Canna Start - Balanced One-Part Nutrient for Seedlings and Cuttings
Best for: Growers taking their own cuttings or starting from seed who need a gentle, complete feed for the propagation stage.
Our thoughts
Diluting your normal vegetative feed for seedlings and cuttings is a common shortcut, but it doesn't actually give young plants the right balance of nutrients - it just gives them less of the wrong mix, which is why so many seedlings turn pale under a "diluted" feed. Canna Start is built for exactly this stage instead of being a workaround.
Canna Start is a balanced, complete one-part nutrient designed specifically for seedlings and rooted cuttings. Because it's a single bottle rather than a two-part A&B system, there's less room for mixing errors at a stage when the plant's needs are quite different from an established vegetative plant. It works across most propagation media - rockwool plugs, coco pellets, jiffy plugs and seed mixes - though CANNA doesn't recommend it for recirculating systems or clone machines.
The logic behind it is that young cuttings and seedlings have different nutritional needs to mature plants, and simply diluting a normal vegetative nutrient doesn't get that balance right - it can leave the plant short on the specific ratio of elements it needs at this stage, showing up as yellowing rather than strong establishment.
How it compares
Most growers handle the seedling/cutting stage either with a dedicated starter feed or by diluting their main nutrient - the two approaches aren't quite equivalent.
- Diluting a standard vegetative nutrient (as many growers do by default) reduces the strength but not the ratio, which can still leave seedlings short of what they actually need
- House & Garden's Root Excelurator focuses on root stimulation rather than acting as a complete standalone feed for this stage
- General Hydroponics' FloraNova Grow is sometimes diluted down for the same purpose, which runs into the same ratio issue as diluting any full-strength vegetative feed
Canna Start's advantage is that it's formulated for this exact stage rather than being a workaround using a product built for something else.
Usage guidance
Once cuttings are transplanted, you move on to CANNA's main feeding line.
Dosage
Dissolve 40ml of concentrate per 10 litres of water (1:250). The resulting EC (solution plus water) typically sits between 0.7-1.3 mS/cm2.
pH
Aim for 5.2-6.2, adjusting depending on your substrate.
When to switch
Once cuttings or seedlings are transplanted from their propagation medium into their final growing medium, switch from Canna Start to the relevant CANNA Vega nutrient for that medium - Terra, Coco, Hydro or Aqua.
Pairing
CANNA recommends combining it with RHIZOTONIC for the strongest, thickest early root systems.
Technical specifications
- Type: Balanced one-part nutrient (no A&B split)
- Suitable for: Rockwool plugs, coco pellets, jiffy plugs, seed mixes and most propagation media
- Not recommended for: Recirculating systems or clone machines
- Dilution rate: 40ml per 10L water (1:250)
- EC in solution: 0.7-1.3 mS/cm2
- Recommended pH: 5.2-6.2
- Pack sizes: 500ml, 1L, 5L
- Brand: CANNA
Who this is for
- Growers taking their own cuttings rather than buying rooted clones
- Anyone starting plants from seed who wants a purpose-built starter feed
- Growers who've had yellowing seedlings from diluting their main nutrient in the past
Best suited to the propagation stage specifically - swap onto CANNA's Vega nutrients once plants move into their final medium.
Our take
It's a small, inexpensive fix for a stage of growing that a lot of people get wrong by just watering down their normal feed - worth having if you're propagating your own plants regularly.
One we sell a lot of for new growers taking their first cuttings.
