# epsom salts in hydro?



## blunt (Jan 26, 2008)

a couple of my plants are showing mag def while others look fine. is it ok to dissolve a little epsom salts in my solution of should i just give them a boost of GH flower??


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## POTUS (Jan 26, 2008)

What nutrients are you giving the plants that would allow a deficiency in magnesium?


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## Puffin Afatty (Jan 26, 2008)

I heard a long while ago that the Lucas Formula was low on mg, I used to use epson salt to get more magnesium.  It didnt make any difference, so I dont use it anymore.


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## blunt (Jan 26, 2008)

POTUS said:
			
		

> What nutrients are you giving the plants that would allow a deficiency in magnesium?



well im actually guessing its a mag def. im using GH 3 part but currently using only micro and grow and im at 600ppm on day 26. ive been slowly bumping it up each day in fear i will burn these like last time but they seem to be reacting well except 2 which are taco leaving and wrinkling up. i thought it might be heat stress but ive bumped the lights up (2-250w MH) but it continues to worsen. i looked thru some sick plant pics and mag def appears to look similar.


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## blunt (Jan 26, 2008)

after reading your thread on snow white i was moving in the direction of the lucas formula. it seems so simple and easy.  thank you



			
				Puffin Afatty said:
			
		

> I heard a long while ago that the Lucas Formula was low on mg, I used to use epson salt to get more magnesium.  It didnt make any difference, so I dont use it anymore.


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## POTUS (Jan 26, 2008)

blunt said:
			
		

> well im actually guessing its a mag def. im using GH 3 part but currently using only micro and grow and im at 600ppm on day 26. ive been slowly bumping it up each day in fear i will burn these like last time but they seem to be reacting well except 2 which are taco leaving and wrinkling up. i thought it might be heat stress but ive bumped the lights up (2-250w MH) but it continues to worsen. i looked thru some sick plant pics and mag def appears to look similar.


 
The GH nutes *have* to be mixed properly. All three parts are necessary to all parts of the grow. The ratios are very important.

At 26 days old, your plants are still way too young for full strength nutes. I would suggest about 1/4 strength with all three parts.

The Micro HAS TO be mixed into water before adding the other two parts.

The problem you're having is because of improperly mixing your nutes. Leaving out the bloom part entirely will cause deficiencies.


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## blunt (Jan 26, 2008)

thanks man, i was under the assumption a"bloom" was to be added when flowering. not sure where i got that but i appreciate you setting me straight


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## POTUS (Jan 27, 2008)

blunt said:
			
		

> thanks man, i was under the assumption a"bloom" was to be added when flowering. not sure where i got that but i appreciate you setting me straight


 
On the back of each bottle, it explains the ratios between each part when mixing.

Measuring this stuff very, very, very accurately is also important.

I use a 50ml tall graduated beaker. Using a teaspoon will also cause you problems. The beakers cost about 2 bucks apiece.

Find the full strength mix for "Vegetative Growth Stage" on the bottle and divide the amount by 4. That's what you should be using now.

The amounts they give for the rest of the growth stages isn't accurate for all strains. Talk to me some more before you change your ratios during growth. I've been through all of this many, many times.


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## Puffin Afatty (Jan 27, 2008)

blunt said:
			
		

> well im actually guessing its a mag def. im using GH 3 part but currently using only micro and grow and im at 600ppm on day 26. ive been slowly bumping it up each day in fear i will burn these like last time but they seem to be reacting well except 2 which are taco leaving and wrinkling up. i thought it might be heat stress but ive bumped the lights up (2-250w MH) but it continues to worsen. i looked thru some sick plant pics and mag def appears to look similar.


 
you cant omit the bloom part, you can omit the grow part

the Lucas Formula, while very simplified, is precise.  8 ml micro and 16 ml of bloom in a gallon of distilled water, adjust to 800ppm and ph of 5.5-5.8 

if ppm is over 800 add a little distilled water at a time to reduce to 800.  If ppm is below 800, in a separate container, mix up a gallon of the nutes at 8ml micro and 16 ml bloom, and add to the res until it is at 800ppm.   

water will evaporate daily and you will need to add distilled water daily.  check the ppm/ph daily and keep it around 800/5.6:hubba:


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## Puffin Afatty (Jan 27, 2008)

POTUS said:
			
		

> The GH nutes *have* to be mixed properly. All three parts are necessary to all parts of the grow. The ratios are very important.
> 
> At 26 days old, your plants are still way too young for full strength nutes. I would suggest about 1/4 strength with all three parts.
> 
> ...


 
Although the nutes need to be mixed very accurately, AND micro must be added to water 1st, the grow component ISNT needed.  Only micro and bloom are needed for complete nutrition.  

I had read many years ago that some folks were adding 1/8th teaspoon - 1/4 teaspoon of epson salts(per gallon) to increase mg.  I tried it, it didnt seem to matter so I just stopped.

The bloom part is 2/3 of your nutes, leaving it out will surely imbalance the nutes. If it makes you feel better, try the epson salts for a while, WITH THE CORRECT LUCAS FORMULA, see how you like it.  epson salts wont hurt anything.  

Remember, it's a 1 to 2 ratio, 8ml micro and 16ml bloom in a gallon of distilled water.

This is a balanced formula with everything a happy SnowWhite(et al) can desire.


