Why Arent You Mixing Your Own Nutes?

[rshackleferd]

Making your own diy nutes will save you hundreds if not thousands in hard earned cash. For example You can make a gallon of concentrate for pennies and you will know the plant has everything it needs, no more worries about deficiencies EVER. A lot of nute companies add the minimum amount of micro nutes or have a recipe for a broad range of plants. This can cause all kinds of problems with us mj growers unless you BUY and add additives such as cal-mag to replace what they don't have. Below ill break down what I have done to get you a basic idea how it works.


LIST OF INGREDIENTS; "Sources for compounds listed below= ebay and amazon" The compounds listed below are legal and safe to use.

Calcium Nitrate
Potassium Nitrate
Iron Chelate "DTPA" AT 10 or 11%
Mono Potassium Phosphate
Magnesium sulfate
Manganese sulfate
Boric Acid
Zinc Sulfate
Copper sulfate
Ammonium Molybdate or sodium molybdate, "The difference is nill"

The average concentration of these elements should fall within these parameters;

Nitrogen "nitrate form" 70-300 ppm
Nitrogen "ammonium form" 0-30 ppm
Potassium 200-400 ppm
Phosphorous 30-90 ppm
Calcium 150-400 ppm
Sulfur 60-330 ppm
Magnesium 25-75 ppm
Iron .5 - 8.0 ppm
Boron .1 - 1.0 ppm
Manganese .1 -1.0 ppm
Zinc .02 - .2 ppm
Molybdenum .01 - .1 ppm
Copper .02 - .2 ppm


Once you have your desired recipe now its time to download and open a program called hydrobuddy,
You will also need a small scale for measuring minute quantities such as .09 or smaller of an ounce and a large scale for measuring 5 or more ounces. You will also need two empty gallon jugs and two full jugs of distilled water. One gallon will be for concentration A and one gallon will be for concentration B. I like to use a half gallon instead of a whole gallon because you dont have to mix as much together when your ready to feed your plants.

Very Important= You should only use distilled water when mixing compounds together. Tap water has extra calcium, copper, and etc. Once you start getting the hang of it and know your tap water you can adjust all this in hydrobuddy but to keep it simple we are going to use distilled water as our base.

Hydrobuddy= http://scienceinhydroponics.com/2016/03/the-first-free-hydroponic-nutrient-calculator-program-o.html

Step 1= Open hydrobuddy then click on the "main page" at top and zero out all targets. I will be using my own grow recipe as a guide, yours might be different,


Step 2= Fill in "target" These are your ppms of your recipe. Then go to stock solution volume and put in "1", then go to concentration units "ppm", mass units "ounces", Then go to solution preparation type "concentration A + B"

Step 3 = "carry out calculation"


Step 4 = " Results" Go to the result tab and click on it. There you should see a list of part A and B. To the right of that its listed as grams but this is an error its really in ounces.

As you see there are two parts A and B, It is listed as grams but this is an error in hydrobuddy, it is really ounces per gallon. Mix the compounds listed as "A" together in one gallon jug and part "B" in the other gallon jug. Like I said above i like to concentrate it by mixing it in half gallon amounts. Once you have finished youre done mixing your nutes for "grow". Mix an equal amount from each jug into your nute container and feed. For example..I will add 8ml of concentrate A and 8ml of concentrate B to a gallon of water which should give me a decent ppm. If not add more to get your desired level.

 

[Dr kabuki]

huumm? very interesting

 

[StandingRock]

I've done a lot of research on mixing my own nutrients too. Nitrates are a great source of nitrogen. Ammoniacal nitrogen is a much less desirable source. Avoid bicarbonates as well. Also, if you mix your own you need to make sure your stock chemicals are compatible with each other and they don't precipitate out. I have four stock solutions for my coco recipe. Lastly, micronutrients can be tricky and expensive. I believe Chelated and EDTA are the best sources.

 

[rshackleferd]

I've done a lot of research on mixing my own nutrients too. Nitrates are a great source of nitrogen. Ammoniacal nitrogen is a much less desirable source. Avoid bicarbonates as well. Also, if you mix your own you need to make sure your stock chemicals are compatible with each other and they don't precipitate out. I have four stock solutions for my coco recipe. Lastly, micronutrients can be tricky and expensive. I believe Chelated and EDTA are the best sources.

This is where hydrobuddy comes in, after you add your ingredients in hydrobuddy it will separate the compounds automatically once you click on, "carry out calculation". In the results page you will notice it separated them into A and B. So for your grow nutes you will have two parts of each. I never had the slightest amount of concentrate form on the bottom of any of my bottles. I had more concentrate form in my commercial brands but not my diy nutes.

