Time4Plan-B,
It sounds like you are tired of paying for hype when you buy nutes. Check out Future Harvest Development at extremegrowing.com. I was using Alaska fertilizer products in dirt. My local mentor recommended I try them in my hydro grow and said he thought they would work in dirt too. I tried them in dirt alongside my Alaska stuff to see what the difference was and was shocked at the difference. After 5 weeks the difference in the size and hardiness of the plants using FHD was so obvious that I terminated the comparison and switched over to FHD in every thing. Their customer service is outstanding. I have even had their people say "We make a product for that but personally I still use XX for that because they are the old standard that everyone compares their product to". I don't know about you, but that impresses me. Most often people will recommend their product even though they don't use it personally.
Another reason I tried FHD was my mentor has a couple of friends that they all grow the same varieties in almost identical operations except for the nutrients they use. My mentor uses FHD, one of the others is using a mid-price range line, I think Botnicare (sic) and the third one uses nothing but Advanced and uses "every darn thing they make -- I don't know how he has room for nutrients with all of the additives he uses". My mentor says that over a period of time averaging several crops there is no consistent difference in the quantity and never any nute related difference in quality but it costs him under $50 per 10 plant cycle, the other friend spends between $300 and $500 per 10 plant cycle depending upon what additives he is hung up on at the time and the one that uses all of Advanced spends over $900 for the same 10 plant cycle.
I have never used any of the other nutrients so I can't compare them persoanlly, but I know of no reason my mentor would lie about that -- he has beeen very up front on every thing else.
Also, I have found that extremegrowing is very good about telling me about new things made bu somebody else that they know I will be buying through a local dealer rather than through them. Some of the new stuff they tell me about they don't even sell.
If anyone is open to a new line of nutrients and additives, give a look at FHD at extremegrowing.com along with the other hydro product they either make or handle for other manufacturers. Things that are made in the States, they usually refer you to either the manufacturer or a dealer rather than having you buy it from them and ship it back and forth across the border.
Good smoking everyone!
Cheers.
