Cheap alternatives to overpriced hydroponic nutrients

[Big JAE]

i use it and i will 100% vouch it works phenomenal. i ran it last run with beastie bloom and cha ching and i've ran it with no additives also with great results.

this stuff just plain works and its cheap. i switched from ebb and flow to coco and soiless so i switched up to the whole fox farm lineup and yesterday at week 5 i switched back to lucas. the organic components of fox farm were not easily readable and only one of the 3 products is organic so you have this organic synthetic mix that you cant read with a meter. running it full strength base and 80% of additives was enough to cause some burn when i got to chachng so i figured i'd switch back to what i know works damn good. i've also ran house and garden full lineup and i just dont see more bang for the buck then lucas formula. i keep the ratio but not the ml/gal personally. since it is 8ml/gal of micro and 16ml/gal of bloom i use 1 part micro to 2 parts bloom and set the ppm's where i want them. i'll creep them up during veg and into flower just like any nute chart would be for any lineup and i'll add additives like cha ching to the water first then use the ratio to top off with base to hit the desired ppms i want. i've had 1/2lb plants in 2 gal bags by doing this and colas on non topped plants that were over 2 oz.

Hello I am new to this forum and just read what you wrote. I have been using AN 3 part solution, Grow, Micro, Bloom and it's working well. I've never had any problems over 4 years and many LBs later. I also use a few other small additives during bloom but mainly that 3 part solution. I run 12 5 gallon DWC buckets under 2 twin 1k watt HID lights. My room is basically working perfect and everything is ok, I just can't stand paying AN all the money I do for their product. After reading that you use the Jacks and it works well I was wondering if maybe you could explain to me exactly where I could get the same stuff you use, including whatever you add, and a schedule possibly? I have tons of PH up and down so the AN nutes are the only thing that has been costing me a chunk of change. I just thought I would ask. Thanks!

BIG JAE

 

[Lurkin4yrs]

Can some one help me out?
https://www.thcfarmer.com/community/threads/h3ad-6-9-well-water.65741/

If this is not the proper way to ask for help lmk, I just didn't wanna repost the same thing over n over.

Thanks guys

 

[Big JAE]

Can some one help me out?
https://www.thcfarmer.com/community/threads/h3ad-6-9-well-water.65741/

If this is not the proper way to ask for help lmk, I just didn't wanna repost the same thing over n over.

Thanks guys

I posted my message a few days ago and haven't heard back from anyone on my questions. I want to try out Jacks but don't know where to start. I'm used to using Advance Nutrients which are easy to know what to use and how much etc. But the cost is insane. I'd like to switch to jacks which is way cheap but I need someone to help me with what other stuff I need to add to the solution. Don't know how to calculate all that stuff.

 

[Camdawg]

I posted my message a few days ago and haven't heard back from anyone on my questions. I want to try out Jacks but don't know where to start. I'm used to using Advance Nutrients which are easy to know what to use and how much etc. But the cost is insane. I'd like to switch to jacks which is way cheap but I need someone to help me with what other stuff I need to add to the solution. Don't know how to calculate all that stuff.

The answers are all in this thread. The most basic short hand way of putting it Google jacks pro hydro and order from the Jr peters website. You'll need the jacks pro hydro and the cal nit. Get a bag of Epsom salts from green thumb. Mix individually with warm water: 3 grams jacks pro hydro, 1.8grams cal nit, and a gram of Epsom per gallon of water. Dilute to proper EC and ph.

 

[Camdawg]

But seriously read this thread listen to cap, ttystick, and the many other great contributors to this thread.

 

[Big JAE]

The answers are all in this thread. The most basic short hand way of putting it Google jacks pro hydro and order from the Jr peters website. You'll need the jacks pro hydro and the cal nit. Get a bag of Epsom salts from green thumb. Mix individually with warm water: 3 grams jacks pro hydro, 1.8grams cal nit, and a gram of Epsom per gallon of water. Dilute to proper EC and ph.

Wow thanks dude that was exactly what I was looking for. Someone to simply explain it out for me. Like I said, I've used that Advanced Nutrient 3 part NO PH Nutrient Kit where you really don't have to ever check your PPM or PH as long as you know your water is good. Every time I check its always between 6.3 - 5.9 and they have always thrived. Its just that stuff is becoming so expensive I figured that with all the smart people involved in doing this stuff would have figured out a much cheaper method of nutes. I guess the only thing else I really need is a schedule with when to add more of what and when. Like the Epson salt you use right before and during your flush right? I remember reading that. Just small details like that. Like I said in my original post I'm running 8 5 gallon DWC buckets 8 inch netpot covers full of hydroton medium for easy flush and re-use, with two 1,000 watt HPS for veg 18/6 and change the bulbs to MHS bulbs when I switch to 12/12. I top each one 6 to 8 times depending on if I want to wait and use the super cropping method giving me the whole bush idea. You know what I mean no need to explain. I have it set up so I can pick up the whole netpot and plant and easily put it into a clean freshly mixed up bucket of nutes. I rotate the buckets once a week to keep everything as sterile and clean as possible and add water as needed. Besides a few other small details that's my whole set up that's been working well. It's just like I said the AN nutes are just killing my pockets.. Thank you so much for the help man. I so appreciate it so much. I'm going to look all that stuff up.

