What's wrong with the cheap stuff?

[ibjamming]

I'm sure an "experienced" grower can get away with using the common fertilizers like Miracle Grow or Peters... Do you REALLY have to spend 10X more for GH or AN ferts?

Anyone out there do a complete grow using them? How about soiless like 1/2 sphagnum and 1/2 perlite with some dolomite lime added? Will Miracle Grow work for soiless? Does it include enough different things? Everything essential?

I've got a few grows under my belt...I do OK, nothing spectacular, good enough for me to feed my head...and I use AN Sensi grow and bloom...I was just thinking (my bottles are getting low and won't make it past this grow) can I get a 2lb box of Miracle Grow for a couple of bucks and use that instead?

What would you recommend? The Green box 18-18-18 or whatever the general purpose one is...or the Tomato box? For flowering, do you have to switch? To the Bloom box? I could get all three for under $10, far less than the $50-70 the AN or GH products cost, and it will last twice as long.

Anyone out there actually do a grow with these products? How do they compare to the GH or AN? Is it REALLY worth the difference?

A curious mind would like to know...

 

[ocean99]

I think the problem with miracle grow products is they make pot taste like shit, so if you're cool with getting high while smoking the herbal equivalent of rubber tires.... well more power to ya dude.

 

[OGfarmerted]

generally its just harsh and unbalanced for our applications. it can work, but youll need more micro nutrients and possible add ons like a calcium and magnesium boost. i would use soil and perlite with it, not soiless. its numbers are high and would be at first ok with aggressive vegetation, but would stretch like crazy during flowering due to the excessive nitrogen. you would need to switch over to a schultz african violet mix with high potassium and phos -all of which are available at average places (walmart). they also sell bloom enhancements for cactus that will get you stuff you need, check a local nursery too.
hope this helps

 

[uglybunny]

Miracle gro works well, just watch out for burning and salt build up. I recommend half strength if you use miracle gro all purpose. The specialized mixes with high P and K will be better for flowering as OGfarmerted said.

 

[Guest 18340]

If you want to use MG to grow MJ then use the "Tomato plant food". I have used it before with excellent results.
I current use Maxibloom. It's $15 for 2.2lbs and you use 1 tsp/gal = Lucas formula. I'm not good at math but I know a 2.2lb bag of Maxibloom last more than one 60 day grow of 18 plants in coco in 3.4 L pots.
I've posted this pic several times before, this is Mr.Nice Mango/Widow in coco outdoors fed nothing but MG Tomato plant food and tap...

 

[shroomyshroom]

you can deff use cheap stuff I have grown monsters on slow release pellets.... any one who tells you other wise... id be looking at there motives.... keep it simple and cheap is my motto

 

[GrnMtnGrwr]

You definitely don't need the expensive stuff. Even if you bought a quart of GH Flora Micro and Flora Bloom, that would be $30 at the most, and it'd be enough for 105 gallons of nutes. $0.29/gallon?

I just checked someone else post about the Maxibloom powder evlme2 mentioned, they said it was 5g per tsp. That would mean you could get 200 gallons of nutes from $15... $0.08~ per gallon... not bad...

Man... eight cents a gallon is cheap... does anyone know of anything cheaper that will give results as good as Maxibloom?

 

[Biatchzxz]

U know what man I used maxi grow n bloom while back cuz a buddy gave it o me. Along with a Cindy 99 clone. ( the original). That lady was HUGE he was like dude
I wish I had her. As far as MG. I used that when I first first grew. And if ur easy and light with it. I'll be fine even the shultz stuff. But the tomato mg is def better. I mean ur gonna be paying a little more to get urself something like maxi for a few nix
extra. And then u won't have to worry about ur bud tasting like rottin ass/with molded creamcheese along with geese poo flavor. (ewwww I'm gross). Cuz I know what geese poo taste like I use it on my bagels.

 

[happyherb]

these days ive been using GH maxi range...have used other brands here (australia) cheap and expensive ones(hydro canna fertz) and have not found much difference..

pretty happy with the happy with GH...cheaper than my normal brand....was using it at full strength at 1st but after seeing elvme2 grows i have cut it back to 1/2 like he does (i dont have meters for testing) and found it to be cheaper with the same growth....im on a bit of a budget too.HH. =]-~

 

[happyherb]

....

 

[Hydro-Soil]

I'm sure an "experienced" grower can get away with using the common fertilizers like Miracle Grow or Peters... Do you REALLY have to spend 10X more for GH or AN ferts?

Depends on what your style of growing is and what you want your end result to be.

evlme2 pointed out that MaxiBloom is less than 13$ for 2.2lbs. Just ordered some last week myself. Lucas in a dry fert... can't get any more "Premium Nutrition" than that.... and at a cheap price.

With other nutrients... you'll have to use grow styles that are better suited for those nutrients. Plain water for a month, month and a half, to completely remove any nutrients and get a full flush in soil.... does not make for an optimum harvest. Maxibloom will flush clean in a few weeks of clean water.



You also have to take into consideration the experience of the person giving you advice. Do they have a palate? Can they tell the difference between premium cannabis and a bad fert job? (You'd be surprised how many people really can't) Are they someone who considers domestic beer to be "delish"? If you don't also.... You may want to think the info they're giving you from more than one angle.


