Faroutman

Ah those cannabis specific nutrient companies, with all their not-so-optional extras …It’s a clever business model isn’t it?! Putting the Hydrocrop nutrients in pH 7 water and not adjusting it down afterward will cause some precipitation. If you do try using them again, you need to mix the feed to whatever EC you want, then add pH down - I use phosphoric acid - until the pH is around 6. You shouldn't need much pH down because the nutrients themselves are fairly acidic. I’m sure that will resolve the issue (unless there is something strange in your tap water!). The only time I have had any problem with precipitation is when I completely forgot to adjust the pH after mixing the feed. It worried me until I realised what I had done. I threw the feed out, made a new batch, adjusted the pH, and everything was fine thereafter.

@Rabidreject I would recommend not adding anything in with the Hydrocrop nutrients; no supplements or additives of any kind. Unlike a lot of brands, they really are a complete feed …They provide everything plants need so it’s not necessary to put in anything extra. And they are designed to work with either inert media or hydro (i.e. where there are no other nutrients present), so anything else you add just runs the risk of upsetting the balance. They are also very stable, so it’s either something you’re adding (probably the silicone) or not watching the pH that’s causing the precipitation. I know Hydrocrop’s nutrients are not big on the cannabis scene, but loads of tomato growers use them, and cannabis has similar nutrient requirements to tomatoes. Coco coir, perlite and the nutients are ALL you need. Easy, effective and cheap …Just ensure the pH stays within the 5.5 - 6.4 range. As I said before, the nutrients are buffered to stabilise the pH so it should hold pretty steady once you’ve set it.

Glad you got it sorted. Hydrocrop's nutrients are buffered to prevent pH swings, so you should find they remain pretty stable once the correct pH value is set. I'm in a moderately hard water area and I find the feed stays within range.

I’m surprised your plants are yellowing using the Hydrocrop nutrients. I have used them for 3 years, growing tomatoes semi commercially, and always found them to be excellent. Your diary says your pH is 6.5 …That could be where your problem is (assuming your growing environment is okay). To avoid deficiencies using mineral nutrients in hydro / inert media, the feed pH needs to be kept between 5.5 and 6.4.

@TheUk420Show, I didn't know that you use tap water. As I said, if you are putting 250ml of the HydroSol stock solutions into a 60ml reservoir, that should increase the EC by around 0.5. If your tap water is already around 0.4, that gets you up to around 0.9, which ties in with where you say your feed is at. I also use tap water. I find the Hydrocrop nutes work well with it. I do think there is some truth in what plant breeders claim about genetics, but it's often exaggerated. In my experience with plants like tomato (of which there are also hundreds of varieties), some take to hydro better than others, and some are naturally better yielding. If you choose a lower fruiting variety, you can try to optimise the feed all you want but it will never give the greatest yield; particularly if that variety doesn't much like hydro. But all the seed catalogues try to convince you that they have the best. I guess they have a living to make but it does annoy me when breeders make false promises. I know what a good tomato feed regime is. So I generally just try to pick varieties that perform well with it, rather than battling to get a crap variety to grow better! I think with plant nutrients it is more clear cut than with genetics, and easier to see through the BS. Compare it to human nutrition… If you have three kids, feed the first one rubbish, feed the second a balanced and healthy diet, feed the third premium ready meals and vitamin supplements. The first will grow up not too healthy. Whereas the other two will grow up EQUALLY healthy… but the third one will have cost way, way more to feed. I mean there is nothing wrong with the premium ready meals and vitamin supplements per se, but there is no discernible benefit either. Just fancy packaging, a bit of convenience and much more cost. Not sure that was the best analogy… But you know what I mean! Ready made liquid nutes and additives work fine, but you get the same standard of nutrition at far lower cost the way you are doing it.