 

[Big JAE]

The answers are all in this thread. The most basic short hand way of putting it Google jacks pro hydro and order from the Jr peters website. You'll need the jacks pro hydro and the cal nit. Get a bag of Epsom salts from green thumb. Mix individually with warm water: 3 grams jacks pro hydro, 1.8grams cal nit, and a gram of Epsom per gallon of water. Dilute to proper EC and ph.

One more quick question= There are a bunch of different kinds of Jacks pro. Should I be looking at getting the hydro feed or the RO?

 

[Lurkin4yrs]

He said hydro, 5-12-26 prob

 

[seaslug]

I became tired of weighing out and mixing in Jack's Pro/epsom/cal-nit so I went back to MaxiBloom.

Big JAE:
I bought the 4lb + 4lb combo pack.

 

[Big JAE]

View attachment 439850

I became tired of weighing out and mixing in Jack's Pro/epsom/cal-nit so I went back to MaxiBloom.

Big JAE:
I bought the 4lb + 4lb combo pack.

Thank you for responding and yes Lurkin my set up is Hydro as you mentioned, I see that I should order the 4lb combo with the Calcium nitrate where it says "Should be used in combination with the 15-0-0 Calcium Nitrate in a two-part system" and it's like $57 says save when you buy both but it says 4lbs. Does that mean 4lbs of both? Personally from what I read mixing the two up and then remixing a way watered down solution separately and then a mix with Epson salt seems very easy to me. To be able to save all that money it's worth it to me. The only part I'm not really understanding now is the Epson salt. When and how much to use. Plus if you don't mind me asking, Did you use the same amounts of the Jacks mixture throughout the whole cycle or did you use more or less at cetain times like flowering etc? Sorry for all the questions but I finally get to talk to someone who I know has bought and used the stuff with results ya know. What's maxibloom all about? If it's easier to use sounds like something I'd be interested in hearing about. I was going to switch to the Lucas formula but a lot of places I read people were saying that Jacks is the ticket and to learn how and what other little things to add to an already good solution. Just what I've read, now my experience.

A LITTLE MORE ABOUT MY SETUP: My DWC buckets are massively aerated. I'm going to attach a picture of what my buckets look like. I basically made each bucket identical to the one in the picture. The only differences in mine (which are better lol) is I have root / light blockers on top of every bucket blocking all light and each plant is sitting on a home made bucket dolly. Rather than buying a bunch of cheap dollies or expensive ones I just found quality but cheap replacement desk chair wheels and then cut some stop sign shape with edge open boxes, drilled holes and locked in a wheel on each flat side. Now each plant sits on a dolly I can move around the room easily and rotate instead of putting permanent holes in my ceiling to put light movers up. I spent $40 on all the dollys and stuff to make them and they make a big difference compared to when I didn't rotate them at all. Plus it makes it real nice to be able to move one plant over to a nice little spot where I can trim on it and keep the mess away from the rest of them. It's very nice to be able to pull one out and put it back without messing around with buckets that can spill. I go through and spend a night a week 2 on sunday on my Mr. Miagee bansai trim session and when they are all done and put back it looks like 8 little bonsai trees! lol I'll snap and share some pics next time I trim.

 

[Camdawg]

Please read this thread. I know it seems daunting but trust me read this thread and take notes. Epsom every time 3/2/1 is the basic idea here. Same formula through entire grow although seems most people taper back on the cal nit from around 2g per gal to 1.7 calnit nearing weeks 6 or 7.

 

[seaslug]

MaxiBloom has been described as Lucas in solid form. The standard advice is to mix 7 grams into a gallon of water. I had some tip burn with that rate (but my LEDs were too close, also). My current regime for Blumats in coco is 5.5g MaxiBloom, 1ml Drip Clean, 1ml ProTekt silicon, and pH Down--using moderately soft tap water.

The $57 buys you four pounds of each Peters product. The recommended mixing sequence to avoid precipitation is Jack's Pro, epsom salts, and then Cal-nit. As described above, use a gram of epsom for every 3g of Pro and 1.8g of Cal-Nit. I used this all through the grow and flowering, starting with a diluted solution for the seedlings.

 

[Surfandgrow]

You can leave the green out of your 3 part. Ive used AN for 5 years through veg and bloom and I only use flora micro and flora bloom as my base. No problems. I just found out the reason I had problems with the Jacks was because I had an early onset of broad mites but after eliminating them the plants look incredible. Im going to try the Jacks again but only on one tray to see how it works in a dialed environment with healthy plants. @Big JAE cams right just follow his formula. I read this whole post before I jumped into it and it took about 3-6 months of reading and research before I took the chance. You will need an EC meter because measuring your runoff is of the utmost importance. Good luck. My buddy ran Jacks with big bud and over drive and his OG looks great. Hes a major player with large scale grows and hes saving a lot money by rocking Jacks. Also if you dont want to try the Jacks then you can just use AN micro, bloom and Cal/mag all the way through veg and bloom and you will get awesome results.

