Mixing Dry Nutes?

SmerkedOut

SmerkedOut

Well-Known Member
I've been using Jack's Hydro 5-12-26 and Calcium Nitrate 15.5-0-0 based on a formula another user gave me. But for this grow I want to try to tune my nutes a little more for a veg and flower mix.

So if I understand, those numbers are absolute which means if I mix 1 gram of Jack's hydro and 1 gram of Cal Nit I would have an NPK of 20.5-12-26, right? So if I wanted to boost N, i would add more cal nit and get a NPK of say 36-23-26, right?

And then the PPM is determined by how much of that I add to a certain amount of water?
 
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az2000

Well-Known Member
SmerkedOut said:
I've been using Jack's Hydro 5-12-26 and Calcium Nitrate 15.5-0-0

So if I understand, those numbers are absolute which means if I mix 1 gram of Jack's hydro and 1 gram of Cal Nit I would have an NPK of 20.5-12-26, right?
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It's an average between the two. The result will be 10.25 - 6 - 13. (Think of it as Jack's diluting the cal-nit's N and the cal-nit strengthening the Jack's N. The result is halfway between the two.). Sounds like a decent ratio for veg. But, calnit contains Ca. I'd be worried it will mess up your ca:mg ratio, etc. When I want to raise my N, I add fish emulsion or blood meal, or a all-purpose like 16-16-16 added to a high PK product (like the Jack's you refer to.). But, I'm in soil. If you're hydro maybe calnit is the way to go.

I created a spreadsheet to find NPK and PPM of mixed products like this. If you're in hydro you may want to use hydrobuddy (google for it).
 
jijiandfarmgang

jijiandfarmgang

Well-Known Member
Learn to use Hydrobuddy. Really makes things easy. The directions may be a little overwhelming at first but there are probably youtube videos showing how.

I've read (and see on most nutrient formulas) anywhere from 2.5:1 to 4:1 for a Ca:Mg ratio.

- Jiji
 
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churchhaze

Well-Known Member
That's basically it. To increase N, use more calcium nitrate, and if you need pH down, use nitric acid.

NPK is percent by mass of N, P2O5 equivalent, and K2O equivalent. (N doesn't use a stupid equivalent conversion factor...)

Hydrobuddy is a great tool, even for jacks hydro pro users. You can easily add jacks hydro as a substance in the substance database and use that in other formulas.

Here is an example of hydrobuddy with a hypothetical mix of 20g jacks, 20g yara calnit, and 10g KH2PO4 in 10 gallons of water.

jacks_1-1.86-2.11.jpg

SmerkedOut said:
I've been using Jack's Hydro 5-12-26 and Calcium Nitrate 15.5-0-0 based on a formula another user gave me. But for this grow I want to try to tune my nutes a little more for a veg and flower mix.

So if I understand, those numbers are absolute which means if I mix 1 gram of Jack's hydro and 1 gram of Cal Nit I would have an NPK of 20.5-12-26, right? So if I wanted to boost N, i would add more cal nit and get a NPK of say 36-23-26, right?

And then the PPM is determined by how much of that I add to a certain amount of water?
Click to expand...
 
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Atomizer

Well-Known Member
I would probably opt for potassium sulfate in the hypothetical mix instead of MKP. Using phos acid ph down would be enough put the P in the 30-40 range.
 
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churchhaze

Well-Known Member
I wouldn't recommend anyone actually use that mix, but it can show people what they're feeding if they do it that way.

I try to keep P between 30-60ppm in my actual mixes.

Atomizer said:
I would probably opt for potassium sulfate in the hypothetical mix instead of MKP. Using phos acid ph down would be enough put the P in the 30-40 range.
Click to expand...
 
SmerkedOut

SmerkedOut

Well-Known Member
Anyone? What could I use to add the micronutrients? And could someone please put together a nute schedule for me of the Cal-Nit and Jack's Hydro I mentioned above?
 
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az2000

Well-Known Member
SmerkedOut said:
Anyone? What could I use to add the micronutrients? And could someone please put together a nute schedule for me of the Cal-Nit and Jack's Hydro I mentioned above?
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Your first post said you use a schedule from another person; and you want to fine tune it. What is that mix?

Are you in soil or hydro?
 
SmerkedOut

SmerkedOut

Well-Known Member
az2000 said:
Your first post said you use a schedule from another person; and you want to fine tune it. What is that mix?

Are you in soil or hydro?
Click to expand...
right now it's 25ml jack's hydro to 16.5ml of calcium nitrate into 15 gallons of water. i know ml isn't the right measurement for dry nutes but I don't have a scale to weigh that out on. I use RO/DI water so 0ppm.

2 of the grows are RDWC, and 1 grow is going to be autoflowers in Fox Farm Happy Frog and Ocean Forest. I don't even know if the auto's will need nutes?
 
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az2000

Well-Known Member
You'll need a gram scale. Harbor Freight has a decent one for about $8.

Maybe one of the hydro participants of this thread can give suggestions.

