1. you’re being robbed!
F E AT U R E : L A B E L L I N G
Why StateS aren’t telling you the truth about your hydroponicS nutrientS
Their LabeLLing Laws are CosTing You bigger YieLds and beTTer Crops!
By M IchAE L “B IG M I kE” STRAU M I ETI S
Astonishingly, every time you go into your Let me show you exactly what I’m most people ever heard of hydroponics
local hydroponics store and look at nutrient talking about: here’s a ‘before’ photo of an growing or today’s growing technologies
companies’ product labels, you’re being Advanced Nutrients Big Bud label, and ‘after’ were discovered, state regulators and
robbed of the truth and forced to make a — the state regulators’ stripped down version AAPFCO got together in a closed door
decision with incomplete information you of the Advanced Nutrients Big Bud label (see meeting with “Big Ag” and wrote a list of
would need to make the right choice. next page). what they consider to be acceptable “plant
That’s right — you don’t have the right to But that’s not the whole story. Each and food ingredients” in fertilizers.
know the truth or what’s really in the product every one of the ingredients that are listed on Because of this, today’s hydroponics
you’re paying for. the ‘before’ label are still in the ‘after’ stripped nutrients and their labels are way more
Can this be true? Absolutely. Suppose for down label product — except we can’t list them tightly regulated than vitamins and
a moment you’re in your favorite hydroponics because of outdated label regulations. And this supplements ingested by humans.
store, and looking at two different companies’ doesn’t just affect Advanced Nutrients; it affects The list consists mostly endless
bloom enhancer labels trying to decide which all hydroponics nutrient manufacturers. (In the variations of nitrogen, phosphorus,
one of those products is right for you. interest of full disclosure, I’m also the CEO of potassium and the other essential elements
But then, under closer observation, you Advanced Nutrients and author of this article). you’d find in “Big Ag” fertilizers for corn,
notice both of the labels have exactly the same Let me explain to you how all this bullshit soybeans and wheat.
ingredients listed on them. One of the bloom came about: there’s a little known and unofficial I mean, look — you and I realize as
enhancers is a little more money than the organization in Missouri called the American hydroponics growers that our hydroponics
other, so you think. “Hey, I’ll save the extra Association of Plant Food Control Officials plants need a heck of a lot more than corn
money and buy the one that cost less.” Which (AAPFCO). Its members are representatives does for a great harvest.
under normal circumstances would be the from the big agriculture companies and many We also know there’s a whole bunch
right thing to do. government offices that regulate fertilizers. of other and newly-discovered compounds
Only problem is the one that was a little Here’s how it all started: created for that make your hydroponics plants healthier,
more money contained a whole lot more farmers a long time ago in the 1930s, before faster-growing and bigger-yielding.
ingredients that you weren’t even aware of
because they weren’t listed on the label. The
reality is the other bloom enhancer — the one
ThaT’s RighT—You Don’T
you didn’t chose — would have actually given
you significantly bigger flowers and yield.
have The RighT To
Moreover, the bloom enhancer you
didn’t choose would easily do this for you
Know The TRuTh oR
because it contained an additional twenty whaT’s ReallY in The
PRoDucT You’Re
S H U TTE R STO CK
amino, citric and ascorbic acids. Plus a
whole bunch of other goodies not allowed to
PaYing FoR.
be put on the label under any circumstances
or in any way.
Rosebud rosebudmag.com volume 2 / issue 16 Rosebud

2. F E AT U R E : L A B E L L I N G
OLD LABEL We’re also aware that hydroponics As it turns out, the biggest market for
gardening uses less water and space than “Big hydroponics nutrients is California, and
Ag” outdoor farming, and is better-suited for California’s labelling laws are incredibly strict.
high-value crops. In fact, if a manufacturer wants to list
Too bad for us that the folks at AAPFCO beneficial substances on a product label
and state fertilizer regulatory offices haven’t sold in California, the manufacturer first has
caught up with our hydroponics revolution. to convince California bureaucrats that the
What we hydroponics growers take for substances benefit your plants.
granted as great stuff that helps our plants Now get this: a nutrient company
grow faster and yield better, the folks in still can’t list the ingredient that makes a
Missouri have discriminatorily marginalized. claim because that ingredient is not on the
It turns out their rules dictate that if a AAPFCO list. To do that, you’ll have to
hydroponics nutrients manufacturer wants convince AAPFCO that they should list that
to put “non-listed ingredients” in their ingredient in their book, which would be like
This outdated book from the 1930s
products, list those substances on the labels has cost the hydroponics community getting the Pope to say he’s not Catholic.
and tell you how those substances help your and industry countless sums of money, By the way, Advanced Nutrients has
misinformation and forced censorship.