 

[Dr kabuki]

I am so going to try this as soon as I finish up all the old newts that I have

 

[rshackleferd]

I am so going to try this as soon as I finish up all the old newts that I have

Its sort of expensive at first, I think i spent $80 bucks for all the compounds but that $80 will last you a lifetime. However the results is what blew me away, i first noticed it in the leafs and then ultimately harvest. Its been five years of diy and i will never go back to commercial brands. I never had one deficiency. I also do not have to use ph up or down, when i mix its usually 5.8 to 6.0. Perfect..

 

[Dr kabuki]

Money well spent in my opinion.
Wow no ph down?that alone makes it worth it!
I have tinker with kelp 4 less stuff before,with good results

 

[MidwestToker]

Just another step in my mediocre garden I don't need is all. just too easy to go to the store and buy a gallon of A+B for $ 70 that will get me by for more than 6 months.

 

[StandingRock]

Just another step in my mediocre garden I don't need is all. just too easy to go to the store and buy a gallon of A+B for $ 70 that will get me by for more than 6 months.

You're absolutely right! That's why I haven't made the switch just yet. But more commercial and bigger gardens would like it.

 

[MidwestToker]

You're absolutely right! That's why I haven't made the switch just yet. But more commercial and bigger gardens would like it.

I produce 25-30 lbs a year at a nutrient cost of around a $150, lighting and environmental control has always been my biggest cost.

 

[PhatNuggz]

Many here are small personal use growers. I grow ~ 3 pounds a year

Recently I began using NPK RAW dry nutrients and amendments. I am extremely happy, with the lone exception being their Microbes. I believe they are essential, but they fail to tell that using them drops pH like a rock. Since the rest of their line produces extremely stable pH, I didn't think to check it. Next day with my daily pH check I was shocked. All 3 rezes dropped from 6.0 to 4.!. Left unchecked that would be catastrophic

 

[StandingRock]

Many here are small personal use growers. I grow ~ 3 pounds a year

Recently I began using NPK RAW dry nutrients and amendments. I am extremely happy, with the lone exception being their Microbes. I believe they are essential, but they fail to tell that using them drops pH like a rock. Since the rest of their line produces extremely stable pH, I didn't think to check it. Next day with my daily pH check I was shocked. All 3 rezes dropped from 6.0 to 4.!. Left unchecked that would be catastrophic

I'm pretty sure some of the major companies like General hydroponics have some sort of agent in their solutions that makes them a little more stable. Don't quote me on that though.

 

[PhatNuggz]

I'm pretty sure some of the major companies like General hydroponics have some sort of agent in their solutions that makes them a little more stable. Don't quote me on that though.

EH is not, and their chemist came from Advanced

 

[StandingRock]

EH is not, and their chemist came from Advanced

lol that's funny. They're all in bed together and Monsanto is just buying them up too. They're hedging big on this industry

 

[rshackleferd]

Just another step in my mediocre garden I don't need is all. just too easy to go to the store and buy a gallon of A+B for $ 70 that will get me by for more than 6 months.

I find diy nutes much easier to use whether you have a small or large set up. Those instructions above does seem like a lot but its really not. All you have to do is measure, pour, and mix. You can make a five year supply in less than 5 minutes. This will save you time, money, and add confidence knowing you have and use the right compounds. You can also turn that $70 into a lifetime of prime nutes with a balanced ph of 5.8 to 6.0. No need for cal-mag, ph up or down, it also feels great knowing your plant has everything it needs. By the time you add up all the additives, adjusters and other junk you come up with a substantial amount when compared to diy nutes and on top of spending all that money you get mediocre nutes.

 

[rshackleferd]

I'm pretty sure some of the major companies like General hydroponics have some sort of agent in their solutions that makes them a little more stable. Don't quote me on that though.

I have used several commercial brands and most list the ingredients on the bottle. I have found most come up short or add the minimum amount of micronutes. They also use cheap versions of compounds to save money, which is one of the reasons i have went to diy. I never had a layer of condensate form in any of my diy batches. I cant say the same for foxfarm trio and a few others I have used in the past.

 

[MidwestToker]

I find diy nutes much easier to use whether you have a small or large set up. Those instructions above does seem like a lot but its really not. All you have to do is measure, pour, and mix. You can make a five year supply in less than 5 minutes. This will save you time, money, and add confidence knowing you have and use the right compounds. You can also turn that $70 into a lifetime of prime nutes with a balanced ph of 5.8 to 6.0. No need for cal-mag, ph up or down, it also feels great knowing your plant has everything it needs. By the time you add up all the additives, adjusters and other junk you come up with a substantial amount when compared to diy nutes and on top of spending all that money you get mediocre nutes.

Your post ask why, I gave you my reasons. I don't care if you want to mix your own salts to make your nutrients, I've done it before. Just not my cup of tea anymore.