Making own nutrients

[John Hall]

Ok people I have done lots and lots of research regarding powdered fertiliser salts.
I grow lots of different plants all needing different amounts of fertilisers. Which led me down the path of making my own specific fertilisers.
Like everyone else I started with buying bottled nutrients which is expensive. Then I was told to try powdered nutrients so I purchased 25kg bag of diamond special t fertiliser for $90 this provides all the essential nutrients needed except calcium. So I bought a bag of calcium nitrate fertilizer. That cost $25. At recommended dose of 1gm of each per liter it makes 25000 litres of nutrients for $125. Pretty hard to beat that.
Now I wasn't entirely happy with the % 's of nutrients and so I studied many hours to come up with better and more specific nutrient targets.
I started taking notes from a Facebook page called ' Growers science nutrients ' trying to work out how to make my own nutrients.
I was then told of hydrobuddy on the Web a good way to work out your nutrients but I wanted to learn how to do it myself.
Are any others doing the same and making their own nutrients.
Would love to see what ppm targets people are want to achieve.
Following targets from the growers science nutrients page I worked out a few different recipe's.

 

[Goonie Goat]

Ok people I have done lots and lots of research regarding powdered fertiliser salts.
I grow lots of different plants all needing different amounts of fertilisers. Which led me down the path of making my own specific fertilisers.
Like everyone else I started with buying bottled nutrients which is expensive. Then I was told to try powdered nutrients so I purchased 25kg bag of diamond special t fertiliser for $90 this provides all the essential nutrients needed except calcium. So I bought a bag of calcium nitrate fertilizer. That cost $25. At recommended dose of 1gm of each per liter it makes 25000 litres of nutrients for $125. Pretty hard to beat that.
Now I wasn't entirely happy with the % 's of nutrients and so I studied many hours to come up with better and more specific nutrient targets.
I started taking notes from a Facebook page called ' Growers science nutrients ' trying to work out how to make my own nutrients.
I was then told of hydrobuddy on the Web a good way to work out your nutrients but I wanted to learn how to do it myself.
Are any others doing the same and making their own nutrients.
Would love to see what ppm targets people are want to achieve.
Following targets from the growers science nutrients page I worked out a few different recipe's.

I just stick to the same amounts every grow. Between 1.4-1.8ec seems to be the sweet spot for me.

Hydrobuddy is too hard for me to use, I just used an online nutrient calculator to get an idea of the ratios.

Around 3:1:2 for veg and 1:2:3 for flower is generally good.
It's kind of hard to get the precise ratios, the special t has a strange npk ratio but still works great so can't complain...

Make sure you put the calcium nitrate into a sealed container, it absorbs the moisture from the air and will turn it into a massive wet brick

 

[Goonie Goat]

Here's the calculator I played around with probably should have mentioned it before..

Fertilizer Blend NPK Calculator -AlboPepper.com

This calculator enables you to determine the NPK of a custom fertilizer blend. You simply need the weigh of each fertilizer and its NPK value.

albopepper.com

Not sure if it's as reliable/accurate as hydrobuddy. Hydrobuddy is not user friendly at all, it confuses me more than anything.

Special T 8.2-3.9-32
CalNit 15.5-0-0
MKP 0-54-32

Just punch those numbers into the calculator and change up the weight increments to try get to where you would like it.

I figured out that the plants don't need the standard 1g/L dosage, so the calnit and special t can be tapered down to around 0.6g or 0.7g per litre to begin with until plants mature

I try to just go as low as possible with the amounts, and correcting as necessary if deficiencies occur.

 

[John Hall]

When I get a chance i will write out everything anyone will need to know on how make their own nutrients. Starting with rhe chemicals needed and approx cost's.
That is if there is enough interest in doing so.

 

[benn0]

When I get a chance i will write out everything anyone will need to know on how make their own nutrients. Starting with rhe chemicals needed and approx cost's.
That is if there is enough interest in doing so.

I'm interested

 

[CannaDev]

When I get a chance i will write out everything anyone will need to know on how make their own nutrients. Starting with rhe chemicals needed and approx cost's.
That is if there is enough interest in doing so.

I’m interested too

 

[John Hall]

Ok folks let's dive in deep and try to successfully make our own nutrients.
Plants require a minimum of 12 nutrients. There are other nutrients but not necessarily needed. Of these Only silica I believe would be beneficial especially when growing in soiless media. I grow in coco coir/perlite 60/40 or 70/30. Silica is the only bottled addition I purchase. I buy med tek silica and after adjusting my pH in my nutrient tank I the add silica 1st. I know how much pH adjustment I need to achieve a final pH of between 5.8 and 6.2. This is something you have to work out yourself as all tap water is pH different.
We need the following 12 chemicals.
N nitrogen
P phosphorus
K potassium
Ca calcium
Mg magnesium
S sulphur
Fe iron
Mn manganese
Zn zinc
Mo molybdenum
Cu copper
B boron
The 1st six salts are essential in larger amounts the other six are micronutrients and need in much smaller quantities.

 

[John Hall]

To obtain all the salts need we will have to purchase the following chemicals. Which can be purchased from a agricultural supplies company. E muir and sons should be in most capital cities.
If in Adelaide you can purchase chemicals from
E muir and sons at Virginia
Growers supplies SA in Burton.
I will list what I purchased and the approx cost
Calcium nitrate 25kg - $25
Magnesium sulfate 25kg - $18
Potassium nitrate 25kg - $62
Potassium sulfate 25kg - $50
Monopotassium phosphate 25kg - $75
Mix chelated micronutrients 5kg - $100

The micro nutrients mix is the cheapest way to add the micros without buying them individually which works out to about $600 for all of them. You will only ever buy them.once and they should last a lifetime.
The micronutrients mix makes 100 000 litres and it could realistically be used at half to 3/4 strength and would still be more than enough.
Will add the next stage when I get the chance to.

 

[John Hall]

Anyone wanting some specific ppm targets for the following.
N
P
K
Ca
Mg
S
Write them out and i will write out how i work them out or else I will just do the following targets.
Veg / Bloom
N 160ppm N 110ppm
P 40ppm P 60ppm
K 160ppm K 180ppm
Ca 110ppm Ca 120ppm
Mg 45ppm Mg 50ppm
S 50-100ppm S 50-100ppm
These are just rough targets I am just a hobbyist so if someone has better and more specific targets for growing in coco i am all ears. Or if anyone else would like to add please do after all it is all about learning and sharing.
I will add micronutrients at the end.

 

[John Hall]

I decided to scrap the previous numbers and go with actual numbers of ppm levels that companies use and therefore tried and tested.
I have several different ones to do.
But firstly this next step is VERY IMPORTANT so read carefully.
We need to work out the exact amount % of the element we need in the given compound. They may be different depending on the manufacturer although most are the same check the % on the purchased bag.
The following %'s are what is given on the bags I purchased.

Calcium nitrate- calcium 19.3% and nitrogen 15.5%.

Monopotassium phosphate- phosphorus 23% and potassium 28%.

Magnesium sulfate- Magnesium 9.8% and sulphur 12%.

Potassium nitrate- potassium 38.1% and nitrogen 13.2%.

Potassium sulfate- potassium 42% and sulphur 18%.

We need to write this down to work out our calculations.
With micronutrients I use Rovensa az11 micro.
Used at full strength will be the following I would suggest using at 3/4 strength more on that later.
Fe 5%
Mn 3.5%
Zn 2.48%
Cu 1%
B .65%
Mo .3%

 

[Goonie Goat]

I decided to scrap the previous numbers and go with actual numbers of ppm levels that companies use and therefore tried and tested.
I have several different ones to do.
But firstly this next step is VERY IMPORTANT so read carefully.
We need to work out the exact amount % of the element we need in the given compound. They may be different depending on the manufacturer although most are the same check the % on the purchased bag.
The following %'s are what is given on the bags I purchased.

Calcium nitrate- calcium 19.3% and nitrogen 15.5%.

Monopotassium phosphate- phosphorus 23% and potassium 28%.

Magnesium sulfate- Magnesium 9.8% and sulphur 12%.

Potassium nitrate- potassium 38.1% and nitrogen 13.2%.

Potassium sulfate- potassium 42% and sulphur 18%.

We need to write this down to work out our calculations.
With micronutrients I use Rovensa az11 micro.
Used at full strength will be the following I would suggest using at 3/4 strength more on that later.
Fe 5%
Mn 3.5%
Zn 2.48%
Cu 1%
B .65%
Mo .3%

Hey mate, don't mean to burst your bubble but the bottled nutrient companies are known for lying about the element percentages on the bottles, obviously because they don't want people copying their formulas.

A few people have tried copying the labels only to find things don't add up as expected.

The only way of truely knowing is by getting a chemical analysis and they are incredibly expensive.

 

[John Hall]

Hey mate, don't mean to burst your bubble but the bottled nutrient companies are known for lying about the element percentages on the bottles, obviously because they don't want people copying their formulas.

A few people have tried copying the labels only to find things don't add up as expected.

The only way of truely knowing is by getting a chemical analysis and they are incredibly expensive.

In this case all that matters is the working out. People can adjust their mixtures to suit their needs.

 

[John Hall]

I have just taken some screenshots of a breakdown someone else has done on different nutrients. Now it doesn't matter if they are right or wrong it is just a guide. And as you will notice most companies are within ranges and few are the same. Meaning so long as you remain within specific ranges you should be fine.
Firstly I will work out JACKS nutrients it can be and has been used as a stand alone formula able to be used from veg all the way through to harvest. Following that I will show another formula b4 showing you what someone with 30years experience has come up with.

