Gen hydro vs fox farms

[Grower-Aaron]

ok so the basic idea here is gen hydro vs fox farms. Who out there has experience using BOTH nute lines? What do you think about each.

Heres where im going with this. I have a bunch of out door growing experience. But most of it hasn't been a 100% effort. I would put some seeds out. Water em and give em miracle grow. I actually did get some decent quality smoke out of it. Anyway. A few years ago I decided to take the plunge and go indoor hydroponic. I used gen hydro tro by itself first few times then started using additives.

Anyway fast forward a couple years I decided to give my outdoor girls a100% effort this year. Started them under CFL and had em all topped and trained up in smart pots by April. Then put em outside and started feeding fox farm nutrients.

BEST RESULTS EVER from an outdoor crop. Still processing it but just fantastic. As good as some indoor that I have done. Better than some (I effed up a crop learning).

Anyway got me thinking. I have 2 pools that hold nutrient water in my tent. I run a dwc in a 4x8x7 with 1000w on a mover. All the other conditions (strain, light, temp, humidity, ect) would be the same cause of the tent. and I could do 1 pool gen hydro and the other fox farms and do a true side by side.

I have a crop in now but that's the plan for the next one. Has anyone done anything like this before? Anyone have any tips for fox farms in a dwc set up? Any thoughts or comments appreciated. Sorry for the long-windedness

[NebulaHaze]

I've done both FF trio and GH trio in coco coir, and got great results with both! The main thing with FF I learned is to be careful not to go overboard with Tiger Bloom! That's some potent stuff! I think "Big Bloom" is probably the best part of that trio because it's what contains most of the organic ingredients like guano, kelp, etc. You almost can't overfeed with Big Bloom.

With GH I feel like it's the "Micro" bottle you need to be most careful with, especially in the flowering stage. The plants grow a little faster under the GH trio, I think because the nutrients are provided in the most absorbable form, while with the FF trio the nutrients need to be broken down first before the plant can absorb them. I only grew with FF 3 or 4 times before I switched the the GH trio, so I'm not sure if I'm qualified to comment on the different results, but as far as I could tell I didn't notice any difference in the buds.

Although I think FF is a really high quality nutrient, I personally would recommend against using the FF trio in DWC, since it is made up of mostly organic material that can cause stuff to start growing in the reservoir. To be honest I've never seen anyone get great results from using non-chemical nutrients in DWC. That being said, I've never seen anyone actually try DWC with the Fox Farm trio and it could be different. FF is a very trustworthy company with high quality ingredients and they do have a Hydro version of their trio. The Hydro Trio uses the same Tiger Bloom and Big Bloom, but has a different "Grow Big" with slightly altered nutrient levels.

I contacted Fox Farm from their website to see what they had to say, and this was the response when I asked if the Fox Farm trio could be used in DWC:

Hello Nebula,

Thanks for contacting FoxFarm regarding hydroponics, I’d be happy to provide insight!

You’ll want to use the hydro liquid trio with a DWC/Hydro system.

We do not recommend using the soil trio formula of Grow Big in a hydroponic application.

If you have any other questions please do not hesitate to contact us. To learn more about our company, new products, and download our latest feeding schedules please visit www.FoxFarmFertilizer.com.

Max
Product Specialist
Fox Farm Soil and Fertilizer
(707) 443-4369
POST OFFICE BOX 787 – ARCATA, CA 95518
CustomerService@FoxFarmFertilizer.com

[dontknownuttin]

I've done both FF trio and GH trio in coco coir, and got great results with both! The main thing with FF I learned is to be careful not to go overboard with Tiger Bloom! That's some potent stuff! I think "Big Bloom" is probably the best part of that trio because it's what contains most of the organic ingredients like guano, kelp, etc. You almost can't overfeed with Big Bloom.

With GH I feel like it's the "Micro" bottle you need to be most careful with, especially in the flowering stage. The plants grow a little faster under the GH trio, I think because the nutrients are provided in the most absorbable form, while with the FF trio the nutrients need to be broken down first before the plant can absorb them. I only grew with FF 3 or 4 times before I switched the the GH trio, so I'm not sure if I'm qualified to comment on the different results, but as far as I could tell I didn't notice any difference in the buds.

