Frequently Asked Questions

If there was just one, the rest wouldn’t exist. Generally, it begins with a pot, an inert growing medium and a watering can or self-watering system. The best way to start growing indoors is to buy a good grow guide and get an idea of what appeals to you. Equally, your local hydroponics shop will be staffed by people eager to get you growing successfully.

Essentially, it is any medium (or media in plural) in which plants grow. Soil, coir, peat, perlite, and rockwool are the most commonly used substrates or growing media.

Yes! Dragon Force is an amazing finishing product. We recommend you use it on its own, rather than alongside any other products.

Yes, this is perfectly normal for PK Warrior. Sulphates naturally off-gas and build up under the bottle lid. If you leave the lid off, they’ll eventually dissipate.

It’s fine to use alongside all our products, apart from Zenzym.

You can indeed use Terra Grow on your lawn, but if you have patches then it would be best to reseed them first.

Unopened and kept in warm, temperate conditions all of our products can last for several years.

Our 250ml bottles offer growers the chance to try out our products individually, or give our multipacks a go for the chance to see the full range in action. We partner with large scale commercial operations in some cases; so please email us if you’re interested in a partnership.

Measuring pH is essential as it affects the availability of nutrients to plants. We recommend a pH between 5.5 and 6.5.

pH levels can change dramatically due to a number of factors, including the quality of the water you’re using. Testing the runoff water can give you an insight into any problems your plants might be having in taking up nutrients.

High concentrations of silicon will precipitate out of a solution at low pH. Calcium is the opposite, precipitating at a pH above 7. It’s important to find and maintain a balance. Diluting your nutrients in 1L of water before adding them to the tank helps to prevent precipitation from occurring.

PK Warrior does not balance pH. With the nature of the formulation, it will increase pH marginally and may or may not need adjustment thereafter (depending on the water supply). Once all liquids are diluted with water, the final step is to check the conductivity and pH and adjust where necessary.

It’s perfectly normal for this to happen. When you add PK Warrior, the potassium requirement increases relative to the other nutrients. The uptake of potassium can cause some pH reduction, but this will slow down as you move into week six.

EC is a measure of electrical conductivity. Low EC indicates a low level of available nutrients and vice versa.

The EC of Geisha Foliar is 4.0, which is perfectly safe if applied correctly.

At 10ml/L the EC should be 2.4 (24CF).
In soft water with a background of 0 CF.
At 15ml/L the EC should be 3.6 (36CF).

CalMag is a nutrient based application that supplies calcium and magnesium, improving nutrient uptake and translocation. Geisha Foliar enhances and initiates flowering receptors, increasing the production of flowers.

They are two very different products that can be used in conjunction for maximum effect, although it’s better to alternate their application rather than applying them both at the same time.

Our feedcharts recommend dropping it at this stage because it’s the point when vegetative development stops. The demand for nutrients is higher when the plants are developing stalks and foliage but reduces when vegetative development comes to a finish. It is only a guide though and some plants have longer flowering periods. What is important is that when the vegetative stage stops, you need to reduce your nutrient levels.

Seedlings need a gentle feed; Shogun Start is designed with exactly this in mind. Silicon and CalMag aren’t necessary until your seedlings have become established and developed three sets of true leaves.

Splitting a nutrient feed across two bottles prevents micronutrients from binding to one another over time whilst in storage. Parts A and B are the two halves of the same nutrient feed.

No, there’s no need to reduce the feed strength of your base nutrients when using Sumo Boost.

Start applying Sumo Boost twenty-one days from the start of the flowering period, and continuously thereafter if you’re using a pure hydroponic system (NFT, Rockwool, DWC).

In soil, use it every other watering, and follow the guidelines on the feed charts.

In coco, Sumo Boost can be used continuously. At around week six of the flowering period, you should start to drop down the overall feed strength as the plants will have stopped taking up the nutrients so readily.

Foliar sprays like Sumo Boost, CalMag, and Geisha Foliar, should be used within 24 – 48 hours.

