Alternatives to expensive cannabis targeted nutrients

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thehighguy

thehighguy

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hi, iv create this thread to discuss alternative nutrients to the ones targeted at the cannabis cultivation community. I personally believe that to a degree people have been brainwashed to convince them they need to buy 200$ nutrient line-ups to get good yields, and potency. Thats not the case! This year i used Gaia green organics all purpose fertilizer (4-4-4) as my base nutrient. i mixed it right into the soil (garden soil as this plant was grown outdoors). Its important to note that this product does contain some gypsum which will lighten up your soil (until it is used up in about 4 months) and it will release calcium so go easy on the cal mag. Another thing to note is that the garden already has an established microbiome (beneficial bacterial population) so if your going to try this method indoors in pasteurized soil (any soil you buy at a store has been pasteurized) then i would recommend investing in soil which has bacterial spore like pro-mix HP mycorrhizae, or i would personally invest in spores and apply them to the root mass in the form of a paste during the transplanting process. A couple cups of worm castings mixed into the soil is another good way to get beneficial bacteria. Now we have the soil ready for vegetative growth and its time to transplant. The 4-4-4 will support most strains right up until the final week of veg. now that i got the basics out of the way i think its important to discuss the varying nutrient requirements of each strain, although the 4-4-4 will support any plant on a 3-5 week veg cycle some strains require more nutrients, like sour diesel. with a strain like sour diesel i would mix the Gaia green at approx 125% (1.25 x what ever the regular recommended dose is) and even consider applying the all purpose fertilizer as a top dressing if signs of deficiency appear, in the later weeks. if you plan on remaining in the vegetative stage for longer then 6 weeks i would consider applying a top dressing at week 5 regardless of the strain. Now its time to start flowering, approx one week before you flip the lights (or around day 28 of vegetative growth for a auto flowering plant) apply golf green tomato fertilizer (6-12-12) or something with similar nutrient ratios/levels. Its important to apply this before you flip the lights because a top dressing fertilizer needs to be watered down before it can be used, so it get into the root mass about 1-2 weeks after applying it, depending on the frequency of watering. continue to apply the fertilizer every 2-3 weeks and stop applying it 1-2 weeks before you flush. Try to have 2-3 weeks where you dont have any applied fertilizer before you harvest to allow the nutrients to fully wash down and out. 2KG of Gaia green all purpose is 30$ CND and the golf green tomato fertilizer another 20$ CND, combine that with 30$ in soil (enough for 4 plants roughly) and 40$ in bacteria and your grow costs not including lights and ventilation is approx 120$ so 30$ a plant. Keep in mind that you probably wont even use all the nutrients! their will definitely be left over golf green.

honorable mentions for boosting yield/potency if you have the extra cash:

Cal-Mag supplement- i didn't use a cal-mag supplement for this grow but with that being said it wouldn't hurt to apply it at half strength every second watering careful not to overdo it or you could block the uptake of other nutrients by having an excess of cal-mag

terpanator- this product is highly recommended for increasing yield. It boosts resin production, and the resin is where all the goodies are (thc and flavor carrying compounds). apply every 4th watering during veg and every watering during flowering.

super thrive- this amazing kelp based product is good for reducing shock and increasing the rate of root growth. i personally apply this product before switching the lights, when transplanting or if my plant is stressed out. 1.2ml/gallon so you dont need much, buy small bottles so it doesn't expire.

remo's natures candy- natures candy is just a flavor enhancer and sweetener, i use this product exclusively on my indoor plants but you can notice the sent increase within 2 weeks of the first application. apply occasionally during veg like once every 4th watering, and then use it every watering during flowering)


The plant in the picture is an auto flowering jack herer at the beginning of the 4th week of flower. It got super thrive when i transplanted it and other then that iv watered it twice, rain, the 4-4-4 and 6-12-12 have done all the work. The plant is almost 8 weeks old so dont mind its somewhat small stature. This plant is thriving! honestly it might even be better then my indoor jack herer which is half a week behind (the bain of auto flowering is each plant decides itself when it wants to flower which leads to some plants being a week ahead sometimes)/ my indoor plant is on advanced nutrients big bud line up (bud igniter, big bud, overdrive) with PGP bloom as its flowering base nutrient... i also feed it terpanator and bud candy.

i hope you enjoyed this article, if you have any experience using organics, or non traditional fertilizers post about your experience and include some photos. thanks for visiting
 
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thehighguy

thehighguy

63
18
Update:

Epson salts and egg foliar spray.

Epson salts (Mg(SO4)) are a cheap way to to add magnesium and sulfur to your grow, you can apply one table spoon to the top soil surrounding the base of the plant every month or so. Its also possible to apply it in a foliar spray as i will talk about below.

A foliar spray is a nutrient rich solution which you apply directly to the leaves of the plant. they absorb the nutrients right though the leaves. for this recipe you need 24 large eggs shells. first you boil the egg shells, insuring you achieve a full rolling boil, then strain them and allow to cool. dont boil them for more then 15 seconds. were just killing bacteria. next you take a one gallon jar and fill it with the eggshells and water, and a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and seal the jar for 20 days to a month. this allows the nitrogen phosphorus and calcium all seep into the water. now strain the calcium water and store it in a clean jar. mix it with water before applying at approx 1 part calcium solution and 4 parts water. apply directly to leaves. If you want to add magnesium and sulfur to this spray add 1/8-1/4 tablespoon per liter

i saved the best method for last. during my research i can across a method for creating a calcium/magnesium concentrate. this concentrate also contains sulfur as Epsom salts are a base ingredient. this article explains it best. http://www.marijuanamama420.ca/2019/05/07/diy-calcium-phosphate-for-creating-diy-calmag/
 
