An amino acid chelate is a metal ion, such as iron, zinc, manganese, copper, calcium or magnesium, complexed with one or more amino acids, glycine being the most common. The bonds are weaker than those of EDTA or DTPA, and the amino acids are biodegradable.
In practice
These products are marketed mainly for foliar feeding and organic-leaning programmes, with claims of better uptake through the leaf. Evidence for their superiority over synthetic chelates or simple salts in cannabis is thin (Evidence: Contested). In a recirculating reservoir, microbes break down the amino acids, so stability over days is lower than with synthetic chelates. Labels may also count the amino acids as nitrogen, which is small but real.
Don't confuse with
- Synthetic chelates (EDTA, DTPA, EDDHA): stronger, more predictable in solution.
- Amino acid biostimulants: free amino acids sold for growth claims, without a metal.
- Protein hydrolysate: a crude source of amino acids, often from fish or plant protein.
Manganese (Mn) is a micronutrient that splits water in photosynthesis and activates many enzymes; low pH can raise it to toxic levels.EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) is the most common synthetic chelating agent in fertilisers, effective for iron up to about pH 6.0-6.5.DTPA (diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid) is a synthetic chelating agent that keeps iron available up to about pH 7.0-7.5, a common choice for coco and hydro.Foliar feeding is spraying a dilute nutrient solution onto leaves for quick uptake through the leaf surface; it suits micronutrient fixes but cannot replace root feeding.A chelate is a metal ion held by an organic molecule at several points, keeping micronutrients such as iron, zinc and manganese dissolved and available across a wider pH range.A recirculating (closed) system returns drained nutrient solution to the reservoir to be reused, saving water and nutrients but needing more monitoring and sanitation.EDDHA is a strong iron chelate that stays effective up to pH 9 or more, used for alkaline soils and hard water; it colours solutions dark red.A biostimulant is a product claimed to improve plant growth, uptake or stress tolerance by means other than supplying nutrients, such as seaweed extract, humics, amino acids or microbes.A micronutrient is an essential element plants need only in trace amounts, below a few mg/L: iron, manganese, zinc, copper, boron, molybdenum, chlorine and nickel.
