ttystikk
Well-Known Member
That translates to about 61f, which is okay for the setpoint on your chiller. The water will likely be several degrees warmer, which puts it right where you want it.
How to operate a sterile hydroponic system
- Thread starter jijiandfarmgang
- Start date
bradburry
Well-Known Member
its excactly 16° ....i temp the water aswell.
ttystikk
Well-Known Member
I was referring to the water running in your RDWC. You'll see that be a few degrees above the cooling circuit water, no matter where you set it.
My personal preference for RDWC water temperature is mid sixties, from 63 to 68.
BuddyLeeCU
Member
What brand nutrients do you run in your sterile rez?
jijiandfarmgang
Well-Known Member
Now I mix my own, so Haifa and Dissolvine. But before that I used Jacks hydro. It doesn't really matter what nutrients you use as long as you have a decent nutrient profile and they are derived from raw nutrient salts. No organics or additives.
- Jiji
bradburry
Well-Known Member
BuddyLeeCU
Member
I don't have a big enough grow to justify buying 50# bags and mixing. Jacks hydro I can only find a couple formulations, did you use the same formulation for veg and flower? Could you dumb it down for me and just link to which blend for which cycle?
http://www.hydro-gardens.com/all.htm
The link is for a company in my area. I don't see formulations that match the botanicare line I'm using now. Really anxious to switch to sterile just need to make sure I don't start another round of problems. Thanks for all the replies and how-tos.
ttystikk
Well-Known Member
Another Colorado resident, welcome! I bought Hydrogardens' "hi K" hydroponic formula, or 5-11-26 with micros. A twenty five pound bag runs around $45.
You'll need calcium nitrate, that is about $65 for the fifty lb bag, I don't know if it comes in smaller sizes.
You'll want Epsom salts, that's $72 for a fifty pound bag- or get it from your grocery store pharmacy section a few pounds at a time. Get the plain stuff.
AND NOTHING ELSE. If you're dying to try an additive, be sure it isn't just adding more of the basic nutrient salts. That's most of them, especially the bloom boosters- which every reputable grower I've ever spoken to says to stay the Fuck away from anyway. Most of the rest are non plant food additives like PGRs, or 'plant growth regulators', aka hormones. You don't need those, either.
Create and maintain ideal conditions for your plants, manage pests effectively and you'll have great results. It really isn't more complicated than that- in theory. The practical application of consistent environment is a bit trickier, yet well worth the effort.
BuddyLeeCU
Member
Can you rock a quick formula for a 10 gal batch?
Also I'm current stocked up on botanic are CNS 17. It looks like they will work with sterile. Can anyone confirm?
jijiandfarmgang
Well-Known Member
Not sure the botanicaire ratio your looking at but the 5-11-26 is added with calcium nitrate about 15-0-0. You add calcium nitrate at a different ratio to customize npk.
Im trying not to recommend any nutrients and I'm not even too familiar what’s out there any more.
For instance I never heard of CNS17, and when I looked it up found "CNS17‘s revolutionary suspension technology utilizes polysaccharides in a proprietary process that makes it possible for all 17 essential plant nutrients to be contained in convenient single bottle formulas. Once diluted in water, these simple sugars hydrolyze and provide the added benefit of becoming a highly available energy source for beneficial microbes and plants."
What they really mean is these sugars become a food source for microbes good or bad.
Something with no BS....General hydroponics flora 3 part or lucas formula would work or something similar.
- Jiji
Im trying not to recommend any nutrients and I'm not even too familiar what’s out there any more.
For instance I never heard of CNS17, and when I looked it up found "CNS17‘s revolutionary suspension technology utilizes polysaccharides in a proprietary process that makes it possible for all 17 essential plant nutrients to be contained in convenient single bottle formulas. Once diluted in water, these simple sugars hydrolyze and provide the added benefit of becoming a highly available energy source for beneficial microbes and plants."
