Are we just paying for overpriced water downed chemical compounds?

I've been trying to figure out a way to make terpinator cheaper (make your own). It's basically potassium sulfate and brown sugar.

Then I realized pk booster were really repackaged monopotassium phosphate.

I have the house and garden line. The top shooter has 0.9 of phosphate and 0.7 of soluble potash.

For like $100 are we getting watered down $2 worth of stuff? And there just profiting off of us, when we could just simple buy the ingredients. Figure out the correct ratio per gallon and that's it?

If this is all true. What other ones do people know about. Mabye this could save people a lot of money. Just a thought...

Yes it's true...most bottled nutrients are a rip-off. You can grow super awesome amazing tasting dank AF bud with just good soil, clean water and compost. The problem is that most municipal tap water is full of chloramine and fluoride which kills off the microbial life that have fed all plants on Earth for millions of years. People are forced to use nutrients because their tap water renders the soil "depleted" in short amount of time. It's still got plenty of NPK value in it at this point but without microbes and fungal activity to unlock them the soil becomes artificially sterile which results in deficiencies. Nutrients are readily available to the plants and quickly correct this but they also can affect the taste of your weed. This realization is why I decided to grow organic and never look back.
Terpinator is a cool sounding marketing name just like tiger blood or cha-Ching! Nobody would buy it if it was called dissolved salts. Feeding your plants nutes is sorta like living on protein shakes all the time. Will keep you alive but does little build up your internal immune system; you'd be much healthier with a balanced diet.
Sure you can make your own bottled nutrients but why would you want to? Like you say they are made of processed chemical crap & overly diluted with water. Matching proprietary recipes seems like a major pain in the ass....ingredients are rarely listed. Expand your mind from the bottled-nute mentality and consider old school organics instead.
You can feed plants on the super cheap by fermenting plant extracts. I have fed my plants with dandelion tea made for zero dollars. Just collect them from around the lawn and leave in a jar to ferment for several weeks. There are many kinds of beneficial plants you can grow (again for free) like comfrey and/or nettle that you can brew into nutrient teas. I get fresh worm castings for free from my worm bin which is like indirectly feeding your plants kitchen scraps you would've thrown out anyway. You can brew up compost teas for almost nothing that will keep plants happier and healthier than any bottled nute ever could. A meager supply of dry amendments can be had for less than most 2-part nutes cost and will be good on a shelf for years. Then you can recycle the soil over & over; it actually gets better with age and in time your "water only" mix will reach supernatural status...and grow plants that look like this:

I can only imagine where this thread might go. Lotta folks getting onto this.

Rookanga2000 said:

I've been trying to figure out a way to make terpinator cheaper (make your own). It's basically potassium sulfate and brown sugar.

Then I realized pk booster were really repackaged monopotassium phosphate.

I have the house and garden line. The top shooter has 0.9 of phosphate and 0.7 of soluble potash.

For like $100 are we getting watered down $2 worth of stuff? And there just profiting off of us, when we could just simple buy the ingredients. Figure out the correct ratio per gallon and that's it?

If this is all true. What other ones do people know about. Mabye this could save people a lot of money. Just a thought...

Click to expand...

Organics is one direction.

Dry nutrient salts from greenhouse suppliers is another.

Hydro-gardens.com

I use their 5-11-26 hydroponic special mix, plus calcium nitrate, magnesium sulfate (epsom salt) and monopotassium phosphate a few times during bloom.

My plant ready nutrient solution costs me a penny or two per gallon.

I can buy Foxfarms has everything needed, works great, lasts forever. Definitely not watered down, too much will burn your plants to a crisp, which is barely any.

I do organic as well, works great, lots of effort though. The problem I run into with organics is the amount you need when you grow weight. It's starts to become more costly than the bottled nutrients. I have to buy bales of multiple ingriendients when a jug of foxfarm has them all.

It's all preference for me, I don't believe they're ripping anyone off.

Not everyone wants to go through the process of DIY, or even has the know how, you could possibly fuck up your plants as well instead of the simple nutrient burn.

I'm sure these companies have been around for a reason, they're always willing to help and explain things.

At least that's been my experience.

A big issue with organic is time and space. I don't have the time or space necessary to keep a bin and a compost pile, so I grow in coco with bottled nutes. I use organically derived stuff, and would consider switching to old school or ROLS, but ATM I'm limited by time and space more than budget, so a decent nute line is the way to go for me. I can re-use my coco, and I grow only a few plants for personal use.

Sorry I grow in coco also lol

I've seen the way people make compost tea and it looks simple, but need time for it. (I just buy a couple gallons a week right now...) and time I don't really have. I look at the back of a bottle and it list some of the main ingredients, a lil research later and most additives (in that same general area) are the same. So why can't people be able to make it. Terpinator does sound like a cool name, "I'll be back for more" (Arnold Schwarzenegger voice) but if the main ingredients are potassium sulfate (at 0-0-4 seems very low to me). Can't people just buy it, dilute it themselves and really that'll be it? I'm asking more on the serious side then theoretical. These companies have been around for a while, but remove the shiny sticker, is what I'm more concerned about.