Regarding autos, you'll need to feed them. If it were me I'd use a soil with little nutrients and begin feeding 1/8 strength 1 week after breaking ground. Feeding an auto is challenging because you normally start the seed in the final container size. (No transplanting unless you're really good at it. The idea is an auto doesn't have the lifespan to recover from transplant shock.). It's hard to get nutes to the young plant in a timely manner. If you feed 1/8 strength it could take 2-3 times longer for the soil to dry and be ready for another feeding than if the plant was sized for that container. So, you have to weigh feeding too strong versus wasting growth time which could have been more aggressive. Or, feeding before the soil is dry. (It can also seem like nothing's happening with the seedling as it spends all the early time spreading into that large container instead of growing above ground.).

I think you'd be better off with a different Jack's product which would be better for veg, like the Citrus Feed at 2-1-2 which sounds like a really good veg ratio. (Or, the all purpose at 1-1-1). Get the Bloom Booster product for flower. Mix it and Citrus in early flower to get something between the two. (if you had a gram scale you could use the spreadsheet to visualize mixing the two.).

I don't know what your 5-12-26 is. That sounds like a weird ratio (so high in K).
 
DirtyMcCurdy

DirtyMcCurdy

Well-Known Member
I've thought about using FloraMicro for micro nutes. It has the Ca, the N and the micro's. I don't know what ratio you'd have to mix though, or if it would even work.
az2000 said:
You'll need a gram scale. Harbor Freight has a decent one for about $8.

Maybe one of the hydro participants of this thread can give suggestions.

Regarding autos, you'll need to feed them. If it were me I'd use a soil with little nutrients and begin feeding 1/8 strength 1 week after breaking ground. Feeding an auto is challenging because you normally start the seed in the final container size. (No transplanting unless you're really good at it. The idea is an auto doesn't have the lifespan to recover from transplant shock.). It's hard to get nutes to the young plant in a timely manner. If you feed 1/8 strength it could take 2-3 times longer for the soil to dry and be ready for another feeding than if the plant was sized for that container. So, you have to weigh feeding too strong versus wasting growth time which could have been more aggressive. Or, feeding before the soil is dry. (It can also seem like nothing's happening with the seedling as it spends all the early time spreading into that large container instead of growing above ground.).

I think you'd be better off with a different Jack's product which would be better for veg, like the Citrus Feed at 2-1-2 which sounds like a really good veg ratio. (Or, the all purpose at 1-1-1). Get the Bloom Booster product for flower. Mix it and Citrus in early flower to get something between the two. (if you had a gram scale you could use the spreadsheet to visualize mixing the two.).

I don't know what your 5-12-26 is. That sounds like a weird ratio (so high in K).
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Jacks doesn't seem to use as much P in there hydro ferts. Their Hydro FeED is 16-4-17? I don't know if it has something to do with hydroponics maybe being able to take up P a lot easier? Idk
 
blowincherrypie

blowincherrypie

Well-Known Member
DirtyMcCurdy said:
Jacks doesn't seem to use as much P in there hydro ferts. Their Hydro FeED is 16-4-17? I don't know if it has something to do with hydroponics maybe being able to take up P a lot easier? Idk
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They sell the bloom boosters for flowering which is high in P and usually when the plant needs it the most..

I use their 16-4-17 and with some epsom salt has been working great
 
blowincherrypie

blowincherrypie

Well-Known Member
Hydrofeed and Bloom booster.. I use their 10-30-20.. I add epsom salt with every water and my results are better than when I was using a drawer full of AN products..

Use the hydrofeed during veg then when you start flowering you add the bloom booster to your hydrofeed mix... start by adding just a little bloom booster to a lot of hydrofeed.. By the end you should be using a little less hydrofeed but a little more of the bloom booster.. easy peasy
 
SmerkedOut

SmerkedOut

Well-Known Member
blowincherrypie said:
Hydrofeed and Bloom booster.. I use their 10-30-20.. I add epsom salt with every water and my results are better than when I was using a drawer full of AN products..

Use the hydrofeed during veg then when you start flowering you add the bloom booster to your hydrofeed mix... start by adding just a little bloom booster to a lot of hydrofeed.. By the end you should be using a little less hydrofeed but a little more of the bloom booster.. easy peasy
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Holy hell $100. That's gonna have to wait a week or two

What ratios of that do you mix at what stages of growth? And how do you get your micro nutes?
 
DirtyMcCurdy

DirtyMcCurdy

Well-Known Member
blowincherrypie said:
They sell the bloom boosters for flowering which is high in P and usually when the plant needs it the most..

I use their 16-4-17 and with some epsom salt has been working great
Click to expand...
Yeah but you're still getting another 10% N and 20% K. Doesn't really help the Phosphorus ratio when you add more Nitrogen and Potassium with it? Thats a lot of nitrogen to finish flowering with. Might as well use a general purpose 20-20-20 then finish with straight blossum booster 10-30-20
 
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