Are Boosters and Additives Really Necessary?

hymem

Well-Known Member
Unity- Here is another pic of my cured Bubba Skywalker. I grew this in an Ebb and Flow system, with Nutrifield Elements Bloom A/B and tap water. My medium was 6x6 Hugo Blocks. My temps were kept around 72 - 76F the last 6 weeks of flower. NO ADDITIVES were used whatsoever.

bubbaskymacro.jpg
 

insomnia47

Well-Known Member
yeah those buds i posted way back, and were just quoted by kevin a few posts up... those were grown with GH nutes grow micro and bloom, just the basics. i added epsom salt because they are defficient in calcium and magnesium and i also use h202 to keep shit clean, i do not consider those additives, they are requirements in hydro, i believe additives are hike PK nuts and vitamines and hormones that are not the "essential" 16
 

unity

Well-Known Member
Unity- Here is another pic of my cured Bubba Skywalker. I grew this in an Ebb and Flow system, with Nutrifield Elements Bloom A/B and tap water. My medium was 6x6 Hugo Blocks. My temps were kept around 72 - 76F the last 6 weeks of flower. NO ADDITIVES were used whatsoever.

View attachment 1612857
Cheers Hymem, thats a nice nug! How did that grow go for you? Did you have any issues along the way? I wish I could use my tab water, but my water district delivers over 500ppm, I even tried it but had nothing but problems. Did you have a journal for this grow?
Kind
 

unity

Well-Known Member
yeah those buds i posted way back, and were just quoted by kevin a few posts up... those were grown with GH nutes grow micro and bloom, just the basics. i added epsom salt because they are defficient in calcium and magnesium and i also use h202 to keep shit clean, i do not consider those additives, they are requirements in hydro, i believe additives are hike PK nuts and vitamines and hormones that are not the "essential" 16
Cool, that changes the conversation a little bit. Certain things are just necesarry in hydro, and that is kind of how I feel about that as well.
 

Uncle Ben

Well-Known Member
So, if you do hydro you must use "additives and boosters", aka "snake oils", for decent yields, which costs more and the yields don't compare to soil grown pot?

Yeah, makes sense to me.:mrgreen:

UB
 

ataxia

Well-Known Member
I'm a novice grower but IME it's clear that bloom boosters aren't for me. I'd like to see you hit your sativa with 9-50-10 food and explain to me how it helped, AND how you didn't burn the fuck out of it.
I experienced early that using a bloom booster 2-10-10 at 1/4 strength caused a few of my plants to just burn to shit after one dose. They were salvaged but looked like shit. Lovely burnt tips, sugar leaves, etc.
On another note.... my hydro guy is a great guy. He never points me in the direction of the expensive nutes, as a matter of fact he does the opposite. The only thing i see him really pushing are lighting and air systems that are overpriced, and even he will admit it's a rip off.
Bloom boosters are not necessary.
Even if UB comes off like a dick... he has his data prepared.
btw UB... finally got Mel Frank's and Robert C Clark's books ..... for any fans of Jorge ... Mel Frank and Robert Clark fill in all the blanks that Cervantes is missing. I suggest buying all three .... and then buy some more....
it's costs less than a bottle of bloom booster
 

a mongo frog

Well-Known Member
no bloom boosters added .... FF Grow Big 6-4-4 through flower ...the last three weeks were a botanicare cns bloom 2-2-4 last week was fed a 1-5-4
greal looking bud, but now your talking big cola genetics a door nob could of flowered that. not every one grows the same strain or grows the same way. your a good grower we know that, but they make boosters that are no where near the numbers your talking about.
 

Jack Larson

Active Member
Boosters and additives are TOOLS (not like Uncle Ben) but tools that are useful. You could probably get a job done with just a hammer, saw and screwdriver, but why? If you're really into your hobby you probably want all the latest innovative tools and some are gonna work better than others. For me that's part of the fun. I always strive to do better. It's the experimenting that keeps things from getting boring. When it comes down to it we're (growing plants). Personaly I'm always trying to find the perfect combination or recipe for the tastiest stoniest highest yielding strain. That is my quest. and while $ does not always = good results I dont mind paying a little more for a product that I know gives me good results
 

AlteredEgo

Active Member
So, if you do hydro you must use "additives and boosters", aka "snake oils", for decent yields, which costs more and the yields don't compare to soil grown pot?

Yeah, makes sense to me.:mrgreen:

UB
That is what I was thinking. If the old timers, aka me, and a few others, are all using soil, and lord knows we should have a tolerance by now, and we are all old and decrepit, so we really have a lot of pain to kill, and we do love that great soil taste, and ease of growth, then why not try, heck, I dunno, SOIL maybe?

