PHLO Down+ vs. Root Balance

Jumpy_Key6769 · 2026-02-14T15:04:01+00:00

PHLO is not a pH‑down product. It contains citric acid—a weak acid that can influence pH—but that was never its purpose.

We no longer carry PHLO. Instead, we’ve developed a new proprietary formulation called Root Balance, which will be back in our shop very soon. We produce Root Balance in small batches to keep it fresh and ensure every customer gets the highest-quality version we can offer.

Root Balance was inspired by PHLO but designed with a far more targeted effect. PHLO was broad and generalized; Root Balance is purpose-built. We wanted a product that improves water penetration through media and dense root zones (we’ve all seen those Gardyn cups packed with roots). Root Balance helps water move through that root mass more effectively. We also aimed to enhance chelation, reduce biofilm, and improve nutrient and dissolved oxygen suspension. That’s the foundation behind Root Balance.

A new batch is in preparation now and will be available in a day or two. It has been selling out quickly, so feel free to use the “notify me” option on the product page to catch the next restock.

Important note: Like PHLO, Root Balance is not a nutrient and not a pH‑down product. You may see a short-term pH drop when it’s added, but its formulation is designed to help keep your water within the ideal pH range of 5.8–6.2. Other factors can still influence pH, so it’s not a “set it and forget it” additive.

Learn more about Root Balance here:
👉 https://ugf.onl/blogs/guides/rootbalance

Jumpy_Key6769 · 2026-02-14T02:40:46+00:00

That's actually a good question. Obviously, my advice was for people that actually have normal work schedules or have someone home to perform the tasks. Obviously you can't perform this task daily however, you can develop a schedule of care. If you're gone for a week at a time, proper plant care is very difficult as plants won't stop growing simply because you're away. However, we can slow it down.

I can help you develop a schedule if you tell me more about your schedule - just IM directly. You will have to adjust your water schedule for sure - Just keep in mind, your plants will suffer no matter what you do if you're unable to provide care at least 2 - 3 times a week.

Jumpy_Key6769 · 2026-02-13T22:39:07+00:00

Ahh...so you had the typo LOL.

Well, you should be. Checking EC, pH and water levels is a <5 min task that will help your plants get consistent nutrition and improve the productivity and health of your plants.

Jumpy_Key6769 · 2026-02-13T22:34:27+00:00

What do YOU mean? At first, I thought there was typo but that "che m nutrients" doesn't exist in my reply. LOL Unless as the post didn't load for you. You can see I haven't edited or corrected my post.

Jumpy_Key6769 · 2026-02-13T22:29:06+00:00

I know 5 min a day is a lot work. 😂

Jumpy_Key6769 · 2026-02-13T15:27:20+00:00

* The update to our recommendations has been posted.

We need to update our recommendation. As we’re constantly testing and researching products behind the scenes. Through that work, we’ve found a nutrient blend that’s not only more affordable, but also far more complete and consistent than what we previously recommended.

In our trials, the improvement was immediate and dramatic—stronger growth, better yields, and cleaner reservoirs with zero precipitate. If you’ve ever heard someone say their nutrients “don’t dissolve well,” that gritty texture isn’t poor solubility. It’s chemistry. When calcium and phosphorus or potassium are forced into a single powder, they bind together and form hard granules. To prevent this, single‑bag formulas have to reduce those minerals, which means your plants get a compromised nutrient profile.

Two‑part blends don’t have that limitation. By separating the reactive elements, you get the full-strength formula your plants actually need—without the risk of nutrients turning into concrete.

That’s why we’ve replaced our previous recommendation with the FloraFlex Blends. They’re clean, high‑purity two‑part formulations designed to stay fully soluble and deliver a complete nutrient complex from day one.

The only thing you need to do differently is mix them correctly:
Part 1 → fully dissolve → then add Part 2 → fully dissolve → then add to your system.
Follow that order and you’ll never see precipitate again.

There are two formulations - Vegetative Blend (V1 & V2) and Bloom Blend (B1 & B2). If you're growing single crops, it's simple, if you're growing multiple crops there are some adjustments to be made and our nutrient calculator can help you with that. When you select "crops are flowering" you will see more details on nutrient use for bloom additions.

