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Making your own Nutrients

dubwise

dubwise

in the thick of it
Veteran
Are the materials in these formulas cheaper then the store bought nutrients? I don't really understand why anyone would do this aside from becoming more self sufficient...
 
M

*mistress*

Member
Veteran
dubwise said:
Are the materials in these formulas cheaper then the store bought nutrients? I don't really understand why anyone would do this aside from becoming more self sufficient...
Click to expand...
yes. > coins.
tailoring your own formula, to suit individual & specific cultivars' needs.

most good hydro/gardening/nursery shops should carry these ingredients.

you will also be getting a pure solution, whereas most commercial formulas contain lots of ballast/filler.

enjoy your garden!
 
!!!

!!!

Now in technicolor
Veteran
Yeah these chemicals are way cheaper, especially in bulk. It's important to look for interactions between the chemicals you're mixing and also note that commercial products have other things added which help stabilize the nutes and increase absorption. I don't know exactly what, I haven't looked into it, but perhaps a wetting agent and a light fungicide (in hydro nutes). Test your homemade stuff on some plants before using them on your entire crop.
 
dubwise

dubwise

in the thick of it
Veteran
I found a place fairly close yesterday that carries most of those items and will be trying this out. I've got a few plants I could try this with and do a nice side by side. Thanks for the great information!
 
S

squarepush3r

Member
we have been discussing this recently at Rollitup.

Heres a complete DIY Lucas Formula

http://www.rollitup.org/hydroponics-aeroponics/268790-lucas-formula-recipe-scratch-really.html


fatman7574
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Lucas Formula Recipe from Scratch "Really"
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This is based upon an analysis of bottled GH micro and bloom combined on a 1 to 2 , so: N=5, P=10, K=9 and M=3
i.e the Lucas Formula

Amounts are in Ounces: Final ppm each nutrient: N=176, P=133, K=300, M=100, Calcium=166
Part A.
Calcium Nitrate 75.3
Iron Chelate 2.25

Part B.
Mono Potassium Phosphate 104.8
Magnesium Sulfate 67.4

Trace Part B.
Manganese Sulfate 0.448
Boric Acid 0.085
Zinc Sulfate 0.009
Copper Sulfate 0.003
Ammonium Molybdate 0.0014


This recipe is for a x100 concentrate. That means a combination of 2.5 gallons of Part A. And 2.5 gallons of Part B to which the trace nutrients are added. With all mixed to gether in a dry mix you have the dry mix equivalent of Floro Nova Bloom without the added humus.

This should cost about $35 to mix up. ie about $7 per gallon.
 
Big Foot

Big Foot

Member
I could see it being useful in commericial grow ops that need lots of nutes. Buying these minerals in bulk would really save a lot.
 
indifferent

indifferent

Active member
Veteran
I've mixed my own hydro nutes before, I did so for a decade.

Commercial product such as GH Flora is made of three ingredients:

1. Water
2. Dye
3. Chemical salt

So you are paying for the plastic bottle, fancy label, water, dye (otherwise it would be a clear liquid) and a few pennies of chemicals.

I would rather just pay the few pennies for the chemicals and supply my own water and bottle, skip the dye and label!

Let me give you some simple examples of how to make your own nutrients, using things you can buy in any garden centre in the UK, in other countries you will have the same things available as these are common horticultural chemicals sold all over the world:

Canna PK13-14, 1 litre costs 14-14ukp:

pk1314.jpg


For your 14 quid you are getting a plastic bottle, a pair of nice printed labels, a litre of water and a couple of grams of chemical.

To make your own PK13-14, all you need is the powder form of Mono Potassium Phosphate (KH2P04),which isa very commonly available horticultural chemical. Take a 1 litre bottle, put 10-15g of Mono Potassium Phosphate powder in it, top up with hot tap water, put on cap, shake for 30 secs, et voila, you just made a litre of PK13-14. Mono Potassium Phosphate in the UK costs about a fiver for 250g, if the garden centre doesn't have any, your local aquarium supply place will as it's widely used in fishkeeping.

