Post your DWC PPM recipes

[ChiefRunningPhist]

What's up guys, thought I'd start a DWC PPM Nute recipe thread.

N
P
K
Ca
Mg
S
Zn
Mn
Fe
Mo
B
And anything I missed

Post your PPM/EC ratios

Do you use a retail pre-mixed base(?) and add to it? If so, what base, and what supps?

I've been using maxibloom as a base and adding ZnSO4, MnSO4, K2SO4. I haven't tried to break the maxibloom down into elemental ppm. I only add the supps at anywhere from ~0-25ppm (Zn & Mn) to ~100-200ppm (K) depending. I use Epsom too. I try to use sulphate base supps instead of nitrates or phosphates, that way I'm not messing with the P or N ratio of the base nute. Also I will be using sulfuric acid (H2SO4) on this run instead of Nitric or Phosphoric to reduce N P ratio fluctuations caused by the acid -> carbonate interactions in my tap. I may dilute my "hard" tap water to 50/50, RO/tap.

mg/liter = ppm

If you mix your own salts and have a PPM recipe, post it! If you do a blend of DIY & pre-mixed that works for you, post it!

I listened to the Steve Solomon episode on the Kis Organics - Cannabis Cultivation podcast a while back and he had some good info, I should probably listen again, but I think I have to buy his book to see what nute recipe and plant he was referring too when he said you could "double the K, otherwise it'd be pretty much spot on for cannabis" (or something to that effect). Here's the podcast if anyone else is interested.

Cannabis Cultivation and Science Podcast Episode 6

"The problem is not that there is residues of pesticides in our food, the problem is that there's only residues of nutrition left in our foods.” ~Steve Solomon Transcript: Tad: Welcome to the Cannabis Cultivation and Science podcast, I'm your host Tad Hussey of KIS Organics. This is the...

www.kisorganics.com

 

[Amos Otis]

I haven't worried about any of that stuff for years. I use GH flora series - a little when the plants are little, then slightly less than recommended the rest of the way. Never check ph, ppm, or anything else.

 

[TerpyTyrone]

I use the gh schedule @ 1\2 strength always on though.

 

[ChiefRunningPhist]

Good stuff guys, I've been curious to try that floranova bloom @Amos Otis, I might buy a bottle but really just want to know what the best ratios are for MJ. The ingredients in the bottle only have to be at least what's printed on the bottle, so who knows what the real concentrations are, and of what.

Take GH cal-mg for example. It says its only derived from calcium carbonate and magnesium nitrate.


Magnesium Nitrate solution...


Calcium Carbonate solution...
This was the only sample I could find, but its saturated and GH isn't, so imagine lots less, and lots clearer...



Kelp...


GH Ca-Mg...



I'm venturing a decent amount of Kelp is added. But idk, it has a bit of a vinegar smell too or maybe seawater smell so that points me that way too, possibly.

 

[Amos Otis]

Good stuff guys, I've been curious to try that floranova bloom @Amos Otis, I might buy a bottle but really just want to know what the best ratios are for MJ. The ingredients in the bottle only have to be at least what's printed on the bottle, so who knows what the real concentrations are, and of what.

I feel like General Hydroponics has a real good idea who their customer base is. They've been around for at least 30 years. If people were getting poor results, they'd have never survived.

A business that depends on repeat sales for success is aiming for happy custies.

 

[ChiefRunningPhist]

I feel like General Hydroponics has a real good idea who their customer base is. They've been around for at least 30 years. If people were getting poor results, they'd have never survived.

A business that depends on repeat sales for success is aiming for happy custies.

Ya I think their products work well. It's honestly all I've used as far as the pre-mixed nutes go. 3 part and now maxi series.

I'm just curious what exactly is the chemical inside the bottle that's helping? I know that its got Ca and Mg, but it seems to have more than that, and Im wondering if sometimes people are adding GH Ca-Mg and seeing results, but maybe the Ca & Mg in the bottle is only a % of what's having the effect noticed? I know that cannabis likes more K to P than the 1:1 ratio on the bloom bags/bottles, or PK boosters, ... so does GH Ca-Mg have extra K in it as well? What about trace elements? Zn? Mn? I've ~250ppm tap so I can't add much Ca-Mg without overdoing the Ca, but I've been adding extra K, Zn, & Mn, in the form of sulphates because those are the defecincies I've diagnosed and I'm guessing GH Ca-Mg has some of those elements in it.

 

[Amos Otis]

Ya I think their products work well. It's honestly all I've used as far as the pre-mixed nutes go. 3 part and now maxi series.

