Cheap alternatives to overpriced hydroponic nutrients

[cheech]

Thanks much Turbo, ordering my blossom booster now! So one the start of week 4 I'll mix the blossom booster and silica. What's the recommended practice of adding them to your rez to avoid fall out?

 

[ttystikk]

Thanks much Turbo, ordering my blossom booster now! So one the start of week 4 I'll mix the blossom booster and silica. What's the recommended practice of adding them to your rez to avoid fall out?

Or, you could save a flippin' fortune and just buy MPK...

The sad truth is that I have so many bottles and bags of other people's 'awesome superstuff!' That I've never had to go out and buy any of my own. I'll let you know once I've worked through what I have...

 

[ir0nLung]

i made an A and B concentrate using distilled water, jacks/epsom, and cal nitrate. it worked well for like two weeks running the same ec as i had with general hydro, but the last couple weeks im starting to see my leaves pale and looking a little bummed out. i just changed everything out tonight using the 3:2:.5 mixed in a 50 gallon res. i'm wondering if the concentrate is not stable. did anybody ever make an A and B concentrate using the jacks and use it for an extended amount of time?

 

[ir0nLung]

well its three days later and my plants are growing quickly, deep green, and shiny. there is no doubt that the jacks 321 recipe works like a champ when mixed in a res and used up. there must have been something unstable about the concentrate i made. do the hydro store brands put preservatives in their mixes? anybody?

 

[ttystikk]

You're raising good questions, ones I'd like answers to myself. I find it most convenient to mix just what I'm going to use, but it would be nice to keep extra around for up to a couple of weeks.

 

[ir0nLung]

this thread is pretty dead these days. ttystikk for what its worth the concentrate i made worked just fine for probably 2+ weeks. it wasnt until around the 3rd week that things started to look off. i check my garden often and noticed the leaves lightened and slightly droopy state right away. i changed out the water in all my systems a couple of times over a three day period and it did nothing to improve the plants. as soon as i mixed a slightly diluted 321 (3:2:.5 to be exact) i was back in business. by the 3rd day after the last change out the shine and vigorous growth of dwc was back.

 

[1971]

i do a 3 part and only have had issues with my A solution going bad, i.e. mold developing in it. i just mix enough A to last me a couple weeks. there is no reason for the B to go bad due to it's pH. there are things you can get to make your concentrates last longer

 

[ir0nLung]

are you making your concentrates using jacks hydro, epsom, and cal nitrate? can you disclose the things that make the concentrates last longer?

 

[1971]

no, i make my own based on spurr's formula. works out well for me so far.

the preservative i found is through this company http://www.hydros.cc/fertilizers.htm

for some reason i can't find mention of it, but it goes for $180/gallon and you only need a bit per gallon. so i just make less of my A solution currently so that i use it up faster

 

[cheech]

Hey all. I'm 4 weeks into flowering and want to verify that I'm using the right ratio's.

3-2-1 ratio 80% in a 40 gal res:

Silica 1 to 5 ml per gallon
96g of Jacks
64g Cal/Nit
32g of Mag

Beginning week 4 flower:
3-2-1 Plus .5 gram per gallon of Jacks Classic Blossom Booster <--Is that all it takes to make this a good flower formula?


I've been adding silica first, and the phosphorous last. Is that correct? I know the directions for the other stuff.

Thank you kindly!

 

[ttystikk]

I add my amendments first, like silica, cal-mag and mineral matrix. Then, I add the Jacks mix in equal amounts until I get the EC I'm looking for. Trying to determine exactly how much to mix up ahead of time has always seemed like more of a pain in the ass than it was worth, so I don't do it.

So for example, if I'm mixing a batch of Jacks, I might mix up a 50 gallon batch like this;

5 Gallon Bucket A:
3 Jacks x 50gal = 150mg
1 Epsom x 50gal = 50mg

5 Gallon Bucket B:
2 Calcium nitrate x 50gal = 100 mg

Fill both buckets full of water and mix thoroughly. Add equal amounts of each bucket to reservoir until you have achieved your target EC.

 

[cheaplastic]

I add my amendments first, like silica, cal-mag and mineral matrix. Then, I add the Jacks mix in equal amounts until I get the EC I'm looking for. Trying to determine exactly how much to mix up ahead of time has always seemed like more of a pain in the ass than it was worth, so I don't do it.

So for example, if I'm mixing a batch of Jacks, I might mix up a 50 gallon batch like this;

5 Gallon Bucket A:
3 Jacks x 50gal = 150mg
1 Epsom x 50gal = 50mg

5 Gallon Bucket B:
2 Calcium nitrate x 50gal = 100 mg

Fill both buckets full of water and mix thoroughly. Add equal amounts of each bucket to reservoir until you have achieved your target EC.

Wow great chunk of advice bro!! thanks alot for sharing. do you mind sharing your weekly EC levels as well?

 

[ttystikk]

Wow great chunk of advice bro!! thanks alot for sharing. do you mind sharing your weekly EC levels as well?

Your EC will be dependent on lots of factors, perhaps none more so than the daytime humidity level in your grow room. The higher your humidity, the stronger your EC can be.

The levels I run below are effective with the 80 degree and 70% rh conditions I like to maintain through most of bloom:

I run ebb n flood tables for my youngest stages, flooding twice daily. These get about 1.0 EC.
The rdwc in veg gets about 1.2.
Early bloom rdwc gets 1.2 to 1.4
Peak bloom gets up to 1.7, depending on how well they're handling it.
Late bloom before flush is back down to 1.2-1.3.
Flush is 2 grams per gallon each of Epsom salts and table sugar.

Keep it simple and consistent. Change things sparingly and keep notes so you can tell what effects the changes make. Keep doing this, getting better is an iterative and ongoing process.

 

[crystalgrower]

Why do you add Epsom salt for flush in addition to sugar? What does the Epsom salt do?

 

[mountain]

Anyone mixing their own B1 or 'thrive alive' replacement that can share info?

 

[ttystikk]

Why do you add Epsom salt for flush in addition to sugar? What does the Epsom salt do?

Number one, it provides for SOMETHING to base an EC and therefore a pH on, lol. Thus, it doesn't shock the roots with super low EC which in extreme cases can actually kill it. Second, sulfur and mag add flavor and it is hard to burn plants with Epsom salts. Third, it's cheap, lol. The sugar is simply the active ingredient in so many carb finisher products, it seems stupid to buy it any other way, Lol

 

[ilovestrongkush]

I was under the impression that regular sugar (bleached refined sugar) cannot be metabolized by plants.

 

[ttystikk]

I was under the impression that regular sugar (bleached refined sugar) cannot be metabolized by plants.

Bullshit. It's a simple carbohydrate, plants make and use them all the time.

 

[ilovestrongkush]

Bullshit. It's a simple carbohydrate, plants make and use them all the time.

Just to be clear, I have read through most of the 43 pages. I really appreciate what you guys are doing here. I am particularly interested in your work with flushing with epsom and sugar, hence the question. Thank you for replying.

 

[ttystikk]

Just to be clear, I have read through most of the 43 pages. I really appreciate what you guys are doing here. I am particularly interested in your work with flushing with epsom and sugar, hence the question. Thank you for replying.

No problem. Now you see the scam- flushing solution is just sugar water! Total rip off!