Nutrient guide for Aquafarm

[bobby1970]

Hi guys,

 

First time grower and first time user on the site.

I have aquired an Aquarfm which i intend to use to grow 2 plants in a 1 metre tent.

I put my seeds into rootriots 3 days ago and they have all popped and are about 1 inch tall.

My question is this... when do i start using Grow nutrients and what EC level should they be at?

Also, when should i start adding CalMag and PK boost?

 

Any advice extremely welcomed.

 

Cheers,

 

B

[GSZZ]

Try to avoid anything too "organic" based in an aquafarm, the air stone causes it to split from the solution and go manky in the tank.

 

You ought to get them on the Grow Feed asap, or some sort of first feed/plant start sort of jobbie for a couple of weeks and then onto the grow feed.

 

Depending on your water set your E.C at about 0.8 (if you're 02 - 0.4 water) or 1.2 if your water is any higher. The tank is your best mate, check it every day and see what the E.C is doing. If the E.C is dropping put more food in, if the E.C is rising put more water in to lower the EC

[bobby1970]

Thank you very much GSZZ... much apreciated.

can i ask you something... what do you mean by " (if you're 02 - 0.4 water) or 1.2 if your water is any higher"

[GSZZ]

Your water quality, as in if you're soft water (an E.C reading of 0.4 or below) or hard water (an E.C reading of 0.5 and above). To check just dip your E.C meter into plain tap water - if you haven't got an E.C meter that should be the top of your shopping list if growing hydroponically like this  

[bobby1970]

Ah, gotcha. I have the blue truncheon so ill get testing that today when i move them into the aquafam system.

what about the CalMag and PK boost? I was told ill need them but i cant find any definitave instructions online...

[GSZZ]

Without going down too much of a rabbit hole, alot of the stuff they send you home with at the grow shop is just rubbish that parts you with a bit more cash, the myth is perpetuated by growers who fall for it in the first instance do a half alright crop and are too scared to drop anything out incase they don't do as well the next time around.

 

You can keep both bottles around if you like, put them in if you think you need them but I'm pretty sure you won't. The best thing you can do is to keep an eye on the E.C and pH in the tank and do a complete nutrient change every 3 or so days.

 

 

[badbillybob]

if you are in a soft water area, then you will probably need cal mag by week 3 of veg.

pk isn't really needed. 

but like said, you must keep on top of the PH, EC, and nutrient temperature.

don't use anything with organic ingredients , I use ionic , its a great nutrient for hydro, and is a one part nutrient. one for grow, one for bloom, a small bit of silicone and cal mag, and that's all you need

[GSZZ]

16 minutes ago, badbillybob said:

if you are in a soft water area, then you will probably need cal mag by week 3 of veg.

 

I can confidently say that if anyone is having to add cal-mag at any point in the grow, and it isn't being determined by an external environmental factor or too much PK, then the base nutrients are incomplete and the cal-mag is a requisite for the grow - go with a better brand of nutrients.

[ratdog]

1 minute ago, GSZZ said:

 

I can confidently say that if anyone is having to add cal-mag at any point in the grow, and it isn't being determined by an external environmental factor or too much PK, then the base nutrients are incomplete and the cal-mag is a requisite for the grow - go with a better brand of nutrients.

 

 

i have moderately soft water and i thought i was having cal mag issues, turns out i wasn't feeding enough, now i have changed my feeding regime i have had no issues whatsoever

[badbillybob]

you can confidently say what you like, im just going off experience, and my experience is that cal mag is required in week 3 of veg, in soft water areas, such as mine.

I should say this is for a highly oxygenated high DO system

if I up the feed to increase the cal the plants will burn ….

 

its not always black or white..

[GSZZ]

Just now, ratdog said:

turns out i wasn't feeding enough,

 

Exactly my point, people think they need cal mag but 99% of the time its some sort of user error, IE not feeding enough, the pots are too dry or wet, the RH is too high or too low, or nutrient imbalance due to things like PK, potassium silicate or even too much ph up/down can cause it.

 

The only time it really is a problem is when unscrupulous nutrient manufacturers take the Ca and Mg out of the base nutrient or severely reduce it so the bottle of cal-mag becomes a requisite for the grow. Anyone who has been growing weed long enough will know that really prior to 2010 I don't even think there was cal-mag products.

[GSZZ]

5 minutes ago, badbillybob said:

if I up the feed to increase the cal the plants will burn ….

 

2 minutes ago, GSZZ said:

The only time it really is a problem is when unscrupulous nutrient manufacturers take the Ca and Mg out of the base nutrient or severely reduce it so the bottle of cal-mag becomes a requisite for the grow.

 

So its either add the absolutely needed bottle of cal-mag, or up the feed so that the severely reduced Ca and Mg are in an amount in the solution that makes them useful again, but by which point you've overdone it with everything else.

 

6 minutes ago, badbillybob said:

its not always black or white..

 

It's not, no, but in this case it is. Ionic arguably invented the practice of splitting up the nutrient range so you the grower buy more products.

[badbillybob]

yes - pretty much,

 

im pretty sure Ionic are not alone in that, and pretty much every nutrient line ive tried, and ive tried quite a few of them over the years , will be the same.

 

I would also guess  that the vast percentage of nutrient manufacturers do the same, with the exception of perhaps a tailor made nutrient line,  formulated from your water sample, such as growers ark, if you are prepared to pay a premium (im not, as its cheaper just to buy cal mag, and the ionic base nutes.)

growers ark base nutrients = 

Hydro 2 part grow  A &B = £33

hydro 2 part A&B Bloom £33

Growers ark also do a cal mag and a boost, so clearly not immune to cashing in I see lol.

total =£66

 

ionic grow = £19.95

Ionic bloom =£ 19.95

cal mag = £14, altho I preffer cannas, its also cheaper, (£13)

 

 

So if you are growing in an aereated hydro solution, I will rephrase it to  "you will probably suffer cal mag deficiency around 3 weeks into veg, using most of the mainstream nutrient lines unless you have a tailor made  nutrient like, say growers ark" possibly.

 

Edited June 27, 2020 by badbillybob

[bobby1970]

Nothing is ever cut n dry in this game is it 

I have some more questions... 

 

- how do I know if I need to add cal mag?

 

- you mentioned silicon, I thought that adding silicon raises the PH?  The tap water in my area is already very high, around PH8, so would you still be adding silicon?

 

Thanks again guys, much appreciated my brother's 

[badbillybob]

ok you will notice cal mag deficiency in the plant leaves the areas between the leaf veins will yellow, and/or brown spots or patches will appear on the leaves. Feeding at too low an EC will highlight deficiencies quicker, as mentioned above, but too much will burn them. 

 

 silicone has more use than simply raising the ph. And yes id still be adding it. I know it raises the ph, but that's not its function.

it works on the cellular wall of the plants and also helps prevent plant issues. I add the silicone first to the mix, then add the nutrients, then PH down.

Edited June 29, 2020 by badbillybob