I'm just curious what exactly is the chemical inside the bottle that's helping? I know that its got Ca and Mg, but it seems to have more than that, and Im wondering if sometimes people are adding GH Ca-Mg and seeing results, but maybe the Ca & Mg in the bottle is only a % of what's having the effect noticed? I know that cannabis likes more K to P than the 1:1 ratio on the bloom bags/bottles, or PK boosters, ... so does GH Ca-Mg have extra K in it as well? What about trace elements? Zn? Mn? I've ~250ppm tap so I can't add much Ca-Mg without overdoing the Ca, but I've been adding extra K, Zn, & Mn, in the form of sulphates because those are the defecincies I've diagnosed and I'm guessing GH Ca-Mg has some of those elements in it.

OK, amigo, I'm as far as I'm going. I've never needed to know why something works. As long as it works, I'm good.

 

[Greenthumbskunk]

Lots of different fertilizer will work for sure.

But I'm sure as hell not gonna pay someone to add water to some salts and charge me a 5000% mark up for it.

I've used GH when I first started growing in RDWC, did it for one run and the PH was tough to keep in check. Also it was much more expensive than using a dry fertilizer.


Here is a thing every one needs to understand.

All these companies source their fertilizer/salts only just a small number of companies actually produce fertilizer and I bet it's none of these small cannibus directed companies.
In farming we buy fertilizer by the ton and depending on the mix it's around $200-500 per ton. That's 2000 lbs. Of course that is not soluble fertilizer that mixes right away in water. But we do use a water soluble fertilizer that we call pop up fertilizer.

With my Jack's or masterblend I can make 15 gal of concentrated solution that I apply at 6 ml per gal of water. Sometimes I put more sometimes less. Depending if I'm adding anything else to my 60 gal top off tank. I also add Epsom salt to it at concentrated levels.
My mix comes out to 6ML per gal is 300 ppm.

Theirs 3785 ML per gal and I have 15 gal of concentrated solution. So 56,000 ml of concentrated solution.

Go check the general hydroponics ml per gal and how much it will cost you. Be sure to add in the micros as well.

I also mix my own CalMag and calcium Nitrate.

With my nitrate if I add 12 ml per gal that equates to a rise of 177 ppm

5 ml per gal of Cal mag adds 160 ppm

When I make a concentrate I measure out 1 gal of water and get a general idea of how many ppm it goes up with X amount of ML added. I also weigh out the amount of dry fertilizer per 5 gal container And keep those numbers handy for later.

Also when doing your readings always use the same ppm pen. I have like 4-5 of em and they all read different. Their could be a 100 ppm difference between one brand than the other.

 

[SoLowDoughLow]

Lots of different fertilizer will work for sure.

But I'm sure as hell not gonna pay someone to add water to some salts and charge me a 5000% mark up for it.

I've used GH when I first started growing in RDWC, did it for one run and the PH was tough to keep in check. Also it was much more expensive than using a dry fertilizer.


Here is a thing every one needs to understand.

All these companies source their fertilizer/salts only just a small number of companies actually produce fertilizer and I bet it's none of these small cannibus directed companies.
In farming we buy fertilizer by the ton and depending on the mix it's around $200-500 per ton. That's 2000 lbs. Of course that is not soluble fertilizer that mixes right away in water. But we do use a water soluble fertilizer that we call pop up fertilizer.

With my Jack's or masterblend I can make 15 gal of concentrated solution that I apply at 6 ml per gal of water. Sometimes I put more sometimes less. Depending if I'm adding anything else to my 60 gal top off tank. I also add Epsom salt to it at concentrated levels.
My mix comes out to 6ML per gal is 300 ppm.

Theirs 3785 ML per gal and I have 15 gal of concentrated solution. So 56,000 ml of concentrated solution.

Go check the general hydroponics ml per gal and how much it will cost you. Be sure to add in the micros as well.

I also mix my own CalMag and calcium Nitrate.

With my nitrate if I add 12 ml per gal that equates to a rise of 177 ppm

5 ml per gal of Cal mag adds 160 ppm

When I make a concentrate I measure out 1 gal of water and get a general idea of how many ppm it goes up with X amount of ML added. I also weigh out the amount of dry fertilizer per 5 gal container And keep those numbers handy for later.

Also when doing your readings always use the same ppm pen. I have like 4-5 of em and they all read different. Their could be a 100 ppm difference between one brand than the other.

I also had ph issues using GH. I am using megacrop now with good results

 

[Amos Otis]

But I'm sure as hell not gonna pay someone to add water to some salts and charge me a 5000% mark up for it.

I do so happily.

Twice a year, I pay Amazon less than $40 to refill the Maxi Bloom powder and Liquid Kool Bloom. Every 2 years or so, I pay about $15 for the Maxi Gro veg powder. So $80 one year and $95 the next, and avoid the 8 or 9 paragraphs of DIY you typed. That's the sort of thing I'll do every time.