crops, they have to jump through burning 12 Ph.D.’s working on plant and nutrient
hoops of fire to convince AAPFCO and state research, and because of all the labelling
regulators to let them do it. And you know what? Because California laws is now hiring five more Ph.D.’s to
Furthermore, a hydroponics nutrient is the biggest hydroponics marketplace, handle all the efficacy data studies. That
manufacturer must spend hundreds of many manufacturers are financially forced way we can make at least the most basic of
thousands of dollars and many years running to surrender and dumb down their labels product claims and include the ingredients
tests on field crops for every product, then to please California regulators—which that are already in our products, but can’t
NEW LABEL submit the evidence to AAPFCO and undeniably amounts to label censorship for talk about.
bureaucrats, and then wait up to five years the rest of the country. Indeed, a few states don’t follow
to see if the fertilizer gods have approved the It’s really a shame that AAPFCO and AAPFCO guidelines and allow a
beneficial substance. state fertilizer regulations are frozen in manufacturer to tell you what’s in nutrients
It’s easy to see how this will eventually run 1930s with “Big Ag” calling the shots. To products — as long as the manufacturer
into millions of dollars for a nutrient company make matters worse, state lawmakers and provides proof of the product’s ingredients.
that has a few or more products. And the cost regulators view AAPFCO’s list as their set of Sadly though, we can only list these
of all this would have to be put directly into the holy commandments. ingredients in the few non-AAPFCO states.
cost of the products you’re using. However, that’s not all: when a Which will cost all of us even more money,
“Big Ag” fertilizer companies are hydroponics nutrient manufacturer wants to because separate labels and inventory has to
swimming in cash, so they can afford to put beneficial ingredients in their products be carried in our warehouses.
engage in this costly, time-consuming process. and tell you about it on the label so you know To make matters worse (and further
But for hydroponics nutrients companies, the exactly what’s in the product, state regulators drive costs up), we would literally have to
time and financial costs are often too high. look at the AAPFCO list. If the substances set up a warehouse in every one of those
And that’s just what “Big Ag” wants: aren’t listed, they can’t be listed on the states to be totally compliant. Because of the
regulations that prevent newcomers from products label. extremely high cost, we simply can’t afford
entering the marketplace and slamming Hold on, it’s about to get more ridiculous. to do this right now. So we have to make
the door shut on smaller companies who You can’t list any non-AAPFCO ingredient one label fit all states and in the 57 countries
innovate. Only problem is, and it’s blazingly (even as “other ingredients” or “non plant worldwide you’ll find Advanced Nutrients.
obvious, hydroponics isn’t “Big Ag.” food”) on a label. Then if a hydroponics Here’s another example of precisely
Bottom line is, “Big Ag” multinational nutrient manufacturer does list them on their what I’m talking about: Advanced Nutrients
ADVAN CE D N U TR I E N TS
8 45268 00185 3 fertilizer companies can afford lengthy labels, the state regulators yank the nutrients Ph.D.’s with their scores of post-graduate
field trails to make claims, list their special off the shelf and fine the manufacturer. degrees do a massive amount of research
Unbelievably, both products contain exactly the same ingredients, except the label at the bottom ingredients and print different labels for If that isn’t crazy enough, each state has its every year. And because of all this research,
is the stripped down version of the top label that has been forced to comply with outdated different states. But hydroponics companies own unique label laws to add to the obstacles approximately 60% of all our products are
AAPFCO guidelines by state regulators. can’t afford to do that. and confusion. improved in some way every year.
Rosebud rosebudmag.com volume 2 / issue 16 Rosebud

3. F E AT U R E : L A B E L L I N G
Truth be told, we would love to put “Big Ag” fertilizer formulas and ideas adapted information and working hard to preserve his
Thankfully, Advanced Nutrients has Here’s the thing: we can’t use it with
“New and Improved” on all those products from other industries. consortium’s profits and put his competitors
this magazine, and from time to time we’re the current regulations because some of
labels, but we can’t. Under the current laws, As a result, they maximize profit- in a financial body bag.
going to use it to expose the truth, because the elements will fall below the minimum
we would have to submit these new labels taking by skimping on nutrient research Simply stated, you can thank the “Good
these guys have cost our community too AAPFCO thresholds. We would be forced
with research reports to fifty different state and development, using cheaper and fewer Ol’ Boys” for permanently damaging and
much money and a firestorm of problems to exclude them from our labels, even
regulators for over thirty different products ingredients, thereby avoiding regulatory bringing this misery to our community and
for too long. though they’re actually in the product.
