ATTENTION GH's "FloraShield" users.....

[Stormcooker]

If you use Florashield by GH as prescribed in their charts like their "phase feeding cart" or "weekly feeding chart", it says to use 37.5 ml. per U.S. gallon of reservoir at every reservoir change.

What they don't tell ya' is what the stuff does exactly, and what exactly it contains.

THey don't tell ya' that 37.5 ml./gal is NOT for every gallon of every resevoir change, and that it is only intended for specific needs like a root rot problem, or bacterial infection.

They make it look and seem that it is a normal "everyday" additive like the nutrients themselves and should be used at all phases and days of a plant's life.

WELL THANK GOD I wrote the company and cleared up this fact because I also learned that this product is not compatible with some other supplements or additives that I have used and use today.

Florasheild is similar to h202 (hydrogen peroxide) in that it will KILL beneficial bacteria, inhibit algae, and inhibit most functions of a organic supplements.
The latest GH supplement is Floraliscous Plus, which contains a liquid suspension of live bacteria which is goot for roots and reservoirs. If you added Florasheild to it, it would negate the principals of the FL Plus.

Long story short........Dont use FLorasheild in the mix unless you have a problem that needs fixing with it, and don't mix it with organics. And to all those H202 users, remember don't mix with bacterial/microbial supplements. You'll have a reservoir full of dead bacteria, and quick rising pH.



Here's Skunk Special.....1st day of 12/12!!!!!!!!!!!

[Zandor]

Yes not all supplements play well with each other. Like you and I talked about before about using H²O² with microbes they cancel each other out. Mixing organic and non-organic nutrients may be more of a problem then most people think.

Glad you learned what's up and shared your knowledge now others can learn.

Great job going the extra mile SC props to you dude.!!

[turtle420]

Stormcooker,

Dude, you are now the official Cannabis.com inspector of un-clear instructions and doubtfull mix ratios...

GH must be wondering; Who the hell is this Stormcooker guy?!

Thanks for the heads up Stormcooker... Really helpfull information. :)

-turtle420 :cool:

[Stormcooker]

I just wanted to reintroduce this topic for new readers. I'm sure there are new aspiring growers making this mistake everyday like I did.

[Stormcooker]

THanks for making this thread sticky. I hope it helps.

[Zandor]

Good information is meant to be shared, this is good information.

[Easy Roller]

Easy Roller needs to Know.......whether the 'aquarium' style hydro set up is any good? Storm or Zandor please enlighten..before i commit my precious seeds!

[kramllehctim]

Thanks for that info! My resivior has stunk lkike a mother fucker! I had a serious fungus problem and it saved my plant, but I couldn't figure out why that damn smell kept comming out in a few days.

peace. :pimp:

MM

[freakfly420]

so let me get this rite? i have been using gh for three years, and they have these products? whts their best use? 420

[foaf]

Oh, and they do tell whats in it now, and its nothing like peroxide. It uses "chitosan" which is a polysaccharide derivative that is made from chitin, or the protein that comprises crustacean shells and insect shells. It is bacteriostatic and as mentioned above it will kill of good and bad bacteria.

My opinion is that if you have needed florashield before, then you should just start each grow with an innoculation of beneficial bacteria, I use Botanicaire's Hydroguard, and you will likely get better protection from root rot and from buildup on your plastic parts.

For cleaning between runs, nothing beats bleach, plus it evaporates when you are through leaving no risidual chemicals except for a small amount of sodium chloride.

[yaarea41510]

I apologize..I know this is Hydro thread but curious...does this info. apply to soil as well? So if what you're saying is true, I guess I been cancelling my bacterial supplement all this time. I just recently started using h202 and adding it along with subculture at same feeding cylce. Sounds like a bad idea UNLESS not relevant to soil. But what if I change it up and use h202 and no subculture at one feeding...and at next feeding use subculture and not h202. Still gonna kill the bacteria in the soil huh?? holla back with info. whoever knows...much appreciated.....

p.s. I'm on this thread cuz thinkin bout switching to hydro soon..thanx

[latewood]

Oh, and they do tell whats in it now, and its nothing like peroxide. It uses "chitosan" which is a polysaccharide derivative that is made from chitin, or the protein that comprises crustacean shells and insect shells. It is bacteriostatic and as mentioned above it will kill of good and bad bacteria.

My opinion is that if you have needed florashield before, then you should just start each grow with an innoculation of beneficial bacteria, I use Botanicaire's Hydroguard, and you will likely get better protection from root rot and from buildup on your plastic parts.

For cleaning between runs, nothing beats bleach, plus it evaporates when you are through leaving no risidual chemicals except for a small amount of sodium chloride.florakleen...blows bleach away as a cleanup solution..no comparison, No salt!

[inoxia sativa]

Is hydroguard basically the same stuff? and if so thank god this is a sticy last night i mixed a new rez and put both h2o2 and hydroguard probably not too good?
Any negatives besides cancelling, I mewan do I need to change my rez again or just remember next time??

