making npk ferts

2cent

2cent

Well-Known Member
So I wana make my own fert in hydro and soil's.
Looking online everything so different but basic..

I found

Potassium nitrate: 255g
Calcium Sulfate: 198g
Magnesium Sulfate: 170g
Ammonium Sulfate: 43g
Monocalcium Sulfate: 113g

Apparently is a complete npk? I know some dosages be different but I struggle to see why if that's all that's in them why we buy them so expensive and different ratios if we can blend different ratios easily enough our self?
Surely that's bot all there is to it?

So digging deeper they say u can adress micro elements as and if they become deficient...
I've seen bute lines with them added like iron boron etc... so do we need them..if so how do I add them?

So this is big so I put it in a quote box click here
Basic Nutrient Recipe

10 ounces sodium nitrate

10 ounces calcium nitrate

10 ounces potassium sulfate

15 ounces superphosphate

5 ounces magnesium sulfate

**In a separate container, combine the trace elements below and mix well; then use a mortar and pestle to grind them to a very fine powder:

1-ounce iron sulfate

1 teaspoon manganese sulfate

1 teaspoon boric acid powder

1/2 teaspoon zinc sulfate

1/2 teaspoon copper sulfate

Once mixed, add this powder to the first five ingredients and combine with the elemental salts. Use 1/2 teaspoon per 100 gallons of water, or dissolve a teaspoon in one quart of water and use one liquid ounce to 3 gallons of nutrient solution. Discard any leftover mixture.
Chelated Trace Element Recipe

Mix these trace element ingredients together for use in all the homemade hydroponic nutrient mixtures.

1.30% Boron

0.10% Copper

7.00% Iron

2.00% Manganese

0.40% Zinc
Vegetative Nutrient Recipe

Get your plants off to a good start and promote strong, healthy plant growth with this homemade nutrient recipe.

6.00 gr Calcium Nitrate

2.09 gr Potassium Nitrate

0.46 gr Sulfate of Potash

1.39 gr Monopotassium Phosphate

2.42 gr Magnesium Sulfate

2.09 gr Potassium Nitrate

0.46 gr Sulfate of Potash

0.40 gr 7% Fe Chelated Trace Elements
Flowering Nutrient Recipe

Plant need different types of food at different stages of their life cycle. Mix and use this homemade nutrient recipe to bring your developing hydroponic plants into the flowering stage.

4.10 gr Calcium Nitrate

1.39 gr Monopotassium Phosphate

2.40 gr Magnesium Sulfate

2.80 gr Potassium Nitrate

0.46 gr Sulfate of Potash

0.40 gr 7% Fe Chelated Trace Elements
Fruiting Nutrient Recipe

Give the water enough nutrients to bring the hydroponic plants all the way to the finish line of fruit production with this homemade nutrient recipe.

8.00 gr Calcium Nitrate

1.39 gr Monopotassium Phosphate

2.40 gr Magnesium Sulfate

2.80 gr Potassium Nitrate

1.70 gr Sulfate of Potash

0.40 gr 7% F Chelated Trace Elements
Click to expand...

This is a basic...feed fert... it has so much more than the first recipie which is usa leading masterblend recipie ingredients

So why so different what is it personal preference and choose to if you add extras onto of the basic npk?
Is this why we get boosters and additives? But we dont get all them micro nutes do we? Just a+b then ok boosters. Root stim. And some get b52 vits but not all and some get carbs and other boosters but most are in the form of extra potassium and phosphorus to the base mix increasing npk values from a base
 
S

SpaceJesus

Member
I apply large scale agricultural fertilizers for a living. Most soils will come with micronutrients at decent levels. You can supplement with something like Axilo (commercial product)
Take a soil test and supplement where necessary.
 
vostok

vostok

Well-Known Member
2cent said:
So I wana make my own fert in hydro and soil's.
Looking online everything so different but basic..

I found

Potassium nitrate: 255g
Calcium Sulfate: 198g
Magnesium Sulfate: 170g
Ammonium Sulfate: 43g
Monocalcium Sulfate: 113g

Apparently is a complete npk? I know some dosages be different but I struggle to see why if that's all that's in them why we buy them so expensive and different ratios if we can blend different ratios easily enough our self?
Surely that's bot all there is to it?

So digging deeper they say u can adress micro elements as and if they become deficient...
I've seen bute lines with them added like iron boron etc... so do we need them..if so how do I add them?

So this is big so I put it in a quote box click here



This is a basic...feed fert... it has so much more than the first recipie which is usa leading masterblend recipie ingredients

So why so different what is it personal preference and choose to if you add extras onto of the basic npk?
Is this why we get boosters and additives? But we dont get all them micro nutes do we? Just a+b then ok boosters. Root stim. And some get b52 vits but not all and some get carbs and other boosters but most are in the form of extra potassium and phosphorus to the base mix increasing npk values from a base
Click to expand...
Unless chemistry is you thing

time is better spent eleswhere on the weed program

weather collidial silver studies or Organics

good luck
 
2cent

2cent

Well-Known Member
Tha ks for the replys. However im looming at hydroponic and not soil so testing outa questionnmost elements arnt there.

