BRAND · NUTRIENT WALL
Pick the line that matches how you water, then feed by the meter.
Athena makes a mineral feed in two forms, liquids and powders, plus the conditioners, finishers and sprays that go around it. Here is how the bay on our wall fits together, and which half of it a few plants under lights actually need.
How we stock it at Green Zone
Athena has its own bay on the nutrient wall, one brand from top to bottom. The Blended liquids, the Pro boxes and bags, the add-ons and the small bottle of Cuts all sit together. Athena IPM sits in the bay and on the pest shelf too.
We stock Athena because it's a clean, simple salt program for growers who measure. Most of the questions we get at that bay are about which half to buy. Blended or Pro? Do I need PK, CaMg and Balance on day one? Our job is to match the line to how you water, hand you one chart, and keep the add-ons for when the plant asks.
The lineup
Blended Grow A and B
Two-part liquid base feed with chelated micronutrients, built for vegetative growth.
Where it fits: Veg
Blended Bloom A and B
Two-part liquid base feed with chelated micronutrients, built for flowering.
Where it fits: Flower
CaMg
A supplement to the Grow and Bloom A/B parts that adds calcium, magnesium, iron and nitrogen.
Where it fits: Every stage
PK
Athena labels it a bloom enhancer in the Blended line.
Where it fits: Flower
Balance
Raises the pH of your feed solution and helps buffer RO water.
Where it fits: Any stage, when your water runs low
Cleanse
Clears mineral scale from irrigation lines and growing media; Athena says it's safe at any stage.
Where it fits: Drip lines and reservoirs
Fade
A nitrogen-free finisher that keeps calcium and micronutrients in the feed. In Athena's Pro schedule it replaces Core for the final two weeks.
Where it fits: Late flower
Pro Grow
Soluble vegetative fertilizer, sold as a powder.
Where it fits: Veg, Pro line
Pro Core
Soluble base fertilizer for the Pro line.
Where it fits: Base of the Pro schedule
Pro Bloom
Soluble flowering fertilizer, sold as a powder.
Where it fits: Flower, Pro line
Stack
A foliar spray made with kelp-derived nutrients that Athena says helps correct minor potassium shortfalls, and that can share a sprayer with Athena IPM.
Where it fits: Veg through flower
Athena IPM
A broad-spectrum fungicide and insecticide spray for spider mites, aphids, fungus gnats and powdery mildew.
Where it fits: Prevention and outbreaks
Athena Cuts
A rooting gel for cuttings, made with a plant hormone that helps them form roots.
Where it fits: Cuttings
How it fits your grow, in 3 steps
Step 1. Pick the line by how you water.
Athena makes the Blended line as liquids and the Pro line as powders. It calls Blended ideal for craft and home growers on simple irrigation or hand watering, and designs Pro for large cultivators on fertigation systems. If you water a few plants from a jug, start with Blended. Athena runs it as three parts in veg and four in flower. The formula is mineral-only and fully soluble, so it leaves no sediment in lines.
Step 2. Mix in order, then measure.
If your water needs its pH raised, Athena says to add Balance before the fertilizers. Follow Athena's chart for amounts, and check it with a meter. Our house lanes for a bottled mineral feed are about 0.4 to 0.8 EC for seedlings , 0.8 to 1.4 in veg and 1.2 to 1.8 in flower. If the chart and our lane disagree, start at the lower number. Keep input pH around 5.8 to 6.2 in coco or hydro , or 6.2 to 6.8 in a bottle-fed soil or peat mix.
Step 3. Let the plant ask before you add.
Move the feed up or down about 0.2 EC at a time. Then give new growth about 7 to 10 days to answer. PK comes in during flower. Fade takes over at the very end. Cleanse is for lines and media that are scaling up. Read runoff as a trend over 2 to 3 waterings, not one cup. Move one knob.
Who it's for, and who it's not for
A good fit if
You grow in coco, rockwool, hydro or a soilless mix and want a mineral feed you steer by EC and pH.
You hand water or run a small drip line, and want liquids that stay clean in the line.
You like one brand for the base feed, the pH buffer, the line cleaner and the pest spray.
Not the right fit if
You want a living soil you build once and keep up with top dress and plain water. That's the BuildASoil system.
You want a bagged soil with food already in it and dry feeds to keep it going. Look at Roots Organics.
You grow in bagged soil and want three bottles and a printed chart. The FoxFarm trio is built for that; see our FoxFarm page.
Common mistakes we help people avoid
Buying the Pro boxes for a hand-watered tent. Athena designs the Pro powders for large-scale fertigation and the Blended liquids for home growers. For a few plants, Blended is the simpler start.
Running the full chart on day one. The chart is a ceiling to work toward. Start in our lane for the stage and step up about 0.2 EC when new growth asks.
Adding Balance last out of habit. Athena's directions put the pH adjustment before the fertilizers.
Calling a flush off one high runoff reading. Runoff a little above input is normal. One reading never triggers a flush; the gap has to climb across waterings and the plant has to show stress.
Treating Fade like plain water. Fade drops nitrogen but keeps calcium and micronutrients in the feed. It's a finishing feed, not a rinse.
Frequently asked questions
Blended or Pro: which one should I buy?
For hand watering or a simple drip, Blended. Athena aims it at craft and home growers, and aims the Pro powders at large fertigation setups. Tell us your pot count and how you water, and we'll walk you through the bay.
Do I need CaMg, PK and Balance right away?
Not always. CaMg is built to supplement the Grow and Bloom parts. Balance matters most when your water runs low on pH, as RO water often does. PK waits for flower. Bring a water reading and we'll tell you which ones your setup needs.
Can I run Athena in soil?
Athena's line pages don't name a growing medium. It's a mineral-only feed made for hand watering and irrigation. In a bottle-fed soil or peat mix, keep input pH around 6.2 to 6.8. If your soil is already amended, the feed is not the lever; look at Roots Organics instead.
What does Athena IPM cover?
Athena lists spider mites, aphids, fungus gnats and powdery mildew. It works by smothering pests, drying out their outer layer, and using plant oils that deter pests from the leaf surface. Athena says it's exempt from EPA registration under FIFRA section 25(b), with minimum-risk ingredients. Read the label before you spray.
Can I spray Stack and IPM together?
Athena says Stack can go in the same sprayer as Athena IPM. Follow both labels for rates.
What is Cuts for?
Taking cuttings. It's a rooting gel made with a plant hormone that helps new cuttings form roots. It sits in the Athena bay with the feeds.
Do you carry every size?
Not every size of every product is in at once. Call (508) 459-9609 to check a specific bottle, box or bag before you drive.
Keep going
Departments: Nutrients · pH, water & meters · Pest & plant protection · Seed starting & cloning
Grower answers: How can I tell when my plant wants more food? · My runoff number is high. Should I flush? · Yellow leaves: is it a deficiency, and is this too much? · How often should I water, and why is she drooping?
Other ways to feed: BuildASoil: the living soil system
More deep dives: FoxFarm family · Roots Organics family · The microbe shelf: mycorrhizae, enzymes and humics
Want the short version of how we keep a grow steady? Get the free Stability Playbook
Before you drive
On the shelf: Blended Grow and Bloom A and B, CaMg, PK, Balance, Cleanse, Fade, Stack and the Pro Grow, Core and Bloom in the Athena bay; Athena IPM and Cuts there too, and IPM on the pest shelf.
Box, bag and bottle sizes vary, and not every size is in at once.
Need one exact product or size? Call (508) 459-9609 first.
Photographed in the store on October 9, 2026.