FAQ

WHICH GROWING MEDIA SHOULD I USE?

We manufacturer high quality blends because there are many different ways to garden. The answer depends on what you're looking for. Our soils vary primarily by water holding capacity (directly influenced by the amount of coco and perlite present) and the amount of organic material present. The water holding capacity is higher in our peat-based soils such as Green Fields and Formula 707. Original and Green Lite, with their higher coco and perlite percentages, will drain and dry more quickly. Of those soils, the Green Lite contains less organic material than the others. Green Fields contains the most organic material, followed by the Original, and then the Formula 707. For choosing a soilless media, you could use pure coco from Coco Bricks, or our Cocopalms, or you could use a coco and perlite centered mix with our traditional Soilless. Roots Organics Micro-Greens is another option containing a balance of peat and perlite but no compost.

DO I NEED TO PH MY NUTRIENTS? IF SO, WHAT PH SHOULD I MAKE MY NUTRIENTS?

Our heavy organic soils have a buffering capacity, to which you can add nutrients (according to our “feeding schedules”) without adjusting the pH. The buffering capacity of the soil will regulate the pH of the soil solution, so that necessary micro and macro nutrients will become available. If you prefer to have more control over the pH of your solution, we recommend adjusting the pH to 5.8-6.3. When in doubt... err on the side of acidic. Too acidic is much easier for most plants to deal with than too basic (pH over 7). Mixing our Roots Organics fertilizer for 24 hours will help raise the pH naturally. In hydroponics settings, the Soul line is designed to remain stable at an ideal pH of 6.0. Again, circulation and aeration is key.

WHY DOES "ORGANIC" MATTER?

We believe a movement toward more sustainable and natural means of agriculture is better for everyone in the short and long term. At Aurora Innovations, we center on quality. We have found that when growing with organic methods our yields meet or exceed synthetic methods, yet the quality of the harvest will be far superior. We believe that growing organically improves qualitative traits like smell, flavor, taste and, shelf life. Organic agriculture has higher standards compared to conventional systems. The organic standard means no synthetic chemicals, no toxic pesticides, no GMOs and emphasis on soil health. That’s why we have dedicated ourselves to developing an entire line of soil and liquid products, so look for the Root Organics label!

SHOULD I USE LIQUID OR DRY NUTRIENTS?

We have seen the best results from a comprehensive use of both. The master schedule is designed to utilize both dry and liquid fertilizers. If you use dry fertilizer their efficacy is dependent on organically active soils. These products need time to break down and release vital nutrients. Liquid fertilizers can provide a fast flush of nutrients, particularly after transplants as the plant is putting on new growth.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PRODUCTS BETTER THAN YOUR COMPETITION?

We suggest you let the results speak for themselves. If you are currently using any of our competitor's products that we have an alternative for, run a side-by-side comparison. Please put us to the test.

SHOULD I USE ROOTS ORGANICS OR SOUL FOR MY LIQUID NUTRIENTS?

If you grow with Soilless, pure coco, or a hydro system, you want to use Soul. While Soul should be the choice for virtually any media that is not soil, it performs fantastically in soil. In contrast, Roots Organics liquid nutrients rely on an active soil to breakdown the fertilizer into available nutrients for the plant. There are still high quality organics in Soul, but there is a soluble backbone that is immediately available for the plant to keep it highly functional in a pure hydroponics situation. You can use Soul with great success in soil, but we do not recommend using Roots Organics base nutrients in hydroponic settings.

HOW SHOULD I MIX MY LIQUID NUTRIENTS? DOES THE ORDER THEY ARE ADDED MATTER?

With Soul, for the most part it does not matter what order you add the products to your solution. We would recommend adding Grow-N or Elemental before other nutrients due to their calcium content. With Roots Organics Liquids, we recommend aerating them (circulation pump and airstone) for 24 hours if possible, but it’s not mandatory.

WHAT IS PERLITE?

Perlite begins its life as hydrated obsidian ore. These are little pieces of obsidian that have pockets of water trapped inside the rock. We then feed it slowly into our perlite furnace where the ore is exposed to temperatures in excess of 1600 degrees Fahrenheit! This pops the hydrated rock like popcorn into the white puffy structures you see in our mixes. Perlite is an excellent way to improve the aeration and drainage of soil and soilless mixes. We make 100% of our perlite at our manufacturing facility. Just another key ingredient for which we have gone the extra mile to ensure it’s of the highest quality.

WHERE CAN I BUY YOUR PRODUCTS?

We keep all the stores that sell our products listed in our Where to Buy section on the website. Our distributors also have retailer locators on their website. Any store listed on our Where to Buy section or our distributor's web sites can supply you with any of our products.

SHOULD I BE FERTILIZING EVERY TIME I WATER MY PLANTS?

If you are using the regular Roots Organics or Soul feeding schedules, we recommend alternating between fertilizing and watering. If you are using the master or master Soul feeding schedules, we recommend alternating until the plant begins to show vigorous growth, and then switch to fertilizing every time you water.

WHAT'S OREGON LIKE?

Wonderful. And very green.