Hydro nutrients in non-hydro grows

[greentoe]

Hi everyone,

Sorry if this a really stupid question; Can hydroponic nutrients such as Canna A+B be used in a non hydro soil set-up? Currently indoors, hand watering and will be outdoors in the ground being drip fed from a water tank when they're 2 months old.

If not, what would you recommend?

[Naycha]

You can use hydro nutrients in soil but it undesirable imo.

 

The best option would be to amend the soil you are planting into. There are many ways to do this and no 'right' way really.

 

One method I have used and will use again is to add plenty of cow/horse manure or similar to the soil as well as some blood and bone and a bit of dolomite. I then add soluble fertiliser to the water as necessary. It is not necessary to add nutrients every feed, I don't add them more than every 2nd watering and usually less. You can also top dress the soil with something appropriate instead of or as well as adding them to the water. eg. if it is raining or you know it is going to rain you can take advantage of that by top dressing and letting the rain wash it in (not if it's going to pour for a week though). I make sure to use a pk booster during flowering, just regular gardening fertilisers you can find at the hardware shop etc.

 

Mulch is your friend too.

 

If you have money to burn and are lazy you could use Canna Terra nutrients with soil.

 

There are a lot of ways to grow in soil and part of it is learning by trial and error what works for you and your microclimate.

 

Enjoy!

 

Naycha

[Ford Fairlane]

Flairform have a single part nutrient range that can be used in soil

[merl1n]

I do a Hydro perlite indoor grow with Flairform nutes but all my waste and flush nutes go onto the wife's outdoor herb garden. They love it. The herbs are BOOMING

Soil naturally retains nutes, hence my use of perlite, which holds next to nothing. Being that you are using soil you'd need to be aware of a higher rate of salt retention. So rather than feeding solely nutes I'd recommend every 3rd or 4th feed being nutes and inbetween using straight water to relieve the salts IMHO.

 

Merl1n

[greentoe]

Thanks guys, helps a lot.

Apart from concentration and a few missing trace elements is there any serious difference between fertilisers from Bunnings etc and nutrients from a hydro store? Seems like there's a lot of marketing to justify the much higher price of the hydro stuff.

 

[Frank Reynolds]

I use nitrosol(from bunnings) for everything in my veggie patch nad I would use it with any canna plants i had outside as well if i had any outside . 

 

From the quick glance over bottles at bunnings shop it seems a lot of them rely heavily on urea for nitrogen source, which needs to be breakdown before available to plants. Fine in the soil not so good for hydro, i'm sure there are a few other differences as well, among them most likely ratios of different elements and there sources.

[merl1n]

Gardening nutes take into consideration the median soil nutes already present. Even some 'complete' garden ferts aren't all that complete. This is why the wife's herb garden has boomed, there was still something missing until they got the hydro nutes.

Hydro nutes are complete as most mediums are inert, they have no nutrients available at all. The manufactures know this and include everything required.

 

Hope it helps

Merl1n

[Sir PsychoHashy]

I have been using hydro nutes on my outdoor plants for the last 2 seasons, and will be again this season.  +1 to everything Merl1n said. 

 

They are more expensive than Bummings fertilizers, but as others said they are also complete.

 

In straight soil, every 4th watering max works out as more than enough.  I have been amending my soil with a large proportion of coco and perlite, which are  inert, so I go every 2nd-3rd watering depending on various factors.

 

Works fine for me, but I believe that if you understand what to do with soil you would get better (or at least tastier) results with organic amendments etc, and save yourself the need to lug medium into the bush.

[Frank Reynolds]

Nitrosol is complete, I've only ever noticed some missing cal/mag in most other brands and of course non chelated micro nutes Edited September 19, 2014 by Frank Reynolds

[Naycha]

I have used nitrosol on Cannabis in soil and it works great, added pk during flower.

 

Naycha