Mixing nutrition lines

[gangadoctor]

guys and gals, i've got a number of nute brands in my arsenal and rather than buy new ones id like to maybe mix them up a bit but i need your advice. obviously i'll be mixing them up in the right proportions to ensure my ec stays in check. I'm in rdwc by the way and looking to maintain a sterile system so if there's anything here that goes against this please let me know. here we go;

veg
dutchpro base a & b grow
advanced nutrients voodoo juice or dutchpro take root??
multitotal

flower
dutchpro base a & b bloom
advanced nutrients bud blood for pre flower
advanced nutrients big bud weeks 1 and 2 after pistols show
dutchpro explode weeks 3 and 4
buddhas pk 9/18 weeks 5 and 6
advanced nutrients overdrive weeks 7 and 8
flush weeks 9 and 10

additives
advance nutrients b52 or super thrive?
h202
clearex
silicone
sm90
ph down
calmag plus

 

[Papageno]

There is nothing wrong with mixing lines. There is very little actual difference in them to begin with except marketing. Any good grower can make any reasonable line work. Great growers can make lines work that are not specific to Cannabis.

More important is reading the labels and understanding them. You should never buy something that you don't understand how to use it. Everything has enough info on the labels that you can read about the benefits of that ingredient online at thousands of websites if it is actually a valuable thing to use.

Advanced Nutrients likes to hide some of the stuff but all of that is also well know so just ask if you can't find whats in the bottle.

 

[gangadoctor]

hello again villageidiot. the labels don't always give you all the details you need. my main objective is to run a sterile system... is there anything in the above list that isn't going to allow me to do that?

 

[Papageno]

Yeah I agree sometime you have to go running around the internet to find all the info. But it is out there. I don't know all of the ingredients on your list but I will google for you.


You don't want to run beneficial bacteria in a sterile res that is just throwing money away. So no Voodoo Juice.

DP take root looks to be just straight chem ferts so that will be okay.
DP multi total is just another enzyme. Every company makes one..I use the gold standard Hygrozyme. Very important in any hydro setup. There are people who claim they can't tell a difference. They are just using things incorrectly then.
I assume "flower" means DP flower? ( I have never used DP products)... They have a thing called Autoflower...That is specifically for autos. I don't recommend those for newbs because I think they are actually more difficult to do right. they run their own schedule, you are not in control. Anything you screw up is happening during bloom which is nearly irrecoverable. I recommend autos be grown only after a person knows and understands cannabis growth stages and nute requirements through those stages and knows what all the major issues loo like without having to go look on the web.

DP base A & B is just a standard base nute program...everyone makes one. That is primarily all you need to use. I can make my own additives and beat the products on the market but for newbs it is good to spend money.

AN Bud Blood is just your basic bloom booster. I use Mad farmers MOAB as it is the same stuff really and cheaper and slightly more concentrated so I can use less.

AN big bud is is the same stuff. Bud Blood is just the newest version they made. I switched to MOAB a while back and am much happier for it.

I am not certain waht DP explode is for sure. I think I know and it is like Bud Factor X which I make at home. probably good stuff but again this is stuff you would want to use after you have a grow or 2 under your belt and know what you are doing.

taking a side step... I say that becasue lets say you go send $300 or more on nutes and then crash the grow mid way. Now you have a ton invested and nothing to show. It is important to learn to crawl before you walk or even run. getting through your first 3 grows is very important and then you can start to try more advanced techniques. You can not buy your way to years of knowledge and experience.

Okay enough of that... Google is working wonders for me though...

Not so sure about budahs pK...that stuff looks like a bunch of hype. probably works great for those who don't know how to read the plants and keep them healthy and running right. There is a lot of stuff like that in the Advanced Nutrient line that is all unnecessary unless you are not understanding how Hydro works and following a rigid formula.

AN Overdrive. I have some sitting on the shelf. That is one of those products like I was just saying. totally unnessesary for an advanced grower. Might help a newb. I see no real benefit but I don't run Sterile. I run a stable res that doens't need any pH up or Down for at least a month and don't need to do res changes any faster than that . I can go much longer usually. It does depend on a few factors.


B-52 is again something I have sitting on the shelf and I have found that I run the res healthy enough that it makes little difference. I have never tried to go sterile though so it may help you out. Superthrive I think is something very different let me look... yea that is not meant for hydro. you can use it but it is meant for something else. I wouldn't put money into that until you have stalblized your growing method. The you could see if it matters for your setup...but I doubt it. That is a soil additive primarily for transplanting. what you would want is something missing on your list so far which is Mycorrhizal fungi.

H2O2 is your secondary defense against living things in the water. that is a must for a sterile res.

Clearex is only necessary if you over do the nutes and don't flush it properly. I would only use it in an emergency in the event you screwed up and need to pull them out fast.

Silicon / potash additive is a must. I use Mad farmers but it is highly alkaline. I use it instead of an UP to adjust pH because you can't over do it and it is so good for the plant. if you get to a good bloom then having strong stalks to hold up the flowers will be a must.

SM90 is something you don't need unless you make a mistake and screw up something. it is to recover from a few types of failure but not a growth requirement.

pH down AND pH up are needed in order to keep the pH propper.

Cal Mag is a must in most places.


Best of luck.


For a beginner i would not use all of that. I would stick to...

Silica / Potash throughout grow
Cal Mag as needed throughout grow
Base A and B throughout grow (most companies have a different one during bloom and veg)
An Enzyme as needed but at least once a month...depends on your skill and res change routine
A molasses product. all companies make some broken down molasses they call sugars like Bud candy.
MOAB for bloom stimulation.
I make my own bloom boosters but it is worth it to add something like Bud factor X or that stuff you mentioned you just have to drop all the other stuff substantially.
You want H2O2 as needed to help your chiller work effectively

Your best bet is to start a journal and see if you can get someone to help you out.

 

[Papageno]

I am helping this guy through his first DWC grow. His journal is excellent and he is documenting a lot of important things and proving a lot of things that many people who only do cannabis growing don't believe is true. It is a very good read. I would recommend anyone getting started in DWC to give this a read.


ClosetCase420's - RDWC - 600W MH/HPS - Wonder Woman - Grow Journal - 2015

 

[gangadoctor]

thanks for taking the time out to answer my question in so much detail. respect brother!

i'll take a look at that journal too.