Supplements for flowering?

[MisterE]

I am at day 20 of flowering and was going to pick up a few needed things and was wondering if I should be picking up some extra supplements to increase or make a healthier yield?

I currently am only using RO water, GH 3 part, and calmag+. I'm not looking to do anything experimental or difficult. Just wondering if there's any "must have" or "highly recommended" flowering supplements?

[xcrispi]

hey E ,
not a must have - but i'm pretty impressed w/ kool bloom , been using powder on my last grow at 1/2 strength . nice dense nugz , and huge dif. in intensity of smell = not always a good thing tho. lol . but my blueberry smells incredible . been vapin raw nugz right off the plant like popcorn . gonna harvest it all tomorrow .
just got a free pint of liquid kool bloom w/ my last hydro order too.
kevin at texas hydro rocks .
peace
your cuz
crispi

[Zandor]

Well it's too late for the kick in the but flower cycle nutrient but you should have a good enhancer to provide the proper amount of P & K for this cycle. Awesome Blossoms work well with the GH 3part you are using.

Liquid Karma will help along with the AB but don't forget you will need a flusher for the end. Flora Kleen works well and that is what I recomend to use with AB & GH 3pt nutrients.

There is a chart in the FAQ section you will need to get them through the flower cycle so you know what nutrient mix you need to give them for that weeks cycle of life.

Hope that helps

[BlueBear]

I am also using the Kool Bloom with the 3 part, CalMag and LQ.
Good to have you back around Zandor.
Adieu

[MisterE]

Thanks guys. I dont worry about the smell anymore since I got my Vaportek :) Working great!

Yeah true, I want them to have enough time to drink it in and get some effect before the end. They're taking up a little more than a gallon per day now and it's only 10 gallon total capacity, so I think I should be able to get something if I feed ASAP. Flora Kleen is on the menu near the end, and I think I'll pick up some Kool Bloom since it's readily available.

I'll be happy with anything, so if this adds a little plus then I'm happy. I'm basically using lucas formula flowering recipe with a little grow added, plus some calmag which I add when I top up.

[MisterE]

Hm, ok I found Awesome Blossoms. It looks like it includes other beneficials and it's a bit more P&K, plus a bit of N. That looks nice.

[Weedhound]

How about some photos Mr E? :)

[mattmao]

same question from me.what are the best supplements.i use pk13-14 with good results. but still looking at boosts and advanced nutrients atract me the most the seem to have a good rep.
.

[Specialist]

You will do better with using big bud, carboload, and/or overdrive. Big bud by advanced nutes is what I use and it shouldn't affect you negatively if you use it late, carboload is just a carb so your plant doesnt use it's food reserves and can therefore retain more weight,

and overdrive, (probably your best choice considering your timing) should be used during the last 2-3 weeks before your flushing week, this stuff is sweet it make your bud heavy, fat, and tall. You know when your buds stop growing after a while, well overdrive just forces bud growth down to like 2 or 3 calyxs.

good luck, The nutes above are all advanced nutrients brand.

[MisterE]

For now I wanted to keep it very simple, so I ordered up some Awesome Blossoms as Zandor suggested. It's very similar to lets say Kool Bloom, with a little bit of Nitrogen, and micro nutrients as well. Like Molly B. Denim etc, hehe.

I have one clone that I'm calling Ugly (dont know how it survived my abuse). So maybe next time I'll dive into some more serious research for big bud additives and the why's and hows.

I'll try to get some pics at lights out if I remember one day soon, Weedhound. For now this is the only way to see the whole plants in their little tub. Put on your sunglasses, lol. :cool:

[xcrispi]

damn E ,
isn't it amazing what will grow in a 3in. netpot . lol
looks sweet
crispi

[latewood]

you might look into advanced Nutrients new product for blooming..."hammerhead" a suped up version of pk13-14...but only 25 bucks a bottle. I haven't been using anything for this, but I want to try ...maybe awesome blossoms myself. whatever booster I buy, I have decided to get one with a higher "K" content than "P", with 0% "N", because I have been reading that too much "P" can cause extra stretching, so I want to check it out.

yeah it is good to see Zandor back around. peace

[Weedhound]

Damn my man that is NICE!

[crazywill]

That's a real nice plant Mister E !!!!!

[MisterE]

Thanks, it's actually these two plants in this same 10 gallon container. (pic taken Dec. 2nd)

They're Online Grow Shop Aliens NLX. Supposedly Northern Lights crossed with White Widow, but I'm not 100% sure of that. Only saw it mentioned on another board. They were freebies.

I didnt train or top them at all. They grew under cool white flourescents for the first month or so and developed nice branches naturally. In fact on the plant to the right, several of it's low branches on the side towards the middle are 6 inches taller than the top itself. I'm struggling now to provide enough light everywhere, but it's really a losing battle since I let them veg too long for my setup. They had preflowers for about 3 weeks before I went to 12/12.

