Do salts kill microbes?
Very concentrated salt solutions stress microbes. That’s how salt preserves food. A normal nutrient solution is a tiny fraction of that strength. The real risks are pushing EC very high, letting the root zone sit waterlogged, and adding sterilisers.
How to run biology with a mineral program
- Apply KICKOFF once a week, ideally in a lighter feed or plain water.
- Keep hydrogen peroxide, chlorine dioxide and other sterilisers away from that week’s biology.
- Chlorinated tap water: let it stand or run it through a carbon filter. Chloramine doesn’t gas off, so filter it.
- Give the biology food: ÉLAN brings carbohydrates and organic inputs into the root zone.
- Put it back every week. Bottled biology works best as a habit, not a one-off.
Coco and rockwool
Inert media start with no life at all, which is exactly why adding it matters. Expect biology to do most in coco. In rockwool, keep it simple: weekly, steady, and no sterilisers that week.
How Crazy Hills does it
KICKOFF and ÉLAN.
KICKOFF adds Trichoderma, beneficial bacteria and enzymes. ÉLAN adds aminos, Arctic seaweed, humic, fulvic and carbohydrates. Together they bring the biology side to any base program. Mineral growers start here
Where our products fit
Root-zone biology, alongside your feed
KICKOFF introduces beneficial bacteria and Trichoderma to the root zone. Keep your base nutrition, follow the product instructions, and check compatibility with treatments or other additives you use.
Look inside KICKOFFReviewed 8 October 2026. Research cited here explains plant science in general; it is not a trial of a Crazy Hills product. How we handle evidence.