A pale new leaf, weak stems, or slow growth can make a grower reach for every bottle on the shelf. That usually makes the feed harder to manage. This Bionova mineral additives guide covers how to use single-mineral products to correct what is actually missing while keeping the base nutrient program steady.
The short answer is simple: start with the right Bionova base feed for your medium, check pH and EC, then add one mineral product for one clear job. Ca 15 is for calcium, MgO 10 is for magnesium, Micromix covers trace elements, SiLution supplies mono-silicic acid, and PK 13-14 is a flowering-stage phosphorus and potassium additive. They are tools, not a routine requirement for every reservoir or watering.
Start With a Complete Base Feed
Mineral additives do not replace a base nutrient. Butterhead lettuce in a countertop hydro system, basil in coco, and cherry tomatoes under an LED all need a complete feed first. The base feed supplies the broad nutrition that lets you identify whether an adjustment is needed.
For soil and potting mixes, use Bionova Soil Supermix Fertilizer. It is the starting point for container vegetables, herbs, pothos, monstera, and other plants grown in a soil-based medium. For buffered coco coir, use Bionova Coco Forte A+B. Keep Part A and Part B separate until each has been diluted into water. For recirculating hydroponics, deep-water culture, and other water-based systems, use Bionova Nutri Forte A+B Hydro.
Choose the base feed by medium, not by crop name. A bell pepper in coco needs Coco Forte A+B because of the medium’s behavior around water and nutrients. The same pepper in a hydro bucket needs Nutri Forte A+B Hydro. Changing base feeds because a leaf looks off-color can create a new variable before you have diagnosed the first one.
Use a pH and EC meter before making a correction. The HM Digital HydroMaster HM-200 Portable pH, TDS, EC, and Temperature Meter gives you the numbers that matter: source-water EC, mixed-feed EC, pH, and solution temperature. In hydro and coco, many growers work within a pH range of 5.5 to 6.2. In soil, the root zone generally runs higher, commonly around pH 6.0 to 6.8. Crop, medium, and water source still matter, so watch the plant alongside the meter.
Bionova Mineral Additives Guide: Match the Bottle to the Need
Use Bionova Roots early, not as a late rescue
Bionova Roots is not a mineral correction, but it belongs at the beginning of this workflow. Use it during propagation, transplanting, and early root establishment. It makes more sense when seedlings are building a root system, when fresh basil cuttings are rooting, or when a young tomato has just moved into its final container.
Do not expect a root product to correct a calcium or magnesium issue. Once the plant is established, keep Roots tied to the stage and label directions instead of adding it every time you mix water out of habit.
Use Bionova Ca 15 when calcium is the specific concern
Bionova Ca 15 is a calcium mineral additive. Calcium supports new growth and plant structure, but adding it without checking the rest of the feed can push the balance in the wrong direction. This is especially relevant with low-mineral water, reverse-osmosis water, fast-growing fruiting plants, and coco systems where calcium demand deserves close attention.
Look first at the newest growth, irrigation consistency, root-zone pH, and the EC of the solution going in. A calcium-related problem is not always caused by a lack of calcium in the feed. Dry periods, uneven moisture, a stressed root zone, and pH outside the useful range can limit uptake even when calcium is present.
Use Ca 15 when your water, medium, plant stage, and observations point to calcium. Add it to the water according to the label before deciding whether any other correction is needed. Never mix concentrated Ca 15 directly with another concentrated fertilizer bottle. Dilute each product into the water separately.
Use Bionova MgO 10 for magnesium adjustments
Bionova MgO 10 supplies magnesium. Magnesium is central to chlorophyll, so a deficiency often shows first on older leaves as the plant moves available magnesium toward new growth. But old leaves can also fade because a plant is underfed overall, the pH is off, or roots are struggling.
That is why MgO 10 is best used as a targeted adjustment. Check the base nutrient strength with the HydroMaster meter, then confirm pH before assuming magnesium is the answer. In coco and hydro, a small mistake can show up quickly because the root zone changes faster than it does in a large soil container.
If you use Ca 15 and MgO 10 in the same program, do it because your water and crop require both, not because the bottles are designed to travel as a pair. Monitor the mixed EC and keep the base feed stable while you evaluate the response.
Use Bionova Micromix for trace-element support
Bionova Micromix supplies trace elements. These elements are needed in smaller amounts than calcium or magnesium, but they still matter for normal plant function. Micromix can be useful when a complete base feed is in place, pH is in range, and the plant still points toward a micronutrient shortfall.
This is not the first bottle to grab for every yellow leaf. First check whether the root zone is too wet, whether your pH has drifted, and whether the base nutrient has been mixed at the intended rate. A lettuce tower with poor circulation or a tomato reservoir with unstable pH can show symptoms that no trace-element additive will fix by itself.
Use Bionova SiLution as a structural supplement
Bionova SiLution provides mono-silicic acid, a plant-available silicon form. Growers use it as part of a regular nutrition program for plants that need steady support through vegetative growth and heavy fruiting. It fits well with indoor tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and large-leaf houseplants where you are already paying close attention to irrigation and environmental control.
SiLution is not a substitute for base nutrition or a correction for every leaf issue. Add it according to the label, track your EC and pH after mixing, and keep notes on when it entered the program. If you change the base feed, calcium level, magnesium level, and silicon input at once, you will not know which change mattered.
Use Bionova PK 13-14 only in the flowering stage
Bionova PK 13-14 is for the flowering and fruiting phase. Use it when a crop has moved beyond vegetative growth and is setting flowers or fruit, such as cherry tomatoes, strawberries, cucumbers, or bell peppers. It adds phosphorus and potassium to a base program during that specific stage.
Do not use PK 13-14 as a seedling feed or a general tonic for leafy greens. Basil, microgreens, and butterhead lettuce have different priorities than a fruiting tomato. Use the label directions, watch EC, and keep the reservoir or irrigation schedule consistent. More PK is not a substitute for adequate light, root health, or a complete base feed.
A Mixing Order That Keeps Problems Visible
Start with clean water and measure the starting EC. Add your chosen base nutrient, mixing thoroughly after each part if you are using an A+B formula. Add a targeted product such as Ca 15, MgO 10, Micromix, SiLution, or PK 13-14 only when it fits the crop stage and the issue you are addressing. Then measure EC and pH again before feeding.
For a new program, change one input at a time when possible. Give the plant and root zone time to show you what the adjustment did. This is slower than stacking bottles, but it gives you usable information for the next reservoir change or watering.
If you need one place to start, begin with the HM Digital HydroMaster HM-200 Portable pH, TDS, EC, and Temperature Meter. The meter tells you whether you need a mineral additive at all, and that keeps every bottle in the program working with a purpose.
