Fuzzy Math

O

Old Person

Active Member
If using Jacks 321 mixing with RO I get an EC of 2.0 no problem.
Now, this is where things get fuzzy.
After mixing in the Jacks and ending up at EC of 2.0
I add 650ml of Terpinator……..my EC moves up to 2.8 +/-
So…. If I add RO to bring the overall EC back down to 2.0
should I add cal/mag to accomodate the additional 10 gallons of RO that was added after the fact??
I have always made it to the finish line just fine, but without adding Calmag, I wind up with crispy/splotchy leaves around week 5…..

so….add Calmag or not worry about Terpinator increasing my over all EC???
 
Wastei

Wastei

Well-Known Member
Old Person said:
If using Jacks 321 mixing with RO I get an EC of 2.0 no problem.
Now, this is where things get fuzzy.
After mixing in the Jacks and ending up at EC of 2.0
I add 650ml of Terpinator……..my EC moves up to 2.8 +/-
So…. If I add RO to bring the overall EC back down to 2.0
should I add cal/mag to accomodate the additional 10 gallons of RO that was added after the fact??
I have always made it to the finish line just fine, but without adding Calmag, I wind up with crispy/splotchy leaves around week 5…..

so….add Calmag or not worry about Terpinator increasing my over all EC???
Click to expand...
What functions has the ingredients in Terpinator and what is your reason to add it on top of a already complete plant food?

It contains potassium sulfate and thats about it! You gain nothing by adding more potassium to Jacks when it already has vast amounts of it. To much sulfur will also lower your pH out of range. If you use Jacks you have potassium sulfate and magnesium sulfate already in the mix. It's all about mineral ratios and to much potassium will lockout or increase the need for Magnesium.

You haven't stated what your growing medium is so it's impossible to answer if you need "Calmag" or not in the mix. You also haven't stated what "Calmag" product you use?

2.0 EC is also way to high IMO, especially in containers. You're probably causing lockouts from overfeeding.
 
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O

Old Person

Active Member
Using hydroton recirculating top feed , Terpinator claims to increase trichomes , it also contains some type of sweetener …. Trust me , I understand I paid for mostly water. I’m not really positive if the straight RO water (to lower my overall EC) should have Calmag added to only the amount of water used to dilute my res…….I do know that most people would agree to run Jacks 3:2:1 from start to finish. Me? This is a hobby and I like to experiment around with different techniques. This hobby brings me joy.
 
Wastei

Wastei

Well-Known Member
Old Person said:
Using hydroton recirculating top feed , Terpinator claims to increase trichomes , it also contains some type of sweetener …. Trust me , I understand I paid for mostly water. I’m not really positive if the straight RO water (to lower my overall EC) should have Calmag added to only the amount of water used to dilute my res…….I do know that most people would agree to run Jacks 3:2:1 from start to finish. Me? This is a hobby and I like to experiment around with different techniques. This hobby brings me joy.
Click to expand...
If it's calcium carbonate based (something like Calimagic) and not calcium nitrate. You don't want to add any extra nitrogen to Jacks. Jacks has both Calcium nitrate and magnesium sulfate so many "Calmag" product will worsen your mineral ratio because you add what's already in the mix adding more Nitrogen than optimal.
 
O

Old Person

Active Member
Thanks, I wonder if adding RO would weaken the strength of the Jacks amount of calcium and magnesium that’s already mixed up to the point that it could cause a deficiency…..
Same if topping off your res with RO ……. If you should add Calmag to the quantity of water that you add to the res. I’m probably worrying over nothing , but I am in search of the “perfect” run.
 
Tolerance Break

Tolerance Break

Well-Known Member
Jacks is fine on its own.

There is a healthy range of feeding, I wouldn't worry about topping off your res with fresh nutrients as long as you are making up a new res once every week or two.

Edit: if you are searching for perfection, starting with unnecessary additives is a bad move. Experimenting is always a good thing, but getting the environment right is a much better avenue than messing with a formula like jacks, which is at a pretty decent ratio.
 
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