The Power of Carbohydrates in the Garden

If you’ve been in the industry long, you’ve probably had your share of interesting conversations centred around ways to increase the output of your garden. To be fair, many of these conversations are brought forth by people, who, given their experience in the trade, can offer advice with a certain amount of validity. There are others, however, who offer not-so convincing ideas on the subject of yield increase.

One of the most commonly heard ideas about increasing the overall yield of a garden is the act of enriching your medium with a carbohydrate, or sugary substance. Being that simple sugars are found in abundant quantities throughout our daily life, for example, in soda, the not-so convincing “experts” recommend enriching your garden with sugary, carbonated drinks like cola, orange or grape soda. It’s argued that not only does the high sugar content boost your plant’s metabolism, but the flavour profile extracted from the soda can leach into the end product of your flower. This claim, however, has not been evidenced.

So, while it may be appropriate to utilize the sugars found in some household products, like blackstrap molasses, using soda in your scheduled feeding program is not recommended. These drinks, most notably, varieties of cola, are highly carbonated and are known for their ability to neutralize bacteria. Being that the whole point of introducing a source of carbs to your feeding program is to cultivate and sustain living microorganisms, using soda as a source of sugar seems counterproductive to the initial premise of increasing the maximum yield of a garden.

Carbs give your plants energy without making them work for it.

– The Garden Sage, Author of “The Grower’s Handbook“

With this in mind, there are other efficient and economical sources of carbohydrates that are specifically formulated for use in the production of food and flowers. By adding a quality source of sugars to your regular fertilizing program, gardeners can typically expect the increased activity of living bacteria and fungi, which can ultimately lead to the essential uptake of nutrients, and the faster movement of fluid and fertilizer throughout the plant system. The passages below will dive deeper into the subject of the power of carbs in the root-zone. 

Key Benefits of Carbohydrates

Unlike the mention of soda before, which contains simple processed sugars (among other possibly harmful additives), a clean, quality-focused carbohydrate supplement like our Liquid Weight or Karbo Boost, contains an array of simple sugars like dextrose, sucrose and fructose. Following this, there are essentially two improvements you can expect from adding a rich source of carbohydrates into your scheduled feeding program: an increase in microbe activity and a higher rate of nutrient and fluid uptake. 

Increased Microbe Activity

To encourage the rapid growth of healthy bacteria, fungi and protozoa in your root zone, pairing your regular feeding program with a sugary carbohydrate supplement will help to speed up the growth rate of beneficial microbes. Plants spend an amazing amount of energy-releasing complex sugars like cellulose into the root-zone; so, by supplementing your plant’s expenditures with additional carbs, you can be sure the beneficial microbes in your soil will be plentifully fed, which in turn will support the cultivation and growth of your living medium. Furthermore, this action of supplementing carbohydrates will allow your plant to focus its energy on producing the rest of its anatomy throughout its lifecycle.

Increased Nutrient and Fluid Uptake

This expected result pairs hand in hand with the formerly discussed increase in microbe activity. Because of the increase and growth of living organisms in the root-zone, available elements like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, along with a host of other micronutrients, are broken down at an accelerated pace. This point also indicates an increase in the uptake of fluids due to the plant’s active metabolism, which, if maintained, can produce a faster-growing, healthier plant overall. 

Liquid Carbohydrate Additive: Liquid Weight

Liquid Weight is a liquid additive nutrient used in the flowering stage of the plant cycle. It provides a blend of simple carbohydrates to support the beneficial microbial life in the root zone. Introducing carbohydrates via the root zone will benefit microbes that expand the root zone’s ability to absorb nutrients and other vital fluids.

Beneficial microbes do this by bonding with the plant’s roots to break down larger elements into simple chemical components that are easier for the plant to uptake and absorb. This translates to increased yields in both mass and quality. Liquid Weight is a must use additive in all our liquid nutrient programs.

Dry Carbohydrate Additive: Karbo Boost

Karbo Boost is a dry additive nutrient used in the flowering stage of the plant cycle. This formula uses naturally occurring carbohydrates to ensure your plants are getting an added clean source of energy to support heavy fruiting. An added source of carbohydrates is important during the flowering stage to ensure microbes can help your plants uptake the nutrients they need to produce a healthy and aromatic crop.

These microorganisms can help break down larger elements into simple chemical components that are easier for your plant to uptake and absorb. Healthy microbial life in the rhizosphere not only helps mobilize nutrients but also benefits water and oxygen absorption in the root zone for faster and stronger growth. Add Karbo Boost alongside your favourite nutrient program.

Beneficial Bacteria Additive: Root Builder

Root Builder is a liquid additive nutrient used in the vegetative and flowering stage of the plant cycle. Our formula introduces two key forms of beneficial bacteria to your grow medium: Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus subtilis. Bacillus licheniformis will help break down elements so your plant can use its energy on other important plant functions, such as producing big, beautiful flowers.

Bacillus subtilis is an extremely strong beneficial bacteria that focuses on boosting natural defences. It will also produce molecules called iturins that will target harmful microorganisms in the rhizosphere and eliminate them. Together, these organisms perform as a microbial soil amendment, which improves the conversion of organic and inorganic fertilizers into plant-available forms for more efficient nutrient uptake. 

Ready for the Carbohydrate Advantage?

Consider adding any of the supplements above to your grow for a high-quality source of carbohydrates. Compared to adding a sugary carbonated alternative, these formulas ensure any microbes receive a full range of sugars, letting your plants focus on developing a frosty final crop.

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