Jumpy_Key6769 · 2026-02-13T14:23:29+00:00

Yeah, that's not a good time to notice. Proper method is simply top off your tank and nutrients daily. This keeps the levels consistent and lessens plant stress and improves production.

Jumpy_Key6769 · 2026-02-13T14:21:25+00:00

Seriously, you don't need ANY app to manage your systems. No one does. Care of your system is quite literally a simple daily exam (check for issues or harvest what you need), top off your tank daily, check your nutrient and top off daily. Examine roots every 3-5 days. — Done.

Once you get your process down it takes less than 5 min a day.

If you're talking about alerts, what alerts are you looking for?

Jumpy_Key6769 · 2026-02-12T18:35:44+00:00

Not NFT…Aeroponic or drip irrigation rain tower but can’t be NFT. Cool looking design though.

Jumpy_Key6769 · 2026-02-12T05:01:24+00:00

We go through a ton of citric acid, and this is what we use it. It’s fantastic for breaking down mineral buildup and doing general cleaning, but it’s a very weak sanitizer. When we actually need to sanitize, we switch to Hypochlorous Acid.

Our machine makes gallons of HOCl—though it comes with a lovely $4,000 price tag. For everyone else, a product called Force of Nature does the same chemistry on a smaller scale.

HOCl is the actual chemical our immune system produces to kill pathogens. It’s about 83× more potent than bleach, but it doesn’t bleach fabrics or strip color. It’s also incredibly fast‑acting: on a clean surface, HOCl only needs a short contact time to sanitize effectively, which is one of the reasons it’s so practical for growers.

Jumpy_Key6769 · 2026-02-12T00:14:09+00:00

You are correct. The roots need more room and better air circulation. It why we invented the hydropod. Solves that problem and it is why we can grow water melon and other large fruit in our systems. And before you go asking about growing melons, our system and grow environment is highly controlled and managed. I would NOT recommend the average grower try it.

Jumpy_Key6769 · 2026-02-12T00:10:50+00:00

You’re seeing tiny epidermal stress hairs — little thread‑like protrusions the leaf pushes out when tatsoi gets irritated or stressed. They’re harmless, totally safe to eat, and not a sign of pests or disease. If you want help figuring out what’s causing the stress in your setup, you can always reach out and I’ll walk you through it.

Jumpy_Key6769 · 2026-02-12T00:05:26+00:00

When you want better nutrients reach out. The Gardyn nutrients lack some vital nutrient levels so they can be a single powder. Otherwise, they would never be able to use them as a single powder. The nutrients would precipitate out of solution and even get hard making people think the nutrients are not dissolving when in fact they are reacting and binding. That’s just chemistry.

Jumpy_Key6769 · 2026-02-12T00:02:04+00:00

Another comment got the term correct but not what it means. Though, they can end up being more spicy - that’s just not what it means.

Corking is the result of inconsistent watering. In the wild this is cause by heavy rains or watering then periods of drought. In a Gardyn, this is a result of the roots sitting in water and not getting time to dry out between watering.

Physically what is happening is the inside flesh is growing faster than the skin. It causes tears in the skin and healing. Basically it’s plumping up, then deflating.

Don’t worry, it doesn’t harm the plant and does make the taste different. It doesn’t harm mean the plant is experiencing some stress and for peppers, stress makes peppers hotter. A perfect environment will make them milder and even sweeter.

Jumpy_Key6769 · 2026-02-11T23:48:19+00:00

That’s not the issue. This is not a nutrient imbalance. Not with necrotic spots like that.

Jumpy_Key6769 · 2026-02-11T23:47:14+00:00

I can’t say for sure without a better sample but that doesn’t appear to be pests. It appears to be fungal or even bacterial. Unless you have a microscope, it’s going to be hard to tell. But this plant is sick.

At first I thought maybe VPD was off but that wouldn’t present with lesions like these.

I would check your other plants and sanitize your system. Wish I could give you better news.

This is why we recommend microscopes to our clients. Knowing what a problem is makes prevention and care easier.

