Growing Without Bloom Nutes By Farside05

Day 83, Day 48 from Flip

I can't get the humidity where I want it. If I don't vent to outside it runs in the mid 60's. If I vent to outside, it's around 30%. I added a humidifier this AM to see if I could get it up about 10 points. No dice. I guess it is what it is from here on out. Plants are showing a tiny bit of tip burn so I'll back off to 5/5/5 for the next feeding. Guess they are starting to slow down.


 
if you keep a bucket of water down low with a towel hanging down into it, the water will wick up and evaporate. One towel likely won't cut it, but several in a tote/trough will.
 
To @Skybound 's point. I also would not recommend my normal 1:blushsmile:1 of Mega, Cal-Mag, and Silica for hydro. The Silica just wants to drive the pH up and out of the optimal range for that type of growing.


And by skipping the protekt in bumping up the mix tonight, we used how much pH down?

Not a drop. The 3gal was at 5.5 with calmag and megacrop. Good by me, so dumped it back in and it's been mixing in the system for about an hour. Guess that answers that then.
 
And by skipping the protekt in bumping up the mix tonight, we used how much pH down?

Not a drop. The 3gal was at 5.5 with calmag and megacrop. Good by me, so dumped it back in and it's been mixing in the system for about an hour. Guess that answers that then.

Given Mega Crops propensity to rise, it will probably go up some. You could always use a pinch less Cal-Mag and it would come out slightly higher. I'd guess 3ml of Cal-Mag might put it at 5.8. Or the other option is you could try just 1ml per gallon of Pro-Tekt. Might have the same effect.
 
Came home this AM and fed the girls 2 gallons each of 5 MC, 5 FT, and 5 CM. I'd normally let them get a bit dryer first, but with the humidity being low, they dry quicker, and I didn't want them to get wilty like last time. The wet pots also seems to drive the humidity up a few points.
 
Given Mega Crops propensity to rise, it will probably go up some. You could always use a pinch less Cal-Mag and it would come out slightly higher. I'd guess 3ml of Cal-Mag might put it at 5.8. Or the other option is you could try just 1ml per gallon of Pro-Tekt. Might have the same effect.


Maybe on the next shot I try a limited amount of Protekt, and see what happens. I'm not opposed to pH down, and it wasn't taking a ton of it, even with the full amount of Protekt. Less than half the directed dose isn't bad.

Either way, girls seem to be ok for the time being. Will probably cut the calmag addition in half, but maybe not. Seems the PPM is a bit high with the "new" flavor of calmag at a 2-0-0.
 
Day 85, Day 50 from flip

The biggest girl is turning a bit lighter shade of green. Her buds are hardening. I think she's telling me she's getting close to done. Humidity has come back up in the closet and is in the mid 40's. I'm happier with that. Back right girl has some super hairy buds that are still loaded with pointy white pistils. Her nugs are more like golf balls and are very hard. Might get some grenades from her by the time it's over. The blooms on front right are still smaller. She's weeks behind everyone else and will be the bane of my existence when I'll be wanting to start the next round.


 
Day 85, Day 50 from flip

The biggest girl is turning a bit lighter shade of green. Her buds are hardening. I think she's telling me she's getting close to done. Humidity has come back up in the closet and is in the mid 40's. I'm happier with that. Back right girl has some super hairy buds that are still loaded with pointy white pistils. Her nugs are more like golf balls and are very hard. Might get some grenades from her by the time it's over. The blooms on front right are still smaller. She's weeks behind everyone else and will be the bane of my existence when I'll be wanting to start the next round.


Back row girls look like some real heffers right now...only day 50!
 
Not saying it is.. But that back left lady looks a bit different then the other plants. Like maybe even a different strain even. Anyone else see this?

She's just so much bigger because she was the only one that didn't get stunted when the temps were low, before adding the heater. The two left girls are the most similar bud structure wise. The back right girl wants to make golf balls and hand grenade type buds/colas, where the two on the left are more traditional in shape. Front right is the most dissimilar in her growth and buds. She was a cabbage pheno and took the longest to flower.
 
Back row girls look like some real heffers right now...only day 50!

Yeah, 50 from flip and they took another week to 9 days to flower after that. So I have anywhere from 2-4 weeks left is my guess. Back left looks like she is wanting to fox tail some now. Back right is still pumping out pistils and none have even started to recede. I bet she goes another month. The wife is like, "aren't those done yet?" She's used to me growing autos.
 
