Using Hydro Buddy

[Crysmatic]

5-4-10 happens to be AN connoisseur. I've posted the recipe in the fatman diy thread post #93. it's what i've been using lately.

when using the 'copy commercial nutrient's formulation', make sure to click 'K and P as K2O and P2O5'. input application rate, and solution density - usually the bottle will tell you mass and volume e.g. 1L / 1.1 kg. chose your salts, and click 'calculate formula'. hth

if you want to stack fertilizers, define each one, add the ppm, then solve for total ppm.

 

[pikes peak 69]

Damn I don't have winzip, can't open.
HELP. I'm running win 2000 pro, but I don't want to purchase winzip now, will be upgrading to new puter in a few months.

pp69

 

[hailo]

winrar its free

 

[squarepusher]

amazing app

 

[hailo]

5-4-10 happens to be AN connoisseur. I've posted the recipe in the fatman diy thread post #93. it's what i've been using lately.

when using the 'copy commercial nutrient's formulation', make sure to click 'K and P as K2O and P2O5'. input application rate, and solution density - usually the bottle will tell you mass and volume e.g. 1L / 1.1 kg. chose your salts, and click 'calculate formula'. hth

if you want to stack fertilizers, define each one, add the ppm, then solve for total ppm.

While fatmans thread contains lots of valuable info...its not rudimentary

now i somewhat understand...

when you say solve, you mean populate...correct?

 

[REGISTRD]

Amazing app.. finally pulled the pc out the closet. lol..

Yes Fatmans thread is invaluable IMO..
I really like the copy commercial nute function..Im just not sure how to use it? I keep refering to your post Crys but i still dont get it??
It says density and application rate.. So say i wanna copy a 2.5gal of cal/mag Id put 9.5L in the density box? (thats per my bottle) and the application rate would be how many ml a gal I want to use it at??? so Id put 5ml in that box.. go to my salt tab click calnitrate/mag nitrate it matches bam click calculate formula and thats how much powder of each id use to a 2.5gal of ROwater??
My only concern is the math(calculations) maybe this is a stupid concern i dunno i dont understand. but For the salts used some brands are dif perc. like some cal nit is 11.5/0/0 and some is 15/0/0 How do we know whats being used in the calclations? Maybe i just need to play a bit more thanks for all your help guys much apprecaited>>

 

[pikes peak 69]

Ok, I got to the calculator using winrar. Thanks.

Is there a way for me to increase font size in the program, or do I need to talk to Daniel about that?
Thanks for the help,
pp69

 

[Seamaiden]

Ha! I said the same thing!

 

[Crysmatic]

Is there a way for me to increase font size in the program, or do I need to talk to Daniel about that?
Thanks for the help,
pp69

can you change your display settings? get a larger monitor? it wouldn't hurt to mention it to Daniel:)

I really like the copy commercial nute function..

thank Daniel for picking up on how ppl use the program...and for the ppl who gave him feedback.

It says density and application rate.. So say i wanna copy a 2.5gal of cal/mag Id put 9.5L in the density box?

what does it weigh? density is is the ratio of mass to volume. its unit is g/ml - kg/L will give the same answer. convert the lb to kg (kg = lb/2.205), and divide by 9.46L. density has a direct impact on ppm values (and doesn't affect ratios). pure water is 1 g/ml. you should expect a density somewhat higher...1.05-1.1 g/ml

the application rate would be how many ml a gal I want to use it at??? so Id put 5ml in that box..

5ml in the box, and click the 'gal' radio button underneath.

go to my salt tab click calnitrate/mag nitrate it matches bam click calculate formula and thats how much powder of each id use to a 2.5gal of ROwater??

yes. why are you copying an additive? why not make a complete fertilizer with all the calcium/magnesium you want?

For the salts used some brands are dif perc. like some cal nit is 11.5/0/0 and some is 15/0/0 How do we know whats being used in the calclations?

