House & Garden in soil...controversial, or just wrong?

[joe fresh]

hey guys, i was on the H&G website and looking through the FAQ's (http://www.house-garden.us/faq/) and came across a few wierd responses from the H&G ppl, i have since emailed them and am waiting for a response...


here are the "controversial" Q&A i found on the faq's:

Chris December 28, 2011 at 11:50 pm I grow in beds an water every 3 days. Should I use a&b nutrients every watering? Also, do you recommend using any sugar during flowering?
Reply

House & Garden December 29, 2011 at 1:50 pm Hi Chris,
Yes, you want to feed every time you water. We use Bud XL instead of adding sweeteners. The Bud XL will extract the sugars within the leaves and transfer them to the fruit to sweeten naturally. Peace!
Alan

AND

Slick December 20, 2011 at 11:23 am
Im using Soil A/B and along with the rest of the line, my question is how many days in between each feed? I’ve heard Feed/Feed/Water with 2 days in between each, but if I wait 2 days my girls look very dry and start sagging.
Reply

House & Garden December 22, 2011 at 2:14 pm Hi slick,
You want to feed every time you water. The time in between isn’t written in stone, it really depends on how big your plants are and how big the pots are. I tell people to water when the soil is dry and the plants are just beginning to look a little limp. Peace!
Alan

and here is their feed chart http://www.house-garden.ca/feed-charts/mix-rates/


so basicly according to them i should be feeding EVERY WATERING with no plain waterings in between, using their recomended chart feed strength...(ex:week 2 of veg chart says 1.4 EC, and if i water 3 times a week, then i should be using 1.4 EC 3 times a week...)

this doesnt make much sense to me...any opinions?

 

[wilbur]

I 'm outdoor, soil. sounds extreme to me, Joe. I feed every third water when its hot and the plants are a bit older. also foliar feed once a week.

 

[Guest 18340]

I don't know, I feed every time whenever I use soil. Not using H&G, but I feed with every watering nonetheless...

 

[h.h.]

Expensive water. That's why you need to feed every time.

 

[krunchbubble]

call the European House and Garden number, they are very knowledgeable people...

 

[joe fresh]

I don't know, I feed every time whenever I use soil. Not using H&G, but I feed with every watering nonetheless...

using the cheap blue powder(name brand is irrelevent)? whats your EC if you feed every time you water?


ive done it in the past with some jacks pro, 650 ppm (1.3 EC) every watering, but with a custom mixed soil(not the same as now) and a specific strain where that was the "special recipe" for that strain...

 

[Guest 18340]

I no longer have an ec meter but I use either Maxibloom @ 7grams/gal or Lucas (8ml/gal Micro, 18 ml/gal Bloom).
*EDIT* Not sure which of the two formulas it is but I seem to remember 1.2 ec. Either formula I use, i feed with every watering.
Mind you, this happens in a control environment with as close to perfect conditions as possible. I've tried feeding everyday in soil outside in warm temps the plants burned slightly.

 

[joe fresh]

I no longer have an ec meter but I use either Maxibloom @ 7grams/gal or Lucas (8ml/gal Micro, 18 ml/gal Bloom).

hmmm...maxi @ 7 G gal is about 1100 ppm (2.2 EC)...which is rather high...and you feed every watering?

i thought the lucas formula in soil was to be used every second watering?

thx for the info guys...REP to those i can. those i cant gotta wait till i spread, lol


EDIT: it actually comes out to 1350ppm(2.7EC)

 

[Guest 18340]

Btw, I use either promix or Fafords (SP). But yeah, Lucas or Maxi, they get it whenever I water.
Reminds me I have to by a news meter...

 

[Mycel]

Drip clean ........

 

[joe fresh]

heres a few more from their faq's....still waitng for an email

ps. it should be noted that depending where you live(uk, usa, canada, austrailia) the feed charts recomend different feed rates, this would make me think that they dilute depending where they are selling it?

Tu December 15, 2011 at 9:35 pm

I’m growing in soil…should I be feeding my plants every watering? The feeding chart only shows the measurements for each product but doesn’t suggest how often? Can someone please clarify because my plants seem to be over fert. and or experiencing some sort of nute lockout. Any advice and help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Reply

House & Garden December 16, 2011 at 9:57 am

Hi Tu,

Yes, you need to feed every time you water. Maybe they need more food and they aren’t locked out. Sometimes the symptoms can look similar. If the leaves are getting pale looking, they might just need more food. Try spraying with Magic Green if you have some. Peace!

Alan

EVAN December 20, 2011 at 10:58 pm

SO IT ISNT TRUE THAT I SHOULD USE NEUTS THEN WATER THE NEXT TIME?NUETS ALL THE TIME ALL WEEKS VEG AND FLOWER?

Reply

House & Garden December 22, 2011 at 2:15 pm

Hi Evan,

Feed every time you water. Peace!

Alan

i should also note that im taking these faqs from the usa site

 

[Hammerhead]

I also feed every watering. I do not follow the directions on any Nutrient bottle. I use 1/2 -3/4 strength of what is recommended

 

[Homebrewer]

I feed at every watering in promix with RO water, 0.6 EC (not with H&G).

Day 30:



Day 65:

 

[h.h.]

Maybe in hydro, but I did better in soil with Flora Nova or Maxibloom than with the H&G. I do just as well with EWC and some seabird guano and a little fish hydrolysate if needed..

 

[mjactivist]

When using the H&G soil line are u still using Drip Clean?

If so, maybe thats why H&G says feed every watering.
L8
MJ

 

[Mycel]

Drip clean ........

DRIP CLEAN.....

 

[AOD2012]

Drip clean is awesome. I am running in coco, so not the same, but I never water to runoff, and only time I had a problem with salt buildup is when I forgot to add the dripclean for a week. Hope that helps brother.


aod

 

[raypack]

Does this mean that hydro dose recommendations are actually accurate?

Like Hammerhead says, for soil half strength is usually more like it with many if not most nute companies.

 

[joe fresh]

well i finally got my response...

To answer your question, House and Garden does not have salt build up which is a main reason for the possibility to feed every time. You should know that all charts are a suggestion and do not always work for every situation and may need to be refined. There are many variables that may change your feeding schedule. In cases with excessive salt build up you usually have to feed water feed. This is due to the salts releasing more trapped nutrients and the need to keep salts at low levels. If you feed every time and you see excessive food buildup then lower the level of food with every watering or consider a flush. If the plant can be offered fresh food with every watering then that would be a better option for plant health. I think dividing the feed dose is a pretty good idea if you feel your going to overfeed your plants with full strength. Just to let you know that some gardeners have starved their plants with feed water feed water. It just depends on how well the plants are absorbing the food and what products you use to enhance the food uptake, not to mention PH, temp, disease, weak genetics, strong genetics and CO2.

sounds like a pretty general response...but i dont see how they say "their nutes dont have salt build up" since they are made with salts...

whatever, my plants look nice right now and i think i will just forget their feeding schedule all together....when will a nute company actually come out with a chart that actually isnt too high on ferts...

 

[spunion]

Drip clean ........

I don't use drip clean or any H&G products but this was my first reaction. If you're only watering twice a week anyway, you'll probably use the fertilizer every watering based on most companies recommended dosages.