1/4 strength nutes actually means.

[RandyL]

Our plants are doing well so far after 9 days of veg time, and when they hit 2 weeks old, it'll be time to start the nutes every other watering.

It seems kinda obvious to me, but I thought I'd ask a question here about the amount of nutes to add to the water, so I don't destroy 22 plants.

I have Fox Farms soil and nutes, the Big Bloom and Grow Big. I'll go get some Tiger Bloom also when the flowering time comes.

For the first feeding, the Fox Farms schedule says to use 2 teaspoons of Grow Big and 2 tablespoons of Big Bloom in a gallon of water.

If the first feeding is to be done at 1/4 strength, that means I'll be putting in 1/2 of a teaspoon of Grow Big and 1/2 of a tablespoon of Big Bloom per gallon, right?

My measuring cup has marks for 1/4, 1/2, and 1 teaspoon, and 1 tablespoon. How many teaspoons are in a tablespoon? 2-3? I'll have to experiment with the graduated eyedropper and plain water to figure it out.

 

[DroJo]

Re: 1/4 strength nutes actually means.....

If the first feeding is to be done at 1/4 strength, that means I'll be putting in 1/2 of a teaspoon of Grow Big and 1/2 of a tablespoon of Big Bloom per gallon, right?

Yup

My measuring cup has marks for 1/4, 1/2, and 1 teaspoon, and 1 tablespoon. How many teaspoons are in a tablespoon? 2-3? I'll have to experiment with the graduated eyedropper and plain water to figure it out.

3 tsp in a Tbl

 

[RandyL]

Re: 1/4 strength nutes actually means.....

Ok thanks. I got out the eyedropper thing the hydro store gave me, and it is marked with 1-5 milliliter marks on it. Doesnt SAY milliliters on it, but I assume that's what they are. 15 ml filled the measuring cup to the 1 tablespoon mark, 5 for a teaspoon, and I put in 7-1/2 for a 1/2 tablespoon, then 7-1/2 more to make sure it filled it up to the top. It did.

Then comes the fun of PH testing the RO water before and after the nutes are added, and correcting it. I already practiced that a little bit.

 

[tacoscheap]

Walmart pharmacy gave me a medicine syringe that is perfect for nutes, and it was free.

 

[HiTech-Hate]

Also notethat a teaspoon is 5mL (well actually its 4.929mL but lets not split hairs haha), and thus a tablespoon is 15mL.

I dunno, I just HATE HATE MOTHER F ING HATE using 'teaspoons/tablespoons/cups/etc.' when MEASURING VOLUMES lol.

If you go to e-bay and look up 10mL (or 25mL or 100mL or 1000mL) graduated cylinder, you can get the best measuring device I know of for about $3.

By best I mean I know of no other device to use in my or any other laboratory for measuring out volumes (other then a volumetric flask, but those are for creating dilution series), easy to use, clean, and accurate to 0.1ml.

Just my two cents, take it as you will, i'm sure using spoons would 'work', just well, I ranted already so I won't again haha.

Also in the future if your trying to figure out the math 1/4 is 0.25 so there is two ways to do it.

By your example, the first is to multiply
1 x 2
4

which is 2/4, which reduced is 1/2 teaspoon as you correctly stated.

Second, easier method is to break out the calculator and multiply 2 x 0.25, which will also yield 1/2 (except in decimal form, where 1/2 = 0.5 .... also note 3/4 = 0.75, 1/3 = 0.33, etc.)

Hope that helped and not just made everything mathliciously difficult

O, and pHing RO water is a BITCH (this is coming from a biochemist lol) because its not buffered, though it might be easier for larger volumes (I know that 4L though 1 drop MIGHT do it 2 drops MIGHT drop it to 3.0 lol !)

I tend to pH it before adding the nutes, and if I overshoot .... pour out the water and do it again (if you purchase your RO water this probably isn't very economical though, but if you have an RO unit, meh).

Sure you can just add the opposite pH buffer (up or down), I just learned that pouring it out quickly gives you discipline and you stop going over/under when you do it (I also don't personally like adding the counter buffer, but ... don't get me started heh).

I guess it would depend on what nutes you are using, but the two brands i've used have made almost no change to the pH when added, so I add them after I pH to avoid wasting nutes if I am forced to pour out my plants' drink.

Anyways, i'm making this way more complicated then it is, so i'll shut up haha, good luck to ya though

 

[too old]

You could also use the same per gallon measurements, and add three gallons of water to it for quarter strength, or add one gallon for half strength.

 

[too old]

LOL just looked at the dates on this thread.

 

[HiTech-Hate]

LOL just looked at the dates on this thread.

Dates are irrelevant.

Correct (and up to date) information is more important.

I wish more people would resurrect old threads to add pertinent information that may (and often does) change since the thread was originally posted.