every year. Obviously, we can’t afford to do hassles as well. industry. Yes, the “Good Ol’ Boys” leader
Anyhow, enough of the “Good Ol’ Strangely, if we were to use this new
this, either. And what’s more, these companies Craig Hargreaves, the CEO of Sunlight
Boys,” let’s move on: there’s still a couple product, the real benefit to Advanced
And the worst part: in most cases, we got their start when hydroponics nutrients Supply brought all of this to our community.
of more things state regulations don’t allow Nutrients products would be the creation
still couldn’t tell you what had been done to manufacturers were operating under the But there’s an irony in all of this.
that I want to talk to you about. Take for of a lot more room so to speak in our
the product to make it new and improved, radar; they gained almost total market share Now our entire industry is experiencing
instance fulvic acid — we can’t mention that products, allowing us to combine more of
because if we used beneficial substances that before regulators even knew they existed. “blowback.” “Blowback” is a term used by
on any label in the state of California. our other products together.
aren’t in the AAPFCO book, we couldn’t put Not only that, but Sunlight Supply and the CIA when they go give weapons and
Sure, fulvic acid is a crazy molecule Fact is, chelated macro, micro and
it on the label anyway. these companies have bully control over what training to a group and then that group turns
that’s not been totally mapped out yet and is secondary elements — the newer class
Unfortunately, it isn’t just “Big Ag” that you can buy in hydroponics retail stores. against them. Well, in this case, Advanced
made up of new and unfamiliar substances. of chelates that we use can’t be listed on
uses fertilizer laws and government officials What you see in hydroponics magazines Nutrients was their intended target, because
But come on — lots of university field trials labels either — take up a heck of a lot room
to oppress competition. There’s a stunningly (other than Rosebud) and who can participate the “Good Ol’ Boys” were trying to protect
have proven its safety and effectiveness. in the holding capacity of our products,
vicious and powerful hydroponics industry in indoor gardening trade shows. Watch this their nutrient brands.
If all this wasn’t enough, you must especially our “pH Perfect” base nutrients.
insider and distributor called Sunlight Youtube video: “Exposed Sunlight Supply Oops — now the entire hydroponics
have a minimum percentage of elements They are currently at their maximum
Supply that uses fertilizer regulations to attack Illegal Tactics.” And you can see for yourself industry is paying dearly for Sunlight
in your products, or you can’t list them on holding capacity, and we’ve already used
industry rivals. what I’m talking about. Supply’s nightmarish actions. A few years
the label even though we’ve got them in every trick in the book we have to make
The fact is that Sunlight Supply, headed Hargreaves and Sunlight Supply have back, the state regulators weren’t paying any
your product. While this may sound good that happen.
by “big boss man” Craig Hargreaves, has wreaked havoc on the hydroponics nutrients attention to our community. Now they are
at first, it’s not. In this case, it’s because In essence, this newly discovered
a team of snitches who use dirty tricks to industry, marginalizing hydroponics retailers, very busy policing our community.
these regulations were made mostly for product would create more “space” for us
encourage fertilizer regulators to examine growers, and manufacturers. How do we know this? Because some
bagged dry big agriculture fertilizers, not to put other beneficial substances into our
nutrients labels and products made by a More disturbing: government agents now of the state regulators and Sunlight Supply’s
hydroponic formulations. formulations, and here’s the rub on that
handful of hydroponics manufacturers. go into hydroponics stores, remove nutrients ex-employees have told us so! To get this
And as you are well aware, most of our last statement: we couldn’t list those other
In addition, they even got the California products from shelves, fine companies, and full story on Craig Hargreaves and Sunlight
hydroponic fertilizers and supplements beneficial substances anyways, because
“Big Ag” commissioner to file a complaint prevent growers from getting the truth about Supply’s secretive exploits, watch another
are more complex liquids that can’t hold they’re not in the AAPFCO book.
with the state of California Weights and the products they’re buying. Youtube video: “Sunlight Supply Wire Mail
the higher elemental percentages of simple Clearly, AAPFCO doesn’t come
Measures regulators, but that’s another story However, that’s not all: government And Bank Fraud.” I made it last year with
N-P-K dry bagged agriculture fertilizers. remotely close to the current needs of
for a different day. fertilizer regulators also censor what one of Craig Hargreaves’ ex-employees.