[Aaron385]

inoxia- I think the knowm is on a.. sightseeing trip.. hehe.. but I think I can help! H2O2 is already gone out of the res.. florashield is there but it wont hurt anything other than microbes (i.e. dont add beneficial microbes cuz they will be dead ASAP). Nothin to worry about tho beyond that IMHO. Just next res change if you want to try the beneficial bacteria then dont use florashield. I use to use H2O2 a few hours before I added beneficial bacteria myself (now I O3 the water.. cuz ive got an O3 machine and the O3 is done and ready in 30min or less while h2o2 could be a bit longer).. I still use H2O2 to wipe out the res with a towel when I change out nutes.. just to get that fresh start feelin.

I decieded to do a little research of my own.. heres the letter i e-mailed to GH teck support ([email protected]) this morning.. will post a response as soon as i get one!

--
Hello, I am a very loyal GH customer. I was wondering if it is appropriate to use floralicious plus while using floralicious bloom? I understand I am not supposed to use floro plus while using florashield (correct?). Also curious on the effectiveness of this as I am also using diamond nectar. Would adding a round of your "Sub Culture" be good/bad/indifferent? I am basically following the GH recommended feeding schedule table exactly with the following exceptions:

I still use Cal Mag plus (added to my RO water which starts at 9ppm) and Protekt by dyna grow and a drop or two of superthrive. I also use hygrozyme instead of flora shield (because it doesn't kill beneficial bacteria and my res temps can get into the 80's). Do you see any conflicts? Is there a better solution than these other brand products?

Also, I was considering trying the "Growth Excel" by advanced nutrients as a follar feed along with my GH diamond nectar and CHI routine. Any comments on that idea would be appreciated. I am growing bell peppers in a hydrofarm bubbler setup and have more veggies sprouting as I write this. Is there anything else you could recommend? Is it true your company worked with NASA?

Thanks for all the help (in advance)!

--

I know there are some near rhetorical questions in there but Id like to hear it from the horses mouth (so to say) and for those of you who care.. I really am growing bell peppers! check out the indoor veggie section!

[Aaron385]

Ok PEEPs.. I have some REALLY good info!!

I just got off the phone with GH. Talked to a really intellegent dude! Here is the scoop:

Flora Plus is replacing (yes I said REPLACING) floralicious grow and bloom.. You are NOT supposed to use the two together! It is replacing the two because in the bigger less concentrated floralicious bloom and grow were having problems with the microbes coming to life in the bottles and causing them to burst under pressure.. the plus fomula contains more dormant microbes at a very high concentration which keeps them from going active in the bottle.. low res temps should be avoided unless using a mediumless environment or active root rot persists.. GH recommends not using any res cooler or florashield unless a root problem exists.. if you get a problem then use the florashild product (or H2O2).. clear up the problem.. then reintroduce the microbes in floraplus at the next res change.

Diamond Nectar is a fulvic acid treatment that is uneffected by the things I listed. It is not microbe based however so you CAN use it with H2O2 and the like. If you are an H2O2 user than DN is for you. By the way the feeding chart that shows the massive dose of florashield every week is basically directed at H2O2 users.. if you dont use H2O2 regularly then disreguard. They did say if you are NFT/mediumless it is important to use florashield and dont waste your time with beneficial microbes that live in the media since there is no media for them to live in!

GH supported the use of Hygrozyme 100%.

GH supported the use of Cal Mag plus (in R.O. Water) 100%

GH said Advanced Nutrients are mostly a good ad campaign that is far too "specific" and has them in deep shits right now.. the rep said specifically that GH works with universities and GOV agencies (yes including NASA.. I def asked!) and before a product is released in their line it must undergo extensive research and testing for at least a year at UC Davis.

One of the goals of the plus is to maintain pH better.. a fun fact I have never heard before is that when you have added a total of 20ml/gal of ph up or down you must change res water out or nutes will be locked out by the acid/alkaline catalists in the ph adjusters. They said the sub culture is really good at keeping ph steady and that it should be used with the routine I outlined... the more medium the better (like ebb and flow). They recommend "recharging" with fresh subculture every res change but say the microbes continue to live in the media even if you dont recharge so if you just use one pack use it in the beginning of the grow and as long as the grow medium remains moist the whole time the subculture will last the whole grow.

Dont be afraid to call the GH tech line.. the guy I talked to was awsome and it wasnt spoken but he def knew what I was asking about and provided direct answers. As always I am more than impressed by GH!!

When I asked about NASA (I grew up by space center houson so Im a nasa nut.. went there at least a dozen times as a kid) he mentioned the current project they are working on.. hydro systems in Antarctica (sp?) (the south pole).. for the scientists who live there for months at a time its hard to get food out.. so no veggies unless they grow um.. but how to grow veggies at 50deg below zero? GH has the answer.. he was really proud of that too.. man I love GH!

