competition

switch to jacks 3-2-1 .. 1/5th the price and virtually the same thing. Even with athena, you can buy generic Calcium Nitrate (the 14-0-0 part) ... if they get tricky (aka greedy) the put the trace elements into it, but those can be sourced cheaply, too. It's a tactic designed to make you overpay for what should be cheap. Calcium nitrate is very cheap. You can buy a 50lb bag for 35-40 USD ("Yara Liva" brand). it'll be a bit more than 14-0-0.. but employing simple algrebra can adjust dosage to match whether it's 15-0-0 or 15.5-0-0. Never need a 'cleanse' product. Simply don't overfeed and you can avoid that. if irrigating properly in a soilless context, shouldn't have buildup anyway. Religiously get 10% or more runoff and it cannot build up. IT may rest at a higher concentration than you feed, but that will be a consistent offset over time not a continually increasing offset. i don't know the ppm break down of Athena's dosage, but if you do the math and it consistently provides 30-40ppm or more of P and ~180ppm or more of K, there is no need for any 'boosters' either. A plant is not foie gras. Can't force feed it. Giving moer will be wasted and only pollute your local aquifer as more of it goes down the drain than necessary. I've used a similar setup for 7+ years. i use 4 products, but one is just the 'base' with no-N. 0-12-26 and 5-12-26 "Part A" ... generic cal nitrate and generic epsom salt. Between these four parts you can easily adjust NPK and CaMgS to the levels you need for vege and flower... primarily the same formula except 30-40% less N in flower. No need for a shit ton of fancy products promising things they can't prove... Fertilizer should be one of your smallest expenses. For 2 grows of 32-35sq ft canopy, i spend about 35-40 USD/year on fertilizer. canopy size will be the bet way to compare apples to apples due to varying individual plant sizes.. There's no such thing as "premium" fertilizer - especially in the context of soilless/hydro... either it is formulated well or it is not. The ingredients are commodities... they don't range in quality. calcium nitrate is always calcium nitrate. there is no difference between brands for commodities.