Maxibloom or Flora Nova: better ph buffering?

[delta9nxs]

here is a shot of what's left of the batch i mentioned. you can clearly see how it has re-separated after dilution.

the second shot shows one of the same shaken by one hand 10 seconds. it will look just like the others again within the hour.

the third shot shows a 2 week old working solution that has not been aerated or circulated in any way. a plant in it the whole time. no precipitation.

 

[GeorgeSmiley]

What the hell...... that seems like a pain in the ass if you go through all that just to use their product and make it consistent.

Does maxi have that issue?

 

[GrowerGoneWild]

What the hell...... that seems like a pain in the ass if you go through all that just to use their product and make it consistent.

Does maxi have that issue?

Well it is good.. I can get 1 Gram Per Watt yields using FN. in vert, and .8 GPW in SCROG on average, or .8 GPW in normal style with a variety of strains With relatively low wattages. So those of you wanting a more organic approach, this is the way for you.

So for me the selling point of FN is the organic nature of the nutrient. AND the great PH stability.

I'd like to test this more when I get my 1KW SOG going.

However I gotta keep an eye on my sprayers, pumps.. etc. It might be more appropriate for those DWC or E&F methods. But the mess and residue from FN is a major drawback for me. I literally hate cleanup day.

I prolly will use up what FN I have and just find another 1 part bloom nute, botanacare looks promising and so does NSR Greenleaves.

 

[delta9nxs]

it is very good. i too am in the gpw+ club. i don't seem to quite get there running anything else. if i were going to a "bud" smackdown, i'd want a floranova bud. it's something of a pita to work with initially but very easy after diluting. i don't even measure it out anymore. i take a quick tds reading of any leftover solution thinned with todays water, slosh some in from a freshly shaken jug, stir with canoe paddle, check, repeat if necessary until i hit my target. i can consistently hit any # i want now.

maxibloom pretty much is one of the easiest ferts to use right out of the box. spoon it out with measuring spoons. just don't put a wet spoon back into the container.

 

[slowandeasy]

FNB smells like butthole sometimes when I leave it in a jug mixed up. Done with it, switching to MaxiBloom tonight. Any tips? Doing DWC, should I get some Floralicous Plus? What kind of pH does it come out to at full strength usually? Not sure why, but FNB is 5 or lower pH at full strength with RO for me, everytime. Always need pH up! Does Maxi mix and stay mixed well? Thanks

 

[GrowerGoneWild]

FNB smells like butthole sometimes when I leave it in a jug mixed up. Done with it, switching to MaxiBloom tonight. Any tips? Doing DWC, should I get some Floralicous Plus? What kind of pH does it come out to at full strength usually? Not sure why, but FNB is 5 or lower pH at full strength with RO for me, everytime. Always need pH up! Does Maxi mix and stay mixed well? Thanks

Youre results are typical, FN PH's low when mixed with RO water.
I'm guessing here, but it could be the product was intended to be mixed with tap water...

I like floralicious plus, with FN, unless the formulation has recently changed, FLora+ really stinks bad, like a sewer.. but IMHO its worth the stink, the buds do take on some weight and aroma. I use it at 1/2 strength.

 

[buddin_904]

i was down to my last probably 1/6 of a bottle of FNB, it had the infamous huge crystals that shaking never dissolved. well, like a dumbass, i used it for my grow anywyas. 2 months later, im wondering why all my leaves curled down and my buds werent that big. well my guess is that the nitrogen got too concentrated towards the bottom on the bottle with all those crystals i suppose. definately wacked out my plant. i wont be so stupid as to use the bottom of the bottle again.

 

[delta9nxs]

hey, buddin-904. it's important that you get everthing in the bottle totally dissolved before even the first use. no matter how you choose to do it. you have just used a bottle that's been "off" from a chemical standpoint right from the beginning. if it is not completely mixed from the start you are starting off with nutrient imbalances that can only get worse as you use the bottle.

the crystals are more likely mag sulfate than nitrogen, but it really doesn't matter what it is. if you find crystals and chunks in the bottom at the end of a bottle it means the whole bottle was off from the beginning.

hope this helps

 

[Hydro-Soil]

Say what? That can't be right...your saying GH adds soil INTO fnb? What Canadian tests?

Someone posted links to the results of the tests done by Canada. Apparently they test nutrients to be sure they match what the label guarantees is in the bottle.

I don't know where the links are (last week or something) but when you look up FNB it has "Potting Mix" as one of the ingredients.

 

[GeorgeSmiley]

Someone posted links to the results of the tests done by Canada. Apparently they test nutrients to be sure they match what the label guarantees is in the bottle.

I don't know where the links are (last week or something) but when you look up FNB it has "Potting Mix" as one of the ingredients.

This might be the post you were thinking of?

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=148508

 

[slowandeasy]

Made the switch to Maxi-Bloom last night! Starting pH with RO water was 4.6! Boosted up to 5.7 to start. Will see how the plants like it, and if the pH is stable soon. Not using Floralicous plus, but can buy if it is worth it. Will update on progress.

