What are the most cost effect nutrients for lettuce?
 

Is there a type of dry nutrient that is cheap to buy to bring down the cost per plant?

I use General Hydro Maxigrow. It's cheap (I think I got my 2lb bag for $15). At the rate I'm using it (5gal res for 18 plants in an nft system) it'll last me probably almost a year, if not more.

Have you worked out how many gallons of nutrient solution the 2 pounds ($15) make? I have been using the VertiGrow nutrients lately (they work very well), and I know it makes 500 gallons for $40 (that includes shipping). But I'm always looking for suppliers of good inexpensive nutrients.

At average strength probably 220 gallons. Of course, that for my lettuce. With my fruiting plants I'll switch to MaxiBloom (same price) when they start to flower.
But I'll say this to the OP, you don't want to skimp too much on the nutrients.

If you can find a local distributor Scotts Elite 15-5-15 CalMag Special is a great value at $50 for 25lbs.

Also check out www.plantsthatproduce.com they have tons of great values on dry ferts.

American Hydroponics also sells dry fertilizer mixes as well as straight salts for mixing your own. All at very reasonable prices.

Look up SEA-90.

Some of the best stuff ever, just needs a dry nitrate supplement for maximum effect.

Buying straight fertilizers and mixing your own is the cheapest. For me, most economical forms of fertilizers for each macro element are as follows:

N: calcium nitrate, ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate, nitric acid
P: phosphoric acid, mono potassium phosphate (these two are the most expensive ones)
K: potassium nitrate
Ca: calcium nitrate
Mg: magnesium sulfate

and for Fe, Fe-EDTA. Other trace elements are usually more expensive than macros but since they are used in very small amounts, their contribution to total cost is insignificant.

Quick Grow
 

I have been using Quick Grow and love it. It comes in a bloom and veg formula. It's a powdered nute. Only costs about $7.00 for a lb. but you can buy 100 lb. bags for even cheaper. I really like the stuff. You can find it on ebay but it is a dollar or two cheaper if you order from there website. PEACE

QuickGrow Nutrient Fertilizer

Have you calculated how many gallons of nutrient solution your getting per pound of mix?

Gall per #
 

Hey, yes I can get 98 gallons per lb. I change out my 20gal. res every 2 weeks and just top up with water so that gives me about 5 changes per lb.

That's not bad, it would take 5 lbs to make 500 gallons. At $7 a pound that's $35 +shipping to make 500 gallons. That's pretty close to the Verti-Gro nutrients I've been using. I can make 500 gallons of nutrient solution for $40 (shipping included) from the Verti-Gro nutes. But you get a much better deal if you buy the 25 lb quantity's. 25 lb's makes 5000 gallons. You need to mix them equally, fertilizer and calcium nitrate, but 25 lb's of both including shipping costs just under $130 total.

Or in other words, Quickgrow nutes
(1 lb package x5= $35) $35 divided by 500= 7 cents per gallon (+shipping)
(10 lb package) $49 divided by 1000= 5 cents per gallon (+shipping)

Verti-gro nuts
(FCombo special) $40 divided by 500= 8 cents per gallon (shipping included)
(25 lb) $130 divided by 5000= 2.6 cents per gallon (shipping included)

They are quite similar in pricing, as well as the way their packaged. I like the way the verti-grow nutes work, but it's always nice to see another option, and I may give the quickgrow a try to see how well they work.

P.S.
Can you start a thread with pics of your grows (in the
"Your Hydroponics Setup" section) imperialgardner? We all love to see other peoples setups, as well as to watch the progress of their plants.

Pics
 

Yea, I'd like to do that. Just got a little cheapo digital camera a few days back, soon as I can figure it out I probably will start a thread. I can use some help. I have 6 celebrity tomatoes in my version of the aeroflo outside, just dropped them in the system this past Tuesday. We got some pretty high temps here in N.C. and my res is running in the mid to high 80's if not a little hotter at times. Im running a sterile reservoir so Im keeping my fingers crossed that as long as I can keep about 200 ml of 3% H2o2 dumped in every day It will be ok. Its one thing after another it seems, not to sound discouraging but my last 2 tries ended with TMV. Broke the entire system apart, end caps and all (Really should do that after every run me thinks now) and found some silicone in the top of one of the end caps that was black with filth that my cleaning attempts didnt reach, so I scrubbed her down and soaked it in a 20% bleach solution for a couple days. Hopefully that fixed me problem. Should have done that the first time but I tried to shortcut it....dont try to shortcut TMV. That crap is resilient as hell, hopefully an episode that wont repeat itself anytime soon.
PEACE

Glad to hear that! There is quite a range of hydro nutrients to pick from, but eventually I chose the GH Maxi series for my first real effort at a hydro project.

It's always good to know there are others out there using the same, will keep posting as this progresses.

I use the Verti-Gro I'm using the 6-12-28 with trace minerals and the 15-0-0 Calcium Nitrate

I found a simple solution for cheap Lettuce nutrients :)
Just find a professional producer and offer to buy some nutrients.
I can get dry nutrients at 6 euro a pack in the exact proportions for Lettuces. This is enough for 25 changes of my 40L recipient (50 weeks).

Considering prep time as a factor, mess, expense of various measuring equipment, I found CNS-17 Grow to be the most cost efficient for me.

I would consider a dry nutrient if I had to pay for shipping. Since I can buy CNS-17 local and there is no state sales tax, it is the most trouble free and efficient solution I have found.

Halfway,

What do you mean by prep time, mess, and or expense of various measuring equipment?

I'm new to this whole game (on week 7 of my first grow) and wondering, do you only use the Grow and Bloom mixes? The General web site feeding schedule shows 6 additional additives per nutrient mix. Are they really needed or do they only enhance the basic characteristics of the Grow and Bloom formulas? Thanks,