Swapping from organics to synthetic?

[Jeff]

Thanks for the help I've got molasses and castings can I get the other stuff in the uk? My mates got some sensizyme he said I can have a bit of that if I want just for now will it do the job? Would u recommend I change to synthetics for bloom as I already have them on hand with a bit of enzyme tea or sensizyme? And I've read that the sensi bloom is highly chelated already so this I surely a good thing? I did wonder why the ppm in my organic bucket woz way lower than synthetic so I just went off the bottle measurements and it seemed to work ok.

 

[BigBuddha]

Yup, organic nutes need a herd to break down the nutrients into something a plant can uptake... inorganic nutrients. There really isn't anything wrong with mineral salts, but the PGR chemicals that a lot of boosters contain aren't always that great. Mineral salts are just something that's immediately available to the plant. They are able to be used in such a low concentration that the herb doesn't even need a flush period. I feed up until harvest and I have patients that flip out because of the smoothness of my medicine. I run a totally synthetic nute line and add sea salt and bennie tea now.

And right, organic nutes don't measure with an EC pen. Im too crazy about things to not be able to measure stuff... Im a baker by trade so I need my recipes and exacting standards. I get too paranoid without it. hahaha

^^ That's the problem as I see it. I have an auto that's got about 3wks left to finish, and it desperately needs a nutrient boost NOW. Trouble is that organics won't be instantly available in time, so I'm going to have to flush it today to get rid of the compost tea in its soil, and then make its final few ltrs of flush a mineral feed at 1.6ec.

I'm hoping it won't affect the yield too much as - in my thinking at least - it's just simulating a heavy rainfall.


What do you reckon?

 

[BigBuddha]

Thanks for the help I've got molasses and castings can I get the other stuff in the uk? My mates got some sensizyme he said I can have a bit of that if I want just for now will it do the job? Would u recommend I change to synthetics for bloom as I already have them on hand with a bit of enzyme tea or sensizyme? And I've read that the sensi bloom is highly chelated already so this I surely a good thing? I did wonder why the ppm in my organic bucket woz way lower than synthetic so I just went off the bottle measurements and it seemed to work ok.

Yep you can get everything you need in the uk online. Easy peasy. And if they were mine, yes I would start on the mineral nutes asap. As someone said before, it won't get rid of the crap already built-up in there (bacteria tea for that), but it's pretty essential to start using nutrients that the plants can absorb asap.

I've only ever heard good things about Advanced Nutrients stuff but I can't recommend it on personal experience.


Also, to confirm, there's not much point in measuring ec of organic nutrients because they don't 'read' like mineral / chemical nutes do.
With organics, the goal is to feed the soil rather than the plant. << And that carries with it its own challenges but hey ho

Whatever you do don't panic. Remember that there are ways to handle this issue and you'll get good support from this bunch along the way.



:smoke:

 

[The Medicine Man]

^^ That's the problem as I see it. I have an auto that's got about 3wks left to finish, and it desperately needs a nutrient boost NOW. Trouble is that organics won't be instantly available in time, so I'm going to have to flush it today to get rid of the compost tea in its soil, and then make its final few ltrs of flush a mineral feed at 1.6ec.

I'm hoping it won't affect the yield too much as - in my thinking at least - it's just simulating a heavy rainfall.

What do you reckon?

You'll be just fine. Don't even have to worry about flushing out the tea in the medium, just give it a feed. 3 weeks left? Totally fine. I feed up until harvest, always, around 1.2EC in the final week, sometimes a little lower.

 

[BigBuddha]

You obviously know what you're doing, but the only thing that worries me a bit (with not flushing first) is a possible conflict-of-interest in the soil with organic vs mineral nutes. I mean, if the guano already in the soil keeps breaking down and providing P over the next 3 weeks, won't the P in the mineral nutes/booster added to that cause other lockouts?

Not exactly a cast-iron fear, but it does worry me.


:smokebuds:

 

[The Medicine Man]

Don't add boosters. If you're concerned about providing low P (which everyone should... there's no need for those high P levels in flower) then get something that has a low P to start. For example, what I use is a 3-1-4 program, very low P... less than 50ppm of P in fact. Low P reduces stretching and improves flavor. High P makes stuff taste like crap.

If you need to give something a quick boost without adding a lot of P you could just put in some Pure Blend Pro grow formula (3-1.5-4) and would be fine. That's about the ratio that I use for the entire life cycle, unless I'm doing a seed plant, then I use a regular ol' 10-10-10 fert. But if you wanted to just use PBP grow all through flowering, that'd be just fine.

 

[BigBuddha]

Don't add boosters. If you're concerned about providing low P (which everyone should... there's no need for those high P levels in flower) then get something that has a low P to start. For example, what I use is a 3-1-4 program, very low P... less than 50ppm of P in fact. Low P reduces stretching and improves flavor. High P makes stuff taste like crap.

If you need to give something a quick boost without adding a lot of P you could just put in some Pure Blend Pro grow formula (3-1.5-4) and would be fine. That's about the ratio that I use for the entire life cycle, unless I'm doing a seed plant, then I use a regular ol' 10-10-10 fert. But if you wanted to just use PBP grow all through flowering, that'd be just fine.

Ok.. as I don't have access to new nutes for at least the rest of the month, I have to work with the hand I've been dealt, so what I've got available is some Plant Magic Grow & Bloom (hardwater version) which has an NPK of 2.0-0.4-3.0 and 2.2-0.5-3.2 respectively. Their booster is just a mineral PK 13/14 with a touch of N. I don't see any point in following their feeding chart so from that selection of nutes.. what would you do.. say.. give her just bloom nutes until she's done?

Incidentally, I also have some topmax laying around so what do you reckon on adding a bit of that to the mix?


That's interesting what you say about providing low P in flower.. because you're the first grower I've heard say that. << That's not a barbed way of saying you're wrong.. I'm just interested in unusual methods like that because the more I grow the more I realise how many of the things we cling to are 30yrs outdated or just plain scientifically wrong; there's so much urband legend in the growers world, and most growers say that high P nutes are required for bigger buds. However.. [lightbulb moment] it's just occured to me that the PM nutes I've got are actually quite low in P.

Hmmm.. now that I'm replying to you the penny is dropping on that point.

 

[Jeff]

Yea I think ile swap them tonite then ile get hold off some of the stuff for the tea aswel. I heard good things about it to and it was fairly cheap hopefully does the job! thanks for all your tips lets see how she goes after the change tonite!

 

[BigBuddha]

Get in there, Jeff. Might be a bit of twatting around to get it sorted but I have a good feeling about it.

 

[Jeff]

Yea let's hope so I've also got voodo juice and bud candy and I've just read I can use these two to make a bennie tea with a buble stone in a bucket? The bud candy is sugars and carbs to feed the bennies in the voodo juice? Does this sound right if so ile brew some up later? The reason they did this is make it act faster and not use as much cuz your sort of growing your own in the bucket. This would be good for me as I change res every week so I can just use a cup of this each time and top the bucket back up with water instead of a shitload of expensive voodo juice every res change? does anyone know if this will work? It might be a load of crap but as I've got these already just thought I would ask