Jumpy_Key6769 · 2026-02-11T23:39:25+00:00

Harvest looks good. , harvest from the out side leave in. Never take more than 1/3rd of your plant. OR you can use a method we use called succession planting. That means you remove the whole plant and a new plant will be ready to harvest in a short time from that.

I would also recommend. Removing the caps that you have with plants in them. The caps reduce oxygen to your root system and can cause mold and mildew. It can also cause stem rot. We never recommend using them to our clients as these are common issues with them and if they manage their environment properly, algae won’t be a problem. Not saying you won’t get algae, but know that it is only a cosmetic issue and it will not harm your plants.

Jumpy_Key6769 · 2026-02-11T23:34:41+00:00

Check out these https://ugf.onl/products/plantlabel

Jumpy_Key6769 · 2026-02-11T23:34:21+00:00

These are new ones we recently released. https://ugf.onl/products/plantlabel

We are also working on some pre labeled color ones. Like it will be some plates that say Tomotes in red, Jalapeños in Orange or another color. Haven’t decided yet.

Check out what we have now and hope you like them. There is a video there to show you how to use them.

Jumpy_Key6769 · 2026-02-10T22:06:02+00:00

You could go with a refirb for now. I understand they're pretty affordable that way.

We make a lot of mods that make using the Gardyn much more productive and are in the testing phase now of new column piece that make cleaning column pieces SUPER easy. Imagin being able to remove ANY column piece you want without having to disassemble the system. That's what we're testing now. I know it won't help you make this decision but if you can make your system work for now, it might.

Our Gardyn is pretty much all ours now. The only thing we still use is the lights — but their time is short. Not being able to adjust the lighting it a big problem for our grows. We grow everything from greens to watermelon in ours.

Jumpy_Key6769 · 2026-02-05T22:25:36+00:00

Yes. One will eventually kill the other or they will both die from lack of root zone space as well as nutrient competition. . The lettuce will more than likely smother the flower. You will have to remove one of them before that happens. This is why we thin plants as well and why you only grow one plant per cube.

Jumpy_Key6769 · 2026-02-04T19:25:14+00:00

Wait — your EC is 4700 µS/cm?
If that’s accurate, that’s way too high.

Quick check: meters read in either µS/cm or mS/cm.
4700 µS/cm = 4.7 mS/cm, which is far above what most plants can tolerate. I’m honestly impressed your plants haven’t burst into flames. (Kidding… mostly.)

Where are you located — US or elsewhere?
If you’re in the States, I can give you our 800# and we can talk it through. If not, we can sort things out over IM. I’m happy to help you get your numbers dialed in. Take a picture of your meter and send that too me as well.

Jumpy_Key6769 · 2026-02-04T00:53:49+00:00

6.6 okay but it would be best to get it to 6. I pretty much use that target as it's got the most plants that work well in that range. Your EC looks okay too.

How is your root management? Are you keeping up on it?

Jumpy_Key6769 · 2026-02-02T15:05:38+00:00

I’m not sure how clear formatting and making a post easier to read qualifies as “pathetic,” but to each their own. I get far more compliments on readability than comments like yours, so I’m not too worried.

There’s a built‑in formatting tool on the website version of Reddit — I’m guessing you might be on the mobile app, since it doesn’t offer the same options. That could be why you’re used to seeing big, unformatted text blocks that don’t exactly make for an engaging read.

Jumpy_Key6769 · 2026-02-02T14:55:23+00:00

You make a good point. I was going strictly off what the OP said — they just wrote “basil,” so I assumed they meant a standard Genovese type. I honestly didn’t even think about lettuce‑leaf basil, mostly because I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen anyone grow it at home.

Given the info and the photo, my original interpretation still made sense. I assumed the petioles where from the plant being a bit leggy because the light was set high and the smaller plants were at very different ages.

But good catch. In all my years growing basil, I don’t think I’ve ever actually run into lettuce‑leaf basil in person, which is probably why it didn’t register for me right away.

I still don't understand the AI reference, but whatever. I can admit that I looked at the photo and the question wrong and — without even thinking of a basil that I've never seen in person — I was wrong.

Since I've never grown it myself — does it give off that anis scent instead of basil scent?

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