11.8-0-0 is PURE calcium nitrate
15-0-0 is greenhouse grade calcium nitrate with ammonium nitrate...aka yara calcium nitrate

e.g. if your salt is 11.5-0-0, divide 11.5/11.8 = 0.975 (97.5% pure). you'd take the weight of the salt from the calculations tab, say 100g, and divide by 0.975 = 102.56g. this is what you actually add to your RO water.

While fatmans thread contains lots of valuable info...its not rudimentary

now i somewhat understand...

when you say solve, you mean populate...correct?

i learned most of this background stuff in grade 12. as far as copying a commercial fertilizer, you just need to know what NPK means, basic literacy, how to calculate density, how to measure volume and mass, and follow some basic instructions. imo it's much simpler than managing an indoor garden!

by solve, i mean hit the 'calculate formula' button. find a solution to the ppm values you've populated.

 

[REGISTRD]

Thkz Cyrs much appreciated...
Ok heres where i give back now...
For you MAC users Im running Hydro buddy right now on Mac osX! Download Darwine copy it to your apps folder. Download the calculator youll notice its got a nice little icon know and double click it.. youll notice a couple boxes pop up there the winelog and a process window and another X11app will open put all these in the back and give it a second your exe fill will load.. WAALAA....

OK BAck to the current program... I did alot of the tutorials last night on how to copy ferts, make A/B. How to save formulas etc etc.. I feel i kind of have a grip on it for the most part..
Crys carrying over from the other thread Yes Ive been disolving overnite and throwing em in the next day..Im going to do the 5gal buket trik next week prob 2 res changes see how it goes.
Before now YES making an A/B is an extra step up front but I never knew how to do it succesfully with confidence until I read the tutorials from Daniel and had The Hydro buddy. So ima give it a shot try to soak up as much as i can by the end of next week and ill do it..
Yes i just wanna copy some additives just to see how shit works and Ya i got peeps thatll buy it. lol..:cool0010:

 

[Crysmatic]

i wish you the best of luck registrd!

 

[REGISTRD]

i wish you the best of luck registrd!

Thnks.. ya the app is priceless.. I can save my wk formulations save all my salts add salts etc..
Im thinking im going to do an A/B mixture for every week of my growth period.....any other suggestions considering we change elementals every week?
I also found the calc. on the guarn analysis tab of the pH spreadsheet to help me get the exact density down the exact number my density looks like this. (1.18172568)
The PPMs match exactly to the PH spreadsheet too so I know im doing shit right now.. lol..

Seriously everyone needs to click on the ONLINE TUTORIALS of the calculator alot of questions I even asked and see others asking are all right there In Laimains terms and Pictures...:free-character-smil

 

[Crysmatic]

it seems that commercial ferts only have two or three different formulations for early, mid, and late bloom. if i'm not mistaken, fatman uses one formula throughout flower. you sound like an enterprising young man. if someone wants to buy 7-8 weekly formulas, more power to you!

i've hinted at this before - the feedback we're giving daniel fernandez is driving his latest improvements! and daniel's feedback is helping us make better fertilizers, more easily. the best way to improve the program faster is to get more people using it.

 

[Crysmatic]

i found a little trick...

when i make a concentrated a/b solution, with 1L stock volume, i get errors - 'your scale is too imprecise for this operation', related to certain micros.

however, if you do a calculation for 100L reservoir volume direct addition, and 'dissolve all salts directly', you get the same salt weights as a 1L stock solution, and no errors :)

 

[REGISTRD]

it seems that commercial ferts only have two or three different formulations for early, mid, and late bloom. if i'm not mistaken, fatman uses one formula throughout flower. you sound like an enterprising young man. if someone wants to buy 7-8 weekly formulas, more power to you!

i've hinted at this before - the feedback we're giving daniel fernandez is driving his latest improvements! and daniel's feedback is helping us make better fertilizers, more easily. the best way to improve the program faster is to get more people using it.

