Nutrient Confusion! (Botanicare Pure Blend Pro 3-2-4)

[Marcus47]

I've read that nutrients in the vegetative stage should be aprox. 20-20-20 (example: Peter's "Jack's Classic" 20-20-20).​

BUT - My retail shop highly recommended Botanicare Pure Blend Pro Grow - which is only 3-2-4!!! ​

QUESTION: How can Botanicare be so popular with numbers that are so much lower than most other manufacturers? Am I missing something here?​

 

[SecretJardinDS90]

Hi Marcus, believe it or not I bought the same stuff today, Apperently what it really equals out to is 30-20-40 but then again I could be wrong, I heard that somewhere, another thing someone told me is that the numbers are low cause its a liquid nute rather than a crystallized nute. Again! That's just what I've heard/read

 

[Garden of Dreams]

Naw the 20/20/20 is powder hi octane a teaspoon will do ya in 20 galls. And its pure salts. The PBP is damn near organic and doesn't read right on a ppm/ex pen because there are no salts, consider the peters 2/2/2 and the PBP is 3/2/4, more Nitrogen and More Potasium.

 

[Marcus47]

OKay... Here's my guess.... Those 20-20-20 fertilizers are to be used occasionally - maybe once every 7-10 days. But Botanicare is used with every watering, and so it is 'weaker'. So you just can't compare fertilizers that are used occasionally to those that are used daily. It's like comparing apples to cinder blocks.

 

[SecretJardinDS90]

OKay... Here's my guess.... Those 20-20-20 fertilizers are to be used occasionally - maybe once every 7-10 days. But Botanicare is used with every watering, and so it is 'weaker'. So you just can't compare fertilizers that are used occasionally to those that are used daily. It's like comparing apples to cinder blocks.

Agreed, I had a conversation with someone about it, its best to start off with 5ml per 4 L of water first feed and increase slowly every feed to full strength

 

[Barney Dunwell]

PBP is the shit! Been using it for over 10 years

 

[LexLuthor]

OKay... Here's my guess.... Those 20-20-20 fertilizers are to be used occasionally - maybe once every 7-10 days. But Botanicare is used with every watering, and so it is 'weaker'. So you just can't compare fertilizers that are used occasionally to those that are used daily. It's like comparing apples to cinder blocks.

Actually I think the ferts that are supposed to be used occasionally are usually slow-time release and Jacks 20-20-20 is not a slow-release fert. The reason the numbers are so much higher then PBP is because you are suppose to dilute it in water, just like Garden of Dreams said it's 2-2-2 once properly diluted, or 3-3-3 because you can dilute to whatever strength you want.

 

[juniorgrower]

Organic nute numbers are always seem to run lower than chemical nutes. Harder to over feed with organic nutes also. I used PBP for a couple of runs and it worked well. Had to feed the grow at least a couple of weeks into flower or the plant would end up very yellow at the end of flowering.

 

[LexLuthor]

Organic nute numbers are always seem to run lower than chemical nutes. Harder to over feed with organic nutes also. I used PBP for a couple of runs and it worked well. Had to feed the grow at least a couple of weeks into flower or the plant would end up very yellow at the end of flowering.

Its harder to over feed with organic ferts because the nutes take time to breakdown into available synthetic forms, which IMO is why its a waste of time to go "100% organic" when growing indoors with such short veg times. Also, there are no regulations for fert companies when it comes to labeling products as organic, so shitty companies like Miracle Gro are now making "organic" soil with low quality ferts and alot of people are buying into the "organic" hype from nute companies because they think it makes there buds taste better, even though there is no scientific proof of nutrients changing or increasing flavors.

Sorry for the mini rant, but I use to think organics were superior to synthetics until I used them and couldn't tell any difference. Then I did some research and found out all nutrients end up being absorbed through the roots as the same element, regardless of organic or synthetic origin. Most nutrients are converted into sugars and other starches in the leaves so it really doesn't effect the flavor of buds, like I thought.

Again, sorry about that, I know you have nothing to do with most of what I said, but I just had to say how I felt about "organics".

 

[turbo14]

Pure Blend Pro both Grow and Bloom both crush it in soil.

Add Calmag +, Silica Blast, Molasses, and a bloom booster of choice.

Alternate feedings with compost tea and you will see the biggest fan leaves you have ever seen.

I run this setup in a 200+ light medical grow.

turbo

 

[juniorgrower]

Compost teas are definitely the shit!! I disagree with chemically grown mj tasting as good as organically grown mj. No disrespect meant towards ya Lex.

 

[LexLuthor]

Compost teas are definitely the shit!! I disagree with chemically grown mj tasting as good as organically grown mj. No disrespect meant towards ya Lex.