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Aqua Man

Aqua Man

26,480
638
Dry ferts or pay. Many different sources. I recommend hydro buddy if mixing completely on your own. Or something like jacks, mega crop 2 part or others with some supplemented adjustments based on what your needs are. If it's in a bottle liquid form you are paying to much but that's just my opinion.
 
savagemonk

savagemonk

66
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I need a recipe and a cheap source for bulk fertilizers. So I can just mix the salts in water. The liquid feed I make shouldn’t cost me more than 5 cents a gallon. NPK growers were selling their recipe for $30 on their website.
 
thehighguy

thehighguy

63
18
I need a recipe and a cheap source for bulk fertilizers. So I can just mix the salts in water. The liquid feed I make shouldn’t cost me more than 5 cents a gallon. NPK growers were selling their recipe for $30 on their website.
I think mega crop is hydro friendly and I don't know what the price per gallon is but I worked out a rough estimate on the grams per plant. A plant that gets 2 liters of water (in soil) twice a week, and has a 8 week veg cycle and a 10 week flower needs about 55 grams a plant of both the A and the part B. They sell 1000 grams of part and and 1000 grams of part B for 12$ a each which is enough to do roughly 18 plants in soil for 24$ in nutrients. I'm sure hydro is similar depending on the frequency of the reservoir changes. Best part is the nutrient is a all in one, no need for a micro or cal-mag supplement just add bacteria and let it go to work.

you can place bulk orders for a better price per gram
 
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Aqua Man

Aqua Man

26,480
638
I need a recipe and a cheap source for bulk fertilizers. So I can just mix the salts in water. The liquid feed I make shouldn’t cost me more than 5 cents a gallon. NPK growers were selling their recipe for $30 on their website.
If mixing your own the recipe will change... Well if you want the best results.

Then you need to take into account the source water and media.

You want cheap and easy? Mega crop 2 part mix in ratios given for stage of growth. Under LED add 1gram per gal of mag sulfate.

Then after mixing dilute to desired ppm as the amount on the bag are as any recommendations to high.

Seedling 150-250ppm
Early veg 200-300 ppm
Mid veg 300-400ppm
Late veg to late flower 400-600ppm.
Using the same ratios on the bag.

I differ from this but that about as easy as it gets for cheap
 
OldManRiver

OldManRiver

1,390
263
I bought a gallon each of Botanicare grow and bloom three years ago, have grown maybe 15 lbs from those two gallons, and still have half of each. Y'all are using too much. Nutes aren't food.
 
thehighguy

thehighguy

63
18
I bought a gallon each of Botanicare grow and bloom three years ago, have grown maybe 15 lbs from those two gallons, and still have half of each. Y'all are using too much. Nutes aren't food.
Some strains thrive in a 5-4-5 for veg and a 2-7-7 for flower where as others prefer nutrient levels much higher. Some variations of sour Diesel need a 20-12-12 or something similar during veg and a 12-18-20 during flowering. Finding the balance between light intensity and nutrient levels requires a good understanding of your strain, which comes with experience.
 
tomatoesarecooltoo

tomatoesarecooltoo

1,122
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Aqua Man

Aqua Man

26,480
638
I bought a gallon each of Botanicare grow and bloom three years ago, have grown maybe 15 lbs from those two gallons, and still have half of each. Y'all are using too much. Nutes aren't food.
Still not comparable in cost. Take even citric acid. Generally sold at 10% say you get it cheap like $10 a gal..(more like $40) now for $25 you can get a 10lb bag of dry citric acid. From that you can make over 12gal of ph down for $25. Doesn't matter how much you use. It's the cost even if used excessively it isn't and never will be cheaper.
 
OldManRiver

OldManRiver

1,390
263
Still not comparable in cost. Take even citric acid. Generally sold at 10% say you get it cheap like $10 a gal..(more like $40) now for $25 you can get a 10lb bag of dry citric acid. From that you can make over 12gal of ph down for $25. Doesn't matter how much you use. It's the cost even if used excessively it isn't and never will be cheaper.
My time is worth a lot more than that savings. Weed is legal here, I can't give away my excess, because the legal stuff is so cheap, and I don't waste time making pretty buds, because I don't sell.
 
thehighguy

thehighguy

63
18
Still not comparable in cost. Take even citric acid. Generally sold at 10% say you get it cheap like $10 a gal..(more like $40) now for $25 you can get a 10lb bag of dry citric acid. From that you can make over 12gal of ph down for $25. Doesn't matter how much you use. It's the cost even if used excessively it isn't and never will be cheaper.
How stable is the citric acid? Is it easily affected by ph buffers in the water? Just curious iv never tried it.
 
Aqua Man

Aqua Man

26,480
638
My time is worth a lot more than that savings. Weed is legal here, I can't give away my excess, because the legal stuff is so cheap, and I don't waste time making pretty buds, because I don't sell.
What time? Take 12 gallon of distilled water and add 10lb bag to it. Funnel it back into the 1 gal jugs and done.... 15 min and a lifetime supply. Nothing to do with growing brother. Just cheaper.
 
Aqua Man

Aqua Man

26,480
638
I'd use iron or aluminum phospate for soil.
Yeah it's not to adjust the ph of the soil. Just the nutrients. And I agree with you those are great options.

Reason being say if you add silica to nutrients it will precipitate some out like iron and calcium because silica will shoot the ph up close to 9. So you add the silica first and ph it down to like 6.5 or close to where you are feeding at. Then add the nutrients and that way they don't get precipitated out.

Hydro different story
 

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