Yes all comm ferts only have two or three dif formulations.. Thats why over the years of growing ive made up schedules of Ml/gal that increase or decrease certain nutes in weekly time frames. Once i discoverd Ph spreadsheet I was really able to fine tune it since i knew the ppms.. IE...
Wk1 Wk2 Wk3 Wk4 Wk5 Wk6 Wk7 wk8
N-50 60 70 80 90 100 110 80
P-5 10 15 20 30 40 50 30
K-80 90 100 110 120 130 110 120

So this Is why I want to make A/B in weekly formulas cause each week I increase or decrease different nutes to get to these ppms...Thanks for the heads up on the calc theres a few things id like to understand more or change lol..Should i just email him?

 

[Crysmatic]

go ahead and email him.

i'm getting the hang of 'salts to formulations'. i'm making hammerhead 2-4-10 (as a complete fertilizer, not just an additive). i was trying for 102-89-425-100-50. i kept getting 112-89-425-0-34 and 54ppm sulphur. hydro buddy wasn't using any potassium sulphate. it uses KNO3 to fulfill K, and adding more N than I wanted.

KNO3 81g

MgSO4 41.6g
MKP 39.3g
K2SO4 0

i went back and forth adjusting salt weights on the 'nutrient salts used' tab to get my ppm - as shown on the 'salts to formulation' tab. in this way you can 'manually' make your recipe. i now get 102-89-425-62-34. with my tap water, CaMg goes to 102-50, which gives me Ca/N=1 and Mg/Ca=0.5. sulphur is 105 ppm.

KNO3 74g

MgSO4 34g
MKP 39.3g
K2SO4 6g
CaSO4 27g

note that calcium sulphate is NOT suitable for A/B solutions because you can only dissolve 2.1 g/L. it must be used in direct addition.

 

[Crysmatic]

i think i've mentioned that hydro buddy has a 2% error when calculating weights. it's because when you add 1L of A and 1L of B to a 100L res, you end up with 102L. (102-100)/100 = 2%. when making direct adds, just input your res as 102L, and add 10 ml/L A/B solution as normal.

i just realised that it also has a 0.5% error when it calculates concentrate ppm. same idea. e.g. sweet. 20 ml/usgal application rate. you end up with 3.805L, not 3.785L. hydro buddy shows 90.37 ppm Mg, whereas true ppm is 89.89.

nothing serious...just food for thought.

 

[REGISTRD]

i think i've mentioned that hydro buddy has a 2% error when calculating weights. it's because when you add 1L of A and 1L of B to a 100L res, you end up with 102L. (102-100)/100 = 2%. when making direct adds, just input your res as 102L, and add 10 ml/L A/B solution as normal.

i just realised that it also has a 0.5% error when it calculates concentrate ppm. same idea. e.g. sweet. 20 ml/usgal application rate. you end up with 3.805L, not 3.785L. hydro buddy shows 90.37 ppm Mg, whereas true ppm is 89.89.

nothing serious...just food for thought.

HEADS UP.... v9.61 released Today...
there was an issue with the custom salt feature I noticed.
Yes ive been emailing Daniel thanks Crys...
Part#1 com ferts of his June blog has a tutorial Of how to use the "salt to Formulation" tab.
Ive printed and been going over and over again..lol
Yes comparing IE. 15g/ml of Florabloom on PHspread gives me more PPM than Hydrobuddy . I even made sure it was on direct salt addition..
Ill prob mention it in my next email see what he says.

 

[REGISTRD]

Hmmm things are def diff... Not sure where the math issues lay but there is discrepencies between the two programs..
IE.. 10ml of Floramicro and 10ml of Florabloom on Hydrobuddy do not equal what 10 and 10 do On PH..

 

[Crysmatic]

thanks registrd!

i think he IS reading this thread. lol. our feedback is driving most of the changes! i just left him a donation.

- Added an “Add on top” option to the “copy commercial nutrient’s formulation” option so that now different fertilizers can be added on top of each other to determine the final ppm. This should provide a good solution for people using Linux who cannot get the “custom salt” options to work correctly. It should also help people who want to design a preparation which is a combination of several commercial fertilizers

i really like the new version! it's still time consuming for doing your weekly formulas, or copying a commercial fert chart...but it can't be everything to everybody.