RESULTS :
There is a vast amount of recorded information involved with these tests. Each test has write ups and research more involved than this thread alone. Numbers do not give all the important information in my opinion. My favorite product did not come from the cycle with the largest plants for example. Nor did the largest producer result in the most potent weed. Our job is to provide essential nutrients at appropriate times to ensure that growth will succeed properly. In these large comparison tests it's very easy to loose focus. Many times, as I analyzed results I would choose a new favorite. Huge fan leaves, larger plants and beautiful color often dictate which plant we find most attractive and many of us choose our program based on primarily aesthetics. Beautiful, full, mid flowering growth does not always ensure an excellent, potent harvest, or a heavy one. Listing numbers displaying growth surges throughout the weekly observements will take to much time. My goal remember was to ultimately design a nutrient schedule that provided understood ingredients that better fed the plants for steady, healthy and predictable growth. I think these are important aspects of nutrient application. Understanding how ingredients react with soil substrates and root systems will increase your ability to better diagnose problems and identify proper application timing. Steady growth ensures plants will not demand excessive, specific nutrients creating various deficiencies. Think of nutrients in terms of how much is needed during the plants entire cycle and apply a portion of that amount at the appropriate time. This is very helpful in determining nutrient strength for individual feedings, and will develop consistent and predictable growth rates. It also will give you more general control in customizing your schedule. You can add a flush mid cycle for example, splitting those missed nutes accordingly throughout your schedule.
Weekly recorded data demonstrated some important information. First, lets quickly look at some general differences between the organic schedules and synthetic/chemically based tests. Organic growth was generally slower to begin. This is due to the fact that growing the microbial life needed to properly supply the plant will take some time to establish. This microbial life leads to extremely healthy roots. The organic schedules always produced larger root systems first, then followed with solid plant growth. They were typically bushier than chemicals and had much steadier growth. The organic substrate retained more nutrient availability as the microbial life continued providing food days after application. In flowering (12/12) these schedules differed in some noticeable ways. The organics had slower growth again but earlier preflowers in all tests. Buds were slower to fully develop but stickier, smellier and more swollen by harvest. Trichromes developed later in the 12/12 and seemed to frost not just primary bud sites but surrounding leaves. Plants took on a typically droopier, more lime green appearance.
The chemical/synthetics had very deliberate growth in Veg. Results were more instant and the plants grew quickly. Root systems were smaller, they had no need to search and react with soil bound nutes therefore could maintain a smaller size. Plants concentrated on specific branches and had less secondary growth. Larger fan leaves developed on typically stiffer stemmed plants. I frequently referred to them as "woodier" in appearance. Plants were taller in all synthetic tests. Synthetics had quick surges of growth within a day or two of being fed. In flowering, these plants stayed deep green late into the cycle. Bud sites were very defined and typically more compact than organics. Upper leaves and bud leaves were more pointed and stayed very rigid. Crystalization was evident earlier and concentrated more around bud sites. In later flowering, trichromes developed along associated leaf edges and were very defined. I found additional Magnesium and Calcium made substantial improvements with bud growth generally and actually improved individual plant harvests when applied. They took on a spicier scent and flavor, and never quite had the sweeter, putrid odor associated with the organics. Chemical/Synthetic based nutrients frequently provide low " Brix " levels. Brix is essentially a measure of sugar/carbohydrate levels in the plant. A higher Brix number typically produces more flavorful and healthy plants.
