I stumbled across the
Canna Stats project recently. This is the first research backed nutrient uptake profile for cannabis that I've found. Apparently cannabis can thrive throughout its life-cycle using the same nutrient profile until just a couple of weeks before flush at the end of its life cycle. There is a feeding strategy known as the "Lucas formula" based on this information. It used the General Hydroponics flora micro and bloom but not the grow. The suggested nutrient profile for vegatative growth through the first third of flowering is 100N-100P-200K-60Mg. These numbers are in ppm. People achieve mind blowing results with this simple formula.
From what I've read, in coco, this much K causes some problems with nitrogen uptake. Grat3fulh3ad on icmag has been running a "modified Lucas formula" in coco for about a year and a half now, and has had success with mixing a N 130 P 93 K 163 Mg64 S 43 Ca 130 solution by using 6ml/gal micro and 9ml/gal bloom. He hand waters in coco with no other aditives and almost no runoff.
I had already placed my order for Botanicare's Triflex line of nutrients when I found all this information. What I've found is that I can mix a solution that has a very similar nutrient profile using the Triflex Base and Bloom in combination with Cal-Mag+.
With a little research, I found the guaranteed analysis of the Botanicare products in question to see what I could work out. I found that at a concentration of 1ml/gal, Triflex Base has profile 5.28 N 0 P 6.58 K 2.64 Mg 2.64 S 0 Ca, Triflex Bloom has profile 2.64 N 4.61 P 4.39 K 1.32 Mg 0 S 5.38 Ca, and Cal-Mag+ has profile 5.28 N 0 P 0 K 3.17 Mg 0 S 8.19 Ca. So, using 8ml/gal Base, 14ml/gal Bloom and 4ml/gal Cal-Mag, I get a nutrient profile that looks like N 100 P 64 K 114 Mg 52 S 21 Ca 107. Since I will have more Ca than Mg in solution, I'm going to pH my nutrient solution around 5.7.
Once I actually get my hands on the nutrients, I can weigh 100ml of each part of the solution to make sure that the concentrations that I'm using are correct. The ratio will be the same, but the concentration may be off. I'll double check this against TDS meter readings to be sure about what I'm doing.
I'm excited about trying my own personally modified "Lucas formula". I've seen awesome results from the Triflex nutrients in different fruiting crops online, but I've never really seen cannabis grown with them. Hopefully, I'll be able to get some really awesome results with this formula.
There are some tastey looking buds forming in the flowering room, and the little veg gloset is packed out with the 7 Querkle plants, the two Kalichakra moms and 14 Kalichakra clones. I'm going to cull the K1 pheno eventually because K2 is bulking up equally well this run through. The K2 is covered in crystals and smells like lemons and grapefruit. It's the trippiest grass that I've smoked.
I'm currently building a 4x9x7h enclosure that I can disassemble and move whenever needed. It comes apart into pieces that will fit the bed of the truck with the removal of 14 screws. The ends are 1/4" plywood stapled and glued to a frame of 2x4's. Each end an the floor are separate pieces. There are 2x4's that run the length of the top front and back corners. The top, front and back are made from one piece of panda plastic. The front opens with 3 zippers so that one of the whole large sides opens in 2 panels. The whole piece of panda can be unvelcroed to be removed and reinstalled later. We did a dry build with just the framing parts yesterday, but I'm waiting on some supplies to come in to really install it.
I'm upring my aircooling for my hood to a 10" 750cfm and using an 8" Cool Sun XL reflector hood. This makes it where I can easily ass a second 1000w with no heat issues as soon as I can afford it. I'm also going to be getting some 55gal reservoirs and a submersible pump garden hose because I'm sick of carrying 30 gal of water from the bathroom to the sapre bedroom three times a week.
I'll post pics of the enclosure build and all the girls once I get everything sorted out with my space. It shoud have some up next weekend sometime. Flushing on the 8 week K1 pheno started today. Everything should be looking super juicy by the time that I get some more photos to you guys,