SHOGUN Silicon is similar to other brands in that, when diluted properly, it forms mono-silicic acid that plants can uptake as a silicon source, however, SHOGUN Silicon is exceptionally concentrated: 1ml/L will provide 30mg/L of silicon to your plants, giving the customer unbeatable value for money.

Many soils contain silicon (it is the third most abundant element on earth) but unless you can be sure about the content of your chosen media, a silicon supplement, with all the associated benefits, is the sensible choice for your plants.

There is not a specific method that needs to be adhered to when it comes to mixing all the Shogun products. Shogun products can be diluted in your tank or reservoir in any order. Shogun Silicon should be diluted in 3-5L of water and the pH adjusted below 7 before this is added to the reservoir. Here are some guidelines that to get you started:

• Add plain water to your nutrient reservoir close to maximum capacity (If using Shogun Silicon, leave approximately 3-5L from capacity)
• Depending on the Shogun products you have purchased, Add Shogun CalMag, Shogun Katana Roots, Shogun Zenzym, Shogun PK Warrior, Shogun Sumo Active Boost separately and in any particular order to the water according to the application and dilution rate excluding Shogun Coco A&B and Shogun Silicon.
• Add Shogun Coco A&B up to 4-5mL/L to achieve your target conductivity. For further guidance, check the Grow Guides or visit our on-line Feed Chart Calculator (shogunfertilisers.com)
• Reduce the pH in the nutrient reservoir to approximately 6
• If you are using Shogun Silicon, use a separate container/bucket and add approximately 3-5L of water and dilute Shogun Silicon at the application rate for the volume of your nutrient reservoir. Reduce the pH to approximately to 6-7 and add this to the nutrient reservoir.
• Make any final adjustments to your pH (5.5-6.5) by using pH Up or Down and your target EC by adding water or Shogun Coco A&B

Plants require different ratios of nutrients depending on the period, phase or stage of growth. For example, growing stems, branches and leaves during the vegetative stage, or growing period, requires more nitrogen, whilst growing flowers and fruits during the fruiting phase, or flowering period, requires more phosphorous The NPK ratio is marked on the bottle.

Following our feedcharts is a good place to start. Plants generally need a minimum vegetative period of two to three weeks, but you can extend it for as long as you need to train and shape your plants. A longer growth period can have a very positive effect on yield.

Unless you’re experiencing overfeeding, there’s no need to flush beforehand. Dragon Force replaces your other nutrient feeds; it’s designed to act as a death signal to your plants, informing them that their life cycle is coming to an end.

Give your plants a good flush and they should be fine. You may see the plants start to yellow, as Dragon Force contains high concentrations of sulphur. One application shouldn't cause any serious problems though.

Reading your plants is always the best guide. Look at the run off; when your plants stop taking up nutrients the CF will increase or remain the same as when you put it in. This is the point at which to reduce the feed.

In this case, treat week seven as week nine. Start reducing the feed after week five of flowering, then use Dragon Force in week six.

The normal schedule should be good for this.

No, not on purpose. They do not contain a buffering system, though many people find their pH does remain stable when using SHOGUN.

The AquaZen that is incorporate into the coir formulation will foam slightly if over aerated. An MJ1000 pump mixes the whole tank, where an air stone, or similar item, bubbles in one spot, so it may be a better choice than a Bubblegen. If the problem persists or gets worse, send us a picture and we’ll take it from there.

• Coco retains moisture well, but nutrients drain quickly with water.
• Daily feeding ensures a steady nutrient supply and prevents deficiencies.
• It also helps prevent salt build-up, which can happen if you're not flushing or over-fertilising.

Feeding Guidelines for Coco Coir

Frequency:

• Daily feeding is typical once plants are established.
• In early seedling stages, you can feed every other day or when the pots weigh 50% of the saturated weight.
• For mature plants: once or even twice per day (Hand-watering) in hot or high-growth phases.

