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Jacks Professional; what it has, what it doesn't
Ok, so the Jack’s Professional 5-12-26 Hydroponic nutrient formula contains all the necessary micronutrients, chelated to stay in solution and available to the plants. I had a long and very informative conversation with one of their staff, and that's what she told me. She also said, among many other things not relevant here, the following: What it does NOT contain, and therefore you may want to add:
Calcium or much Nitrogen. That's because it's designed to work with a very common fertilizer salt, Calcium Nitrate. So, add some. Add it LAST after all other nutrients, otherwise you risk calcium lockout. If the calcium level is high in your water, you may want to either use RO or other purification, or find another way to add in sufficient nitrogen. By the way, Calcium Nitrate is easy to find, and inexpensive. I got a 50 lb bag for $35.00 at a wholesaler. I may not need more in my lifetime, lol.
For our purposes, we may want more magnesium and sulfur, so you can add epsom salts, aka magnsium sulfate. Also cheap, I got mine at the grocery store in the pharmacy section for less than $10.
Buffering agents, so you must manage your own pH. Be aware it will swing around a lot- generally up- so keep an eye on it, and be prepared to add pH down regularly for the first few days after you change your nutrient solution.
If you need to know how much of these to add, feel free to let me know and I'll give you the skinny- I use what Snowblind told me to and while it hasn't been very long yet, so far it's working like a charm!
I hope I've answered your questions, and I can't recommend the stuff highly enough... I'm officially done letting AN and their ilk tell me that I can't live without their products, but they won't tell me what's in them!
Can you tell me what the sugar is for, and how much to add to my DWC?
Ok, so the Jack’s Professional 5-12-26 Hydroponic nutrient formula contains all the necessary micronutrients, chelated to stay in solution and available to the plants. I had a long and very informative conversation with one of their staff, and that's what she told me. She also said, among many other things not relevant here, the following: What it does NOT contain, and therefore you may want to add:
Calcium or much Nitrogen. That's because it's designed to work with a very common fertilizer salt, Calcium Nitrate. So, add some. Add it LAST after all other nutrients, otherwise you risk calcium lockout. If the calcium level is high in your water, you may want to either use RO or other purification, or find another way to add in sufficient nitrogen. By the way, Calcium Nitrate is easy to find, and inexpensive. I got a 50 lb bag for $35.00 at a wholesaler. I may not need more in my lifetime, lol.
For our purposes, we may want more magnesium and sulfur, so you can add epsom salts, aka magnsium sulfate. Also cheap, I got mine at the grocery store in the pharmacy section for less than $10.
Buffering agents, so you must manage your own pH. Be aware it will swing around a lot- generally up- so keep an eye on it, and be prepared to add pH down regularly for the first few days after you change your nutrient solution.
If you need to know how much of these to add, feel free to let me know and I'll give you the skinny- I use what Snowblind told me to and while it hasn't been very long yet, so far it's working like a charm!
I hope I've answered your questions, and I can't recommend the stuff highly enough... I'm officially done letting AN and their ilk tell me that I can't live without their products, but they won't tell me what's in them!
Can you tell me what the sugar is for, and how much to add to my DWC?