[JackdaWack]

liquid karma, im not a fan of dumping alot of nutes and supliments in, So you've been basically doing the normal, using calmag with R/o is good and the 3 part formula. LIquid KArma is really nothing but alot at the same time, gives good boosts in all cycles.

[latewood]

liquid karma, im not a fan of dumping alot of nutes and supliments in, So you've been basically doing the normal, using calmag with R/o is good and the 3 part formula. LIquid KArma is really nothing but alot at the same time, gives good boosts in all cycles.Well kinda, and Not. Liquid Karma has humic and fulvic acid and the sea kelp which isn't in the rest of our basic nutrients. that is why I use it.

yes It has a full range of values, but the important elements are the vit-b, and the acids...peace

Yes Liquid Karma is a catalyst, and it helps keep you rez happy.

[latewood]

You will do better with using big bud, carboload, and/or overdrive. Big bud by advanced nutes is what I use and it shouldn't affect you negatively if you use it late, carboload is just a carb so your plant doesnt use it's food reserves and can therefore retain more weight,

and overdrive, (probably your best choice considering your timing) should be used during the last 2-3 weeks before your flushing week, this stuff is sweet it make your bud heavy, fat, and tall. You know when your buds stop growing after a while, well overdrive just forces bud growth down to like 2 or 3 calyxs.

good luck, The nutes above are all advanced nutrients brand.

I used to use all the AN line.* I had bud blood and big bud, and I still use overdrive. I used them all for a year or more. I no longer use all those additives, and my grows are healthier and bigger with lower ppm and without all then extras. So I saved money$$$ Another thing is: Overdrive is only supposed to be used 1-2 weeks...not 2-3, and be careful! everyone. Do not add alot of phosphates and potash continuously...the plants only need it a couple times in flower...at the beginning, and the last 2 (overdrive) weeks before flush. (wk 5-6) For me this is week 6-7f, because I only flush for 4-7 days.

*when I started a couple of years back I was convinced that AN was the way to go and the best, good quality nutes and additives... after many gorws I found that you don't need all of them. here is a list of all the AN line I have tried.
1,2,3. 3-part, copied from GH
4. bud blood, copied from dr rambridge bud blossom, thanks Z
5. big bud, one of a kind, good stuff, but you don't need it. Yield-vs-cost???
6. Overdrive...I get sticky oils that ooze out of the buds the last 2-3 weeks
7,8. ph up/down, doesn't matter who makes up/down
9. voodoo juice...AWESOME, but @65bucks a liter...can't afford it:(
10. Iguana juice grow/bloom Organic, 1-part. No-one makes an organic formula that comes close to 3-part chem nutes. pureblendpro is the best
11. B-52...good stuff, but I like LK
12. carboload. an excellent additive for adding girth. I haven't used it for a while as I was ironing out, through experimentation, the additives and whether I wanted to continue using. I no longer buy/use them all.

I am very happy, if not overwhelmed with results using less products and yielding more healthy plants.
One last note: If you follow the Advanced nutrients guide for recipe values you will most likely need to tweak your formula, because mixed with the values stated on calculator...PPM is consistantly too high!**

**this is the time you have read about when you would add all the additives you want to use 1st, then your true nutrient(3-part, whatever) until you reach desired ppm. Otherwise, to use all the additives at recommended values would lead to toxidity.

I love AN too, but I got caught up in the hype at 1st and you just do not need all that stuff. The point I was trying to make with the references to Advanced Nutrients copying other formulas is: AN makes a formula very close or just slightly different than all the other hydro-nute companies most popular products. Then they release them and claim the same claims as original company. All good quality, and some improved. The fact that AN experiments exclusivrly with marijuana in order to tweak their formulas is commendable, but this grower has determine that this fact can lead the consumer/grower being misled and cause newbs to be confused
.
1st off. Does everyone have a perfect environment in a sterile lab with all the wattage they could imagine? Well? No they don't...Few do! IMO it is essential to have perfect and accelerated photosynthesis in order to achieve and use all the nutrients recommended/high++ ppm. I truly believe that the strength of your nute formula and the health of your plants are determined by the amount of watts/light you are covering the plants with.

Well that's it. Sorry about the rant, but important info here:
If you want to know more, then you'll have to read up on the difference in nutrient uptake between plants with a little light and plant with a lot of light

[MisterE]

Good stuff, latewood.

So when I get my supplement I plan to do a res change. It's about due, so decent timing. Is it true that what I should do then is add my water, my cal mag+, the recommended amount of the supplement, and then my GH 3 part until I hit my desired PPM?

How about during top offs? I am adding nearly 2 gallons per day now on a regular basis. Any preferred top up method? IE: ro water only, ro + calmag only, full nute top up? I've seen several methods posted around the boards from respectable people (based on their grow logs and post quality).

