Cheap alternatives to overpriced hydroponic nutrients

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ilovestrongkush

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So how is the Peter's Hydro stacking up against Maxibloom? I see the P and K levels of each are a little different. I'm currently growing sour bubble with Floranova Bloom. The sour bubble is very "kushy" in design IIRC. Would I possibly benefit from running a base that has more Potassium like the Peter's Hydro? And I apologize if this takes away from the "flushing" discussion. That is very intriguing information, it's just a bit over my head for the time being, so for now I will watch and see where the discussion goes.
 
ttystikk

ttystikk

6,892
313
ilovestrongkush said:
So how is the Peter's Hydro stacking up against Maxibloom? I see the P and K levels of each are a little different. I'm currently growing sour bubble with Floranova Bloom. The sour bubble is very "kushy" in design IIRC. Would I possibly benefit from running a base that has more Potassium like the Peter's Hydro? And I apologize if this takes away from the "flushing" discussion. That is very intriguing information, it's just a bit over my head for the time being, so for now I will watch and see where the discussion goes.
Click to expand...

At the end of the day, it's about the actual ratios of nutrients in your system, so the plant won't know or care if the P came from your base nutrient or from a specific bloom booster. Try to balance the ratios of nutrients, and I would go one step further and say not to push high concentrations of any nutrient salts, ever.
 
AlwaysSunny

AlwaysSunny

74
8
So how many of you have tried the Dyna Grow Foliage Pro from Veg to Bloom?
 
buddahslave

buddahslave

581
63
squiggly said:
You can, it just needs to be dilute enough.

As the article says it's all about cation (positively charged ion) exchange.

Acids provide protons (the most basic positive ion H+) and these can help to displace other cations we're trying to get rid of.

Also as the article says, you can use a basic solution and achieve the same effect. Instead of focusing on displacement this relies more on positive-negative (polar) interactions.

End of the day the true explanation for all of this is fairly advanced and has a lot to do with thermodynamics/kinetics. Heady stuff.

So really look at it this way (like the article says). You can flush through with an acid or a base to try and get rid of some of the salt buildup (if it was me I'd hit it with an acid solution first, then hit it with a basic one next time to cover all bases)--and then run RO water through.

To be clear, don't run an acid solution followed by a basic one. This could produce salt and cause an acid/base neutralization in your medium. Flush with plain water between these treatments if you choose to use both.

Your plants can handle very dilute HCl--just don't treat them with it without following up with some RO.
Click to expand...

How low can you drop the ph to flush before it becomes a problem for the plants?
 
squiggly

squiggly

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buddahslave said:
How low can you drop the ph to flush before it becomes a problem for the plants?
Click to expand...


If you do as I said there and run the acid solution through followed by plain water to flush the acid solution out--you could probably go as low as 2 or 3 to be honest, however I wouldn't go that low with powerful acids like HCl or Phosphoric acid, as they can react very quickly.

You want something with a pKa around 2 or 3 ideally, maybe as low as -2 (which I think would include nitric acid which is sometimes used in growing).

However you wouldn't want to treat your roots with that and then just leave them. Use it literally just to flush through to try and get rid of salt build up--then flush/dilute with RO.

It's less about the actually pH of the solution and more about the chemical potential of the hydrogen ions in solution. This is why it's a bit of a shame that pH is billed as the concentration of Hydrogen ions in solution. It's a good rule to follow because it lines up with theory in most cases--but the truth is that pH has more to do with chemical potential.
 
buddahslave

buddahslave

581
63
Does anyone recommend Greenleaf Nutrients or has anyone had any problems with their dry nutes? I just ordered their bloom blood. There suppose to be comparable with advanced nutrients, but way cheaper.
 
B

Bangarang

220
43
Random question... A freind had been supplying me with Jacks 5-12-26 and Cal-Nit for the last couple of weeks while i waited for my order to arrive. If i am not mistaken his Hydro was blue pellets and the calnit and epsom was white. When mixed the one appeared blue and the other a dirty yellow. Today i recieved my shipment and the Hydro was a dark blue and the cal nit was a light blue. Does this mean anything???
 
ttystikk

ttystikk

6,892
313
Bangarang said:
Random question... A freind had been supplying me with Jacks 5-12-26 and Cal-Nit for the last couple of weeks while i waited for my order to arrive. If i am not mistaken his Hydro was blue pellets and the calnit and epsom was white. When mixed the one appeared blue and the other a dirty yellow. Today i recieved my shipment and the Hydro was a dark blue and the cal nit was a light blue. Does this mean anything???
Click to expand...