Although I think FF is a really high quality nutrient, I personally would recommend against using the FF trio in DWC, since it is made up of mostly organic material that can cause stuff to start growing in the reservoir. To be honest I've never seen anyone get great results from using non-chemical nutrients in DWC. That being said, I've never seen anyone actually try DWC with the Fox Farm trio and it could be different. FF is a very trustworthy company with high quality ingredients and they do have a Hydro version of their trio. The Hydro Trio uses the same Tiger Bloom and Big Bloom, but has a different "Grow Big" with slightly altered nutrient levels.

I contacted Fox Farm from their website to see what they had to say, and this was the response when I asked if the Fox Farm trio could be used in DWC:

"I've never seen anyone actually try DWC with the Fox Farm trio" I am using the trio now on my first grow. Check out my DWC thread

[NebulaHaze]

Somehow I didn't realize until just now you're using Fox Farm trio! Well your plants look amazing so that seems like some great evidence it works in DWC!

[dontknownuttin]

[Grower-Aaron]

Hey nebula
I did get the hydro version of grow big. And thank you for the heads up on the tiger bloom. I got 2 cases that they call the dirty dozen box or something like that. And I got a gallon of grow big. I hope the 2 boxes are enough, I am sure the gallon will be.
I agree with you on the micro being the heavy hitter for gh. That and the florolicious plus. Have u ever used super thrive? I got some from a buddy with a good recommendation. He said it would replace micro and/or licious plus.
Also with fox farms I have heard it's a little more difficult to dial in ph in a dwc. Did u ever have problems with ph using ff?
What set this whole thing off is my pure curiosity about the best process and I started with gen hydro after reading your site (thanks btw you guys are freakin life savers) and this year I tried ff on my outdoor plants never used it before. And the results were phenomenal. Best outdoor I have ever done so I wanted to do a side by side with the two. After that one I plan on doing gh against advanced in a side by side.
Anyway ive gotten a bit off track here. I just staterted a batch about a month ago so I gotta get thru this one before I can do my side by side. Once I start I can keep you updated with the progress if you would like?
Thank u for taking the time to answer to this I'm sure you're busy and I appreciate your advice.

[NebulaHaze]

Have u ever used super thrive? I got some from a buddy with a good recommendation. He said it would replace micro and/or licious plus.

I've heard of Superthrive but I haven't used it. It contains a synthetic plant hormone, vitamin B1, and a bunch of other secret ingredients in tiny amounts. However, it doesn't contain regular nutrients so you definitely still need to use base nutrients like Micro for things like Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, etc. It's only a supplement.

However, I could see it being in the same class as Floralicious Plus since it's basically a "helper" supplement as opposed to solving a specific problem. It claims to help with rooting and overall development, however too much can stunt your plant. It definitely seems intriguing to me, but I haven't seen anyone demonstrate its effectiveness. I tend to be very wary of adding extra supplements from any company besides who I'm using for my base nutrients because sometimes you try something new and it just hurts your plant But I'd definitely love to learn more! I've heard online of growers that use it but I've never known any myself, yet!

Also with fox farms I have heard it's a little more difficult to dial in ph in a dwc. Did u ever have problems with ph using ff?

I didn't, but I used FF with coco coir, not DWC. In DWC the best thing you can do to control the pH is have a bigger reservoir, keep it topped off, and use supplements like Cal-Mag (and possibly Silica) to help add extra "stuff" in the water to act as a buffer.

Once I start I can keep you updated with the progress if you would like?

Definitely! Please do, we'll be here to help or answer any questions you might have along the way!

[Grower-Aaron]

I didn't realize the super thrive was just a supplement. In a week or so I'll cut out the licious and use thrive instead and let u know if I see any improved results.

once I start the side by side I'll open a new thread and do a whole grow journal on here. I've never been on a forum before and I'm lovin the interaction. Thanks for the advice