Thanks for any additional input from everyone.

[MisterE]

Well I got my package of goodies today, so will do some math and figure out how many ml/gal of Awesome Blossoms I need before a res change later. The label indicates 1 to 2 ml per litre in hydro.

[stinkyattic]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned TopMax, my personal FAVE.
It's got all the organic goodies in it. Great stuff, and I even use it on stressed veggers if they are showing hints of soil problems. Organic acids wOOt.

[Zandor]

Here are some goods ones to think about using.

Gravity flower hardener - Gravity Flower Hardener - 8 ounce | Plant Nutrient Enhancers - General (http://www.bghydro.com/BGH/Itemdesc.asp?ic=NEGGR08-2&eq=&Tp)=

Purple Maxx - Purple Maxx | Plant Nutrient Enhancers - General (http://www.bghydro.com/BGH/itemMatrix.asp?GroupCode=NEGPMX&eq=&MatrixType=1)

Both by Bushmaster.

[latewood]

Good stuff, latewood.

So when I get my supplement I plan to do a res change. It's about due, so decent timing. Is it true that what I should do then is add my water, my cal mag+, the recommended amount of the supplement, and then my GH 3 part until I hit my desired PPM?

How about during top offs? I am adding nearly 2 gallons per day now on a regular basis. Any preferred top up method? IE: ro water only, ro + calmag only, full nute top up? I've seen several methods posted around the boards from respectable people (based on their grow logs and post quality).

Thanks for any additional input from everyone.
just use ro water or add a little calmag 3ml per gallon, but If I do this I don't always add calmag to my nutrients...It is a preference once you learn to grow.

[MisterE]

Well I did my res change with about 25ml of the supplement+GH up to 1000ppm and some weak calmag. I'll keep a close eye on them and top up with ro+calmag every other gallon.

Amazingly, with everything mixed and topped up to the proper waterline, it was exactly 5.8PH. How cool is that.

[latewood]

buffers

[MisterE]

Yeah normally with just a lucas formula plus calmag, my ph drops to 5.5 or so and I have to Up it. With this mix it just so happened to come out right at 5.8, lol. Pretty handy.

[JackdaWack]

Organic acids wOOt.

YEAH!!


Also a ph of 5.5 aint bad and will go up, actually some people prefer to have a lower ph and let it go to 6.0 then back to 5.5 not sure how much it actually helps the roots take in nutes but my guess would be the same as just leaving it at 5.8 middle ground.

[MisterE]

One of the strange things with my grow though is my PH doesnt rise.. it falls. In fact I had such a problem with it falling during veg that I did a ton (a ton) of reading on PH and water and finally found a source. Source said baking soda helps also buffer the water, and lo and behold using disolved baking soda rather than GH PH Up solved my constantly falling PH issue.

[latewood]

OK...Not me...I'll stick with the Pro stuff.:cool:

I'm glad for you...:smokin:

Just for everyones reference. baking soda DID NOT stabalize my rez; In fact I never have to use PHY up, unless I screw up and add too much ph down. So I suppose it is best to experiment with your own water and decide for yourself. Goodluck

[MisterE]

Yep, thats exactly the conclusion that I came to :)
I was following everyone's info. to the T, and gosh darnit nothing was working. I figured maybe I had algae or root rot or something, so completely broke down my system, washed with mild bleach, rinsed and scrubbed and rinsed and scrubbed and used some H2O2 and the roots were bright white and everything seemed just fabulous in the res. and water system.

But that darn PH just kept falling. I was using GH PH Up 4 or 5 times a day, it was crazy! Then I read BigTokes thread on ICMAG and like a miracle the baking soda worked for me the very first time and has been very stable ever since. I have to assume that my water through my ro filter just comes out with almost no ph buffering capability at all. And with GH 3 part nutrients, just not enough built-in buffering.

After this harvest I'm going to just fill some containers with tap water and ro water and see what the PH does over time in them. Sometimes there's just no substitute to gathering your own data :pimp:

[Zandor]

Baking sode and the vinigure or real lemon juice trick does work but the problem with both of them is they do not last as long as the commerical products do.

Falling ph is a posible sign of under nutrient feeding...not all the time but if your Ph goes down then your plant is not producing the by products and it using up what little is there. Now this can happen with a Ph lock out as well so it's hard to tell sometime.

Most plants grown in hydroponics prefers a Ph of 5.8 to 6.0 and others can't take it that high. They prefer a 5.2 to 5.5 at most so your plant will tell you what is right and what is not. You just need to know what the little signs are and you will grow better next time.

Happy growing

[Passage to Indica]

MisterE, I'm sorry your thread got off topic, I'm chiming in about supplements. Get yourself some KoolBloom. It's compatible with your other nutes and it works!!!!!