 

[Slash]

For those that are interested in the savings that can be made on nutrients mixing up powders but don’t want to go down the rabbit hole of trying to calculate and measure all of the individual elements, Green Planet Horti Commercial is definitely worth taking a look at. It’s only just come out in Australia. It comes in 4 different parts and what I got are 2.3kg bags. There is a grow, a Cal Mag, a bloom and a late bloom. Each 2.3kg mixes up to be a 20L liquid concentrate. The grow, bloom and late bloom where $65 each and the Cal mag was $45. For just over $200 there should be around 20000L of mixed up nutes. Pretty good value IMO. Keen to see how well it performs

 

[John Hall]

Ok for some taking the step to making your own nutrients might be overwhelming. A couple of really cheap ways to do dry salt fertiliser is to buy formulas that are already made up and used for growing hydroponic tomatoes. You can twig a few things to add more calcium and magnesium. I am happy to help anyone if they would like to take the step but unsure.
2 products you can buy are
Diamond special t fertiliser available through e muirs or hydroland online in smaller quantities. It typically sells for around $100 for 25kg. It has everything needed except calcium. So you need to buy calcium nitrate also that is $25 for 25kg. Typically used at 1gm/1 litre. Remember to always keep the calcium separate when in concentration.
I have also used yaratera kristalon scarlet used for tomatoes also. And used the same as the Diamond spec t and the same price approx.
I have added some extra magnesium when I used it for leafy greens like lettuce at half strength in nft type hydroponic system. And at full strength for tomatoes and capsicum growing in coir and perlite.
When used at full strength both will make 25000 litres.
If anyone wanting to go down this path and needing help to tweek a few things I am always happy to help.
Next will be how to make our own base nutrients.

 

[benn0]

Grand work @John Hall. This has been a great read so far

 

[John Hall]

I will try my best to keep as simple as possible. This is just me showing you how to work out the numbers as close as possible to the desired targets. So you can then do the same to whatever targets you desire within reason, remember there always needs to be a balance.
This is a jacks formula I found online it may be accurate or not that doesn't matter at this stage it is just the working out process we are interested in to begin with. So that is what I will start with. Numbers are in ppm
N-142
P-49
K-205
Mg-93
Ca-114
S-119
Fe-2.853
Zn-0.143
B-0.476
Cu-0.143
Mo-0.095
Mn-0.476

 

[John Hall]

When working out desired ppm levels I always start with calcium nitrate as it my only source of ready available calcium in hydroponics. We now go back to our % of actual elements in the compound we are using. So if we go back to calcium nitrate it supplies 19.3% of calcium and 15.5% of nitrogen.
So to achieve our desired calcium ppm level of 114 we ÷ by 0.193= 590.67 grams of calcium nitrate provides 114pm of cacium. It also supplies us with nitrogen so we calculate how much by 590.67 x 0.155 which is the % of n = 91.5 ppm of nitrogen.
We have our desired amount of calcium but need more nitrogen another 50ppm of N that will come after.
Next I find the desired phosphorus we use monopotassium phosphate as our source of phosphorus it also gives is potassium.
To achieve a phosphorus ppm level of 49 we ÷ by 0.23= 213grams of mkp provides 49ppm of P.
It also provides potassium (k) 213grams x 0.28 the % of k in mpk = 59ppm of K. We still need another 145ppm of K.
To get our needed amounts of both N @ another 50ppm and K @ another 145ppm we will use Potassium nitrate.
To achieve this we go back to our % of purchase salts chart.
N is 13.2% and K is at 38.1%
N 50ppm ÷ 0.132 = 382.57 grams of potassium nitrate supplies 50ppm of nitrogen. With 382.57 gms of mkp we × by 0.381 the % of k and that gives us 145 ppm of K. We now have or desired level of nitrogen and potassium.
We move to magnesium sulfate.
Mg93ppm ÷ 0.098= 948.9 grams x 0.12 for sulphur gives us 113ppm.
So we now have the following.
590. 67gms of calcium nitrate provides Ca 114ppm and N 91.5ppm
213grams of monopotassium phosphate provides P 49ppm and K 59ppm
382.57 grams of potassium nitrate provides N50ppm and K 145ppm
948.9grams of magnesium sulfate provides Mg93ppm and S113.
NEXT STEP IN ANOTHER POST.

 

[John Hall]

Micro nutrients can be done 2 ways either buy each individually which is expensive total cost of $500 + and you will probably never use them all in your lifetime or buy the already mixed. A 5kg bag will cost approximately $100 and you will probably never use it all as it will make 100000 litres at full strength and we will use at half strength. I just want to confirm with the agronomist again when I go to the fertiliser shop that what I want to achieve an actually e done the way I want to. That being said.
Rovensa az11 micronutrient mix. Instructions say.
5kg into 1000litrs stock solution.
Then use stock solution at 1litre to 100litres. So if my numbers are correct 5grams to 1 litres stock solution then add 10ml of stock solution to 1litre of nutrient tank solution is full strength so just half that.
At 50% or half strength will give the following.
Fe-2.5%
Mn-1.75%
Zn-1.2%
Cu-0.5%
B-0.375%
Mo-0.15%

 

[John Hall]

Next will be the making of our stock solution with everything we have done so far.