How-To & education
Education about organic production and beneficial microorganisms is our passion. Everything here is the same guidance we give across the counter in Nevada City.
Beginner's planting guide
Transplanting, step by step
- Fill your new pots with organic potting soil to 3 inches from the top.
- Dig a planting hole in the center, the size of your new plant's root ball, and gently remove the plant from its small pot.
- Generously apply Vital Roots directly onto the roots, and gently place the plant into its new home (optional, but it's how we do it).
- Cover the root ball with loose soil — don't press the soil down.
- Give your plant 4–6 cups of water after planting.
- Place it in a safe, sunny spot.
Daily care
Check soil moisture daily by digging just below the surface with a finger. Don't let the soil dry out entirely — but don't overwater either. Start with 4–6 cups every 2–3 days and increase frequency and volume as the plant grows and temperatures rise.
Use Vital Defender plant spray at listed concentrations every 4–7 days while your plant is young, and you can be pest-free the rest of the season. After the first week in its new home, your plant is ready for food.
When to feed
Follow the feeding chart — Section A is all you need for phenomenal results; add Section B for maximum results. Vital Veg, Fish Powder, Cal-Mag and Baseline are your go-to for the first many weeks of growth. Keep increasing pot size as the season progresses — for outdoor plants, make your last transplant no later than mid-July, and if you're growing in natural sun, switch to Vital Bloom or Flower Powder in early August.
Compost tea, our way
Brewed compost tea is the fastest way we know to wake up soil biology — a living drench of beneficial microbes, applied as a top dress, root drench, or soil amendment. See the full compost tea chart & mixing calculator for exact rates, then pick your path:
- Vital Tea Ready Brew — ready to go, zero setup.
- Vital Tea Kit — the all-in-one brewing kit for making your own.
- Vital Tea Brewers — for growers ready to brew in volume.
Dry Amendment Top Dressing
A simple dry top-dress program to run alongside your regular liquid feeding — light, weekly applications worked into the top inch of soil.
| Stage | Amendment | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Vegetative growth | Vital Bat Guano + Vital Baseline Granular | 1 tsp each per gallon of soil, 1x/week |
| Bloom phase | Vital Bloom Powder + Vital Baseline Granular | 1 tbsp Bloom Powder + 1 tsp Baseline Granular per gallon of soil, 1x/week |
Stop all top dressings a minimum of 3 weeks before harvest.
The official feeding chart
Our simple & advanced programs — rates per gallon for every stage, plus a mixing calculator and a printable chart.
Open the chart → No. 02Dragonfruit feeding chart
A program built specifically for dragonfruit, with My Dragon Plug — exact rates for veg and fruiting.
Open the chart → No. 03Build your program
New to Vital? Answer three quick questions and get the exact bottles you need — nothing you don't.
Start here → No. 04Beginner's planting guide
Transplanting step-by-step, daily care, and when to start feeding — our printed guide, free to download.
Read the guide → No. 05Compost tea, our way
Our dosing chart, mixing calculator, and brewing recipe card for waking up your soil.
Open the chart → No. 06Dry amendment top dressing
Simple tsp/tbsp-per-gallon rates for vegetative and bloom phases using Bat Guano, Baseline Granular, and Bloom Powder.
Open the chart → No. 07From the founder
Short product walkthroughs filmed at the farm — what each bottle does and how we actually use it.
Watch the videos → No. 08Talk to a grower
Our whole team grows. Call (530) 470-0124 or stop by the store — we'd rather help you buy the right bottle than the wrong two.
Get in touch →From the founder
Short walkthroughs filmed at the farm — find them on each product page:
Vital Cover Crop Seeds
Watch on the product page →
Vital Cal-Mag
Watch on the product page →
Vital Plus Biological Inoculant
Watch on the product page →
Vital Veg
Watch on the product page →
Vital Bloom
Watch on the product page →
Vital Flower Powder
Watch on the product page →
Vital Soil Builder
Watch on the product page →