Strength:

• Use a nutrient solution at 1.2–2.5 EC, depending on the plant and stage.
• Seedlings: ~1–1.2 EC
• Veg stage: ~1.2–1.9 EC
• Flower/fruiting: ~1.2–2.5 EC

pH Range:

• Maintain your solution at pH 5.5–6.6 (ideal for nutrient uptake in coco).

Flush Occasionally (Optional):

• Every 1–2 weeks, use plain pH’d water to flush excess salts.
• Check run-off EC regularly to ensure no build-up.

Optional but Helpful: Monitor Run-off

• Measure run-off EC and pH to track what your plant is receiving vs. what's draining out.
• If run-off EC is high, reduce nutrient strength or increase the volume of water/nutrients.
• If it's low, plants may be underfed.

Pro Tip: Pre-buffered Coco

If you are using unbuffered Coco, you might see early deficiencies. Coco naturally binds to calcium and magnesium, so always add a Shogun Cal-Mag early on.

Nitrogen deficiency is relatively rare, but underfeeding is becoming more common these days with the increased use of LED grow lights.

A proper diagnosis requires a full picture of the particular grow. What stage of the life cycle are your plants in? What is the EC and pH of the input and the EC and pH of the run off? What is the running temperature and relative humidity of the day and night cycles of your grow? With this information, we or your local hydroponics shop should be able to give you a more informed diagnosis.

Auto flowering plants require a lot less nutrients; we recommend you follow the feed chart at half strength. Samurai Coco is ideal for this grow. Use some Katana Roots to get those roots going!

Shogun Mixing Instructions

I think a good place to start is to state that not all the Shogun products are needed to complete your grow. The only essential Shogun products are Start, for the propagation phase only and the A&B (base) nutrients such as Coco, Hydro and Terra. The majority of the rest of the Shogun products help 'Steer' your plants growth. What I mean by this is that by using other Shogun products with the A&B nutrients, you can alter the ratio of essential minerals through selective nutrient application to stimulate a certain growth process, be that enhanced vegetative or flowering growth. The remaining Shogun products such as Katana Roots and Sumo Boost/Sumo Active Boost stimulate certain biochemical pathways.

There is not a specific method that needs to be adhered to when it comes to mixing all the Shogun products but there are some guidelines that should be followed:

Propagation - Products in bold are essential and should always be used.

1. SHOGUN Start

• Add plain water to your nutrient reservoir or watering can.
• Then add SHOGUN Start at a rate of 4 mL/L.
• Add Katana Roots at a rate of 5mL/L
• Adjust the pH (5.5-6.5) and the conductivity (EC), ensuring the EC is between 1.0 and 1.4.

Vegetative & Flowering - Products in bold are essential and should always be used.

1. SHOGUN Coco

• Add plain water to your nutrient reservoir close to maximum capacity (If using Shogun Silicon, leave approximately 5L from capacity)
• Add all of the Shogun products you have separately to the water according to the dilution rate excluding Shogun Coco A&B and Shogun Silicon.
• Add Shogun Coco A&B up to 4mL/L to achieve your target conductivity. For further guidance, check the Grow Guides or visit our on-line Feed Chart Calculator (shogunfertilisers.com)
• Reduce the pH in the nutrient reservoir to approximately 6
• If you are using Shogun Silicon, use a separate container/bucket and add approximately 3-5L of water and dilute Shogun Silicon at the application rate for the volume of your nutrient reservoir. Reduce the pH to approximately 6 and add this to the nutrient reservoir.
• Make any final adjustments to your pH (5.5-6.5) by using pH Up or Down and your target EC by adding water or Shogun Coco A&B

We recommend a pH between 5.5 and 6.5.

Yes, it is. With DWC there may be an increase in bubbles and slightly more foaming if the air pump and stone are overrated for the system.

Zenzym does not impact the performance of any of these products.

Zenzym is perfect for reusing coco. It can be used in flush, but we generally recommend only water at this stage. More advanced growers can apply some water availability stress pre-harvest.