Hydroponics Online Home Home Store Blog Forums FAQs Lesson Plans Pictures

Go Back   Hydroponics Forums Discussions > Hydroponics Discussion Forums > Hydroponics

feeding schedule for my aeroponic plants


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 12-24-2015, 01:09 PM
chopficaro chopficaro is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 49
Default feeding schedule for my aeroponic plants

I have decided on a feeding schedule for my aeroponic plants:
http://i.imgur.com/POfLTZp.jpg
I will use grow and bloom mixes and microbes from raw nutrients, as well as some potassium for late flowering. I will add the specified amount of nutrients per gallon every week to the reservoir. I want to do a reservoir change between growth and flowering feeding schedules. One more reservoir change last week, a “flush” with a small amount of potassium to make sure we don’t give up any yield. I would like to hear what you think about my feeding schedule. Ty!

Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 12-24-2015, 07:23 PM
chopficaro chopficaro is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 49
Default

I have added phosphorous to the regime:
http://i.imgur.com/EQLOan9.jpg
What do you think? Is there anything i have to remember when doing a reservoir change?
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 12-24-2015, 07:46 PM
GpsFrontier GpsFrontier is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Lake Havasu AZ.
Posts: 1,855
Default

Hello chopficaro,
Two questions:

1. What is it you are trying to grow?
2. What is it costing to buy all the nutrients and the separate additives?
__________________
Website Owner
Home Hydroponic Systems
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 12-24-2015, 08:50 PM
chopficaro chopficaro is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 49
Default

I'm growing strawberries

$14 2oz silica (ph up nutrient)
$13 2oz raw grow
$15 2oz microbes grow
$10 2oz phospherus
$13 2oz raw bloom
$10 2oz potassium
$15 2oz microbes bloom

You can get a deal buying in larger quantities. 2oz makes about 400gal solution. Thanks for all the help gps!
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 12-25-2015, 12:35 AM
GpsFrontier GpsFrontier is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Lake Havasu AZ.
Posts: 1,855
Default

Hello chopficaro,
OK, I'm a bit confused by some things.

1. On the feed chart it shows week 1-4 twice. What's the deal there?

2. On the feed chart I don't see anywhere where it mentions water volume. It would be impossible to mix them correctly if you don't know how much to use per gallon of water? So I would need to know what increments of water volume their talking about.

3. If Gro and Bloom nutrients are supposed to be stand alone nutrients, I don't understand why you need to add silica, microbes grow, phospherus, potassium, and microbes bloom. I can perhaps understand silica sense it's not a essential nutrient and may not already be in a stand alone formula. But I don't understand why the need for the other additives?

4. According to the feed chart, they show Gro being used weeks 1-4, then they show bloom being used weeks 1-8. I assume these are separate schedules for different types of plants. Week 1-4 being vegetative plants, and weeks 1-8 being bloom plants. But doesn't show how to mix for continuously fruiting/blooming plants like strawberries.

Personally I don't understand their chart, and would have to e-mail them to explain it. I would just ask them how do I mix the gro and bloom to get a full strength nutrient solution for continuously fruiting/blooming plants. As well as explain why the other additives are needed if the gro and bloom mixes are supposed to be stand alone nutrients.

I'm guessing they would say something like for continuously fruiting plants to use the same total amount per gallon of water, but use 50% gro and 50% bloom.
__________________
Website Owner
Home Hydroponic Systems

Last edited by GpsFrontier; 12-25-2015 at 12:40 AM.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 12-25-2015, 12:38 AM
chopficaro chopficaro is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 49
Default

oh i didnt know strawberries were like that, im a total newb lol. i guess i have some research to do
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 12-25-2015, 01:10 AM
GpsFrontier GpsFrontier is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Lake Havasu AZ.
Posts: 1,855
Default

OK, I found something on their website regarding water volume. According to their package labels

http://npk-industries.com/images/lab...row_Back35.jpg
And
http://npk-industries.com/images/lab...oom_Back35.jpg

