Maybe I worry too much about the tap water and should just let MC and good soil sort it out. But that sounds too easy
New Mega Crop nothing like old?
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True Plant Science Organic Calmag. No N at all. It’s good stuff.
My tap water is for shit. Mostly comes from big limestone aquifers. Starts out at a 350ppm (700 scale), RO gets it down to 40.
Thanks for the tip. Too late I had already ordered some 1-0-0.
But I looked for the TPS stuff just now and the only option I could find here was almost $200 Canadian for a gallon, pre-shipping cost, so I guess I didn’t miss much.
1-0-0 will work fine. And it looks like I need it. Looking at the figures for the MC version I have it’s really quite low on calcium and a bit low on magnesium too.
just remember to pull it back after a couple wks or you could burn things out. mc peaks in mid flower, right about where everyone is talking about issues, then rolls back a g/gal or so for the last couple wks.
i don't always catch the ramp down correct. the ramp up is easy to call.
Skybound
Well-Known Member
You have it backwards, I tried raising the NH4 and got cooked, but found satisfactory results when lowering it back down to 5% of total N. From all I read, excess nitrate is only problematic when nearing harvest, but otherwise, elevated NO3 is mostly a good thing. Megacrop now uses 19:1 NO3:NH4 and that is what benchmark I now use. I always wanted to try upping the NH4 to 6%, then 7% and maybe 8% to see what happens, but I grew tired of being my own crash test dummy and just stayed at 5%.
IDK if you're reusing your peat, but I was, many times over and then Rona came and I was forced to keep using it which really salted up the peat and now I am stuck with a wicked Mg def as the result. I'm transitioning into new Faux Mix now, but have to weather the striped leaves and diminished harvests. Maybe that info might help you out, IDK.
Oh yeah.
Details details ...
Thanks man. No I haven’t yet started re-using my peat but I did start saving it in a pile for that purpose. I will do at least one more run with it. Since the stores here switched to Promix, the plants have been more spotty, for whatever reason, and I miss the SM.
When I crunch the numbers for MC, using Hydro Buddy, it looks to me like the levels of calcium and magnesium levels are quite low. Don’t you think?
I guess we’ve sort of massacred the original intent of the thread so far....
OldMedUser
Formerly Known as LabRat
Oh yeah.
Details details ...
Thanks man. No I haven’t yet started re-using my peat but I did start saving it in a pile for that purpose. I will do at least one more run with it. Since the stores here switched to Promix, the plants have been more spotty, for whatever reason, and I miss the SM.
When I crunch the numbers for MC, using Hydro Buddy, it looks to me like the levels of calcium and magnesium levels are quite low. Don’t you think?
I guess we’ve sort of massacred the original intent of the thread so far....
15 years ago I used SunshineMix #4 with lots of added perlite then that went away and ProMix HP showed up and I've used it ever since and really like it. So much perlite in it I almost want to take some out. lol
I only use RO water with AN pH Perfect nutes and never test pH without any problems. Started using MegaCrop a year or so ago and it comes out at pH 6.0 in RO water. 6.5 in my dugout supplied tap water that's pH 8 and 400ppm. Just waiting on some more parts that shipped today to build my own RO system and should have done that 20 years ago as we buy 5 jugs/week for $3.50 each. More when I have lots of plants going like I will have this winter.
The MC I have is ver. 2 and also have the Carbo, Big Up p/k booster, 0-52-34 and the Rock Steady, K supplement at 0-0-62.
Skybound
Well-Known Member
Oh yeah.
Details details ...
Thanks man. No I haven’t yet started re-using my peat but I did start saving it in a pile for that purpose. I will do at least one more run with it. Since the stores here switched to Promix, the plants have been more spotty, for whatever reason, and I miss the SM.
When I crunch the numbers for MC, using Hydro Buddy, it looks to me like the levels of calcium and magnesium levels are quite low. Don’t you think?
I guess we’ve sort of massacred the original intent of the thread so far....
I've been using Farside's recipe to model from, so 5 grams each of MC, CM and PT, then compute and what numbers are the result is what I copy, and make my own tweaks to like lower Si, lower K, and higher P. I suspect the spotting might be from a PH issue, I get that too, mostly in the super spent soil tho. If memory serves, Faux Mix is buffered with 5 or 6 cups of garden lime or dolomite per 3' bale of peat. I use 3 of dolomite and 3 of calcium carbonate for the same effect.
Hey OldMed nice to see you around.
I am using rainwater. I generally haven’t been using calmag since I switched to MC. Seems like it’s the calmag that’s lacking in my case. I tried crunching the numbers to compare the macronutrients in Mega Crop to your targets Skybound, which are pretty well tried and true at this point. Rounded off a digit here and there. Let me know if I have the figures wrong but I don’t think so.
Unless I’m missing something, (probably), it would seem to show why I’ve been having problems. (?)
I am using rainwater. I generally haven’t been using calmag since I switched to MC. Seems like it’s the calmag that’s lacking in my case. I tried crunching the numbers to compare the macronutrients in Mega Crop to your targets Skybound, which are pretty well tried and true at this point. Rounded off a digit here and there. Let me know if I have the figures wrong but I don’t think so.
Unless I’m missing something, (probably), it would seem to show why I’ve been having problems. (?)
mrking
Well-Known Member
Well, this has gone over my head fast. 
LOL
LOL
OldMedUser
Formerly Known as LabRat
Hey OldMed nice to see you around.
I am using rainwater. I generally haven’t been using calmag since I switched to MC. Seems like it’s the calmag that’s lacking in my case. I tried crunching the numbers to compare the macronutrients in Mega Crop to your targets Skybound, which are pretty well tried and true at this point. Rounded off a digit here and there. Let me know if I have the figures wrong but I don’t think so.