Yeah! Ain't those fucking done yet? What the hell? That shit just grows itself, right?


^^ my wife. :rofl:

Or here's her reaction any time I say I need something from the garden store, or off amazon: ":rolleyes:"
 
MV
"her reaction any time I say I need something from the garden store, or off amazon: ":rolleyes:""

.

Early morning laugh.
Thanks man.
 
Interesting little tidbit from AN, before they start into their pH Perfect sales pitch:

How The Chelation Process Facilitates Better Plant Performance

If you’ve been growing with hydroponics or soil for a while, you’ve probably heard the terms “chelate,” “chelated nutrients” or “chelating agent.” However, you may be unsure of what these terms mean — or how chelation can help you grow better performing, higher quality plants.

Chelation 101: What Are Chelates?

In its simplest definition, a chelate is a compound that is bonded to a metal atom at two or more points. But what exactly does that mean — and what does it have to do with growing crops?
The word “chelate” — pronounced “KEY-late” — is derived from the Greek word for “claw.” Understanding this, the word’s definition becomes a little clearer: The chelate bonds itself to a metal atom in a clawlike fashion.
As it relates to growing, a chelate is an agent that bonds to a micronutrient, thereby making the micronutrient more readily available for uptake in plant cells.
Let’s unpack this concept a little more.

The Chelation Process

Most growers know about the three major nutrients that plants need: potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen. But many novice growers don’t realize that plants also need other nutrients, like iron, zinc and magnesium. Because they are needed in relatively high quantities, potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen are referred to as macronutrients.
Your plants need lower quantities of elements like iron, sulfur and calcium, so we refer to them as micronutrients. While they’re not needed in the same quantities as macronutrients, micronutrients are every bit as vital to your crop’s diet and healthy growth.
The problem is that most of those necessary micronutrients are unavailable to your plants while in their basic form, because metals like iron and zinc have a positive charge, and the pores on your plants wherein the metals would enter have a negative charge. The positively charged micronutrients cannot enter through the negatively charged pores.
This is where chelates come into play.
When a chelate bonds to a micronutrient, it surrounds or encapsulates individual ions and gives them a negative or neutral charge, allowing the nutrient to enter through the negatively charged pore and travel into the plant’s tissues.
Chelation isn’t a phenomenon limited to plants; many of the nutrients and minerals humans ingest are chelated.

Chelating Agents In Hydroponic Solutions

Now that we have a basic understanding of what chelates are and how they enable micronutrient uptake in your plants, let’s look at chelating agents in hydroponic solutions and pH levels.
There are several types of synthetic chelators used in hydroponic grow nutrients, including:

  • Ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA)
  • Diethylenetriaminepentaacetate (DTPA)
  • Ethylenediaminedihydroxy-phenylaceticacid (EDDHA)

There are also several naturally occurring chelating agents. The three most often used in grow nutrients are fulvic acid, humic acid and amino acids. Fulvic acid is soluble in all pH ranges, while humic acid is soluble in a pH range of 6.0 and above. Amino acids are most effective in pH ranges of 5.0–7.5.
Similarly, EDTA is better suited to pH levels of 7.0 and under, while DTPA works better in higher pH ranges. EDDHA can function well in both high-pH and low-pH environments.

The different types of chelates also vary in the way they function in your hydroponic garden. Synthetic chelates — EDTA, DTPA and EDDHA — only stay bound to the micronutrient ions until the point at which they enter your plants’ cells. Once this occurs, the plant unbinds the chelator from the nutrient and releases it back into the hydroponic solution, where it becomes free to chelate another nutrient and escort it into the plant for absorption.
The same concept is true of natural chelators. Fulvic and humic acids are not absorbed into the plant — they are released upon escorting the micronutrient ions into the plant. However, amino acids are absorbed via plant tissues, which is why it’s important to have a range of chelators in your grow; if the plant gets too full of amino acids, it may not have room to absorb all the micronutrients it needs to thrive.
 
Or here's her reaction any time I say I need something from the garden store, or off amazon: ":rolleyes:"

Mine doesn't say a word or even roll eyeballs. Spare output has paid for a couple Mexico vacations. Half of June's vacation is already banked. I got mine paid for, now I got to work on hers. Or I could quit and leave her home. :rofl:
 
Back
Top Bottom