It says to use 1-2 tsp per gallon of water. Therefore 2 tsp would be full strength. This confirms my suspension that a 2oz package isn't enough for 400 gallons of nutrient solution. I'm not sure where you got that figure from, but for that to be possible that 2oz package would need to make 800 teaspoons. Or even going by the smallest amount of 1 tsp per gallon of water, that 2oz package would need to make at least 400 teaspoons (roughly 8 cups).
__________________
Website Owner
Home Hydroponic Systems
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 12-25-2015, 02:33 AM
chopficaro chopficaro is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 49
Default

i believe there is about 100 teaspoons per 2oz, so the grow and bloom mix and microbes make 100 gallons, and the others make 400-800gal
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 12-25-2015, 03:54 AM
GpsFrontier GpsFrontier is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Lake Havasu AZ.
Posts: 1,855
Default

100 teaspoons is just over 2 cups. Unfortunately weight and volume can't be compared withough't knowing the exact specific density. Typically 2 cups of dry nutrient would weigh at least 1 lb. If 2 cups of the RAW nutrients only weigh 2 oz, it's extremely light in weight for a dry nutrient. But teaspoons and milliliters are both measurements of volume and can be directly compared.

1 teaspoon= 5ml
100 teaspoons= 500ml
There is 237ml per cup.
2 cups= 474ml

I'm trying to calculate how economical those nutrients are, and if I go by what you originally stated, you paid $90 and say it will make about 400 gallons of nutrient solution. Going by that, $90 divided by 400 gallons= $0.225 (about 23) cents per gallon of nutrient solution.

However from your second statement, it sounds like your taking all 7, 2oz containers and mix them together making 14 oz. total. But from what I read from their chart and directions, it doesn't work that way. You should be using either Gro or Bloom (or like I mentioned they will probably tell you for continuously fruiting plants 50/50 of each) at a time. And their directions say 1-2 teaspoons per gallon of water. All the other parts are additives that you add in addition to that, in the same 1 gallon of water. So even though you have a total of 14 oz. of products you only have 4 oz. total of the nutrients (Gro and Bloom).

Since I cant compare weight to volume, I can only go by you saying that 2 oz= 100 teaspoons. So in reality you have 100 teaspoons of Gro, and 100 teaspoons of bloom for a total of 200 total teaspoons (gallons of nutrient solution) maximum. So using these figures

Using only 1 tsp per gallon (50% strength)
$90 divided by 200 gallons= $0.45 cents per gallon of nutrient solution.

Using 2 tsp per gallon (100% strength)
$90 divided by 100 gallons= $0.90 cents per gallon of nutrient solution.

To be considered cost effective, I have a threshold of $0.15 cents per gallon (maximum) cost per gallon of nutrient solution to consider it cost effective. That's $0.15 cents maximum, but I prefer it to be under $0.10 cents. But can even get that below $0.05 cents per gallon when buying quantity's.

Part of the reason I wanted to know why the additives are added/needed is to break down the cost effectiveness. But also to find out if their needed at all because they shouldn't be if your using a balanced stand alone nutrient which they claim the Gro and Bloom formulas are. Not only would eliminating unnecessary additives significantly reduce your cost, but adding mineral salts to an already balanced nutrient will knock it out of balance. You don't just want to be throwing stuff in because the package looks good, you can easily throw off the chemistry. You can even wind up with some elements reaching toxic levels. If your adding them, you should know why your adding them.

Cost effectiveness aside, before I could give an opinion on your nutrient solution concentrations, I would need to know what your putting in it and why. As well as in what ratios compared to the recommended concentration's and water volume. So far I don't have any answers to why all the additives are being added, nor do I know what specific amounts your adding per gallon of water. Then I can get into things like how big the plants are, how many your growing, and total water volume in the system.
__________________
Website Owner
Home Hydroponic Systems