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## POTUS (Jan 27, 2008)

Puffin Afatty said:
			
		

> you cant omit the bloom part, you can omit the grow part


 
What is it that you believe to be in the "Grow" part, and why is it you think it can be omitted?


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## Puffin Afatty (Jan 27, 2008)

POTUS said:
			
		

> What is it that you believe to be in the "Grow" part, and why is it you think it can be omitted?




_*I dont know whats in it, I heard a long time ago it was duplicated in micro and bloom. I tried it and it works just peachy.*_

_*I do know what I've been doing for 15 years plus and it's saved me a pile of money and grown a ton of bud.  I've run at least 45 grows using it.*_

_*If you are interested, just google the LUCAS formula and you will be enlightened.*_

The sellers of nutes are in the business of selling nutes, not growing bud.


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## blunt (Jan 27, 2008)

its nice to see so many different ways of doing the same thing with good results. im slowly upping my bloom and i can see a difference in the 2 affected plants. thanks for the insight.


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## POTUS (Jan 27, 2008)

Puffin Afatty said:
			
		

> _*I dont know whats in it, I heard a long time ago it was duplicated in micro and bloom. I tried it and it works just peachy.*_
> 
> _*I do know what I've been doing for 15 years plus and it's saved me a pile of money and grown a ton of bud. I've run at least 45 grows using it.*_
> 
> ...


 
I've also been growing for a long, long time. About 3 times as long as you have. I have several thousand crops behind me and I seriously doubt that there is anything about Marijuana growing I haven't seen.

That said, the sellers of nutes are in business only long enough for people to try their products. If the products work, they succeed. If their products don't work, they go out of business. GH has been around for some time and have a huge sales history for the Flora Series.

In a side by side grow, you'll find that using all three parts of the system works much better than leaving out the "Grow" part. I've tried it also.

The NPK ratio of nutes contained in the Grow formula is the balancing portion of the entire mix of nutrients. Without any of the three, the end result of growth will be lessened. This can be proven in a side by side test of the process as I've done with each.

The growth of the weed will be deficient regardless of which one of the three you leave out.

I appreciate your enthusiasm for the Lucas formulation, but I have to tell you that I think it's bull.

Within the statement of the formula, it refers to "having enough Nitrogen because of the Micro". The amount of Nitrogen isn't the entire picture. The BALANCE of the NPK in the proportional ratios that are needed by the plant in it's various stages is what is important. This balance won't be what is needed if any of the three parts are not present and in the proper ratios.

I'm sorry that you and I disagree on this, but as I've said, I have thousands of crops under my belt and using the GH formula precisely as it's intended to be used is extremely important to a successful grow.

If you contact the GH R&D department and ask them to verify what I've just told you, you'll find that what I'm saying is accurate.

Whatever your choice in nutrients, it's your grow and you can sure use whatever makes your day.

When advising others, your advice as well as mine should be suspect and used only as a guideline. The success of every growers dream is dependant on their own attention to detail and the results they get from their own methodology.


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## DLtoker (Jan 27, 2008)

POTUS said:
			
		

> I seriously doubt that there is anything about Marijuana growing I haven't seen.



*Cough*  No DWC on your end *cough*  haha


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## POTUS (Jan 27, 2008)

DLtoker said:
			
		

> *Cough* No DWC on your end *cough*  haha


 
HAHAHAHHAA!

I know this is hard to believe, but I've tried it with veggies in my outdoor greenhouse. The process didn't impress me over what ebb and flow did inside and NFT did outside.

After years of experiments, I've come to my own conclusions that for veggies in a greenhouse, NFT is the most practical and efficient. Ebb and flow is the same for inside grows.

Both NFT and E&F are a PITA to setup, but once setup, they're easy to operate and efficient as hell.

NFT has a nasty habit of clogging from root growth, so I don't use it inside. I've over-sized my system to prevent most of the problems, but the E&F work so well inside, I don't see the sense in changing it.

DWC has many drawbacks that aren't a concern with E&F. For a beginners grow or a grow that is a one or two times a year thing, DWC works great. The advantage of E&F for extended use will be obvious to anyone who tries it.

DWC....Pretty funny joke DL....HAHAHAHAHAA, you joker!


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## DLtoker (Jan 27, 2008)

Ah, I didn't know you dabbled with that outside.  Cool. :aok:

Oh man.  I never thought about that... A clog in the system from the roots.    I couldn't even imagine my reaction if I walked into my house to see that!


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## POTUS (Jan 27, 2008)

DLtoker said:
			
		

> Ah, I didn't know you dabbled with that outside. Cool. :aok:
> 
> Oh man. I never thought about that... A clog in the system from the roots.  I couldn't even imagine my reaction if I walked into my house to see that!


 
You would be *swimming* into your house....


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## kasgrow (Jan 27, 2008)

You might check to see if you have hard water. Check your water ppm before nutes. I have read that too much calcium in the water can cause lockouts in other areas. I am looking at a reverse osmosis sytem for my garden. My water is at 300 ppm. I changed to different nutes for now until I get RO.


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## POTUS (Jan 27, 2008)

kasgrow said:
			
		

> You might check to see if you have hard water. Check your water ppm before nutes. I have read that too much calcium in the water can cause lockouts in other areas. I am looking at a reverse osmosis sytem for my garden. My water is at 300 ppm. I changed to different nutes for now until I get RO.


 
GH also has a hard water Micro nute that pretty much eliminates that problem.


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