What's new
By:
GrowWeedEasy.com
You're browsing as a guest. Sign up to join the conversation, share your grows, and get help from thousands of fellow growers — it's free and takes less than a minute.

nutrient additives.....

W

Weedfreak

New member
I just put some sprouts in coco coir/perlite/vermiculite mix 60:30:10 ratio recommended on this site. I purchased some coco-friendly nutrients from my local grow shop. Upon going on their website and studying the feeding charts, I noticed many supplements that enhance the different aspects throughout the growing. My question is: do they work? Do you really get bigger, denser, better tasting buds, or is it just overkill trying to make more sales?
 
In coco, I have found weed does not need but tap water until the sprout has come up a couple inches. Giving nutes to seedlings has killed seedlings. Then half for a watering or two. But our water providers are probably not the same.
I've never had a problem following the label. If you use the same brand for a long time, you might find a tweak works better in your situation.
 
Half strength nutes to start so that would be about 0.4EC.

Growing in coco you may need a calmag suppliment depending on what calmag is in your water already.

Depending on the genetics and size of the grow you may need a PK supplement.

That's it pretty much.

Silicon may assist. I use it in veg.
 
Weedfreak I wonder the same things. I use CX Horticulture nutrients. I just can’t buy into some nutrient lines that have some kind of formula to address some aspect of cannabis and the grow process. I grow in coco/perlite. The CX is really easy to use. I wash the coco in a strong cal-mag solution even if it comes pre-washed. I start the nutes at 1/4 strength and work up from there. Even with CX the main ingredient is water. I’m looking for a powder that can handle the weed grow start to finish w/o any add ins. I believe the plant’s grow conditions are more important than 14 different kinds of nutrients. With good basic nutes and the right grow conditions the weed will produce fat buds.
 
Hi. I know you grow in coco. What is your N/Ca ratio before and after Ca-Mg supplement bro? You know that? If you don't, can you please report what nutrient and dosage do you use? Do you treat your coco before first use? How many times do you reuse you coco and what do you do with coco in between of each grow.
 
In my opinion most of the supplements advertised are not needed and a waste of money. All I use is base nutes, cal/mag when using coco( not in soil), and for outdoor grows I use a kelp supplement for heat tolerance, and that's it.
 
I tossed this lot of coco that I just harvested the OZ x SD as it was completely root bound and the coco was green with algae so I threw it out.

I do not buffer my coco but I do wash it with rainwater when new and when reusing. I keep reusing it but I only recover half and top it up with new washed coco and maybe some perlite. I give it a low dose of nutes sometimes also not that it matters.

My N to Ca ratio in veg before calmag is 5:4 (Ca(NO3)) and after it varies. I dont use a set ratio, I vary it from no change to more. I add more or less depending on leaf color, growth, pigment loss, and how much I gave it last feed and the feed before...I give it most feeds but keep it sensible mostly,

I salvage old coco. I leave it in the pots with old roots. Keep it dry and after a couple of months the roots break down and the old main stem just pulls out easy. Any roots I just sift with my fingers and remove then just wash in rainwater.
 
That's how I have mostly grown the last 20+ years. Pretty much exactly how I've done it.

Edit. I amended the soil with some pretty baked compost though to start and used it as a spreader mid grow also.
 
Last edited:
I forgot to ask your K. We need to know K:Ca either before analysis. Report your N:K:Ca please.

Let's normalise it. Your N:K:Ca before Ca supplement is 1:---:0.8 and perhaps 1:---:1 after Ca supplement in average. I use RO water and I don't supplement Ca.
N:K:Ca ratio of mine during entire grow is 1:0.67:0.67. So you are using up to 50% more Ca than me. I'm sure your K is twice as much as me
 
I have 0.2 mg/L Cu in my nutrient formula. It's 40 times higher than sufficient amount to prevent algae growth. You can apply Cu up to 1 mg/L with every watering but not for plants other than cannabis.
 
I don't work on N:K:Ca ratio because I have been changing it throughout the grow. Not one day is the same but I work from a base of approximately 10:15:8
 
I increased Cu last auto grow along with all trace elements especially Fe trying to offset too high an N. It kept them going I think but wasn't ideal. Algae is not an issue with coco in a drain to waste setup as it can only grow on the top and not get in the tank if I'm using one, which I'm not for this run.
 
