G
GrandDaddyPurp
- 2
- 3
I am an AN customer but I'm always looking for less expensive alternatives that give me the same benefits. The biggest factor in my choosing AN is that I have never tested not one single time, the PH of anything whether soil or DWC and I have NEVER had a problem. I don't want to mess with PH and that is an important selling point for me.
I enjoy comparison testing to keep it interesting. I have no bias, I am not interested in misleading anyone nor do I think everyone should do it my way. I'm just passing along what I witness in my journey.
The reason this comparison happened is because it was said to me by a fellow hobbiest that Eleanor's VF-11 with a splash of Plant Success Orca and Grotek Cal-max every watering from start to finish, could produce the same results as AN. At a cost of 30 bucks per gallon, the VF-11 sounds pretty appealing. The Orca is wicked expensive but would still be far cheaper then my current AN feeding regimen.
This is a soil grow. 4 equally sized clones from the same G13 Haze mother were selected for the challenge. Everything is exactly the same for this challenge. They are all in the same room under the same light with the exact same conditions. The only thing different is the food and water.
Veg Stage:
3 of them are being fed VF-11 at a rate of 1 ounce per gallon, 5ml of Orca per gallon and 8 ml of Grotek Cal-max. Using plain tap water (as the argument was also made that our local tap water is sufficient with this blend of nutes). Plants are fed every watering.
1 of them is being fed AN Sensi Grow Part A - 16ml per gallon, Sensi Grow Part B - 16ml per gallon, B-52 - 8ml per gallon and Grotek Cal-max. Only RO water is used and plants are fed every other watering. Waterings in between are just plain RO water.
Flowering Stage:
The 3 VF-11 plants will remain exactly the same as in veg. However just for the sake of argument the VF-11 will be increased (for reason see veg report). to 2 ounces per gallon.
The AN plant will be on the following schedule:
Week 1: Sensi Bloom Part A - 16ml per gallon, Sensi Bloom Part B - 16ml per gallon, Bud Candy - 8ml per gallon and Cal-max at 8 ml per gallon.
Week 2: Sensi Bloom Part A - 16ml per gallon, Sensi Bloom Part B - 16ml per gallon, Bud Candy - 8ml per gallon, Big Bud - 8ml per gallon and Cal-max 8ml per gallon.
Weeks 3 and 4: Sensi Bloom Part A - 16ml per gallon, Sensi Bloom Part B - 16ml per gallon, Bud Candy - 8 ml per gallon, Big Bud - 8ml per gallon, B-52 - 8ml per gallon and Cal-max - 8ml per gallon.
Weeks 5 and 6: Sensi Bloom Part A - 16ml per gallon, Sensi Bloom Part B - 16ml per gallon, Bud Candy - 8ml per gallon, B-52 - 8ml per gallon and Cal-max - 8ml per gallon.
Weeks 7 and 8: Overdrive - 8ml per gallon.
Week 9+: Plain RO Water (flush).
Feeding every other watering. Watering between feedings using plain RO water.
Veg Report:
Well the time is soon upon us to make the switch to flower so here are my observations from the veg stage of this comparison.
The VF-11 plants are alive. Are they doing okay? Well I suppose one could say they are if there werent a far healthier plant in the garden to compare them to. Their leaves are much smaller then the AN plant and are a pale green, some almost yellow. They actually look like they came down with a sickness when compared to their healthy and vibrant counterpart. While 1 of the VF-11 plants is close to the AN plant in size the other two are falling behind quite rapidly.
The AN plant? Well it is the proper color with big, happy, perky leaves. It's the biggest one of the 4 and it's strong and sturdy. There isn't really much more to say about it.
The truth is, 3 plants on VF-11 with the orca and cal-max are not producing the same results as the single AN plant. In over all health, size and vigor AN has been the uncontestable leader in the first stage of the challenge. The difference is visible to anyone immediately.
In all fairness if you read the bottle of VF-11 there isn't a hell of a lot of punch in that stuff. NPK is 0.15 - 0.85 - 0.55 . That is less then 1% of big 3! That is why we are going to increase it to 2 ounces per gallon to try and give this nute a fighting chance. So far I am not impressed and even at the reasonable price would choose not to use it but that is just me. In my opinion it can't meet the basic demands of the plant and therefore the plant is riddled with deficiencies its entire life cycle.
