Hey Simon,
Ive just been converted to Jacks, as i fell in the marketing hysteria of fancy nutes then all organics and after all my reading and research it seems like jacks is the real deal. Hell they've been around for 50+ years. A few questions for you...What is your water source? I run RO (30ppms) I am wondering if you have ever or think i should add cal mag supplements to the soil or feed schedule. After speaking with someone at JR Peters they said that i might want to add cal mag but couldn't add it to any mixture with Jacks (alternate feeds or apply foliage). Do you ph? sorry for all the questions, I feel like i'm re-learning growing. Also, do you flush? i think i recall you saying that you feed 1/4 strength at the end. any info would be greatly appreciated. I wish i would have known this since day one..Thanks for the thread!
Hi Randy. I don't add anything to Jack's. No Cal/Mag. Nothing at all. Just water from the tap mixed with the fertilizer. I was a chem major in college for about 15 minutes and leaned just enough to understand that I don't know shit about the subject, so I leave the chemistry to those who completed their post-docs.
I did lean out the fertilizer concentration to 1/4 for years, but last season changed the methodology a bit to 1/2 strength. Can't say that it made a night and day difference, but I did pull personal best last season, so I'm sticking with it. No flush. Ever.
I should note again that I feed with every watering. The pots are relatively small and the plants aren't, so we're talking water every 1-2 days. I feel rather strongly that it allows for a much greater degree of control, relative to larger pots and less frequent watering, coupled with the buffering of the medium.
If I can give you a piece of advice, try to make everything as simple as possible. The less inputs you use, the easier it is to streamline the grow.
Simon