If you can taste it in the final product that means that the plant is consuming it. I use fertilizer for your 'micro-beasties' and I use agave nectar to fatten my buds. I learned how to do this here from the experiences of other blades. This isn't something new. Molasses can leave a taste whether in soil or hydro and the commercial sweeteners are flavored with cherry or pineapple or something and that is why I use agave during the flowering stage. It dissolves really well and appears to provide the same results without any trace of added flavor or aroma.