I will make several more posts as this challenge progresses. Anything can happen and maybe flowering is when VF-11 will give me something to be excited about. I'll keep you posted at the major points along the way and give a summery of my experience at the end along with final numbers on quantity, flavor, potency and all that good jazz. Thanks for reading!
I enjoy comparison testing to keep it interesting. I have no bias, I am not interested in misleading anyone nor do I think everyone should do it my way. I'm just passing along what I witness in my journey.
The reason this comparison happened is because it was said to me by a fellow hobbiest that Eleanor's VF-11 with a splash of Plant Success Orca and Grotek Cal-max every watering from start to finish, could produce the same results as AN. At a cost of 30 bucks per gallon, the VF-11 sounds pretty appealing. The Orca is wicked expensive but would still be far cheaper then my current AN feeding regimen.
This is a soil grow. 4 equally sized clones from the same G13 Haze mother were selected for the challenge. Everything is exactly the same for this challenge. They are all in the same room under the same light with the exact same conditions. The only thing different is the food and water.
Veg Stage:
3 of them are being fed VF-11 at a rate of 1 ounce per gallon, 5ml of Orca per gallon and 8 ml of Grotek Cal-max. Using plain tap water (as the argument was also made that our local tap water is sufficient with this blend of nutes). Plants are fed every watering.
1 of them is being fed AN Sensi Grow Part A - 16ml per gallon, Sensi Grow Part B - 16ml per gallon, B-52 - 8ml per gallon and Grotek Cal-max. Only RO water is used and plants are fed every other watering. Waterings in between are just plain RO water.
Flowering Stage:
The 3 VF-11 plants will remain exactly the same as in veg. However just for the sake of argument the VF-11 will be increased (for reason see veg report). to 2 ounces per gallon.
The AN plant will be on the following schedule:
Week 1: Sensi Bloom Part A - 16ml per gallon, Sensi Bloom Part B - 16ml per gallon, Bud Candy - 8ml per gallon and Cal-max at 8 ml per gallon.
Week 2: Sensi Bloom Part A - 16ml per gallon, Sensi Bloom Part B - 16ml per gallon, Bud Candy - 8ml per gallon, Big Bud - 8ml per gallon and Cal-max 8ml per gallon.
Weeks 3 and 4: Sensi Bloom Part A - 16ml per gallon, Sensi Bloom Part B - 16ml per gallon, Bud Candy - 8 ml per gallon, Big Bud - 8ml per gallon, B-52 - 8ml per gallon and Cal-max - 8ml per gallon.
Weeks 5 and 6: Sensi Bloom Part A - 16ml per gallon, Sensi Bloom Part B - 16ml per gallon, Bud Candy - 8ml per gallon, B-52 - 8ml per gallon and Cal-max - 8ml per gallon.
Weeks 7 and 8: Overdrive - 8ml per gallon.
Week 9+: Plain RO Water (flush).
Feeding every other watering. Watering between feedings using plain RO water.
Veg Report:
Well the time is soon upon us to make the switch to flower so here are my observations from the veg stage of this comparison.
The VF-11 plants are alive. Are they doing okay? Well I suppose one could say they are if there werent a far healthier plant in the garden to compare them to. Their leaves are much smaller then the AN plant and are a pale green, some almost yellow. They actually look like they came down with a sickness when compared to their healthy and vibrant counterpart. While 1 of the VF-11 plants is close to the AN plant in size the other two are falling behind quite rapidly.
The AN plant? Well it is the proper color with big, happy, perky leaves. It's the biggest one of the 4 and it's strong and sturdy. There isn't really much more to say about it.
The truth is, 3 plants on VF-11 with the orca and cal-max are not producing the same results as the single AN plant. In over all health, size and vigor AN has been the uncontestable leader in the first stage of the challenge. The difference is visible to anyone immediately.
In all fairness if you read the bottle of VF-11 there isn't a hell of a lot of punch in that stuff. NPK is 0.15 - 0.85 - 0.55 . That is less then 1% of big 3! That is why we are going to increase it to 2 ounces per gallon to try and give this nute a fighting chance. So far I am not impressed and even at the reasonable price would choose not to use it but that is just me. In my opinion it can't meet the basic demands of the plant and therefore the plant is riddled with deficiencies its entire life cycle.
I will make several more posts as this challenge progresses. Anything can happen and maybe flowering is when VF-11 will give me something to be excited about. I'll keep you posted at the major points along the way and give a summery of my experience at the end along with final numbers on quantity, flavor, potency and all that good jazz. Thanks for reading!