Anyone find my efforts helpful here? If you like my style check out my Catalitic heater for CO2 generation thread! IT WORKS!!

[u.g.u]

h202 stays active in the water for aprox. 24 hours depending on the level of bacteria in the water. h202 will also reverse the effect of hydroguard never use them together hydro guard is a from of bacteria itself wich makes it compatibale with organic or chemical nutes or benifical bacteria.

[Pepper]

GH said Advanced Nutrients are mostly a good ad campaign that is far too "specific" and has them in deep shits right now..

The University of Mississippi, the only official American facility growing, analysing and providing pot for the U.S. government, tested Advanced Nutrients. It produced buds that were 20 per cent larger in terms of biomass and THC levels that were three times higher than the norm.

[Aaron385]

with the 50 different products your supposed to mix every res change? :)

[pmorris]

good read

[latewood]

The University of Mississippi, the only official American facility growing, analysing and providing pot for the U.S. government, tested Advanced Nutrients. It produced buds that were 20 per cent larger in terms of biomass and THC levels that were three times higher than the norm.Where is the article?

And that is true about advanced being in deep shit. they closed their forum and main site last year...due to the political climate of the time.

[latewood]

I apologize..I know this is Hydro thread but curious...does this info. apply to soil as well? So if what you're saying is true, I guess I been cancelling my bacterial supplement all this time. I just recently started using h202 and adding it along with subculture at same feeding cylce. Sounds like a bad idea UNLESS not relevant to soil. But what if I change it up and use h202 and no subculture at one feeding...and at next feeding use subculture and not h202. Still gonna kill the bacteria in the soil huh?? holla back with info. whoever knows...much appreciated.....

p.s. I'm on this thread cuz thinkin bout switching to hydro soon..thanxNever use h2o2 in soil!!!

[latewood]

Yeah, If I had Nasa's budget, I could grow veggies in Antartica Too. LOL...peace

some quick notes...(1). h2o2 works great in reservoirs with chemical nutes...
(2). do Not use h2o2 in hydro reservoirs containing organics, because it kills all microbes!!! beneficial or not!
(3) Use hygrozyme

[Aaron385]

I second the hygrozyme! but soooo damn expensive :(

any idea if sensizyme by advanced measures up? its half the price but you have to use twice as much.. just curious.

[latewood]

yes sensizyme is a great product...I have used it, but changed over to hygro...(organic) shelf life is a consideration, also.

[kramllehctim]

i HAVE serious ROOT ROT with an Ajarn's haze #1. Stinks like hell. My wife asked if i farted when I looked in the res. vat! (well I might have farted too) BUT I used Flora Micro, Flora Bloom (real light) and added 3oz of Flora Shield to 3 gallons, I only have like a week or two to hatvest but ALL MY BUDS leaves turned YELLOW!

any input guys?

:thumbsup:

MM

[latewood]

as plant finishes, the lack of nitrogen available in your solution causes the leaves to yellow. if you are close to harvest, this means that your plant is using stored nitrogen available from the leaves...thus they yellow.

p.s. you should use nutrients as directed for better results. peace

[fasts102376]

hello all.. i'm a new user to the gh nute's can i do the whole grow with just using the flora grow flora micro flora bloom.. i'm afraid to use what they say to use, u guys got me scared to use the other stuff.. lol if i go by the gh weekly program will i be allright? hope this did'nt sound to stupid.. lol can somebody give a newbe hydro grower what to use and not to use. thanks

[latewood]

Yes you can! that is how I started. I got g-m-b and superthrive.

then I discovered liquid karma...Great stuff...covers alot of beneficial elements and acids.

Then I started into enzymes, but you can use h202 if you are pure 3-part. and you can add a little epsom salt for magnesium.
Enzymes are important for root health.

I eventually tried most of advanced nutrients and still use a few...
Bud Blood ...big bud...And Overdrive, all get used in succession and never together, so They last awhile. I still have 1/2 bottle of final phase, but have been using florakleen..both good.

But; In answer to your question; You would actually be wise; To use just the 3-part, because it is so simple to get good healthy growth and you will then, truly be able to measure the advantage of any additive you decide to try down the road.

here is a pretty much foolproof recipe:
seedlings...NO nutes. Once they have grown to 4-5 nodes(alternating leaf sets) then you give them 5 ml of each part per gallon...that will bring you to an ec of around 800 to 1000 depending on your water. (if you use distilled or RO water...then you must add calcium and magnesium back into the solution, because these elements are essential) MY Well water will has just about 167ppm. City water varies greatly. so it is important to know what is in your water.

once they take off you can give them 8ml each per gallon just like the direction's state on the bottle. GH website has a calculator and additive chart if you check it out. Hope this helps you out and answers your Q' I love 3-part and I have grown a Sexy Orange Skunk plant in DWC and yield was 3/4 LB. peace

p.s. 3-part is so versatile, I am sure you can find alot of ways, but this simple method is great for someone starting out.

[fasts102376]

thanks latewood:thumbsup: