Best nutes for Deep Water Culture and why

[Tyrone Hamilton]

Re: Best nutes for Deep Water Culture and why...

Thanks obx, food for thought.

And cleaning my tub with every res change, would I simply pour a gallon or two of fresh water through the system before adding nutes?

I used two identical tubs, and put the plants in a new, clean tub with fresh nutes when I grew Deep Water Culture. I washed the pump, flushed the lines with water or h2o2... or when there was algae, weak bleach solution then rinsed really well, and them put them back into the system. I would pour fresh water through the net cups occasionally, mostly when topping the tank. Even this might have been messing with the delicate balance roots tend to be in... another reason I came up with the tubes this time. With the net cups, I actually prefered to set it up so the drip line only hits the bottom half of the cup, leaving the top dry to avoid algae... which also means you don't get that white salt buildup on top.

This time I'm not doing that... not flushing at all as these nutes don't seem to leave any buildup. Plus I'm not using hydroton, so there's nothing to evaporate salts.

In general, I like to mess with the plants as little as possible, since sometimes my "fixes" can shock them... and that can take weeks to recover from. I've learned this the hard way...

 

[FryingPanFlyer]

Re: Best nutes for Deep Water Culture and why...

I thnk its another thing a hydro salesman pushes.

My thoughts exactly, I like to ask who I trust.

 

[FryingPanFlyer]

Re: Best nutes for Deep Water Culture and why...

I used two identical tubs, and put the plants in a new, clean tub with fresh nutes when I grew Deep Water Culture. I washed the pump, flushed the lines with water or h2o2... or when there was algae, weak bleach solution then rinsed really well, and them put them back into the system. I would pour fresh water through the net cups occasionally, mostly when topping the tank. Even this might have been messing with the delicate balance roots tend to be in... another reason I came up with the tubes this time. With the net cups, I actually prefered to set it up so the drip line only hits the bottom half of the cup, leaving the top dry to avoid algae... which also means you don't get that white salt buildup on top.

This time I'm not doing that... not flushing at all as these nutes don't seem to leave any buildup. Plus I'm not using hydroton, so there's nothing to evaporate salts.

In general, I like to mess with the plants as little as possible, since sometimes my "fixes" can shock them... and that can take weeks to recover from. I've learned this the hard way...

Sounds like you are very thorough! Obviously this will help you keep the doctor away.

I've kept everything as clean as possible, not letting any leaves fall into the res, that sort of thing. And I agree with leaving the plants alone as much as possible. Let them grow, keep them healthy, give them what they need, nothing to excess.

 

[proudstoner]

Re: Best nutes for Deep Water Culture and why...

i used fox farm for vegging and for flowering with my last grow and seem to always nute burn in flowering stage no matter what so this grow i used fox farm for vegging and for flowering went with canna nutes wich are lower ppm and i love it just gotta drive way way across town to get it

 

[C5Rftw]

Re: Best nutes for Deep Water Culture and why...

i dont understand... i guess its because i used SH "high feed" nutes... is that what you are using? or the normal nutes? i heard there normal nutes are made by GH

 

[Proverbs]

Re: Best nutes for Deep Water Culture and why...

What are the actual differences in Nute brands.
NPK + micro is standard terminology but is one "N" better than another? How aboutP or K or Micros??
Is it the different carrieing agents?
Why is FoxFire known to be hot? Is it just more N or P or K or what?

We all have our faves but let's undewrstand the difference between them all.
Is it just the percentage of NPK between veg/bloom? or is it the agent as mentioned above?

It's got to be more than that or I'm just, truly, too high.
Please, No voting on the latter.
J

 

[MostlyCrazy]

Re: Best nutes for Deep Water Culture and why...

I think the Floraklean is good for me because I run high nutes and a nute soup to boot. Might not be the case if you aren't. At $10 bottle it nothing to be worried about and if I forget the add the floraklean I don't freak. To me it's like taking a bath before you change your clothes. Running high nutes always gets you into the danger zone as far as nute lock-up and setting it back to zero has avoided that.

 

[C5Rftw]

Re: Best nutes for Deep Water Culture and why...

Running high nutes always gets you into the danger zone as far as nute lock-up and setting it back to zero has avoided that.

true dat, you always gotta be ready for lock-up.. easy to tell during veg, but harder to tell late into flowering... i think my last ones did... they went from drink gals of water to barely anything after after my last nute swap... or they simply had all they wanted and were ready to be chopped

 

[MostlyCrazy]

Re: Best nutes for Deep Water Culture and why...

I think it's pretty much like what kind of gas you put in the car. All of it will work and the difference is in the formula but the formulas don't vary much when it comes to the basics. Some have ph stabilizers, some have different micro nutes in difference combinations and ratios. 2 and 3 part nutes are different. 2 parts have their micro tuned to that time of the grow cycle and three parts allow you to experiment with different levels depending on your strains/water needs. Who's to say which is better. It depends on what the grower is comfortable using. We all use what we get used to or have used in the past but it's hard to make a mistake either way.

 

[MostlyCrazy]

Re: Best nutes for Deep Water Culture and why...

I could skip the florakleen and if they lock up you can fix it with a day or so of straight water but I figure why put them through that stress and make me do another res change and worry and all that if I can just add 25 cents worth of florakleen a couple of hours before I plan to do the res change. I use a minimal dose ( 5ml per gallon - usually about 25ml total because I change the res when I'm a gallon down) but do it almost everytime and for me that works.

 

[ACGrow-Brain]

Re: Best nutes for Deep Water Culture and why...

Im using the Dutchmaster Gold a,b, and max for veg and flower and I have always had good growth. However I do need to come by and pick up those nutes Rose to give em a go before I get more botanicare

 

[Tyrone Hamilton]

Re: Best nutes for Deep Water Culture and why...

What are the actual differences in Nute brands.
NPK + micro is standard terminology but is one "N" better than another? How aboutP or K or Micros??
Is it the different carrieing agents?
Why is FoxFire known to be hot? Is it just more N or P or K or what?

We all have our faves but let's undewrstand the difference between them all.
Is it just the percentage of NPK between veg/bloom? or is it the agent as mentioned above?
J

Anything organic is obviously different since those Ns Ps and Ks have to be delivered to the plant through microbe conversion to a usable form.

The salts in chemical nutes can be used by the plant right away - I don't know the specific differences between brands, but I know that different salts can be used to deliver the same nutrients in some cases... I hope a chemist will chime in!

Beyond that, I'd guess that there are purity differences, and differences in preparation of the formula that might result in different electrical charges at the atomic level... which would effect how the plant absorbs the nutes. That's pretty much just speculation on my part since I never took chemistry.

 

[FrostyBuds]

This goes along with MC's gas.

I like to think of nutes like soda and beer. Soda for instance is corn syrup, but does pepsi and coke taste the same, have the same mg of caffeine, calories, etc...?? This beer one goes out to all those that think nutes are the same. How many drink the black and white label beer? Generic. Not many. But it's beer right? Look at Bud Light and Steel Reserve. Both beer, both have similar ingredients, but oz for oz the Steel with kick some butt because it is a high gravity beer. The way its made.
So if any like to think nutes are all the same then go sell ice to an eskimo!

Same thing goes for nutes. The guaranteed analysis is just on the N-P-K, and not the proprietary minor additives. The nute companies all have there "special" additives or blends that they are selling us. It is up to us in the growing community to provide fair honest reviews of these nutes. If GH 3 part is the bomb, share it, but don't bash peeps using other stuff just cause GH fits your budget. If that super expensive Atami Bloomblastic doesn't work let everyone know, don't go shouting I paid $500 for my nutes so yours suck. As best I can tell, no one here is getting kickbacks or paid from any of the hydro companies, so lets share our honest reviews of stuff USED not what we have heard.

I don't care what people have "heard", it does no one any good. From what I have read here MC is the only one with "Flushing" fluid experience. I have read others claim it is snake oil without using it. So MC's review is really the only one that counts. Thanks for having the guts to share that you using "snake oil" in flushing out salts. From your input I might just have to get a bottle for a "just in case".

I like to think that the hydro stores are full of bs but really they are just making money off the black market. Once pot is legal then prices will really drop. I don't like most hydro stores because they are ripping off the customer. I do like to get info from the salespeople because they can tell me what people are buying and using, not just talking about. Some my best purchases have come from a salesman's suggestion.

Look at the fancy bubble tub being sold, one can build a better one for half the price, but that guy selling them is providing a service of selling a unit that is ready to go, no design, parts roundup, building, testing and so on, so that is worth something. Is this guy the ultimate marketing genius, maybe cause he is selling a rubbermaid tub for $200, but really he's just a guy offering a product for a beginner. So to an expert the guy is ripping people off, but to a novice he is god's gift. I'm just happy his system is helping more people grow.

There is no need to rip on anyone because they use cheap nutes or the most exp nutes. I know it would be fun to roll in a Escalade with 24's but until I hit the lotto ain't gonna happen, so I don't rip on the ones that do. More or less we are using what fits the budget.

To all those that have provided real feedback thanks, cause it's the only way were going to know what works.

 

[MostlyCrazy]

Well said.

You are correct on the sh system being a God send to me. When I was looking to start there was no way I was going to build anything because that is one of the things I just can't do and I dot think I'm alone. I feel more confident about my abilities now since I understand the purpose and function of all the parts but that took some major research and sites like this to spell it out for me. There are still many variable that go into every grow including the system used, the grow enviroment, skill of the grower and strain used just to name a few. There are some absolutes but mostly it depends.

 

[C5Rftw]

I like to think that the hydro stores are full of bs but really they are just making money off the black market. Once pot is legal then prices will really drop. I don't like most hydro stores because they are ripping off the customer. I do like to get info from the salespeople because they can tell me what people are buying and using, not just talking about. Some my best purchases have come from a salesman's suggestion.

nicely said, but the people in my local hydro shop are nice people and they do know their stuff. its the nutrient companies that get away with murder...
flora nova is 90$ a gallon... WTF?

 

[FryingPanFlyer]

nicely said, but the people in my local hydro shop are nice people and they do know their stuff. its the nutrient companies that get away with murder...
flora nova is 90$ a gallon... WTF?

Absolutely, I paid $42 for a liter of big bud, bid disappointment.

I do wonder about all of those "miracle additives" the nute companies are trying to sell us on. It's just that through the years I've heard so many promises from marketing people that I really don't believe any of them any more. The only people I'll believe are those using them, that's why I'm reading this thread.

One of my local hydro shops is great, the guys know their stuff and listen if they don't. The other one, well let's just say the boys there already know everything there is to know. Funniest thing is they are the only two stores for many miles, yet they are right across the highway from each other.

 

[FrostyBuds]

Oh nothing against the peeps working for a living at the hydro stores, good peeps. It's the black market that keeps the hydro stores prices high or allows hydro companies to charge inflated prices. Look at pumps, fish pump from fish store $10 but go to the hydro store same pump $20 because it can grow pot. It's the hydro business model to charge more because it grows super special tomatoes and peppers.

C5 what do you think of the flora nova stuff? Did you move to that from the 3 part?

 

[PurpDaddY]

with my 400ppm water..i use the recirculating formula on GH charts and they dont come out any bettter to me..I just ordered gallons of GH nutes..ill stick with what works perfect for me!

 

[C5Rftw]

Oh nothing against the peeps working for a living at the hydro stores, good peeps. It's the black market that keeps the hydro stores prices high or allows hydro companies to charge inflated prices. Look at pumps, fish pump from fish store $10 but go to the hydro store same pump $20 because it can grow pot. It's the hydro business model to charge more because it grows super special tomatoes and peppers.

C5 what do you think of the flora nova stuff? Did you move to that from the 3 part?

no, moved from SH nutes.. i think it is the easiest and one of the best to use though

 

[C5Rftw]

with my 400ppm water..i use the recirculating formula on GH charts and they dont come out any bettter to me..I just ordered gallons of GH nutes..ill stick with what works perfect for me!

400ppm tap water!... no wonder your having problems... seriously.. anything over 200ppm and you should have a filter.... there are some really cheap pitcher waters you can get. like 30 $