So your N:K:Ca is 1:1.5:0.8 and my ratio is 1:0.67: 0.67. It can be translated to 2.25 times more potassium than mine.
Chemically nothing more than potassium concentration effects Ca uptake because of common charge effect. From this data i can guess your N/S is 4 times than me. My S/N is 1:10. Can you report your N:P:K:Ca:Mg:S:Si in reproductive phase please? Mine is constant 10:2.1:6.7:6.7:1.7:1.0:1.2. I think your Mg/N is at least twice as much as mine.
Whats your idea about this huge differences?
Do you measure your run off EC? if so, what N concentration gives you constant run off EC? For me, constant 120mg/L N at 1.2 mS/cm results constant 2.0 mS/cm in the run off.

But wait a minute. You should not follow constant run off EC strategy as your ratios are not near the optimum.
1 more thing please. What is your N:EC ratio of final solutions? Mine is exactly 1.0 mS/Cm per 100 mg/L N. Sorry if I've asked too many questions.
 
Last edited:
No I don't measure EC run off nor do I measure pH runoff. I have previously but found the data unreliable and not repeatable with any accuracy.

My nute ratios are not ideal but I'm working on it. Yes, I appear to have had Cal deficiencies on one plant this grow but possibly P deficiencies also. I struggled to diagnose this problem and it has caused me grief in two previous grows, this time only one of 7 plants (inc 4 autos) but it's those genetics (my seeds) that the problem occurs in. On two others this grow I had too much P on two plants and too much N on four plants.

My head is hurting from ratios.

The biggest issues I am dealing with are the compromises I am having to make growing 4 different genetics at different stages of growth in the same room...that's tough.
 
Last edited:
You use citric acid in coco, right? I told you before citric acid is the worse acid for pH adjusting in hydroponics. It is a carboxylic acid and It feeds algae.
 
Yes I do use citric acid when needed but the frequency and amounts I use are negligible and the algae does not appear to be causing me an issue. It was on top of one pot because of high frequency fertigation required to keep a huge plant happy in a very small pot.

I use it daily in my cloning bucket but it no longer gets light in it and I change out the solution every week.
 
Yes... 4 genetics are tough to grow not because of differences in nutrient requirements but because of different growing patterns and shapes. Cannabis shows genetic dependency only for P. Max yields can be obtained by 30-60 mg/L depending on genetics and you will get at least 80% of max yield by 30 mg/L when 60 is needed. But you can simply use 60 mg/L to get to max yield with all genetics. So
You can reach maximum yield without changing any ratio in the entire grow. So don't make it complicated. Those companies are liars :) and Gingerbread is wrong ;)
 
As I am certain you are aware but light levels especially fro modern LED'S do impact nute uptake and photosynthesis in plants differently which requires varying EC and nute ratios especially at different stages of growth and size.

Right now I only have 3 plants in the flower room. One is ready to harvest, one has 14 days or so to go and one only flipped yesterday. All different light and nute requirements and temp humidity ideal settings.

All of that means I must compromise as best I can to get good results.

The ready to harvest and 14 day to go want 22⁰C and low 30% RH, the just flipped 26⁰C and 60% RH, full veg nutes + Si & CalMg on the just flipped at 1.1 EC now to limit nute burn on newly exposed growth and PPFD probably around 450to500 but full bloom EC 1.4/5 and PPFD over 800 on the other two....it's a juggling act
 
Last edited:
No. Im not agree with you. I told you befor, PAR level and light spec and plant size have no Sensible effect on nutrient requirements and optimum EC. Even if nutrient requirement changes it doesn't mean you have to react. The only element you MAY need to change its concentration in feeding solution is P during flowering.

Believe me... they are either liars or wrong.
 
Instead of changing EC, find the average.
1+2+3+4=2×5
You can use 800 umol/s/m2 for veg. It gives you faster growth.
Instead of changing RH, dilute solutions.
You have made your work difficult with unnecessary complications
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top