Step into my ferts lab

This thread is a detailed explanation of the way to use chemical fertilizers in parts. The main advantages with this method are: first and most of all it is very much cheaper than buying brand names but it is as good or better in result, you can control exactly what you feed your plants, and you buy bulks of fertilizers that would last you for so long. This is only one example of a company that sells this stuff (change hXXp to http) hXXp://www.akpetrochem.com/hydroponic.aspx
I didn't buy mine from there, i found a company that sells farmers and greenhouses and got them from there directly, however they can be found online and shipped to you but is will cost you more since these are big 25Kg bags or more. the prices vary so much so look around for what farmers use. Ther chemicals i got for me i got them for hydroponics but you can get some more parts to make a soil mix too. Farmers who grow tons of food don't go buy their fertilizers from the hydro shop
Parts needed for hydroponics:
1-Calcium nitrate
2-Potassium nitrate
3-mono-Potassium phosphate
4-Magnesium sulfate (epsom salt)
5-trace element mix
You can get more elements but these alone would do. For instance you can get magnesium nitrate which will enable you to add magnesium and nitrogen without the sulfur in the magnesium sulfate and you can also get triple super phosphate which contains calcium and phosphate and enables you to add calcium without having to add any nitrogen. But the parts i listed are the ones that you MUST get if you want to make a hydroponic formula, the others are only to make it fancier. i also bought a bulk supply 35L of Hydrogen peroxide H2O2 35% you can see it in the big blue container. it is nasty suff if you get it on skin, i dilute some in a bottle and use those to my res. you can also find phosphoric and sulfuric acid in bulks for much cheaper than small quantities in shops.

How to use the chemicals:
you would need:
.digital weight scale, if you can get the one that measures 1 to 5 kg accurately it would be great, a small scale like mine still works but you will have to take them in small quantities and add up the sum to know how much you are diluting.
.volume scale that can measure at least 1L
.a big ROUND plastic empty water gallon, i used the 10L one, you can make it bigger but i dont advise you to get smaller ones since you will splash ferts out as you mix.
.speed controllable power drill
.thick metallic drill head, it has to be big enough to fit a 1/2" hose around it.
.hose clamp 1/2"
.small pieces of drip lines
.cone shaped cardboard with a hole that fits in the water gallon opening as big as the opening, you dont want it to be small since the powder chmicals will get blocked.
.cup with handle to shovel chemicals with
.storage containers with good seal
.RO water if possible, it still works with usual water but the less dissolved solids in water the more fertilizers you can dissolve in the water. i didn't get RO water yet but this is one thing i want to get
it is better to use a dust mask when your working with the powders.

Open the bags of fertilizers and start shoveling the powders onto your weight scale until the desired amount is reached, next empty them in your big round water container using the cone shaped cardboard. next measure the desired volume of water and add to that same container. now get your drill, place the head with the hose fit into it firmly and tighten it with the hose clamp. on the side of that hose plug the small driplines sideways to make a nice shaker, set your drill on low. dont make the hose too long. now place it in the big water res and start mixing. CAREFUL! do not mix the chemicals together in the same bottle since some chemicals would result with solid residues when mixed together which makes them completely insoluble and you will have to throw them. they will dissolve fairly quickly depending on the concentration and temperature.
the solubility of the chemicals is as follows:at 25 degrees celcius
1-Calcium nitrate: 1200G/L
2-Potassium nitrate: 360G/L
3-mono-Potassium phosphate: 330G/L
4-Magnesium sulfate:710G/L
you dont have to dilute them to their full solubility, i dilute them with less concentration. i diluted them as follows:
1-calcium nitrate:1000G/L
2-Potassium nitrate:1000G/6L
3-mono-potassium phosphate:1000G/6L
4-Magnesium sulfate:500G/L
this makes dissolving them much faster.

good thread. i just feel like if i order a large amount of ferts online the feds would be knocking asking questions about involvement with bomb making......

after dissolving each part completely, empty it in the tightly sealed storage container. calcium nitrate dissolves the fastest, mono-potassium phosphate and potassium nitrate become very cold as they dissolve. in the pic you can see the foam they produce and the condensation on the bottle due to coldness, this makes thier dissolving slower. magnesium sulfate is the hardest to dissolve, if you have warm water this will help a lot, however you will be doing this only once every long time and using the drill makes this very easy and fast process. i store them in a dark closet and label them with a marker.
the brownish powder is the trace elements mix i dont bother dissolve it i just keep it dry powder since it is very soluble and is very easy to dissolve a few grams in a cup then adding to my res.
you will be using these in very small amounts, i will add some very useful formulas later which i got from several mj growers who use this method, but i'm really tired now i will include the info on how many grams you would need to contribute 1ppm in 100gallons and the prices with which i bought mine. if you have a ppm meter you can measure the increase in ppm before and after you add every part to know how much you have added of each.

I hope you guys like this method, it is very professional and low cost cheers

zem

how long do you store this before completely using? i ask, because you say you store it in a dark corner. does this need to 'brew' before use?

no this is 100% chemical, it doesnt have to sit, as soon as it dissolves you can use it. i store it in the dark not to allow the algae to grow on them or their quality to deteriorate. you should store all your ferts and liquids in dark

Love this thread..right now im experimenting with monopotassiumsulphate.I realise it's an excellent buffer, however i've been using it with a 20-20-20 mix but in very small amounts.I dont have a scale so i'm guesstimating at best.I think i've been feeding too strong..starting to cut back

1ppm = 1mg in 1 Liter of water

eg) 1ppm = 2mg in 2L of water, 100ppm = 100mg in 1L of water

i thought i would bump this thread after 4 years yes 4 years of knowledge with chemicals used in parts for fertilizers and I love it more than ever.
I would like to add some tips for anyone who might want to try this, you can dissolve them much easier if you want, i dont go get a drill every time i want to dissolve, just a weight scale and i toss them into the stock jug that i use for that chemical and just leave water to dissolve them with time. all the chemicals will eventually dissolve, calcium nitrate over night, magnesium sulfate might take a week, but i empty from the stock jug to a smaller bottle that i use for feeding, as soon as i empty my jug i refill, then i let it sit for it to dissolve. in my greenhouse, the quantities are much bigger, i actually have longitudinal reservoirs that are 13 ft long only 1.3 ft wide so i dump the powders in it directly, i only mind to dump magnesium sulfate and calcium nitrate at opposite sides of the res. i also got some potassium sulfate for my tomatoes mainly, but my mj will love the extra pure potassium with no N or P whenever i need that. i do understand why most mj growers would not want to take this route, but i also think after my experience with fertilizing in parts, that most ferts don't have the amount of control over the plants' feed to make best results. i mean, i think that you must have like 3-4 different formulas to raise and lower the amounts as you really want, and most growers who need additives, end up having much more than the 5 chemicals that i use. and it is one of those things that once you learn, you never go back. my tomatoes lettuce, peppers and cucumbers had great difference in taste as i changed the levels of ferts. some plants would require extra trace elements or extra some element, i have the full control over that. in a bigger scale farm, i would surely get even the trace elements in parts, but for now, i use a ready mix for that. I am beginning a new season in my greenhouse, i am planning on adding some varieties, trying spinnach and kohlrabi for the first time, as well as the regular veggies that i listed.