The following is a list off production numbers and cost per gram. It does not dictate which I found best :
(I'm still adding up the cost per gram)
Test 1 EarthJuice 0.75 gpw
Test 2 Marine based 0.67 gpw
Test 3 Earthjuice/Marine 0.69 gpw
Test 4 Foxfarm 0.71 gpw
Test 5 Advanced Nutreints 0.80 gpw
Test 6 Dynagro 0.67 gpw
Test 7 Bio-Canna 0.73 gpw
Test 8 General Organics 0.70 gpw
Largest main stock circumference Earthjuice/Marine treated with Hygrozyme @ 2.25 inches circumference
Largest overall width Bio-Canna treated with Pirahna @ 38" wide diameter
Tallest Plant Dynagro treated with Mega Gro @ 47" +/-
Tallest avg group Marine based test 2 @ 45" +/-
Best avg resin production Earthjuice Test 1 - avg 10 rating
Best avg crystallization Earthjuice Test 1 - avg 10 rating
Best average color rating Bio-Canna Test 7 - avg 9.5 rating
Best over-all structure (remained the same through-out) Bio-Canna Test 7
Most vigorous vegetative cycle Marine based Test 2
Most vigorous flowering growth Advanced Nutreints Test 5
Stinkiest bud odor Earthjuice Test 1
Best average root structure rating Bio-Canna
Nicest aesthetics of final product Earthjuice Test 1
Nicest taste of final product Earthjuice Test 1
Most potent smoke rating Earthjuice Test 1/ Bio-Canna Test 7
Remember production can only properly be measured in grams per watt or grams per lumen. Light intensity, environmental control and nutrient availability all are major factors in this. More importantly many strains will only produce a certain amount rarely surpassing they're maximum. Keeping all that in mind, when one plant produced tremendously another typically produced less than par. These production results were similar with the same strain as seen above with all tests. Any popular nutrient company usually supplies the proper nutrients to reach maximum production levels when properly applied. Quality is another aspect altogether. That is where real ingredient effectiveness is defined. Things like overall plant width and height proved relatively irrelevant. In the densely packed indoor grow room most plants received similar space restrictions. The tallest average plants being Test 2 produced less than average in-fact. Also some Tests had high average numbers but not winning numbers. All had high quality herb - some just better than others. All these tests were monitored closely with special attention to pH and Brix levels. Nutritious plants will lead to higher quality smoke. Maybe not heavier production but absolutely higher quality. Managing a living indoor substrate is difficult to master, step one is learning how it all works. When deciding on my personal favorite test I compared numerical results and averaged all opinion based ratings. I scrutinized all my recorded information and developed many different perspectives on general Marijuana growth. Not only did I learn about specific nutrient/medium interaction but these tests also revealed consistent results regardless of applications. I have all the schedules available but decided to save the space on the read. Feel free to ask and I can provide them.
There is a vast amount of recorded information involved with these tests. Each test has write ups and research more involved than this thread alone. Numbers do not give all the important information in my opinion. My favorite product did not come from the cycle with the largest plants for example. Nor did the largest producer result in the most potent weed. Our job is to provide essential nutrients at appropriate times to ensure that growth will succeed properly. In these large comparison tests it's very easy to loose focus. Many times, as I analyzed results I would choose a new favorite. Huge fan leaves, larger plants and beautiful color often dictate which plant we find most attractive and many of us choose our program based on primarily aesthetics. Beautiful, full, mid flowering growth does not always ensure an excellent, potent harvest, or a heavy one. Listing numbers displaying growth surges throughout the weekly observements will take to much time. My goal remember was to ultimately design a nutrient schedule that provided understood ingredients that better fed the plants for steady, healthy and predictable growth. I think these are important aspects of nutrient application. Understanding how ingredients react with soil substrates and root systems will increase your ability to better diagnose problems and identify proper application timing. Steady growth ensures plants will not demand excessive, specific nutrients creating various deficiencies. Think of nutrients in terms of how much is needed during the plants entire cycle and apply a portion of that amount at the appropriate time. This is very helpful in determining nutrient strength for individual feedings, and will develop consistent and predictable growth rates. It also will give you more general control in customizing your schedule. You can add a flush mid cycle for example, splitting those missed nutes accordingly throughout your schedule.
Weekly recorded data demonstrated some important information. First, lets quickly look at some general differences between the organic schedules and synthetic/chemically based tests. Organic growth was generally slower to begin. This is due to the fact that growing the microbial life needed to properly supply the plant will take some time to establish. This microbial life leads to extremely healthy roots. The organic schedules always produced larger root systems first, then followed with solid plant growth. They were typically bushier than chemicals and had much steadier growth. The organic substrate retained more nutrient availability as the microbial life continued providing food days after application. In flowering (12/12) these schedules differed in some noticeable ways. The organics had slower growth again but earlier preflowers in all tests. Buds were slower to fully develop but stickier, smellier and more swollen by harvest. Trichromes developed later in the 12/12 and seemed to frost not just primary bud sites but surrounding leaves. Plants took on a typically droopier, more lime green appearance.