I got a sample of hydro grown AK-47, along with 2 clones from an acquaintance. The sample sack was very tasty, dried too fast for a cure at all, so a little harsh, and, according to several folks, a bit weak in the high dept. Fast forward, I have the second crop coming from those genetics. It is sticky tasty, and smooth to smoke, and everyone says "Twice as good". The high is like the difference between pretty good brick weed and top shelf. A couple tokes does what half joint did of the hydro sample.

Hydro may be cool on the streets, and always marketable. "Dro" makes a nice looking bag, after a LOT of work, and sweat. I can assure you, my soil grown is always better than the same strain in hydro, and plants are healthier. Beginning to see a trend here? We are not old dummies that don't know how to do hydro, we choose soil, and get superior weed because of it, and a lot more of it.

I can buy everything I need to do a complete grow at walmart garden center, and get very good results. Hydro is no magic, just a pain to keep it perfect unless you are running a large operation with full automation. For home grows, I feel it is a novelty. How many folks grow tomatoes in water, at home? not a lot! Wonder why?

There is no magic formula. Healthy green plants produce the largest yields, and greatest potency. Learn the botany and physiology of the plant, and you can work with it, instead of fighting against it. Plants can be kept happy with very low cost products. A good 3-1-2 Lawn fert will make you some very nice buds, with nothing else. Pics don't tell why I'm too stoned to post pics a lot, because my med is much stronger than the street hydro.
 

ataxia

Well-Known Member
greal looking bud, but now your talking big cola genetics a door nob could of flowered that. not every one grows the same strain or grows the same way. your a good grower we know that, but they make boosters that are no where near the numbers your talking about.
your totally right man... that plant was easy and i still managed to not go to full potential due to that last feeding of booster. I hear what your saying about numbers that aren't so high. but i did mention i used a booster 1-5-4 in the last week or so ...yellowed me out but no burn. Honestly though ... had i fed that plant the same veg food throughout i would've still gotten a bud like that if not better. or maybe not .. not enough data ...haha!
Just like boosters aren't going to make a skinny cola fat, or a bud more resinous, or a bloom more boosted. however. I haven't seen science but i think boosters affect taste greatly. In either a good or bad way.
In all honesty, please don't think i actually know enough to give advice. Just giving my opinion.. and what i've seen in my travels. I appreciate you saying i'm a good grower .... but i got alot of learning.. i still consider myself a noob.
 

hymem

Well-Known Member
Cheers Hymem, thats a nice nug! How did that grow go for you? Did you have any issues along the way? I wish I could use my tab water, but my water district delivers over 500ppm, I even tried it but had nothing but problems. Did you have a journal for this grow?
Kind
Thanks Unity. It was grown in Ebb and flow under 2K. My atmosphere was kept cool and I had good circulation. I did not add any CO2 to the room only outside air. This particular room was out of the way so I did not care for it the best I could but the genetics I were running are so spectacular that its hard to mess them up. I did have salt build up issues around Day 35 of flower which is typical of Rockwool. I did try and flush my medium once a week from day 35 to harvest but i didnt always have time to do this. The salt buildup issues never fully went away but they did improve and I still ended up with about 3LB which comes out to about 0.7 grams/watt. Not bad for a super low maintenance grow with no additives. Unfortunately I did not post a journal for this grow.
 

insomnia47

Well-Known Member
So, if you do hydro you must use "additives and boosters", aka "snake oils", for decent yields, which costs more and the yields don't compare to soil grown pot?

Yeah, makes sense to me.:mrgreen:

UB
So, are you saying that h202 is a "snake oil" or additive? and the epsom salt? General Hydroponic nutes are known to be an incomplete plant food and need an additional source of mg and ca.

i did not blast my plants with high PK or any type of "root inoculant" vitamins or horomones.

i do not doubt for a second that a seasoned grower can make a beautiful and bountiful plant in soil, but for me i don't have a green thumb, i did not have a lot of botany experience or plant knowledge, i started from square 1, when i put a plant in soil it struggled because i did not know what i was doing, i tried hydro and my growth exploded. and now i try a couple in soil and a few in hydro and for me its a no-brainer. a proper dialed and active hydro set-up out performs my soil grow in vigor and growth rate, no answer on the finished product though.

i believe hydro is the future, its more sustainable, better for the environment, uses less water and easier to maintain large systems. sure theres a bit more work involved until its automated, but thats the fun. sure i could throw some beans in soil and achieve the same results now, but not as fast as hydro will, and as we all know, time is money people.

i think some of the old timers on here might be having a hard time accepting the future for what it is. to me this hobby is about learning and experimenting with what works for you, some people have more money to lose than others, so to each there own, but to say 1 ssystem is better than others is not accurate.
 