Unless I’m missing something, (probably), it would seem to show why I’ve been having problems. (?)
Oh hell man I don't know enough about the exact amounts of each to tell if it's good or bad. I just feed by g/L or ml/L in the case of my 3-part AN nutes. I'll toss in Epsom Salts and some Calmag here and there to make sure they get enough of everything but long ago quit trying to balance the equations. Unless I'm doing DWC I don't even check the ppms tho did at first with my two kush plants. Both clones from the same mom and one is getting MC nutes and the other the AN.
The MC nutes have quite a bit of organics in them so even tho the ppm at half came out 25% lower than the AN at half strength those organic things won't show up on a ppm test. Did seem to be doing worse than the AN one so fed it higher a bit to compensate. The budding seems pretty equal so far at almost 3 weeks 12/12.
If I got to turn this into a job then it stops being fun.
OldMedUser
Formerly Known as LabRat
Holy ouch! I get it by the gallon for $40, arrives next day.
Wait, ain’t CA$200 about 40 bucks US anyway?
Nice. Adding that to my notes for when I go back and give it another run. May do it pretty quick, and give it one last shot on my winter 3x3 rdwc.
Ahh sorry! I don’t pretend to be a chemist either.
@Skybound turned me onto the Hydro Buddy app which easily breaks down any fertilizer to tell you what exactly is in there element by element. It’s been super handy for diagnosing problems because I can see exactly what I’m feeding them.
The target numbers represent an ideal number for each nutrient. Following along to the right you can see where Mega Crop compares at different concentrations.
But honestly I’m with you guys- I really prefer to just throw some food at the plants,observe, and grow by feel. Let’s not let a few numbers bother us now... Just trying to dissect the stuff mainly for Skybound’s input and for anyone else who can use the info. Which could be wrong anyway ha ha ha....
@Skybound turned me onto the Hydro Buddy app which easily breaks down any fertilizer to tell you what exactly is in there element by element. It’s been super handy for diagnosing problems because I can see exactly what I’m feeding them.
The target numbers represent an ideal number for each nutrient. Following along to the right you can see where Mega Crop compares at different concentrations.
But honestly I’m with you guys- I really prefer to just throw some food at the plants,observe, and grow by feel. Let’s not let a few numbers bother us now... Just trying to dissect the stuff mainly for Skybound’s input and for anyone else who can use the info. Which could be wrong anyway ha ha ha....
Skybound
Well-Known Member
This Farside's old recipe of 5grams MC, 5grams Calmag and 5grams Protekt. I don't look at what just MC has in it because that's not important to me, I wanted to use what Farside and IntheShed uses cuz they were having really good results with that recipe, so that's why I use these numbers to start. Having the freedom to adjust each individually, I tweaked a few elements as I saw fit, but these are the numbers I started from. Because I rerun my peat 3 or 4 times, I don't want to throttle the silica, so I use less. I also upped my P to 60 in veg and 55 in bloom. K I keep around 230 I think and Mg I upped to 60. It's still basically the same thing cept my nutes aren't chelated with aminos and my micro mix is a bit thinner than what is here, but next mix I will try them at what is listed below.
edit - Greenway Calmag and Botanicare Calmag are identical in formulation, but the Greenway is in salt form and the Botanicare is water and salt.
edit - Greenway Calmag and Botanicare Calmag are identical in formulation, but the Greenway is in salt form and the Botanicare is water and salt.
I'd just like to point out that I run MC alone.
Skybound
Well-Known Member
oh, I thought you also used the CM and Pt as well. My mistake.
OldMedUser
Formerly Known as LabRat
Ahh sorry! I don’t pretend to be a chemist either.
@Skybound turned me onto the Hydro Buddy app which easily breaks down any fertilizer to tell you what exactly is in there element by element. It’s been super handy for diagnosing problems because I can see exactly what I’m feeding them.
The target numbers represent an ideal number for each nutrient. Following along to the right you can see where Mega Crop compares at different concentrations.
But honestly I’m with you guys- I really prefer to just throw some food at the plants,observe, and grow by feel. Let’s not let a few numbers bother us now... Just trying to dissect the stuff mainly for Skybound’s input and for anyone else who can use the info. Which could be wrong anyway ha ha ha....
The first time I grew using hydro nutes I bought from Western Water Farms in Vancouver back in '82. It was just bags of the salts. Eight of them if I remember right with one being all the micronutrients. The guy gave me a photocopied sheet of how to mix it for various plant types and pointed out the tomato section as the one to use for my 'special tomatoes' (nudge nudge wink wink) as you had to be back then at a hydro store. They could get shut down for knowingly selling their gear to grow pot with. I remember seeing that paper around here somewhere a couple years ago and know I kept it so I'll have to find it and upload a pic of it so you guys can dissect it and see how it stands up almost 40 years later.
I guess I should ask @Skybound this but does that HydroBuddy app work with Win10 on a desktop or would I have to use my Android phone? I just loaded up the page and have it watched so will give it a go and maybe learn some new stuff to keep the old brain cells exercised. Along with learning how to work the stock market, figure out these Arduino and Raspberry Pi rigs I bought and build my own RO system which is mostly just hook things up.
Wouldn't hurt to get more physical exercise too before it all goes to mush. lol
Yes I run it on Windows. There’s a link in Skybound’s signature for H Buddy, and at the beginning of that thread it explains it well and we can help also. Very very simple program -just a few confusing things in the learning curve at first but once you’re in it’s dead easy.
There's a version for linux, too (I think) - so you should be able to install it on your Raspberry Pi, assuming you're running a linux distro on it.