If the minimum AAPFCO elemental hydroponics growers or manufacturers,
What’s the benefit for Sunlight Supply? nutrients companies tell you in brochures, Anyway, because of these label laws, it’s
threshold isn’t met, you can’t put in on the and the individual state regulatory laws
I LLU STRATI ON: S H U TTE R STO CK; LO G O: AAPF C O.O R G
Here’s the deal: Sunlight Supply distributes posters, magazine ads, store advertising and now almost impossible for a new nutrient
label anyway. are old, outdated and aren’t serving our
products for several hydroponics nutrients on websites. company to get off the ground. There is no
This is really a serious problem, hydroponics community properly.
companies that make basic formulations So if you live in the state of Oregon or way for them to get a fair shake.
because some hydroponically grown So there you have it, my friends. The
consisting of AAPFCO-listed ingredients Illinois and visit the Advanced Nutrients These nutrient start-ups can’t afford
plants don’t need the minimums that sordid true story of how a bunch of folks in
found in “Big Ag” fertilizers. website, the website immediately recognizes to go into business because of the financial
AAPFCO says. We also recently discovered Missouri, state governments, “Big Ag” and
So when Sunlight Supply uses fertilizer that you are from Oregon or Illinois and barriers set-up by the high cost of entry into
a compound that’s wickedly effective in in the headquarters of Sunlight Supply
regulators to attack the more innovative serves up a special censored website that is the hydroponics nutrient business that these
reducing the amount of fertilizer a plant in Vancouver, Washington, have gained
hydroponics nutrients manufacturers who “compliant” with those states. laws have produced.
needs by up to 50% for some elements, our entire community and industry so
want to use a broader range of beneficial In any event, the only way to find out the Of course, all of this lines the pockets
while having the exact same effect on your you can’t get the truth about the nutrient
substances, the nutrients companies affiliated truth would be to go to the Advanced Nutrients of the “Good Ol’ Boys” and their nutrient
plant as the higher elemental rates. products you’re buying.
B OTH PAG E S: G ETTY I MAG E S
with Sunlight Supply get an unfair advantage websites navigation bar and click the link that companies because they benefit the most
over their competitors. says:” Is this your correct region?” and change from the current labelling laws. They don’t
Some context is useful here: in short, the it to “Worldwide” to see the uncensored labels. have real research departments and use very
LINKS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT NOW:
modern indoor hydroponics industry dates Make no mistake: Hargreaves exploits “Big simple nutrient ingredients. I realize this last
WWW.ROSEBUDMAG.cOM/hyDROpONIcS-hIjAckING
back to the 1970s when a few companies Ag’s” outdated AAPFCO list and government statement may sound a little self-severing and yOUTUBE.cOM (ExpOSED: SUNLIGhT SUppLy--ILLEGAL TAcTIcS)
began manufacturing generic nutrients using regulators. He’s stifling competition, censoring well, in some way it is. yOUTUBE.cOM (SUNLIGhT SUppLy WIRE MAIL AND BANk FRAUD)
Rosebud rosebudmag.com volume 2 / issue 16 Rosebud

4. F E AT U R E : L A B E L L I N G
LABEL ARTIcLE UpDATE
Since I first wrote this article a couple of weeks ago some
disturbing and alarming facts have come to light. General
Hydroponics harmful label shenanigans have gone international,
this time in France except now they have to go it alone without
Sunlight Supply’s help, like they get from them in California and
all the other states.
Advanced Nutrients products and unfortunately a few other
nutrient companies got pulled off the shelves along with us in
France and I’m talking about the entire country in one fell swoop.
Furthermore, we’ve discovered that General Hydroponics
is spearheading this current assault on our community and
industry in France now. We know this because the authorities in
France told us, so now General Hydroponics is spreading more
of its misery around the world, this time in France.
Hey they couldn’t just complain about us that would be too
obvious so they had to drag a few other nutrient companies down
so they could try to hide their true actions. General Hydroponics
did this because Advanced Nutrients Europe is making a huge
dent into Frances hydroponics nutrient market, particularly three
part base nutrients, General Hydroponics bread-and-butter.
It’s a shame that General Hydroponics doesn’t possess the
necessary business skills to take us on head-to-head and instead
causes our community and innocent companies irreversible
damage when trying to compete against us.
Clearly it’s obvious to anybody when you put two and
two together. The biggest label enforcement actions have come
from the State of California. Where General Hydroponics
corporate office is located in Sebastopol, California and now in
France where General Hydroponics European office is located
in Fleurance, France.
Plus, France is General Hydroponics biggest seller of their
nutrients in all of Europe, so of course they’re going to try and
protect it, maliciously if need be and evidently any way they can.
S H U TTE R STO CK
I can hear them over at General Hydroponics saying, “heck it
worked in California let’s give it a try in France and see what
happens”...Morons.
Talk Soon, Big Mike
Did you find this article interesting? Send this out now to friends, co-workers, relatives
and members of organizations that you belong to. Would you like to read more articles like this?
cLIck hERE NOW: WWW.ROSEBUDMAG.cOM
Rosebud rosebudmag.com