View Single Post
  #1  
Old 03-19-2012, 04:45 PM
ju1234 ju1234 is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 19
Default Make your own nutrient solution, Your experience, here is mine

I am a total newby to Hydroponics. I am about to start my first outdoor fill and drain type system. I am in North Texas, so hot weather coming.

I have studied most every article on line on the subject of Hydroponics and have finally put together my own little system. looking at the nutrients in the store and on line, they are expensive. So, I looked into making my own. Saw many different formulations suggested on line. Based on all of those, i figured, i should perhaps just use the old good Hoagland's formula. Here is what I plan to do. Any of you out there who have tried to make your own or otherwise are expert in this field, please comment.

The standard Hoagland's formula (using PPM) is as follows: N 210, K 235, Ca 200, P 31, S64, Mg 48, B 0.5, Fe 1-5, Mn 0.5, Cu 0.02, Mo 0.01.

It is rather difficult to find all the individual ingredients even on line. So, I used ingredients that are easy to find in the ordinary garden shop or grocery store. I am taking of the shelf "Miracle Grow Nursery Select Professional Formula all purpose water soluble plant food, powder". I plan to modify it.

The Miracle Grow, MG for short, has the following formulation: N=20%, Potash as K2o=20%, Phosphate as P2O5=20%. B=0.02, Cu 0.05, Iron chelate 0.1, Mn=0.05%, Mo 0.005%, Zn 0.05%. I converted these numbers to percent of elemental constituents and then converted them to PPM (it is quite lengthy calculation, so i won't give that here). After doing so, I figured, if I use 1 gram of miracle grow in one liter of water as the final solution and add following things that are lacking in MG, this will make almost equal to original Hoagland's. To each liter of water, I will also add 743 milligrams of plaster of paris (calcium sulfate hemihydrate) to provide the 200PPM of calcium, 490 mg of Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) to provide both the magnesium and sulfur, 3 mg of boric acid and 20 mg of ferrous sulfate to make up the deficit, 132 mg of KCL (salt substitute) to make up deficit of K (I don't know if the "chloride" will be a problem.

OK. That's it. I am done. The nitrogen is mostly from ammonium phosphate and Potassium nitrate, the good ingredients, little bit from urea which is not so good. The above formula pretty much makes the Hoagland's.

Comments, criticism, suggestions? Thank you.

Reply With Quote