As cheap as Maxibloom is..... and as widely available as it is (online and offline nursery's everywhere)..... you really shouldn't think twice about anything else. At least not until you think you're ready.


Stay Safe!

 

[outdoe]

I'm sure an "experienced" grower can get away with using the common fertilizers like Miracle Grow or Peters... Do you REALLY have to spend 10X more for GH or AN ferts?

Anyone out there do a complete grow using them? How about soiless like 1/2 sphagnum and 1/2 perlite with some dolomite lime added? Will Miracle Grow work for soiless? Does it include enough different things? Everything essential?

I've got a few grows under my belt...I do OK, nothing spectacular, good enough for me to feed my head...and I use AN Sensi grow and bloom...I was just thinking (my bottles are getting low and won't make it past this grow) can I get a 2lb box of Miracle Grow for a couple of bucks and use that instead?

What would you recommend? The Green box 18-18-18 or whatever the general purpose one is...or the Tomato box? For flowering, do you have to switch? To the Bloom box? I could get all three for under $10, far less than the $50-70 the AN or GH products cost, and it will last twice as long.

Anyone out there actually do a grow with these products? How do they compare to the GH or AN? Is it REALLY worth the difference?

A curious mind would like to know...

1 way to find out try it out on a few and report back......report back!

 

[NFR]

I used Peters Professional 10-30-20 for years. It worked great for commercial crops. Not every crop tasted the best but if we did our part we had good tasting herb as well. It was pretty much what all the commercial guys in my circle were using.

You can really tell the difference when you dump the pots though. Sure is a lot of crusty salt build up. Everything I do these days are on smaller scales so I'm strictly liquid now.

I use to use nothing but Plant Prod 20-20-20 for my mothers as well. $20 last me most of a year.

 

[ReelBusy1]

simple Alaska Fish Fertilizer, Seaweed/Kelp and molasses for me.
works great

 

[TheOutlawTree]

Has anyone used maxibloom outdoorsin pre-mixed in soil? Im planning on filling my holes in mid may with promix and some other nutes and letting it sit untill i transplant my plants in mid june.

Im looking at the maxibloom but not sure if it stays in the soil long enough, i want a one time feeding. Im also looking at primeal harvest indonesian bat guano that is pelletized and time released. I will also add beneficial bacterias, kelp, and whatever else i can think of.

Ive got photosensitive plants that will flower as soon as i put them out, so im going to make sure its a good bloom soil mix.

 

[Hydro-Soil]

Has anyone used maxibloom outdoorsin pre-mixed in soil? Im planning on filling my holes in mid may with promix and some other nutes and letting it sit untill i transplant my plants in mid june.

Im looking at the maxibloom but not sure if it stays in the soil long enough, i want a one time feeding. Im also looking at primeal harvest indonesian bat guano that is pelletized and time released. I will also add beneficial bacterias, kelp, and whatever else i can think of.

Ive got photosensitive plants that will flower as soon as i put them out, so im going to make sure its a good bloom soil mix.

Move this over to the soil forum and you'll probably get a bunch of answers

 

[TheOutlawTree]

Thanks for moving this bro!

So has anyone used maxibloom in soil outdoors??? How long will it last in the soil??

 

[mrred]

that indonesian bat guano works good , i used it powdered in a tea with kelp,molasses and earthworm castings during bloom , it really gave them a jump start .I would stay all organic or all chemical. I would also wait on mixing the bat poop till the plants are still there after a few months then mix it in with the soil because it wont help the plant during veg state p.s. digging a deep hole (like at least 1-1.5 feet depending on your soil) and softenthe dirt up before you put it back in the hole will do you wonders.

 

[TheOutlawTree]

that sounds like a good mix. My plants are going to go into flower 1 or 2 weeks after i put them out in june. They are photosensitive similar to the auto-afgan. Im vegging them on 24 hours. I took clones in last week should all be rooted by next monday (gotta love the easy-cloner). These will be vegged on 24 hours 1000w lights untill mid june, they should be 3 ft by then. When i put them out it will be 17 hours or so of light and they will flower.

I have a very short growing season (june untill mid/end sept) this strain is a local clone only around here, it will be my flagship strain, Along with some other genetics from the legendary esbe!

Im still not 100% on what to use for nutes. I really like the ratio of maxibloom, but i might stay organic..tough decision

 

[captain.koons]

If you want to use MG to grow MJ then use the "Tomato plant food". I have used it before with excellent results.
I current use Maxibloom. It's $15 for 2.2lbs and you use 1 tsp/gal = Lucas formula. I'm not good at math but I know a 2.2lb bag of Maxibloom last more than one 60 day grow of 18 plants in coco in 3.4 L pots.
I've posted this pic several times before, this is Mr.Nice Mango/Widow in coco outdoors fed nothing but MG Tomato plant food and tap...

I'd definitely splurge for Maxibloom before ever considering Miracle Grow, the difference in cost is equivalent to a puff on a joint. I don't use Miracle grow to say from experience but my reasoning is production quality of the Maxi vs MG and the fact that Maxi is tailored to hit the ratios us growers want where MG isn't.