Last edited by GpsFrontier; 12-25-2015 at 11:01 AM.
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 12-26-2015, 02:39 PM
chopficaro chopficaro is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 49
Default

thank you for making me think about this. i will now order the correct amount of nutrients because i have calculated how many gallons each package can produce. I have upgraded to the 2lb grow and bloom.
$20 500 ml ph down
$14 2oz silica (ph up nutrient)
$11 2oz dip n grow
$80 2lb grow 100-200gal
$15 2oz microbes grow 100gal
$10 2oz phospherus 100-200gal
$80 2lb bloom 100-200gal
$10 2oz potassium 100-200gal
$15 2oz microbes bloom 100gal
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 12-26-2015, 02:52 PM
chopficaro chopficaro is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 49
Default

wait, how did u get nutrients at $.10/gal? i must replace the raw grow and raw bloom with that. i have decided to grow tomatoes btw
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 12-26-2015, 09:10 PM
GpsFrontier GpsFrontier is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Lake Havasu AZ.
Posts: 1,855
Default

Tomatoes are continuously fruiting plants as well.

Like I said before, nutrients don't need to be expensive to be good. Some nutrient manufactures intentionally overprice their products. Many also create all kinds of additives for you to buy to get more of your money. A complete balanced nutrient doesn't need additives. If you do use an additive, there should be a good specific reason too. The 100% water soluble mineral salts that make up the nutrients are actually cheap, but some manufactures and retailers want to get as much of your money as they can. Another reason that many nutrient manufactures sell their products with such high profit margins is because most of their customers (80%-90%) are pot growers. Pot growers aren't concerned with nutrient costs because their own profit margins are so high as well. So as long as pot growers are willing to spend the money, there's no reason for them to lower their prices. But unlike pot growers, tomato growers don't get $1,000 per pound for their tomatoes.

The two most cost effective nutrients I know of are made by Verti-Gro, and Jr-Peters.

Even the smaller (only 4lb's each of nutrient and calcium nitrate) combo-pack from Verti-Gro breaks down to about $0.09 cents per gallon of nutrient solution even after the shipping costs, and make 500 gallons. But the 25lb quantities are a much better value breaking down to less than $0.02 cents per gallon (again including shipping costs), and making about 5,000 gallons.

Jr-Peters have similar value and quantities. Some need calcium magnesium, and others don't. I'd recommend calling them and telling them what your growing, and what they recommend. They don't list how many gallons they make online, but a 25 lb quantity makes something like 3,200 to 4,700. I've got the herb formula and including shipping (back then) only cost me about $67 for the 25'b bag. Even at 3,200 gallons that breaks down to $0.02 cents per gallon. Prices might be a little higher now (that was 2 years ago), but similar.

With Jr-Peters you will need to buy a small accurate kitchen scale because they don't use teaspoons etc. to measure it out. They go by weight. Something like 8.44 oz per 100 gallons of water, to 12.6 oz per 100 gallons of water for full strength nutrients (at least for the herb formula). To make less, it's just a little mathematics. But you need a good accurate digital scale to weigh it out with.

I've got to update some of the links, but I try to add any cost effective nutrients I come across to my list when I find them to share with others growers.

Cost effective hydroponic nutrients list
__________________
Website Owner
Home Hydroponic Systems
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 12-27-2015, 03:02 AM
chopficaro chopficaro is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 49
Default

Wow! I can't believe how much cheaper this is! I will replace the raw grow and raw bloom with maxigro and maxibloom, which are 8x cheaper! Thanks so much!
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 12-27-2015, 04:09 AM
GpsFrontier GpsFrontier is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Lake Havasu AZ.
Posts: 1,855
Default

The maxigro series nutrients are good as well. Their not the most economical like the two I mentioned earlier, but within my threshold of $0.15 cents per gallon. Depending on where you get it, they will probably be between $0.10 and $0.15 cents per gallon. They don't really say how many gallons it makes, but I have measured it out myself. While I don't remember exactly, and I don't know where I put the sheet, but I think the small package makes about 93 gallons of full strength nutrient.

The directions say use 1-2 teaspoons per gallon of water for both Gro and bloom. When using them for continuously fruiting plants I mix them 50/50, 1 teaspoon of each. But I don't always use it full strength. Like I mentioned earlier, mixing them on the weaker side is often better.
__________________
Website Owner
Home Hydroponic Systems
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 12-27-2015, 10:12 AM
chopficaro chopficaro is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 49
Default

1/4 strength nutrient for clones and seedlings?

Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 05:09 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.