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.

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.

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:

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).

Never use raw rockwool! The pH is too high. Always soak rockwool before using it for the 1st time. Soak with water or a nutrient mixture with the pH adjusted to 5 and an EC of about 1.3. As well as correcting pH & EC, a pre-soak also ensures an even distribution of the nutrient solution throughout the slab.

Do you have problems with potting mix that becomes compressed and then absorbs water with difficulty? This can be easily overcome by mixing COCO with the potting mix, which will ensure that it can absorb water easily again.

To ensure good root development the feeding water must be between 20 - 25°C. When it's below 15°C the roots’ capacity to absorb decreases quickly, which results in a smaller harvest. If the feeding solution is mixed using cold water then the pH will rise when the water is heated. In this case, a high pH can be avoided by setting the pH a bit lower from the start.

The more nutrients that have been added to the potting mix in advance, the more difficult it will be for cuttings to take. This problem can be avoided by using CANNA potting mixes.

Two pumps can be used to supply the nutrient solution to the plants to ensure that they will not be left dry if one of the two should malfunction.

If there are any air pumps in the nutrient reservoir, remember that these may raise the pH in the nutrient reservoir.

Watch the roots closely. Otherwise they will grow into the drainage holes. This will block the drains and the system will stop circulating.

Do not place too many plants per square meter; plants will generally become larger on CANNA COCO and will need more space than on e.g. rockwool or potting soil.

Light breaks down iron chelates! Because of this, it is very important to ensure that no Ultra Violet light falls on the nutrient solution. Light also causes algae to grow in the nutrient solution, which can lead to blockages. Furthermore, algae can take up nutrient elements and cause nutrient deficiencies to occur.

Make sure the rockwool slabs are horizontal. If they are not truly horizontal the moisture will run to one end of the slab. This could mean that some plants become too dry and others too wet.

Keep note of the amounts of nutrients and additives you add to each tank of nutrients you mix. You then have a good starting point for the next time!

Don’t just measure the EC of the feed water and the drainage water regularly, remember to measure the EC of the substrate too.

You can easily distinguish between CANNA Classic A and B products because the A bottle contents is coloured and the B bottle contents is colourless.

Take your time diluting and adjusting your nutrient tank! This is essential for the growth, flowering and development of the plants and will yield the best results.

Very high EC values increase the chance of burning, particularly for plants that are directly under the lamp. In order to reduce the risk of burning, the potting soil can be rinsed with CANNAZYM.

Change from CANNA Terra Vega to CANNA Terra Flores when the flowers begin to develop. Normally speaking this will be after the plants have been lit for 12 hours per day, for between 1 and 3 weeks.