To each his own, amigo, but I'm all about convenience and am fortunate to not have to pinch saw bucks.

 

[Greenthumbskunk]

I also had ph issues using GH. I am using megacrop now with good results

I bought a 22.5 lb bag of his old mix a while back. Still have it.
I just recently got a free sample from him on his new mix. Got in the mail yesterday.

 

[Greenthumbskunk]

I do so happily.

Twice a year, I pay Amazon less than $40 to refill the Maxi Bloom powder and Liquid Kool Bloom. Every 2 years or so, I pay about $15 for the Maxi Gro veg powder. So $80 one year and $95 the next, and avoid the 8 or 9 paragraphs of DIY you typed. That's the sort of thing I'll do every time.

To each his own, amigo, but I'm all about convenience and am fortunate to not have to pinch saw bucks.

Well if I was small time ( I'd use the amount you described in one day) and didn't know how to mix my own salts I'd buy GH. It's simple but you still need to do half the things I wrote about. Need to PH, need a TDS meter, need to blend 2-3 different GH products or more. I still have several GH products on . So they sell that as well.

The only reason I type so much is for someone who has no clue to get an idea on how you can do it yourself.
I could of just said dump 25 lb bag into water *grunt* , dump Epsom salt into water *fart grunt burp* and I'm done typing.

 

[ChiefRunningPhist]

Lots of different fertilizer will work for sure.

But I'm sure as hell not gonna pay someone to add water to some salts and charge me a 5000% mark up for it.

I've used GH when I first started growing in RDWC, did it for one run and the PH was tough to keep in check. Also it was much more expensive than using a dry fertilizer.


Here is a thing every one needs to understand.

All these companies source their fertilizer/salts only just a small number of companies actually produce fertilizer and I bet it's none of these small cannibus directed companies.
In farming we buy fertilizer by the ton and depending on the mix it's around $200-500 per ton. That's 2000 lbs. Of course that is not soluble fertilizer that mixes right away in water. But we do use a water soluble fertilizer that we call pop up fertilizer.

With my Jack's or masterblend I can make 15 gal of concentrated solution that I apply at 6 ml per gal of water. Sometimes I put more sometimes less. Depending if I'm adding anything else to my 60 gal top off tank. I also add Epsom salt to it at concentrated levels.
My mix comes out to 6ML per gal is 300 ppm.

Theirs 3785 ML per gal and I have 15 gal of concentrated solution. So 56,000 ml of concentrated solution.

Go check the general hydroponics ml per gal and how much it will cost you. Be sure to add in the micros as well.

I also mix my own CalMag and calcium Nitrate.

With my nitrate if I add 12 ml per gal that equates to a rise of 177 ppm

5 ml per gal of Cal mag adds 160 ppm

When I make a concentrate I measure out 1 gal of water and get a general idea of how many ppm it goes up with X amount of ML added. I also weigh out the amount of dry fertilizer per 5 gal container And keep those numbers handy for later.

Also when doing your readings always use the same ppm pen. I have like 4-5 of em and they all read different. Their could be a 100 ppm difference between one brand than the other.

Good post

Ill happily read 8-9 paragraphs of positive contribution

 

[ChiefRunningPhist]

Well if I was small time ( I'd use the amount you described in one day) and didn't know how to mix my own salts I'd buy GH. It's simple but you still need to do half the things I wrote about. Need to PH, need a TDS meter, need to blend 2-3 different GH products or more. I still have several GH products on . So they sell that as well.

The only reason I type so much is for someone who has no clue to get an idea on how you can do it yourself.
I could of just said dump 25 lb bag into water *grunt* , dump Epsom salt into water *fart grunt burp* and I'm done typing.

Do you have any ratio recomendations?

 

[Amos Otis]

Need to PH, need a TDS meter,

I gave those up years ago.

Ill happily read 8-9 paragraphs of positive contribution

Maybe my point was missed. I have no problem reading posts, Chief, and like the man said, it's beneficial advice for a 'big timer'.

Most often when I'm in town, I pay $10 plus tip for ham, eggs, and sides, when I could buy all the ingredients and cook the meal myself for a quarter of that. But I prefer to be a man of ease, simplicity and convenience, all things being equal.

 

[ChiefRunningPhist]

Anyone mess around with hydrobuddy? It seems interesting and possibly helpful, I'm going to poke around a bit...

 

[Greenthumbskunk]

Do you have any ratio recomendations?

