Quick Question about FF Big Bloom

I actually have two questions.

First, I bought some Fox Farm Big Bloom off eB@y, in which the seller has redistributed the large bottles into clear 4oz containers. I really don't need anymore than 4 oz, so I thought I could save $$ this way. Anyway, it has been sitting out for a couple of days and appears to have separated 50/50 water and ferts. Is this typical, or did the seller water this stuff down?

My second question; when it comes time for me to use ferts, how do I feed my plants? I am terrible at this stuff. I understand the FF feeding schedule, but how much do I actually apply to my plants? I'm keeping them small for this grow, and they will (hopefully) be finishing in 2gal containers. So, do I feed them something like 1 cup at a time or more?

Thanks,
Sunmaid

Well I will tell you this much.. its an organic nute solution and it does settle and separate over time.. however I've always kept it in the original bottles so I've never seen the real degree of separation that takes place. Now, that being said, I personally would never trust buying something like that from an individual online breaking down something like that and selling in smaller quantities. The profit margin probably just wouldn't be that great, without diluting the solution down a least a little bit. You would have to research his reputation and determine if hes some sort of normal business or just a random guy looking to make a little bit of cash. There are ways to test solutions for the amounts of individual/specific nutrients. By doing so you could look at the original mixture of big bloom and compare with your test results to see if there has been significant dilution or not. Some methods of doing this may be much more accurate than others, I haven't done much of this so I can't tell you much more on that but its worth a shot if you can do it cheap. Just don't spend so much that it would make more sense to just go out and buy an original full bottle of big bloom.

As far as how to apply the feeding schedule, its pretty simple. Just use a larger container to mix the solution up based on the little packet you probably have or found online. Then apply it to your plants as they need it based on how often they require watering. If you're trying to mix it up smaller, single use mixtures each time you plan to feed/water you're going to have to put more thought into calculating the mix ratio based on the amount you're planning to use. Its best/easiest to mix a larger container once, and just pour out what you need from there.

Hopefully that answers your questions, if not feel free to elaborate on your specific concerns and I'll check back to address those in a timely fashion.

Thanks for the reply, Minnesnowta. I think I'm going to ask FF directly about the separation thing.

As far as feeding goes, what I was trying to ask was how much do I actually give to my plants once I have the solution mixed? For example, say I mixed 1 gal. of solution as directed in the FF feeding schedule. How much of that 1 gal. should I add to each plant given they are in 2 gal containers? Like I said, I am awful at nutes, and usually either deprive my plants or poison them. They will be growing in FFOF and I most likely won't be adding nutes until week 5 flower, as they will be going from 1 gal containers to 2 gals when I begin 12/12. I hope that makes sense.

Well for me once I mix the solution I just apply as much as I would apply water for a normal watering, which is typically just enough so that a little bit runs out the bottom of the pot and into the tray. Of course when your soil is dry, and you apply a good amount of water to it at once, it can run through the soil and out the pot without thoroughly soaking the soil. Give it a few minutes though and it will be soaked back up into the soil as the moisture spreads evenly throughout, as long as the soil can still hold water. So when you have runoff that doesn't get soaked back up by the plant, you have thoroughly watered the soil. I give it a little bit of time after that to make sure I've achieved proper moisture and then I take the tray out from under the pot and empty the excess water/nute solution from it so your plants aren't sitting in a puddle and the soil can begin to dry out again, and its important for plants to experience those changes in moisture rather than sitting in soggy soil their whole lives. By doing this you can avoid overwatering symptoms as well as rotting and diseases.

Hopefully that will answer your question well enough. And just to be clear that is just my method and it works well for me. Different strains react differently to everything, and other people may have different opinions as well, but for me this method is tried and true. Good luck with everything and of course never be afraid to ask for advice. Much better to ask than end up with a dead/sad plant.

Yes, that answers my question. That's how I was doing it with my last grow, but I was using FF soluble granulars then. Thanks for your help :thumbsup: