
1ml then 0.5ml, Grow 1 to Flower 1
VitaLink Turbo
From £17.49
0.5ml then 1ml, Grow 3 to Flower 6
VitaLink Buddy
From £5.99
0.5ml then 1ml, Flower 2 to 6
VitaLink Finale
From £5.45
3-4ml, Flower 7 on its own
Common questions
How much goes into my reservoir?
Multiply the figure by the litres in the tank. A 50-litre tank at 4ml per litre takes 200ml of Part A and 200ml of Part B; a 100-litre tank takes 400ml of each.
Soft water or hard water version?
VitaLink build the two around how much calcium and magnesium your tap water already carries, so measure your tap EC with a meter before you choose. The bottles we stock are the hard water Grow and Bloom.
How often do I change the tank?
Weekly is the normal interval, and sooner if the EC climbs as the level drops. Between changes, top up with plain water and reset the pH rather than adding more feed.
Growing in coco or soil instead?
VitaLink publish a separate chart for each — see the Coir MAX feed chart and the Earth MAX feed chart.
Is there a stronger version of this schedule?
VitaLink also publish an ADVANCED chart that adds more additives on top of these. This page is the BASIC schedule, which is the one to follow if you are running the products above.
Figures as published by VitaLink on their own BASIC Feed Chart for Hydro MAX, hydrogarden.com. Always read the label on the bottle you own. VitaLink is a trade mark of its owner.