So to make a litre of Pk13-14 you need 20p of chemicals, and your plants will not be able to tell the difference as both the homemade and store bought products are the exact same thing - KH2P04 in solution.
 
indifferent

indifferent

Active member
Veteran
picture.php


The ingredients for these recipes are easy to purchase in the UK I notice:

Calcium Nitrate, 4.99 for 800g:

311.jpg


Sulphate of Potash, 1.25kg for 4.99:

291.jpg


Sulphate of Magnesium, 1.25kg for 4.99:

504.jpg


Potassium Nitrate, 7.50 for 500g:

114.jpg


Potassium Phosphate, 5.99 for 500g:

gggggggg.jpg


Chelated Trace Elements, 6.99 for 800g:

021.jpg


Let's add up the cost of that lot: 35.45ukp

I'd add some humic and fulvic acid to aid chelation, some kelp for overall health and that's about it. Maybe some molasses for carbs. Kelp powder is very cheap from the healthfood store, I get molasses for 6.99 for 5 litres from the animal feed place.

I haven't been able to find a UK source of cheap powdered fulvic acid, anyone know where to buy it?
 
D

delta9nxs

No Jive Productions
Veteran
complete chemical list

complete chemical list

hey! this is supposed to be a complete list of possible chemicals that can be used to create your own salt mix. this is NOT a recipe so please don't get all this shit and dump on your babies.


Ammonia (NH3)
Nitrate (NO3)
Potassium nitrate (KNO3)
Calcium nitrate (Ca(NO3)2)
Ammonium sulfate ((NH4)2SO4)
Ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3)
Diammonium anhydride ((NH4)2HPO4
Phosphoric anhydride (P2O5)
Phosphate (PO4)
Monopotassium phosphate (KH2PO4))
Diammoniums phosphate ((NH4)2 HPO4)
Phosphoric acid (H3PO4)
Potash (K20)
Potassium nitrate (KNO3)
Monopotassium phosphate (KH2PO4)
Potassium chloride (KCl)
Potassium sulfate (K2SO4)
Calcium oxide (CaO)
Calcium nitrate (Ca(NO3)2)
Calciumchloride (CaCl2 * 6H20)
Calcium sulfate (CaSO4 * 2H2O)
Magnesium oxide (MgO)
Magnesium sulfate (MgSO4 * 7H2O)
Sulfuric acid (H2SO4)
Ammonium sulfate ((NH4)2SO4)
Potassium sulfate (K2SO4)
Magnesium sulfate (MgSO4 * 2H2O)
Calcium sulfate (CaSO4 * 2H2O)
Ferrous sulfate (FeSO4 * 7H2O)
Iron chelate (FeEDTA)
Boric acid (H3BO3)
Sodium tetraborate (Na2B4O7 * 10H2O) borax
Copper sulfate (CuSO4 * 5H20)
Manganese sulfate (MnSO4 * 4H2O)
Manganese chloride (MnCl2 * 4H2O)
Manganese chelate (MnEDTA) 5% liquid
Zinc sulfate (ZnSO4 * 7H2O)
Zinc chloride (ZnCl2)
Zinc chelate (ZnEDTA) 14% powder
Zinc chelate, 9% liquid
Ammonium molybdate ((NH4)6Mo7O24)
Sodium molybdate (Na6Mo7O24)
 
D

delta9nxs

No Jive Productions
Veteran
here is something that i have actually used with good results.
Nutrient schedule @ .5 conversion

Veg weeks 1-2-3-4-5 total ppm 770

600 ppm 15-16-17 jacks professional
100 ppm calcium chloride
70 ppm magnesium sulfate

pre-flower weeks 6-7 in veg and 1-2-3 in flower total ppm 770

450 ppm 10-30-20 jacks professional
150 ppm calcium nitrate
100 ppm potassium chloride
70 ppm magnesium sulfate

flower weeks 4-5-6-7-8 in flower total ppm 770

600 ppm 10-30-20
100 ppm calcium chloride
70 ppm potassium chloride

notice how varying quantities and chemicals allows you to dial in for different stages of growth.

the only part of this i didn't like was the potassium chloride, which was derived from muriate of potash. indifferents sulphate of potash would be a much better choice.
 
D

delta9nxs

No Jive Productions
Veteran
also wanted to add that these were reached using the specific jacks formulas as a base. it is not a universal formula that can be used with any fert. i would also now change the calcium chloride in veg to calcium nitrate.
 
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