Megacrop 1-part in a reservoir

Anyone use it in a reservoir?

I used a few 3lb bags over the summer on my outdoor hydro peppers. While it worked fine, I'm concerned with the amount of undissolved sediment.
I usually mix up 5 gallons at a time and if left to sit in the bucket there's a significant amount of crud on the bottom of the bucket.
This happens whether I use RO or tap water. It doesn't matter how long or how often it's stirred either.
I've used MaxiGro/Bloom for a while and it always dissolves 100% in minutes, and the reservoir is crystal clear.

I'm ready for my fall indoor grow and was thinking about trying Megacrop but am concerned about it fouling up my pumps and irrigation lines. I also have my reservations about the added kelp; anything organic in a reservoir is not a great idea.

I'll likely stick to Maxi but can't resist the temptation to experiment.

way back when they first came out, i got a free sample. i had horrible pH drops after about 3 days in the res. they were nice to try to help me out and we tried everything and never figured it out.

maybe the new formula is better/more stable? do they still do the free sample?

and if you want a great kelp product, try Clean Kelp. by far the best i've tried as far as residue, etc

rkymtnman said:

way back when they first came out, i got a free sample. i had horrible pH drops after about 3 days in the res. they were nice to try to help me out and we tried everything and never figured it out.

maybe the new formula is better/more stable? do they still do the free sample?

and if you want a great kelp product, try Clean Kelp. by far the best i've tried as far as residue, etc

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I got 'em for the price of shipping. I noticed it's much less acidic than Maxi but pH seemed stable, but I usually used it up within a day or so can't comment on long-term stability.
If I wanted to add kelp, I would prefer to do so separately rather than add it to the reservoir.
It's a little odd in that they give a freebee of their kelp product, but the base Megacrop also has kelp added whether you want it or not.

I've never used MC through 1/4" tubing for a drip setup with a separate res, but have run it thru top-feed rings on individual dwc buckets. It did tend to clog up the small openings in the ring every week or two. Suspect it'd do the same for emitters and such.

Fangthane said:

I've never used MC through 1/4" tubing for a drip setup with a separate res, but have run it thru top-feed rings on individual dwc buckets. It did tend to clog up the small openings in the ring every week or two. Suspect it'd do the same for emitters and such.

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I run 1-part MC through my drip/rings. But I run an inline filter before the pump to catch any particulates. It's hard to beat the price of MC.

It might not be worth the extra hassle, but you might try mixing stock solutions and running that through a very fine mesh filter or even a coffee filter.

MtRainDog said:

But I run an inline filter before the pump to catch any particulates

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how do you know what you are filtering out? what if it's something important?

7CardBud said:

It might not be worth the extra hassle, but you might try mixing stock solutions and running that through a very fine mesh filter or even a coffee filter.

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Operation drip has commenced! I just started some old 20x concentrate through a coffee filter. I'm not really concerned about it removing anything, but I'll check EC before and after filtering. I just bought a bag of Maxibloom, but I'd like to run one plant on MC. The problem is my little diaphragm pumps don't like any solids...

MtRainDog said:

I run 1-part MC through my drip/rings. But I run an inline filter before the pump to catch any particulates. It's hard to beat the price of MC.

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Can you post a link to your filter?

I have been doing it with Tropicote Calnit.
They sent me that instead of greenhouse grade so I need remove the polymer coating through a coffee filter.
It wasn't worth it for them to pay for return shipping, so they let me keep it after the refund.
Still kind of a PITA...I might toss it on the lawn soon and buy some greenhouse grade.

7CardBud said:

I have been doing it with Tropicote Calnit.
They sent me that instead of greenhouse grade so I need remove the polymer coating through a coffee filter.
It wasn't worth it for them to pay for return shipping, so they let me keep it after the refund.
Still kind of a PITA...I might toss it on the lawn soon and buy some greenhouse grade.

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how much polymer is left in the filter after you do it?

7CardBud said:

It might not be worth the extra hassle, but you might try mixing stock solutions and running that through a very fine mesh filter or even a coffee filter.

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I just ran some Megacrop 1 part through a coffee filter, 4000 ppm before and 4000 after. Gotta love the coffee filters, cheap, effective and available.

1212ham said:

I just ran some Megacrop 1 part through a coffee filter, 4000 ppm before and 4000 after. Gotta love the coffee filters, cheap, effective and available.

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Intuitively, that makes sense.
The precipitates aren't in solution so shouldn't impact the conductivity of the liquid.
It seems more likely that it's binders or fillers rather than salts precipitating out of solution.

rkymtnman said:

how much polymer is left in the filter after you do it?

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1500 grams leaves me about 200ml of slimy foam, like the stuff on a beach shore.

1212ham said:

Can you post a link to your filter?

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rkymtnman said:

how do you know what you are filtering out? what if it's something important?

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It’s just a simple screen filter to catch the big stuff

FYI > I ran a comparison grow with Mega Crop one part and GH MaxGro/Bloom.

Three gallons fabric bags with ProMix HP hand watered from the top.

Didn't notice any difference in results between the brands

Although MC is the less expensive you may as well just go with the Maxi series....

Cheers

I run low pressure aero. I have used the GH Lucas formula for about 15 years. I recently scored some free MC and thought I'd give it a shot. I noticed right away that my room smelled better. The plants were producing better terps with the MC. But I did begin to have issues with clogged misters. I was also using 2-3x as much ph down. After harvesting, the buildup left in my systems was so bad that I went back to GH. I'm still using MC on my outdoor (soil) plants with great results. MC is good stuff, but not fully compatible with an aeroponic system. I can imagine the buildup would also clog lines, drip emitters, etc.

And I was fully dissolving the solution in warm water before adding it to my reservoirs. So it's unlikely that a filter would remedy the situation. At least in my experience.