Mixing Bloom Nutes???

ZackAttackMack

Well-Known Member
Zack it looks like you're nailing it for a novice, but you may be suffering a little from the new grower ailment known as "LTTD" :D
In the excitement of seeing their plants doing well, novice growers often think the more they give them, the better the plants will grow,
often Loving Them To Death. Usually by overwatering and overfeeding them.
This will can cause issues like nutrient burn, lockouts, toxicities and root rot.
It is much easier to fix a slight deficiency than recover from toxicities, so slow and easy is usually the best approach.

I see you bought all three bloom fertilizers, running just one will be easier and most likely be just as effective as a mix of all three.
OldMedUser recommended using the Maxi. So, since you are in an organic mix that still has nutrients, you would want to start off easy with a mild solution and then monitor and modify as needed.

I would recommend starting with something like 60 grams of MaxiBloom in a common 33 gallon trash barrel and then split that among the plants.
Next week if the plants look fine feed the same again. Hopefully that will get you to finish.

As you monitor your plants you may need to start custom tailoring to each one. If one looks really hungry, feed it twice that week. If one has really dark leaves and burned tips, give only water that week. The ones that look fine keep at the same feed level.

It's a long learning experience with many bumps along the way. You have a great start and should be enjoying some nice product for Thanksgiving.
Beautifully said! Yes and I appreciate all the knowledge and I’m glad I have you guys to not let my emotions overthrow the due diligence. I’ll return my other purchases and my wife will be happy with an Amazon gift card anyway! Win win. In regard to topping, I’m gonna top a few and let the others ride, I’d like to take a weight check and see how beneficial it is. Gonna spray mildly with Monterey today because the butterflies are out. Any other tips for going into the flowering stage? Thanks again!
 

ZackAttackMack

Well-Known Member
Doesn't shock nothing to top and it can be done any time. The start of flower is a pretty good time and will keep the plant from getting much taller while sending energy to tops on the side branches. Side branches can be topped too so it spreads the weight around to lower buds on each branch.

Roots are another thing that people worry about too much. Just shave a point on the stake and push it all the way to the bottom about 3 inches away from the main stem leaning toward the main stem at the top. Then if side branches start getting heavy and want to fall over you can make a loop under teh top colas on the branches and anchor to a higher point on the main stem or the pole. Twist tightly around the pole to hold it there but make a loop around the main stem above a branch base so it doesn't slip down.

Every time I transplant I cut the bottom inch off the rootball to get rid of any straggly roots which forces the roots to branch out with hundreds of feeder roots and fill the pot from top to bottom with roots. I never see any signs of stress.

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Wow! That is so good to know, wish I did that when I transplanted! I did rough them up a bit. I’ll send more pics to check in.
 

7CardBud

Well-Known Member
I have found topping doesn't really affect yield at all, the plant is gonna produce what the plant is gonna produce, weight wise.
It's up the grower if they want a plant with a few huge donkey dick colas or dozens of smaller ones.

I grow in New England so I repeated top and prune to keep the plant open with many smaller budsites. Large colas are much to prone to mildew, bugs and rot with the usual fall weather we get here.

Someone in Arizona could probably grow all large cola plants and have zero issues.
 

ZackAttackMack

Well-Known Member
I have found topping doesn't really affect yield at all, the plant is gonna produce what the plant is gonna produce, weight wise.
It's up the grower if they want a plant with a few huge donkey dick colas or dozens of smaller ones.

I grow in New England so I repeated top and prune to keep the plant open with many smaller budsites. Large colas are much to prone to mildew, bugs and rot with the usual fall weather we get here.

Someone in Arizona could probably grow all large cola plants and have zero issues.
I get that and I could see how for indoors topping would be greatly beneficial but for outdoors the plant really gets the whole light spectrum. You make a great point though, here in southern CA we do get the dense fog that rolls in come harvest time so that’s where the topping could save my ass. I did do my research though and picked gush mints as a strain that has a natural high defense to mold. I just have to keep my eye on it. Last year caterpillars did some damage and I know I harvested way too soon so I haven’t yet experienced how to deal with the fog.
 

ZackAttackMack

Well-Known Member
I have found topping doesn't really affect yield at all, the plant is gonna produce what the plant is gonna produce, weight wise.
It's up the grower if they want a plant with a few huge donkey dick colas or dozens of smaller ones.

I grow in New England so I repeated top and prune to keep the plant open with many smaller budsites. Large colas are much to prone to mildew, bugs and rot with the usual fall weather we get here.

Someone in Arizona could probably grow all large cola plants and have zero issues.
Giving them 3 more rounds of Grow Big veg nutes for the final stretch and they seem to like it. They are getting fuller and blooming is slowing a bit. Think I should top?
 

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ZackAttackMack

Well-Known Member
Doesn't shock nothing to top and it can be done any time. The start of flower is a pretty good time and will keep the plant from getting much taller while sending energy to tops on the side branches. Side branches can be topped too so it spreads the weight around to lower buds on each branch.

Roots are another thing that people worry about too much. Just shave a point on the stake and push it all the way to the bottom about 3 inches away from the main stem leaning toward the main stem at the top. Then if side branches start getting heavy and want to fall over you can make a loop under teh top colas on the branches and anchor to a higher point on the main stem or the pole. Twist tightly around the pole to hold it there but make a loop around the main stem above a branch base so it doesn't slip down.

Every time I transplant I cut the bottom inch off the rootball to get rid of any straggly roots which forces the roots to branch out with hundreds of feeder roots and fill the pot from top to bottom with roots. I never see any signs of stress.