I do have a level of chemistry in me. Its old but there hidden by deccades of pot..

I want to do this not to save time or money i have a need to know and want to better my said chemistry

I want to workouy what makes plants tick not just cannabis.
The npk ratios change somuch i wana be able to taylor when needed .

Basicly make my own private brand not for sale just becuase i wana say i did that
 
D

Dan_J

Member
if your not running soil and your in hydro medium i would rethink

Calcium Sulfate: 198g ( aka gypsum, poorly water soluble, soil use only )
Ammonium Sulfate: 43g
Monocalcium Sulfate: 113g ( pretty sure poorly water soluble or has issues with hydro, you might need to do more research to be 100% sure )

its recommended to only use 10% Ammonium of total N, as it causes problems in hydro, fine in soil tho.

best to save that 10% for MAP (Monoammonium phosphate ), also 1% of Ammonium is in calcium nitrate
 
2cent

2cent

Well-Known Member
Dan_J said:
if your not running soil and your in hydro medium i would rethink

Calcium Sulfate: 198g ( aka gypsum, poorly water soluble, soil use only )
Ammonium Sulfate: 43g
Monocalcium Sulfate: 113g ( pretty sure poorly water soluble or has issues with hydro, you might need to do more research to be 100% sure )

its recommended to only use 10% Ammonium of total N, as it causes problems in hydro, fine in soil tho.

best to save that 10% for MAP (Monoammonium phosphate ), also 1% of Ammonium is in calcium nitrate
Click to expand...
Well this is the leading hydroponic nutrient ratio made by usa leading brand of commercial hydroponic and irrigation feed . The videos from others all use it in hydro and not in soil they have anither blend for soil....

So i struggle to see why they would be using incompatable products at such sucess that they are rated so high they have reddit posts of people steuggling to order it as of out of stock so their replicating it best they can..

I do need more research thats why i posted ofc lol.
A base and hope someone with some knowledge posts during my research.
I ffound anither guy on here making hydro nutes also so im following them.

Any info you have to back your reply would be apprecieated and maybe i can make somthing beyter than the leading brand then lol
I will now as intended by this topic now research proove and debunk the theorys presented by you to better myself in this subject hehe so thankyou. Look forward to your reply
 
D

Dan_J

Member
2cent said:
Well this is the leading hydroponic nutrient ratio made by usa leading brand of commercial hydroponic and irrigation feed . The videos from others all use it in hydro and not in soil they have anither blend for soil....
Click to expand...
fair call, i read up on calcium alternatives about a couple months ago doing research as i'm still learning too, what i took away from that is its not water soluble to a hydroponic standard as i thought i would take long time to dissolve in solution and most likely precipitate in the res so wrote it off as i figured it was only used in soil.

Most base nutrients provide enough calcium and magnesium to meet the needs of the plant under normal growing conditions. In hydroponics, calcium is commonly supplied as calcium nitrate and magnesium is supplied as magnesium sulfate.

Apply them separately and they are water-soluble, but combine them together in a liquid concentrate and there’s a problem. In concentrated form, calcium reacts with sulfates and turns into calcium sulfate (gypsum).

That’s what plaster is made from, and it is 98% insoluble! That’s why most hydroponic base nutrients come in a two-part formula. The calcium nitrate is in part A and the magnesium sulfate is in part B.
Click to expand...
source - https://www.maximumyield.com/are-all-calcium-magnesium-supplements-alike/2/1263

now as i did more research for this post i found this
A key consideration with calcium sulfate is also that its dissolution kinetics are slow. It takes a significant amount of time for a given amount of calcium sulfate to dissolve in water, even if the thermodynamics favor the dissolution of the salt at the temperature your water is at. For this reason it is very important to only use calcium sulfate sources that are extremely fine and are graded for irrigation. This is sometimes known as “solution grade” gypsum. I advice you get a small amount of the gypsum source you want to use and test how long it takes to dissolve 0.05g in one liter of water. This will give you an idea of how long you will need to wait to dissolve the calcium sulfate at the intended temperature. Constant agitation helps with this process.