In veg I'm using a base of (just measure dry fertilizer)
Per gal in RO water 600ppm
2.16 grams calcium Nitrate
2.16 grams master blend
1.08 grams of Epsom salt
1/2 ml protekt


Small plants

1.08 gram per gallon of nitrate for veg
1.08 gram per gal of masterblend
.54 Epsom salt per gallon
For young small plants 300 ppm

Depending on how your growing and what your growing you might have to add more Epsom salt and Nitrogen. So just use CalMag which is the same thing.
Some guys will add a base amount of 200 ppm of CalMag to start with a base. I've done that and it works well especially under led.


This depends on your plants as some are hungry for nitrogen


Bloom

125g mix of masterblend
100g calcium nitrate
50g epsom
25g MKP



These are from my own mix as I typed in the previous post.


Per 5 gal mix 580 ppm
60 ml masterblend +20 ml if no Cal mag
15 ml early bloom
25 ml of Cal mag

Per 60 gal mix

720 ml masterblend
180 ml of early bloom
300 ml of Cal mag (could add more).


Found this video on mixing concentrate.

You can always vary up what you want in your mix on how your plants feed.

 

[Texagonian]

In veg I'm using a base of (just measure dry fertilizer)
Per gal in RO water 600ppm
2.16 grams calcium Nitrate
2.16 grams master blend
1.08 grams of Epsom salt
1/2 ml protekt


Small plants

1.08 gram per gallon of nitrate for veg
1.08 gram per gal of masterblend
.54 Epsom salt per gallon
For young small plants 300 ppm

Depending on how your growing and what your growing you might have to add more Epsom salt and Nitrogen. So just use CalMag which is the same thing.
Some guys will add a base amount of 200 ppm of CalMag to start with a base. I've done that and it works well especially under led.


This depends on your plants as some are hungry for nitrogen


Bloom

125g mix of masterblend
100g calcium nitrate
50g epsom
25g MKP



These are from my own mix as I typed in the previous post.


Per 5 gal mix 580 ppm
60 ml masterblend +20 ml if no Cal mag
15 ml early bloom
25 ml of Cal mag

Per 60 gal mix

720 ml masterblend
180 ml of early bloom
300 ml of Cal mag (could add more).


Found this video on mixing concentrate.

You can always vary up what you want in your mix on how your plants feed.

So you mix the dry salts(ferts) in water as a concentrate and then use that concentrate diluted in water? Just clarifying. How long does it keep once concentrate has been prepared? Good stuff man. You can get a 25 lb bag of masterblend and cal nitrate and like a 5 lb bag of epsom for 125$ on eBay with free shipping and for a small to medium size garden would last for years

 

[Greenthumbskunk]

So you mix the dry salts(ferts) in water as a concentrate and then use that concentrate diluted in water? Just clarifying. How long does it keep once concentrate has been prepared? Good stuff man. You can get a 25 lb bag of masterblend and cal nitrate and like a 5 lb bag of epsom for 125$ on eBay with free shipping and for a small to medium size garden would last for years

Ya that's what I do. For example I had some megacrop laying around and I got a 5 gal container and measured out around 4500 grams of product and mixed in a bucket then poured it in the container with a spigot. I then took that concentrate and started adding like 30 ml at a time of concentrate to a exact 5 gal bucket of pure water. It come out that 18 ml per gal is 700 ppm on the solution I just made with that batch.

Super easy to do and is a fraction of the cost of buying product that already has had water added to it.

With the masterblend I also already added in the Epsom salt into the concentrate in the ratio that masterblend said to with the formula. It will last as long as any other fertilizer. It's the exact same thing companies do like GH.

Of course water can only hold so much solution so don't pour a whole bag of dry into 5 gal of water it won't mix all the way. Just put in a reasonable amount say 3000 grams for 5 gal mix it up and write down how much you put in for later concentrate mixes.

 

[Texagonian]

Ya that's what I do. For example I had some megacrop laying around and I got a 5 gal container and measured out around 4500 grams of product and mixed in a bucket then poured it in the container with a spigot. I then took that concentrate and started adding like 30 ml at a time of concentrate to a exact 5 gal bucket of pure water. It come out that 18 ml per gal is 700 ppm on the solution I just made with that batch.

Super easy to do and is a fraction of the cost of buying product that already has had water added to it.

With the masterblend I also already added in the Epsom salt into the concentrate in the ratio that masterblend said to with the formula. It will last as long as any other fertilizer. It's the exact same thing companies do like GH.

Of course water can only hold so much solution so don't pour a whole bag of dry into 5 gal of water it won't mix all the way. Just put in a reasonable amount say 3000 grams for 5 gal mix it up and write down how much you put in for later concentrate mixes.

Hell yea! I have a bunch of bottles I’m gonna finish off and a tester of megacrop to try. I eventually want to move to dry. It just makes sense to do it that way as far as “me” goes. To each their own. Thanks for sharing