What they really mean is these sugars become a food source for microbes good or bad.
Something with no BS....General hydroponics flora 3 part or lucas formula would work or something similar.
- Jiji
bradburry
Well-Known Member
jiji......what exactly goes in your res?
ttystikk
Well-Known Member
Yes, the CNS line is a one part chemical nutrient- not that they haven't complicated the shit out of that one, too lol
2.5 g/gal of the hi K mix
2.5 g/gal of calcium nitrate
1.5 g/gal of epsom salts
Leave room at the top to dilute to needed EC, pH last.
BuddyLeeCU
Member
Sounds like a mix of love and diligence.
bradburry
Well-Known Member
something like that ....keep your friends close and clever friends even closer.
jijiandfarmgang
Well-Known Member
I have no secret ingredient or anything special. Not to mention I change things too much. I wrote the thread about sterility because a lot of people are doing it wrong or don't understand.
When I use chlorine it would be dosed for 1 ppm then tested with an orp meter and adjusted. Right now in ebb and flow tables I'm not using it.
I'm not an expert on mixing nutes or anything, got some help from some people on Rollitup and just started doing it. Just basically looked at a lot of nutrient profiles and a bit of ideas that are thought to work the best (there are many, a lot of them contradict) and just picked the avg.
Ingredients
Haifa calcium nitrate, potassium nitrate, magnesium nitrate, magnesium sulfate, MAP, MKP, Dissolvine Iron DPTA, copper edta, solubor, maganese edta, zinc edta, sodium molybdate.
I don't use all these at once, just different mixes. A lot of them are only 1 lb bags or 5 lb bags.
and a little Phosphoric acid. BTW I don't think I ever mentioned it but stay away from citric acid for a sterile res. It's in a lot of hydro store ph downs.
Don't use the CNS 17 for a sterile res. If you want you should email botanicare and ask if its recommended for sterile, I would laugh if they said yes.
- Jiji
bradburry
Well-Known Member
iv gone down the calcium hyproclhorite route like you mentioned before......5 ltr tub for £15 free delivery........im a happy bunny.
and my plants doing fine.
i love you jiji...thanks for info
. Lol
Aeroknow
Well-Known Member
I've only used the cns17 for run-to-waste. Good stuff.
But, for reasons that you have discovered, i wouldn't use that stuff in a recirculating system with a dead rez.. Besides, that stuff clogs/gunks shit up, especially pump filters.
The nutrient profile of the cns17 is killer. If/when i finally start messing around with the raw salts, i would look to try and copy something similar to that of the 3 different cns17 formulas.
Last edited:
blackforest
Well-Known Member
Great thread, tons of great info about this subject! Has anyone tried botanicare's Hydroguard? I read it's supposed to help prevent root rot. I'm running my home made rdwc system and am having excellent results using GH 3 part. I just found out about the Lucas formula and am going to switch to that method since it's noted that GH Gro can run high in nitrogen, and I like to keep things as simple as possible. Anyway, the system is hooked up to a chiller running 68-70, and the roots look white and healthy. I've changed out the water once so far and am going to do so every 7-10 days or so. I really want to prevent root rot and am wondering if anyone uses a root inoculator like hydroguard. If not, how exactly does H2O2 work. Would you add that to the system every so often regardless. Is H202 similar to a hydroguard, or different type of chemical/purpose all together. Thanks for any help.
bradburry
Well-Known Member
not to sound funny my friend but i thought you said " excellent thread " lol......everything you need to know is in the first few posts, and i think hydroguard is beneficial bacteria.
all you need to know post 1-3 good look
blackforest
Well-Known Member
Yeah, I read every post. Didn't see the info I was asking about, but thanks.not to sound funny my friend but i thought you said " excellent thread " lol......everything you need to know is in the first few posts, and i think hydroguard is beneficial bacteria.
all you need to know post 1-3 good look
Looks like that hydroguard is a benny, not sure how I missed that one.
Last edited: