I know that this response is too late but I felt compelled to weigh in anyway especially since I recently compared dry versus liquid nutes with astonishing results.
I've been growing hydroponically for two years now ( soil originally for years) and up until this last crop had been using General Hydroponics Maxi Series, both Veg and Floral.
I chose the dry nutrients because I was cheap, no other reason and I paid the price.
Despite following the feeding directions carefully my plants always ended up sick. None died but they came close and of course my yields were piss poor. I monitored Ph and EC like a mad woman, I agonized , I thought it was me. Then I thought it was the water so I spent money on filtered water (what an expense).
To be exact the plants always ended with with some sort of nutrient deficiency no matter how well I controlled feeding, water, Ph, EC etc.
Some ended up short barely producing a few leaves and others just grew lanky and tall but again few branches. The buds were virtually non existent.
This last grow I switched to Canna products, and oh my god what a difference. The plants are unbelievably healthy and growth is vigorous. They are now flowering and the bud formation is unreal. For the first time I feel like my plants are going to rival those that I see in magazines and on this website.
Look, I am not pitching Canna I just happen to use it and it proved very succesful for my situation. And I finally realized why the dry nutes were not working for me, they never really dissolved and the small amount that did was simply not enough for the plant. I've concluded that by the time the nutes did dissolve the plant was already in major distress and the last thing it needed was more nute solution. Bottom line, dry nutes despite being more affordable cost me far more in the end.
Oh and while using GH dry nutes within 2 weeks my hydroton media and the dripper tube were covered in white salt residue - another major issue that I could not conquer. This has not happened with Canna nutes. The high salt concentration surely played a major factor in the demise of my poor plants.
All in all, I am glad to have made the switch and am enjoy growing once again.
Respectfully,
DB
Skunkmaster