 

[slowandeasy]

Well, so far so good! pH is very stable, and everything looks great so far! We shall see how they look in a few days.

 

[bostrom155]

This should be the first STICKY in the "Nutrients and Fertilizers" Forum. Im sure alot of people are unaware of this.

 

[zero.kewl]

maxibloom was by far better for me. it didnt stain the roots or my tubs and was a killler trainwreck smoke

 

[slowandeasy]

Been using Maxi-Bloom for 1 week now, and couldnt be happier! Clean rez, stable levels, and plants are lovin it so far. Will keep update, but so far....So good! FNB is too thick, and is a PITA. pH has been great with Maxi, just need a little up with RO water when you first fill the bucket. after that it stays rock solid.

 

[CaptainTrips]

Maxibloom is great, most people don't even know about it... works about perfect with my tap water with little/no ph adjusting...

 

[Dimebagg]

This should be the first STICKY in the "Nutrients and Fertilizers" Forum. Im sure alot of people are unaware of this.

I went with FNB due to the initial response in this thread, plants look great minus slightly wilted leaves, but Im trying to use a minimum amount of nutes to keep my spending down, and slowly adding more as they need it, and Im not feeding recomended dosages yet. I dont have an accurate pH meter, but as someone on here once said, If the plants are happy and healthy, who care what the pH is?

so my report: Flora Nova Bloom keeps my tap waters pH balanced enough to grow some healthy plants

 

[bostrom155]

yes and we have to mix the hell out of them, Delta's 3:1 seems to mix good. Looking forward to some better results. Gonna be fun

 

[Carl Carlson]

Im running a micro DWC in 1 gallon rubbermaid tubs, and looking for a pH buffering nute to help me get in the general area of where I want to be. I kind of have my mind set between Flora Nova and Maxibloom. Im wondering if anyone can tell me from experience which one would get me more in the 5.5 range. Both claim to buffer to 5.5-6.5

On the MaxiBloom label, the following direction is given:

Maintain nutrient pH between 5.5 and 6.5.

on the FNB label:

Maintain nutrient pH between 5.0 and 6.5. Adjustment may be necessary since water quality and pH vary both regionally and seasonally.

Is that what you meant?

The change in pH with the production of dissolved oxygen in the original poster's DWC system is going to be to different than what every other person experienced with these fertilizer products, unless they have identical or very similar water supplies and maintain identical water temperatures and aeration practices.

The phrase "water quality" in that sentence on the FNB label is a reference to both hardness and alkalinity (buffering capacity).

fyi:

Alkalinity and Water Quality

Alkalinity (Buffering Capacity)

Alkalinity refers to the capability of water to neutralize acid. This is really an expression of buffering capacity. A buffer is a solution to which an acid can be added without changing the concentration of available H+ ions (without changing the pH) appreciably. It essentially absorbs the excess H+ ions and protects the water body from fluctuations in pH. The presence of calcium carbonate or other compounds such as magnesium carbonate contribute carbonate ions to the buffering system. Alkalinity is often related to hardness because the main source of alkalinity is usually from carbonate rocks (limestone) which are mostly CaCO3. If CaCO3 actually accounts for most of the alkalinity, hardness in CaCO3 is equal to alkalinity. Since hard water contains metal carbonates (mostly CaCO3) it is high in alkalinity. Conversely, unless carbonate is associated with sodium or potassium which don't contribute to hardness, soft water usually has low alkalinity and little buffering capacity. So, generally, soft water is much more susceptible to fluctuations in pH from acid rains or acid contamination.

Methodology: Alkalinity is an electrometric measurement which is performed by the computer aided titrimeter (CAT) and the pH electrode. A potentiometric titration is taken to an end-point reading of pH 4.5. The amount of acid required to reach a pH of 4.5 is expressed in milliliters. The calcium ions (CO3) neutralize the acid in this reaction, and show the buffering capacity of the sample. From the amount of acid used, a calculation will indicate the amount of carbonate (CO3) involved in the reaction. This then is expressed as mg of CaCO3/L even though actually part of the alkalinity may be contributed by MgCO3 , Na2CO3 or K2CO3.

For more info on correlation between levels of d.o., water temp. and water alkalinity, see this post in the "Who is aerating their res?" thread.

 

[Hydro-Soil]

I think I'll be going with floranova. Everything Ive read about both were good reviews, but FN seems to have a few more followers. I just dont want to have to be in a constant pH battle with these little pots. Thanks guys

I saw you went with the FloraNova. You'll not be disappointed but you may wish to change to Maxibloom in the future... all depends on you.

Personally, I'm getting tired of the potting mix film covering my pH pen wick. They add potting mix to the FNB to keep things from combining improperly.... that's also why it's so thick. (Bunch of dirt in there. Heh)

I'm looking forward to switching to Maxibloom soon and noticed there's also an extra .5% Magnesium in it as well. Might make a difference if you have a mag hungry strain.

Stay Safe!