Disclaimer: I have no connection to the fertilizer industry or any of these entities whatsoever, accept as a customer.

This is for people that don't mind buying in bulk and want to spend the least without actually buying 15 different, 5-25 lb. bags to mix up.


Hydro base:

Jack's Professional Hydro 5-12-26
Peters Professional Hydro 5-11-26
order Jack's Hydro, Calcium Nitrate and other individual compounds from: https://www.jrpeterslab.com/spec_chemicals.html

also:
CHEM-GRO HYDROPONIC SPECIAL FORMULA 5-11-26
Verti-Gro 5-10-25 and 6-12-28 Hydroponic Formulas

+

Calcium Nitrate:

Yara Liva
https://www.hydro-gardens.com/fertcomp.htm
https://www.cropking.com/HydroponicSu...fc7c5410964cd8
https://vertigro.com/products/fertilizers.php


+ Potassium Silicate (for Silicon):

https://www.hydro-gardens.com/fertcomp.htm


edit 10/27/10: If you are on the East Coast - Griffin Greenhouse & Nursery (click for locations) stocks Peters Hydro and Calcium Nitrate. Walk-ins do not have to setup an account in order to buy.


This is not my grow thread, but if you do want to see the Jacks/Calcinit in action, check out Delta9nxs:

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showpost.ph...&postcount=809


All four of the base mixes above vary slightly. Less P here and there and less Mg. You may also need Epsom salts. To give everyone an idea of how it works in general, this is the mixing instruction sheet for Peters Professional Hydro + Calcium Nitrate + Epsom salts:



some prices and two other products:


Maxibloom @ 1 tsp/gal = .083 cents U.S. per gallon

vs

Jacks Pro Hydro + Calcium Nitrate @ EC 2.1 = .016 cents U.S. per gallon (based on 25 pound bag prices)

or

Osmocote Plus controlled release fertilizer @ full strength (27 grams per gallon), the 4.5 lb consumer size for $15.00 U.S. = 75 one gallon containers fertilized for 3-4 months under HID lighting

Or you can get a 50 pound bag of the OC+ for $115 U.S. = .136 cents per each of 840 one gallon containers fertilized for 3-4 months

OC+ product sheet and MSDS (also mixing amounts)

The OC+ can be used along with soil food web principles...

In AUS, Scotts sells this:

Osmocote® Plus Organics plant foods

An application of Osmocote® Plus Organics All Purpose lasts for 6 months. It is best applied at the beginning of spring and can be applied again in autumn.

How Osmocote® Plus Organics works

• Original Osmocote® controlled release fertililser granules release nutrients when plants need them most for up to 6 months.
• Added organic matter such as composted manure, blood and bone, seaweed and fish organically enrich the soil and encourage beneficial microbial and earthworm activity.
• Natural gypsum is a clay breaker that improves the soil and adds calcium.
• The addition of an excellent wetting agent enhances water absorption into the soil and helps plants take up more nutrients.

Osmocote® Plus Organics All Purpose has
an NPK of 13.4 : 1.5 : 4.9

This product is not available in the U.S., but I like the idea so am testing my own version in the form of Espoma Bio-Tone Plus + Kelp Meal + Osmocote Plus as a base fertilizer mix.

late edit - 11/18/10:

An alternative to Osmocote is Nutricote / Dynamite. Dynamite is the retail version and can be found at Lowes. They also make an organic version.

My one complaint about the OC+ is a lack of K during flowering. Our ferts should have more K than N during bloom and the reverse in veg. The red label Dynamite 14-14-14 might be the best of the CRFs / TRFs. Dynamite is time release, while the OC+ is based on temperature in the root zone.

Nice job Carl.

There is an old grower I know that has always used jacks classic fertilizers (not the hydro, he grows conventionally) and has had nothing but amazing results. Of course he has been growing since the late 60's so I guess that helps.

[F_T_P!]

Jack's Pro Hydro w/ calcinit is great stuff. I switched to it from GH 3 part and I get better results with less work and money.

I use potassium silicate as well. I found a store on ebay that sells fulvic acid, amino acids and MKP by the pound in powdered form.

This is a great place with lots of fair priced products to choose from.
https://stores.ebay.com/The-Organic-Store

I just received my package from them and everything looks high quality. The fulvic and amino acids are going in after my next rez change.

Originally Posted by F_T_P!

Jack's Pro Hydro w/ calcinit is great stuff. I switched to it from GH 3 part and I get better results with less work and money.

I use potassium silicate as well. I found a store on ebay that sells fulvic acid, amino acids and MKP by the pound in powdered form.

This is a great place with lots of fair priced products to choose from.
https://stores.ebay.com/The-Organic-Store

I just received my package from them and everything looks high quality. The fulvic and amino acids are going in after my next rez change.

I'm glad you're enjoying success and that's a good link, thanks.

It reminds me to post this one -

https://www.super-grow.biz/

Here is a pic of a Jack's plus calnit grow three weeks into flower. Not only the cheapest but the best in my opinion...





edit...to be fair there are some shipping costs that raise the cost of Jacks/calnit...my total cost for nutes (not counting water) is a little over 2 cents a gal in CO.

Very nice YosemiteSam. I love threads like this, really breaks the mold when it comes to nutrients and shows guys that a lot of $$$ does not have to be spent to achieve outstanding results. K+
And K+ to Carl Carson for the thread start.

[orange juice]

I just started using pretty much this same line up. You guys that have been using it for a while, do you bother with p/k booster? If so I'm guessing Mono-Potassium Phosphate, what ppm p/k do you prefer from your experience?

I do not use a PK booster with this...Jacks and calnit which comes out at a pH of 5.2/5.3 for me in RO water and occasionally a little bleach to keep me res/roots nice and sparkly. That is the entirety of what I feed.

With about 3 weeks to go I cut out the calnit. I never go above an EC of 1.5 and I have yet to experience a deficiency with these products.

edit...gotta admit I am considering a little silicon as I think raising my pH a little will not hurt anything. Not totally convinced the silicon will help though...maybe a side by side is in my future.

[F_T_P!]

Originally Posted by orange juice

I just started using pretty much this same line up. You guys that have been using it for a while, do you bother with p/k booster? If so I'm guessing Mono-Potassium Phosphate, what ppm p/k do you prefer from your experience?

If you do use a booster, MKP is all you need. Use it at 1-2 tsp. per 5 gallons, I think that is about 200 ppm at .5

Jack's hydro will work great alone, but I do believe a little extra P in flowering is never a bad thing.

Carl...thanks for that Hydro Gardens link. I see a grow with weekly tissue analysis coming in my not so distant future.