 

[ilaughlast]

2 parts gh micro to 3 parts gh bloom is another simple cheap formula that people use. 6/9 is the general outline but thats way to strong for me in a multifeed. i water it down to 1.2 at the highest.
jacks i found was a little nitrogen high maybe but it did really well on some of my plants. maxibloom looked really good on most plants but left my og kushes yellow im guessing from some magnesium related issue. still trying to iron it all out.

 

[Big JAE]

Wow thank you very much for leaving me the detailed info I needed. I am going to go ahead and place the order when I get close to running low on nutrients. The amounts and schedule were exactly what I was looking for in an answer so again thanks. I have a nice digital scale that looks like a pack of cigarettes I can use to weigh the stuff. I've attached a pic just to show you something cool that you might like to have because it's so low key and very cheap. Again thanks and I will come back if I have anymore questions!!

 

[seaslug]

For less than $20, I bought a 500g scale with 0.01g resolution off ebay. It came with a clear plastic square tray, perfect for my needs (10 & 20 gallon reservoirs).

 

[Camdawg]

View attachment 439942 Wow thank you very much for leaving me the detailed info I needed. I am going to go ahead and place the order when I get close to running low on nutrients. The amounts and schedule were exactly what I was looking for in an answer so again thanks. I have a nice digital scale that looks like a pack of cigarettes I can use to weigh the stuff. I've attached a pic just to show you something cool that you might like to have because it's so low key and very cheap. Again thanks and I will come back if I have anymore questions!!

My only issue with hide-a-scales is the weight. Average pack of smokes weighs about 23grams. Most cigarettes weigh a gram. Bet that's the heaviest pack around

 

[Big JAE]

@Surfandgrow- I've been told before not to use the Nitrogen heavy one like you said but I just stuck with it because it has worked so good all along. You know the saying if it's not broke don't fix it? But obviously the biggest reason I want to switch to jacks is cost. This three part AN kit is very expensive for me to use and everywhere I've read for using these PH Perfect Pro kits nutrients it always says to mix in the order they tell you to and TO ALWAYS USE ALL THE BOTTLES. Since I'm not a pro when it comes to that stuff I just followed the directions ya know. I included some pics of everything included in the kit I use everytime I cycle. Last cycle I stretched out the veg as long as possible because I had plenty of room / height only focusing on one room. I have a T5 in another room where I can cut some big fat monster clones and just keep it moving. On my last cycle out of the 8 very large specimens, the lowest yielding plant had 8.4 ounces of cured finished smoke. So you can understand why I am iffy about switching to a whole new nutrients solution but this kit cost me a $170!!

@Camdawg & Seaslug - Yeah I was starting to read the thread but I couldn't stand all the trash talking people get into so I decided to just start a thread figuring whoever was an OG in these forums would eventually come talk to me and help me out. I think what I'm going to do is buy the $57 4lb bags or buckets like you suggested along with Epson salt and then instead of changing over all the children to the Jacks formula all at once, I'll just try out a half and half experiment or maybe just try 2 and keep the other 6 with the AN solution to see the difference. Because I don't have a separate flowering room I can't really mess around and have ones that are either way ahead or behind the other ones. I like to keep everything uniform. But I'd have to say after talking to a few of the guys who do a lot of the growing for dispensaries, they straight up laughed and rolled their eyes when I brought up how I use AN. I guess on their lever it would cost thousands so I'm going to try some of this Jacks solution out and see how it goes. Yeah I understand what you mean about the scale. I smoke Marlboro Red 100's and the closed scale looks identical to a pack of my smokes. So it's just kinda cool for me to be able to leave it sitting out and nobody really looks at it twice until they realize it doesn't say Marlboro on it! LOL

Just a little something else- Oh and another cool thing that I've figured out is to make some cheap re-usable branch spreaders is to simply cut up some old wire hangers and form the ends into a U shape. I've been using a ton of these and by using them I haven't had to trim so much off the bushes to keep the light levels in the middles and lower branches strong. It's been pretty cool how you can use them to push a pair of vertical Y branches straight out to the sides to grow horizontal. Then after a week remove the spreaders and the branches go right back to vertical! This keeps all the branches with fat colas very far apart. The only downfall though is I've had to constantly use the "pinch the branch" until you feel the crack method to get the branches fat and super strong. This adds almost two to three weeks total to the cycle but it's been very worth it. Before I used the spreaders I had fishing line strung up ALL OVER the room holding up cola's and I didn't like that. Made it so I couldn't swap into clean buckets anymore.

 

[peoplewish]

Maxi bloom is .20 per gallon of feed.
Our salts are .02 per gallon of feed.

I cannot remember the last time I went to a hydro store.

 

[basement bob]

Mmmmm. EPS