The chemical/synthetics had very deliberate growth in Veg. Results were more instant and the plants grew quickly. Root systems were smaller, they had no need to search and react with soil bound nutes therefore could maintain a smaller size. Plants concentrated on specific branches and had less secondary growth. Larger fan leaves developed on typically stiffer stemmed plants. I frequently referred to them as "woodier" in appearance. Plants were taller in all synthetic tests. Synthetics had quick surges of growth within a day or two of being fed. In flowering, these plants stayed deep green late into the cycle. Bud sites were very defined and typically more compact than organics. Upper leaves and bud leaves were more pointed and stayed very rigid. Crystalization was evident earlier and concentrated more around bud sites. In later flowering, trichromes developed along associated leaf edges and were very defined. I found additional Magnesium and Calcium made substantial improvements with bud growth generally and actually improved individual plant harvests when applied. They took on a spicier scent and flavor, and never quite had the sweeter, putrid odor associated with the organics. Chemical/Synthetic based nutrients frequently provide low " Brix " levels. Brix is essentially a measure of sugar/carbohydrate levels in the plant. A higher Brix number typically produces more flavorful and healthy plants.
The following is a list off production numbers and cost per gram. It does not dictate which I found best :
(I'm still adding up the cost per gram)
Test 1 EarthJuice 0.75 gpw
Test 2 Marine based 0.67 gpw
Test 3 Earthjuice/Marine 0.69 gpw
Test 4 Foxfarm 0.71 gpw
Test 5 Advanced Nutreints 0.80 gpw
Test 6 Dynagro 0.67 gpw
Test 7 Bio-Canna 0.73 gpw
Test 8 General Organics 0.70 gpw
Largest main stock circumference Earthjuice/Marine treated with Hygrozyme @ 2.25 inches circumference
Largest overall width Bio-Canna treated with Pirahna @ 38" wide diameter
Tallest Plant Dynagro treated with Mega Gro @ 47" +/-
Tallest avg group Marine based test 2 @ 45" +/-
Best avg resin production Earthjuice Test 1 - avg 10 rating
Best avg crystallization Earthjuice Test 1 - avg 10 rating
Best average color rating Bio-Canna Test 7 - avg 9.5 rating
Best over-all structure (remained the same through-out) Bio-Canna Test 7
Most vigorous vegetative cycle Marine based Test 2
Most vigorous flowering growth Advanced Nutreints Test 5
Stinkiest bud odor Earthjuice Test 1
Best average root structure rating Bio-Canna
Nicest aesthetics of final product Earthjuice Test 1
Nicest taste of final product Earthjuice Test 1
Most potent smoke rating Earthjuice Test 1/ Bio-Canna Test 7
Remember production can only properly be measured in grams per watt or grams per lumen. Light intensity, environmental control and nutrient availability all are major factors in this. More importantly many strains will only produce a certain amount rarely surpassing they're maximum. Keeping all that in mind, when one plant produced tremendously another typically produced less than par. These production results were similar with the same strain as seen above with all tests. Any popular nutrient company usually supplies the proper nutrients to reach maximum production levels when properly applied. Quality is another aspect altogether. That is where real ingredient effectiveness is defined. Things like overall plant width and height proved relatively irrelevant. In the densely packed indoor grow room most plants received similar space restrictions. The tallest average plants being Test 2 produced less than average in-fact. Also some Tests had high average numbers but not winning numbers. All had high quality herb - some just better than others. All these tests were monitored closely with special attention to pH and Brix levels. Nutritious plants will lead to higher quality smoke. Maybe not heavier production but absolutely higher quality. Managing a living indoor substrate is difficult to master, step one is learning how it all works. When deciding on my personal favorite test I compared numerical results and averaged all opinion based ratings. I scrutinized all my recorded information and developed many different perspectives on general Marijuana growth. Not only did I learn about specific nutrient/medium interaction but these tests also revealed consistent results regardless of applications. I have all the schedules available but decided to save the space on the read. Feel free to ask and I can provide them.
Trio right now with some other additives. Im definitely switching to ej next crop. The only downfall i can see is having to bubble the mix for a day or two before use.
