View Single Post
  #2  
Old 01-10-2017, 04:05 AM
GpsFrontier GpsFrontier is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Lake Havasu AZ.
Posts: 1,855
Default

Hello Jack,
I see you've discovered the problem with making your own nutrients. Unless your a chemist and know what your doing, you have to fallow a recipe exactly, you can't just substitute raw mineral salts without throwing off the balance of nutrients. There was a time when I wanted to make my own nutrients as well. Mainly because I wanted to grow a lot more plants and saw that for the amount I would be going through, the cost for nutrients was going to get very expensive.

But then I found out that the nutrients are actually very cheap and realized there are manufactures that sell very cost effective nutrients. The high priced nutrients are simply just way overpriced and all marketing. Now I don't bother wasting all that time trying to learn chemistry and doing trial and error trying to develop nutrient recipes. I leave that up to the chemists, who work for the nutrient manufactures. Even if I did spend all my time going through learning chemistry and doing the trial and error, as well as buying all the separate raw mineral salts and equipment. I still wouldn't be able to make my own nutrients any cheaper than I can buy them already made for. So I simply don't see any point in bothering.

But if you still want to try making your own nutrients, and if you haven't already, I strongly recommend you get some experience growing some hydroponic plants successfully with commercially manufactured nutrients first. There's going to be enough of a learning curve just growing hydroponically to start with, without trying to throw in the complexity of making your own nutrients as well.

If you going to try and make your own nutrients I hope you have a background in chemistry. Before you do here is a website that you should study Science in Hydroponics, it was written by a chemist who has a interest in hydroponics. He's even developed a software program he calls the hydro buddy to help you alter nutrient recipes and keep the balance of nutrients.
__________________
Website Owner
Home Hydroponic Systems
Reply With Quote