Harrekin

Well-Known Member
UB, to be honest, Im a little disappointed at your sweeping generalisations considering your a name I respect and a person whos advice Id usually follow...but Im wondering, if you've never tried PK13/14 or other boosters, how can just generalise that none of them can offer an improvement? Guesswork? Thats not very scientific at all and not what Iv come to expect from you to be honest.

A "zip" is an ounce by the way.

So you're willing to say right now, without ever trying (and from reading your posts even looking up) any of the aforementioned products that PK13/14 (etc) wont give me an improvement on my yield? Dont spout the "plants dont need it" rhetoric over and over again, if I wanted what they "need" Id go with base nutes, I want to give them a boost.

Also what would be the point in making a booster thats $15 a L with an application rate of (max) 7ml/5L water, for only one week if it doesnt work? Its hardly profiteering and nowhere do the company say it's necessary by the way either.

Are you really so arrogant that you dont think someone in the world could ever possibly have found a way to get more from their plants than you? I dont know what your personal problem is around this subject, your very set in your ways. You keep telling new growers to always keep researching, improving, but you dont seem to be able to follow your advice yourself. Im truely disappointed with your attitude to be honest.

So, are you gonna tell me catagorically that the PK13/14 will not give me any improvement to my yield at all?
 

Uncle Ben

Well-Known Member
Boosters and additives are TOOLS (not like Uncle Ben) but tools that are useful.
Useful in what way, botanically speaking? I hear all this testamonial stuff with no scientific cause/effect to back it up.

Speaking of "tools", it's quite obvious you're a tool for the snake oil industry, but calling me a tool? Hah, who am I a tool for, fool? Some associate professor in Cornell University's biotech department?

Certain things are just necesarry in hydro, and that is kind of how I feel about that as well.
Feel? And exactly what are those "certain things"?

Hydro may be cool on the streets, and always marketable.
Yep, 90% marketable the rest a bit of romanticism, mental alignment with da Kewl Kids, feelings of elitism, etc.

There is no magic formula. Healthy green plants produce the largest yields, and greatest potency. Learn the botany and physiology of the plant, and you can work with it, instead of fighting against it. Plants can be kept happy with very low cost products. A good 3-1-2 Lawn fert will make you some very nice buds, with nothing else. Pics don't tell why I'm too stoned to post pics a lot, because my med is much stronger than the street hydro.
Yep. Boosters don't make buds, leaves do. Some folks just can't seem to grasp that simple concept. I guess if I had spent $300 on 10 bottles of watered down crap I'd be singing the same "hurray for me" mantras too.

So, are you saying that h202 is a "snake oil" or additive? and the epsom salt? General Hydroponic nutes are known to be an incomplete plant food and need an additional source of mg and ca.
Never said H202 or epsom salts is a snake oil. I buy a pound of epsom salts at Walmart for buck.

Sounds like someone just got taken by GH. Most pot hydro vendors sell incomplete plant foods by design. The requirement to purchase more than one product to get what the plant needs is used to increase profits. These guys are splitting up one complete product into 3 which is what all these scammers do whether it be organic vitamins or Nikken magnets for healing the body.

If Dyna-Gro can put all 16 elements into their products (which includes Ca and Mg) why can't your "cannabis specific" genius's? BTW, Dya-Gro is NOT a cannabis specific food (not that cannabis requires anything special, it doesn't). I have bought Dyna-Gro for many years because it is legitimate and doesn't cater to the cannabis crowd. It's only recently that "cannabis specific" vendors have popped up like fleas on a dirty dog. Trend actually started in the late 90's and has taken off like wildfire. It's easy money because of the target group...... who by and large are not sophisticated nor educated and are quite gullible when it comes to claiming that their stuff is "new" and "improved".

Are you saying that you know for certain that your plant required the Mg or Ca? I doubt seriously if 90% of those lurking in this thread know what the essential elements are for good plant health and in what ratios.

I'm saying that if you need NPK and micros, there are value added products. If you think you need the amino acid stuff and enzymes.....good luck!

i believe hydro is the future, its more sustainable, better for the environment, uses less water and easier to maintain large systems. sure theres a bit more work involved until its automated, but thats the fun. sure i could throw some beans in soil and achieve the same results now, but not as fast as hydro will, and as we all know, time is money people.
Hydro has its place, as do a score of other methods. All depends on the application, the objectives. If I was growing tomatoes under 2 acres of greenhouses, naturally I'd be doing in water culture. Regarding the "future", every new crop of noobs will think that way. I know someone that is growing veggies using aquaculture (fish poop). I'd guess you'd call that "the future" too. To me and my associates, it's not only impractical, it's pretty damn stupid. Like most idealogues they will fail. Live and learn.