None taken bro, but every strain has different flavanoids and unless you ran 2 clones from the same mother, 1 organic and the other synthetic and flushed properly then its hard to say organic taste better. I use to believe this myself but with all the organic hype its more in our heads that its gonna taste better so when people smoke "organic" bud they usually make themselves believe it has a better flavor, but there really is nothing in organic nutes that enhances the flavor. Ammoniacal N and nitrate N is the exact same whether it comes from bat guano or ammonium nitrate and has very little to do with flavor, but I know everybody won't believe me so do your own unbias research and you will see no scientific research supporting the claim that organic grown buds have a better flavor then properly grown synthetics. Its actually the other way around, when organic and synthetics were smoked in a blind taste test, the majority of people could not tell the difference.

Now there is nothing wrong with organics, I grow organic bud outdoors in my homemade super soil because I like how easy it is just to use plain water through most of the plants life then I'll give a little PK boost during flower. I just think there is alot of misrepresentation from companies and famous cultivators about organic grown buds.

 

[juniorgrower]

I grew with chem nutes outside for a few years and flushed with plain water the last 2 weeks. I grew a local strain that always tasted better when my friend grew it organically so I switched last year and starting using organic nutes and will never look back. And there is no need to flush. This year I am trying a supersoil, cant wait to try the smoke from it. I have been using organic nutes since I started an indoor grow about a year ago and have grown some nice smoke. I am no expert by any means I am just stating what I have experienced, and that is only with one strain that I have grown both ways. I am by no means doubting your experiences Lex, I just know for sure that I like growing organically better than with chemicals. just my.02

 

[LexLuthor]

^^^^Thats cool bro, if you enjoy growing organically there ain't nothing wrong with it at all, keep it up, but thats another thing I don't understand, you said there is no need to flush organic grown buds, but why?? Nutrients get absorbed through the roots and the majority of it ends up in the leaves and is also used to convert carbs so why is it different if the nutrients come from bat shit or salts?? I understand salts need to be flushed out of the soil, but it shouldn't change the flavor if ammoniacal nitrogen comes from bat guano or ammonium nitrate. Like I said before, I honestly believe alot of the "better flavor" comes from our heads because growers hear it all the time. Anyways I ain't doubting you either bro, I also like to grow organics outdoors just not indoors, peace.


P.S. I ain't no expert either :)

 

[sedate]

The PBP is damn near organic and doesn't read right on a ppm/ex pen because there are no salts, consider the peters 2/2/2 and the PBP is 3/2/4, more Nitrogen and More Potasium.

What? Are you saying here Garden?

The Pure Blend Pro Grow is "damn near organic" - and it doesn't read right on a ppm/ec pen?

Is this what you are saying?

Could you clarify the "doesn't read right" comment please.

Pure Blend Pro both Grow and Bloom both crush it in soil.

Add Calmag +, Silica Blast, Molasses, and a bloom booster of choice

Whoa that is exactly what I do.

What bloom boosters do you like?

do your own unbias research and you will see no scientific research supporting the claim that organic grown buds have a better flavor then properly grown synthetics

Unbiased research? I can't say I've seen much peer-reviewed double-blind standard scientific studies regarding subjective marijuana flavor . . .

But I do think you make some valid points regarding nutrient uptake and such.

Like I said before, I honestly believe alot of the "better flavor" comes from our heads because growers hear it all the time

Yea I think so too. As derisive as it sounds, I've always thought the "organic/soil tastes better" crowd just couldn't cut it in hydro.

For real.

 

[LexLuthor]

Unbiased research? I can't say I've seen much peer-reviewed double-blind standard scientific studies regarding subjective marijuana flavor . . .

But I do think you make some valid points regarding nutrient uptake and such.

What I meant by unbias research was not to find the 1st person that says "organics give better flavor" just because they believe it themselves. I should have worded it better.

 

[purpleberry]

Ive been using PBP for a few years always works great, The last few runs ive added sea green and the smell and flovor has come out big time. Everyone has made comment how much better it taste and the stink factor has gone up. lex its pretty easy to get a sample of sea green, id challenge you to try it on a couple plants and tell me it dont make it taste better.
I flush for about a week with seagreen only and go about another week water only.

 

[LexLuthor]

What ingredients are in Seagreen??? I'm talking about the main nutrients like NPK Ca Mg, those nutes won't change the flavor themselves, whether they are from organic or synthetic origins it gets absorbed through the roots as the same element. So there are indirect ways that effect smell and flavor because of how the terpenes and flavanoids develope, but those nutrients don't change it. There is probably nutrients and minerals in Seagreen that help develope more terps and flavanoids which will give it a more strong and intense smell and taste, but it doesn't matter if it comes from organics or not.

 

[capegrower]

20-20-20 is 10 times stronger than 2-2-2...
in other words out of a 1 lb bottle of 20-20-20 ...20% is nitrogen, 20% is phosphorus and 20% is potassium... the individual numbers are a percentage of the total volume or weight... this is basic stuff people dont use the wrong strength and burn your plants....

RTFM RTFM RTFM...read the fucking manual

 

[jkbeing]

I used PBP for 5+ years got great product. I dropped down to CNS17 at the beginning of this year and get great product. Strain+enviroment=90%. Macros+micros=7%. I feel everything (teas, organics, bennies, etc..) else contributes 3%. I prefer to know I got the 97% dialed in before I worry about the 3%.