Nutrients and Additives

[Innocent criminal]

Those N values seem low, do you find any issues from lack of nitrogen? or do you mix in more part A than B during veg?

 

I know when you grow in coco it's important to use coco nutes, but I'm not sure why, do you know THC?

 

Those N values work out spot on in practice, only ever have any sign of low N in the first two weeks of bloom, they get very nitrogen hungry during that spurt of growth, not an issue though, just up the feeds a bit.

This is also directly related to the second point...

 

Coco coir has a very high cation exchange capacity (CEC), meaning it attracts and holds positively charged ions until a balance is met (these positive ions include calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium), it also allows some levels of these elements to be stored within the media for the plant to uptake as required, unlike completely inert media like rockwool where the nutrients are all held in solution trapped within the structure of the media.

This is both helpful and troublesome when it comes to maintaining correct nutrient levels in coco, requiring higher levels of these elements to compensate (hence the high potassium/low nitrogen) and making flushing much more difficult (you really need to flush then let the plants feed out to use up any available nutrients still bonded within the coco). It does however make for very healthy happy plants when things are right as these nutrients are directly available to the roots at any time.

 

Hope that makes more sense than I think it does

[miccyj]

Thanks for the info man, I was thinking of switching out the hydroton in my NFT tubs with coco fibre, but was alittle unsure about the nutes. I might not bother now seeing as nutrient availability isnt ever an issue in NFT. I might think about it again if I switch to a F&D system.

[Innocent criminal]

yeah, never seen coco used successfully in NFT, not the best media in that situation, stick with the hydroton.

Coco is best suited for top fed systems (auto dripper or hand watered) whether they be recirculating or run to waste.

It floats unless saturated (not something you want), making it a pain in the ass for NFT or F&D.

[miccyj]

Ohh, I didnt know that. Good to know, thanks man.

[Amos]

My 2 part goes through the whole cycle

 

Ok cool. From what ive seen lately they seem less common? Maybe im just imagining things and i haven't gone crazy looking around anyway.

 

In regards to PK boosters, is this essentially just potash? I have 'Bass Liquid Potash' (http://www.newagehydro.com/shop/additives.php)

- 20% W/V Potassium (200 G/L) with 9% W/V phosphorus and 2% Total N - if these mean anything to anyone

 

Should i try adding the recommended dose (10ml per 10litres) on top of the 2 part 'standard issue' Bloom nutes?

 

Looking at the Canna PK13-14, it says to only use for 1 week, about 4 weeks prior to harvest..... anyone agree here or think that the whole last 4 weeks is the way to go?

 

 

 

:) EDIT: thanks heaps THC, i think ill be gettin some PK13-14

Edited March 20, 2010 by burnso

[Innocent criminal]

Ok cool. From what ive seen lately they seem less common? Maybe im just imagining things and i haven't gone crazy looking around anyway.

 

In regards to PK boosters, is this essentially just potash? I have 'Bass Liquid Potash' (http://www.newagehydro.com/shop/additives.php)

- 20% W/V Potassium (200 G/L) with 9% W/V phosphorus and 2% Total N - if these mean anything to anyone

 

Should i try adding the recommended dose (10ml per 10litres) on top of the 2 part 'standard issue' Bloom nutes?

 

Looking at the Canna PK13-14, it says to only use for 1 week, about 4 weeks prior to harvest..... anyone agree here or think that the whole last 4 weeks is the way to go?

 

 

PK boosters and potash are similar but not the same (technically potash is potassium, the phosphorous is added for balance).

PK boosters tend to have a closer ratio of P to K (around that magic 13-14 mark) while potash will generally have a much higher percentage of K (the actual ratios vary a fair bit between manufacturers).

That said they do the same job, potash is more suited to general bloom boosting (try it half strength for the first week or two to cut down on stretch and increase flower development), whereas PK boosters are great for that big hit as the blooms set, increasing budswell and trichome production.

I play around with both, potash in the first weeks, PK at recommended time and then sometimes some more potash in the second last week.

 

 

PS. sorry for taking over miccyi

[GIY]

in general hydro growers put way too much emphasis on nutes. Keep things in perspective, even N only accounts for 4% absolute max of dry matter in a plant which is a very low percentage of wet mass. MOst nutrients in a hydro system will be on offer in excess. concentrate on temps, humidity, varieties, and ventilation. i think you will find any standard quality nute will work fine. plants CANT read brands, just make sure it has NPK and chelated micros

[Innocent criminal]

in general hydro growers put way too much emphasis on nutes. Keep things in perspective, even N only accounts for 4% absolute max of dry matter in a plant which is a very low percentage of wet mass. MOst nutrients in a hydro system will be on offer in excess. concentrate on temps, humidity, varieties, and ventilation. i think you will find any standard quality nute will work fine. plants CANT read brands, just make sure it has NPK and chelated micros

 

True brand makes little difference but you will find that to get a decent NPK ratio and any form of micro's or bio's you will need to go for a decent brand anyways.

Don't underestimate the difference a balanced feeding regime will make to your growth, sure it's not the be all and end all but can make the difference between an average harvest and something truly spectacular.

[midnght_magiq]

Priority should be controlling the plants' environment properly. This constitutes to about 90% of your end result...

There are no miracle nutrients/additives that will increase your yield just like that, however using a good nutrient on top of a decent set-up will increase your plants well-being...

 

good luck!

Edited March 30, 2010 by midnght_magiq

[miccyj]

Priority should be controlling the plants' environment properly. This constitutes to about 90% of your end result...

There are no miracle nutrients/additives that will increase your yield just like that, however using a good nutrient on top of a decent set-up will increase your plants well-being...

 

good luck!

 

I disagree. While environment is very important, I think that 90% is over stating it some what. Plus environment is very straight forward, Temps, humid, ventilation. Doesn't change. Easy.

 

Finding a well balanced feeding cycle can sometimes be quite a challenge, particularly in hydro where the wrong balance of nutrients can be very unforgiving.

 

Your right though, "There are no miracle nutrients/additives that will increase your yield just like that". But the right balance of additives "WILL" increase your yield over using just A+B, no miracle, just science

 

Cheers,

Mick