UB, to be honest, Im a little disappointed at your sweeping generalisations considering your a name I respect and a person whos advice Id usually follow...but Im wondering, if you've never tried PK13/14 or other boosters, how can just generalise that none of them can offer an improvement? Guesswork? Thats not very scientific at all and not what Iv come to expect from you to be honest.
No, cause I know better. I see you didn't read any of the links debunking the credibility of "boosters".

So you're willing to say right now, without ever trying (and from reading your posts even looking up) any of the aforementioned products that PK13/14 (etc) wont give me an improvement on my yield? Dont spout the "plants dont need it" rhetoric over and over again, if I wanted what they "need" Id go with base nutes, I want to give them a boost.
You tell me what's in that "boost" that is so wonderful. Does it produce and support leaves? Of course it doesn't, therefore a seasoned grower will not use it as it is a waste of time and money.

Also what would be the point in making a booster thats $15 a L with an application rate of (max) 7ml/5L water, for only one week if it doesnt work? Its hardly profiteering and nowhere do the company say it's necessary by the way either.
Ever heard of a placebo? People see what they want to see. If you think I'm gonna believe that 7ml/5L of a watered down product is gonna have any real world affect.....

So, are you gonna tell me catagorically that the PK13/14 will not give me any improvement to my yield at all?
If your plants have a P and K deficiency, and you can remediate that deficiency via one of your "boosters", then you may want to use such a food to take care of the deficiencies. More than likely you're buying a nickel's worth of potassium phosphate and paying $20 which goes towards profits and overhead costs like marketing, distribution, staff salaries, etc. Look at the label, betcha that's all it is - a tsp. of potassium phosphate in a liter of tap water slapped with a cute colorful label designed to appeal to the senses, cute product name, and claims.

UB
 

Harrekin

Well-Known Member
No offense but Im looking for more than "more than likely", I asked you catagorically if it COULD give an improved effect and you pointed me to generalised farming literature.

So, without even looking up the product I mentioned,you're gonna tell me definitively that cannabis plants flowered on a complete 2-2-4 fertiliser, DOES NOT benefit from a PK boost around week 3-5 of flower (which is the fastest "generative fruit stage" in an 8 week cycle), for one week, after which you go back to 2-2-4? (which also in a way supports your argument about PK overuse, because the company only tell you to apply the high PK ferts when most of the fruits are formed)

If you do say that and really genuinely believe that its not even possible that someone in the world improved on your "old school" methods through research, then would you be also willing to say we should stop other R&D in all other fields (medicine, physics, botany, etc) and just maintain the status quo? Abandon all attempts to improve on what we currently do?

I dont believe all the boosters and other shite released do genuinely work, nor do I believe that they are in ANY way necessary, but if a product can offer an improvement on top of the "basics" it should be ignored as a "snake oil"?

Thats like saying Clonex, etc are not necessary because you can root clones in plain water in only 2-3 weeks...but we all know the Clonex or *insert random unbranded rooting hormone* (although obviously unnecessary) do the job alot faster...but they must be "snake oils" too by your logic, right? They are alot pricier than water too.

Not trying to be argumentative, just Im really trying to understand why you have such a "know it all" attitude on this subject.
 

Uncle Ben

Well-Known Member
No offense but Im looking for more than "more than likely", I asked you catagorically if it COULD give an improved effect and you pointed me to generalised farming literature.
Because that's what you really need. It's another case of throwing "pearls before swine".

So, without even looking up the product I mentioned,you're gonna tell me definitively that cannabis plants flowered on a complete 2-2-4 fertiliser, DOES NOT benefit from a PK boost around week 3-5 of flower (which is the fastest "generative fruit stage" in an 8 week cycle), for one week, after which you go back to 2-2-4? (which also in a way supports your argument about PK overuse, because the company only tell you to apply the high PK ferts when most of the fruits are formed)
I looked up the product. Don't assume anything with me. I'm very thorough. There is a problem with most of these Canna reps, they won't disclose what's in their oils. Wonder why? What are they hiding? Here, you tell me what's really in it --> http://www.canna.com/

No, the product will not increase yields, it will have an opposite affect by inducing premature leaf drop. An excess of K and P will induce a deficiency of N and Ca, see my previous link, IF you want to learn something. The product is already too low in N and you're just gonna nail that coffin lid on down. This is the last time I'm gonna address botany and the importance of leaf health and retention.....nutrient antagonism You're just not getting it.

I have a "know it all" attitude because I've been doing this stuff for 45 years. I'm at an age where I'm past putting my hand on a stove to see if it's hot.

Good luck,
UB
 

Harrekin

Well-Known Member
And just out of interest, you know the exact weekly nutritional requirements/preferable nutrient ratios of a flowering cannabis plant how exactly? Care to give me a link to a study for that? Because without that your argument is pure speculation, and you can dress it up whatever way you want, but it is just speculation at this point.
 
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