An important caveat with calcium sulfate is that its relatively low solubility compared with other fertilizers means that it cannot be used to prepare concentrated nutrient solutions. This means that you will not be able to prepare a calcium sulfate stock solution or use calcium sulfate in the preparation of A and B solutions. As a matter of fact the formation of calcium sulfate is one of the main reasons why concentrated nutrient solutions usually come in two or more parts, to keep calcium and sulfate ions apart while they are in concentrated form. Calcium sulfate should only be added to the final nutrient solution and adequate considerations about temperature and dissolution time need to be taken into account.
Click to expand...
source- https://scienceinhydroponics.com/2020/06/using-calcium-sulfate-in-hydroponics.html

now what harley mentioned in the 1st link must have been for concentrate's of what you would find in you normal store bought liquid cal/mag, a/b bottles.

so in conclusion it seems you can add calcium sulfate to your hydro res but only to your res, you can't make up a liquid concentrate like you would find in a store.
also as mentioned in the 2nd link it seems there's more than one grade of calcium sulfate, one that is of extra fine particles, which i figure if all doesn't dissolve it won't clog up you lines and one general for soil.

the one thing i have been trying to research and cant find info on is if anyone on RIU has used more than 10% Ammonium of total N in hydro, how far can we go before causing issues ?

anyway keep at it, dry salts FTW!
 
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2cent

2cent

Well-Known Member
Dan_J said:
fair call, i read up on calcium alternatives about a couple months ago doing research as i'm still learning too, what i took away from that is its not water soluble to a hydroponic standard as i thought i would take long time to dissolve in solution and most likely precipitate in the res so wrote it off as i figured it was only used in soil.



source - https://www.maximumyield.com/are-all-calcium-magnesium-supplements-alike/2/1263

now as i did more research for this post i found this

source- https://scienceinhydroponics.com/2020/06/using-calcium-sulfate-in-hydroponics.html

now what harley mentioned in the 1st link must have been for concentrate's of what you would find in you normal store bought liquid cal/mag, a/b bottles.

so in conclusion it seems you can add calcium sulfate to your hydro res but only to your res, you can't make up a liquid concentrate like you would find in a store.
also as mentioned in the 2nd link it seems there's more than one grade of calcium sulfate, one that is of extra fine particles, which i figure if all doesn't dissolve it won't clog up you lines and one general for soil.

the one thing i have been trying to research and cant find info on is if anyone on RIU has used more than 10% Ammonium of total N in hydro, how far can we go before causing issues ?

anyway keep at it, dry salts FTW!
Click to expand...
Yes i do see that as the way they inform you mix is you make your npk fert up in warm water n its good for 2 weeks guessing cause done in non sterile enviroment ? Or due to seperation of salts. Which i do tend to see on some nutrient lines.

Then the cal is in warm water seperately

But i am doing research into humic fulvic and humuc acids.
It seems if you chelate your nutrients individualy it allows them to be absorbed at a ph range from 2 to 9 due to the charge of the acids kinda sorting the nutes out for the plants. And delivering then in an absorbale manner. The amino acids degrade off themself afyer soing an amazing job.



But i have seen chelating done on iron and it was like fruit juice where as iron added not chelated sat heavy in the liquid and did not mix well..


So im thinking now about looking into chelating nutrients for hydroponic purposes as have advanced nutrients in the ph perfect range... which ive tested for years and love it.

So looking at their secrets it seems they use chelated nutrienys using humic n fulvic acids .

But is chelating done only on micro nutes and not on the npk direct ?
But the chelate works for the npk also??
Cause i see nitrogen with 6 percent chelate as iron.
And cant find much about npk being chelated seems its only iron fe mu zn etc



The pH Perfect products contain essential nutrients and an extensive matrix of chelates. They use a mechanism that brings your solution into the pH sweet spot – the optimal levels of nutrients, electrical conductivity (EC), and pH.
And one of the often overlooked facets of the pH Perfect Technology products is the built-in “safety net”. Because of the various chelates in the pH Perfect nutrients (some of which function better in higher pH ranges, others function better in low pH environments, and zwitterionic chelates that are able to function in a range of pH levels) which have a theoretical absorption range from pH 1 to pH 10. This means your plants will be able to absorb all the necessary nutrients, regardless of variations or changes in your solution’s pH level. The built-in “safety net” will protect your plants and make sure they feed and stay healthy
Click to expand...






Wonder if chelating would help its solulbility or another cal probly.

But i have no squarrel with dry nutes so if anythin if i spill it i cannpick it up i cant a liquid fert lol
 
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F

fimbud

New Member
Here are my mixes. This is my first grow. It's a dwc setup w/ co2-- was looking beautiful until the flood (long story) but still on track to make some yield. I only buy salts; helps me save money for gas and fancy HVAC. I paid a bit extra to get them in 1-2lb quantities, next time I'll buy 50lbs at once and save even more. Here's the shopping list:

"A" Solution, add to a 100L reservoir:
40g Calcium Nitrate
40g Magnesium Nitrate
15g Potassium nitrate

"B" Solution, add to a 100L reservoir:
20g Potassium Nitrate
12g Monopotassium phosphate

Micronutrients and humic stuffs:
20g of TM-7

Total cost for 100L of stock solution: ~$1

Empirically, this mix leaves the plants with no sulfur and not enough potassium. So I wait until the new growth looks a bit yellow, then add 20-60g Magnesium Sulfate Heptahydrate. If that doesn't work, I add 20g of Potassium Nitrate.

Sometimes as a treat I feed them a little ammonium sulfate.
 
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