First off, you DO NOT need to have the water "run" from the bottom of the pot! If your solution runs from the bottom of the pot ....You are basically washing out the "good stuff" from your soil!
OK, I'll try to not get to technical on this.
Your soil is alive with microbes. These microbes help in many ways. For instance; They take the many forms of nutrients available in the soil and "change or adjust" them to be more effectively "used or absorbed" by your plant. In that light, the Ph of your soil is "adjusted" by these microbes to the "comfort" zone of your plant.....While this is a cool "Fact", it can be hard to understand. Quality nutrients are Ph neutral so these microbes can do their job easier.
Ionic is a Ph neutral product that when used as directed will self adjust (to a point) the Ph in the feeding solution to what the soil needs to do the rest.....or to quote from the manufacturer
"The reactions used to precisely manufacture Ionic[SUP]®[/SUP] Premium Plant Nutrients create a chemical association known as a complex in which the various elements are held in solution by the interaction of their electrical charges. Careful manipulation of these forces during the manufacturing process results in an extremely stable nutrient solution which in many cases can virtually eliminate the need for pH adjustment."
I would suggest to ANY soil grower to understand this "soil food web" by investigating and learning just what this is and how it works in growing ANY crop!
To get you started,here is a simple explanation first.
The
soil food web is the community of organisms living all or part of their lives in the soil. It describes a complex living system in the soil and how it interacts with the environment, plants, and animals.
Now go here and get some details!
http://soils.usda.gov/sqi/concepts/soil_biology/soil_food_web.html
Now that you are beginning to understand. I CANNOT STRONGLY ENUFF suggest that anyone growing in soil to BUY AND READ this book!!!!!! The chapter on organic teas is worth the price alone!!! AND,,, The 2011 Garden Writers of America Gold Award for Best Writing/Book proves soil is anything but an inert substance. Healthy soil is teeming with life -- not just earthworms and insects, but a staggering multitude of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms. When we use chemical fertilizers, we injure the microbial life that sustains healthy plants, and thus become increasingly dependent on an arsenal of artificial substances, many of them toxic to humans as well as other forms of life. But there is an alternative to this vicious circle: to garden in a way that strengthens, rather than destroys, the soil food web
http://www.amazon.com/Teaming-Micro...&qid=1376224646&sr=1-1&keywords=soil+food+web
Depending on the season I'll grow only soil or soil and hydro (DWC mainly). I grow bolth 100% organic and a mix of synthetic and organic (to achieve specific goals) and always experimenting in some fashion. I brew my own organic teas, the basis for those have been around for years and in the organic forum is a tea section that contains very closely a variation of my favorite "tea". I have from time to time tested for seed, equipment, and nutrient companies.
A friend and fellow horticulturist has developed a potting soil called "POTTERS GOLD" here in my home state and it was just tested by a very respected MM columnist from a familiar magazine and found to be 1 of the best he's used ,,, ever! I recommend this soil over anything else I've used for organic or synthetic. LOOK HERE:
http://pottersgold.net/
My #1 rule is to keep detailed notes on EVERY grow and refer back to them often!
#2 is CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN
Now after many years of being secretive. I have had a change of heart and decided to share what I know and practice to get people over the nonsense and myths about growing.
Go forth, Grow happy and share what you learn with others!
Peace on Dude.