I believe that the Jacks brand calcium nitrate has blue dye, like their ferts. Standard calcium nitrate is of course white. What's the contents percentage on the bag?
 
splakdawg

splakdawg

203
43
Bangarang said:
Random question... A freind had been supplying me with Jacks 5-12-26 and Cal-Nit for the last couple of weeks while i waited for my order to arrive. If i am not mistaken his Hydro was blue pellets and the calnit and epsom was white. When mixed the one appeared blue and the other a dirty yellow. Today i recieved my shipment and the Hydro was a dark blue and the cal nit was a light blue. Does this mean anything???
Click to expand...
I noticed that too . My hydro is white and my cal nit is blue. Hopefully they didn't screw up the orders
 
splakdawg

splakdawg

203
43
Snowblind said:
PH down from Technaflora is nitric acid breaking down to a few ppm of N
PH down from GH is Phosphoric Acid breaking down to a few ppm of P
PH down from battery acid is Sulphuric acid whichs breaks down to S

You can just dilute the formula to various ppm for say clones, veg or flower....

I need to go to work but when I get home I will try to post more about the ratios I use. I veg under T-5 so the strength is diluted a little from flower. I use 4.24 grams of Jacks when I "PK" boost instead of the standard 3.0.

Ill post more later.

I add MGSo4 at the rate of 1/2 gram to 1 gram per gallon. It breaks down to added ppm of MG and S. Added S is not a bad thing and enhances aromas ie the smell of the plant.


I fill the reso with water.
I add Dutch Master Zone at the rate of 1ml per gallon
I mix the jacks with some water in a little bucket and dump it in the reso.
I mix the Epson salts with water in a little bucket and dump it in the reso.
I mix the Calcium Nitrate up last with water in a little bucket and then dump it into the reso.
I add ph down.......

Calcium and phosphorus dont mix well together!
Click to expand...
 
splakdawg

splakdawg

203
43
Snowblind said:
PH down from Technaflora is nitric acid breaking down to a few ppm of N
PH down from GH is Phosphoric Acid breaking down to a few ppm of P
PH down from battery acid is Sulphuric acid whichs breaks down to S

You can just dilute the formula to various ppm for say clones, veg or flower....

I need to go to work but when I get home I will try to post more about the ratios I use. I veg under T-5 so the strength is diluted a little from flower. I use 4.24 grams of Jacks when I "PK" boost instead of the standard 3.0.

Ill post more later.

I add MGSo4 at the rate of 1/2 gram to 1 gram per gallon. It breaks down to added ppm of MG and S. Added S is not a bad thing and enhances aromas ie the smell of the plant.


I fill the reso with water.
I add Dutch Master Zone at the rate of 1ml per gallon
I mix the jacks with some water in a little bucket and dump it in the reso.
I mix the Epson salts with water in a little bucket and dump it in the reso.
I mix the Calcium Nitrate up last with water in a little bucket and then dump it into the reso.
I add ph down.......

Calcium and phosphorus dont mix well together!
Click to expand...
I'm hand watering and I'm not getting the girth that the dtw guys are getting. Do u recommend upping the rate of jacks hydro?
 
splakdawg

splakdawg

203
43
I water every other day. So don't allow the coco to dry up at all?
 
splakdawg

splakdawg

203
43
My ladies are in 5 gal growbags that I didn't allow to full up with roots before I flipped. I just finish cleaning the rootballs from the 4 males I had and at the most only have the pot was full. Now mind u these guys weren't getting the attention that my girls in bloom are getting
 
ttystikk

ttystikk

6,892
313
splakdawg said:
My ladies are in 5 gal growbags that I didn't allow to full up with roots before I flipped. I just finish cleaning the rootballs from the 4 males I had and at the most only have the pot was full. Now mind u these guys weren't getting the attention that my girls in bloom are getting
Click to expand...

Pure coco is dangerous in this regard; if you have too much coco for the size plant, you can overwater, oversaturate, and thus drown your roots in the bucket. Smaller is better in pure coco, because it's easy to water more often to keep up with growing plants.
 
B

Bangarang

220
43
They make their nutrients in two ways. Special order is no dye. Dirty run is with leftover dye in the process. This is why the color could be dark blue, blue, or clear.
Same thing goes for the CalNit except that this one will be in pellet form.
Hydro is more granular like sand.
 
AlwaysSunny

AlwaysSunny

74
8
I'll save you all some time. This is some bomb all inclusive 1 part that is perfect for Cannabis.



Have any of you tried it yet? If not, do.
 
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