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Giving 3 more doses of Grow Big before I switch to Maxi completely. They seem to like it. They have become fuller and the flowering has slowed just enough to focus on getting bushier. Can I give grow big veg nutes ALONG with a light dose of Maxi? Should I top still ya think? Thanks
 

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7CardBud

Well-Known Member
Giving 3 more doses of Grow Big before I switch to Maxi completely. They seem to like it. They have become fuller and the flowering has slowed just enough to focus on getting bushier. Can I give grow big veg nutes ALONG with a light dose of Maxi? Should I top still ya think? Thanks
If you're finishing the season in cool and damp conditions, I would recommend topping. Those single large top colas will be a magnet for mildew.
You can mix nutrients however you like. The main concern is the total EC, I wouldn't go over a 1.2EC feed in soil.
You said you wanted to gain more experience and EC pen is a valuable tool if your mixing soluble feeds.
EC readers aren't a very technical tool, I think I'm on my fourth year with a cheapo $20 HM COM-80 meter.
 

ZackAttackMack

Well-Known Member
If you're finishing the season in cool and damp conditions, I would recommend topping. Those single large top colas will be a magnet for mildew.
You can mix nutrients however you like. The main concern is the total EC, I wouldn't go over a 1.2EC feed in soil.
You said you wanted to gain more experience and EC pen is a valuable tool if your mixing soluble feeds.
EC readers aren't a very technical tool, I think I'm on my fourth year with a cheapo $20 HM COM-80 meter.
Purchased today!
 

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calvin.m16

Well-Known Member
Yeah it's just a basic PK booster with b vitamins.

I use General Hydroponics KoolBloom Dry with MaxiBloom, I start feeding it at 1 gram per gallon once buds start swelling and only run it for 2 weeks then go back to just maxibloom.

"FLower Stacker" is a less complete bloom booster compared to KoolBloom Dry and just contains PK & B1 (Thiamine) vitamin which, B1 vitamin is still possibly a useless additive.

If you start reading the labels carefully between products, you will learn a lot of them are the same ingredients and then you can choose which one you think is more worth your time based on their actual product analysis vs their bottle and marketing lingo.
 
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ZackAttackMack

Well-Known Member
Yeah it's just a basic PK booster with b vitamins.

I use General Hydroponics KoolBloom Dry with MaxiBloom, I start feeding it at 1 gram per gallon once buds start swelling and only run it for 2 weeks then go back to just maxibloom.

"FLower Stacker" is a less complete bloom booster compared to KoolBloom Dry and just contains PK & B1 (Thiamine) vitamin which, B1 vitamin is still possibly a useless additive.
How long should I continue giving them grow big? I just gave them a light feeding of maxi we will see if they are ready for it.
 

ZackAttackMack

Well-Known Member
Yeah it's just a basic PK booster with b vitamins.

I use General Hydroponics KoolBloom Dry with MaxiBloom, I start feeding it at 1 gram per gallon once buds start swelling and only run it for 2 weeks then go back to just maxibloom.

"FLower Stacker" is a less complete bloom booster compared to KoolBloom Dry and just contains PK & B1 (Thiamine) vitamin which, B1 vitamin is still possibly a useless additive.

If you start reading the labels carefully between products, you will learn a lot of them are the same ingredients and then you can choose which one you think is more worth your time based on their actual product analysis vs their bottle and marketing lingo.
Yeah I went with flower stacker at first because the numbers were low and I didn’t want anything too heavy to start with.
 

calvin.m16

Well-Known Member
How long should I continue giving them grow big? I just gave them a light feeding of maxi we will see if they are ready for it.
I wouldn't give any additives on top of the MaxiBloom as it isn't going to be much benefit. A PK Booster can be helpful during the swelling stage of the flowers growth, even then it isn't necessary, you could just increase how much feed you give and base strength off how plants look, if they are dark green then you could cut back a little, light green or showing deficiency just increase the maxi. Keep your pH in the 5.8-6.2 range with Maxi and you should be golden.

Here's my feed, working great on several different strains/plants.
5 ml/gal Armor Si
7 gr/gal MaxiBloom
1 gr/gal KoolBloom Dry weeks 4-6
pH Solution to 5.8-6.2
Mix each ingredient in the order listed, fully dissolve between adding new ingredients.

Above feed gives me 1.3 gpw (grams per watt) with LED. This is assuming your whole light footprint has buds under it.

These supplement products usually contain the same stuff as the base nutrients and will just throw your pH and nutrient ratios off when you add them to your feed. I would stick to all general hydroponics products and if you go off most of their guidelines they're pretty solid. Of course feed charts and instructions are guidelines, you may need to use a little less or more depending on your grow.

I've ran MANY full lines including CYCO, Heavy 16, Canna, Advanced Nutrients, House & Garden, Botanicare, Athena, Jack's, Green Planet and I can tell you MaxiBloom is the golden ticket. I wasted thousands of dollars on "nutrient lines" that did not get me any better results than 1 part maxibloom. My only things I use are General Hydroponics Armor Si, MaxiBloom and KoolBloom Dry. Here are some pics.. The buds in the pics were grown using maxi. Note how the last pic is only 3 products.
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ZackAttackMack

Well-Known Member
I wouldn't give any additives on top of the MaxiBloom as it isn't going to be much benefit. A PK Booster can be helpful during the swelling stage of the flowers growth, even then it isn't necessary, you could just increase how much feed you give and base strength off how plants look, if they are dark green then you could cut back a little, light green or showing deficiency just increase the maxi. Keep your pH in the 5.8-6.2 range with Maxi and you should be golden.

Here's my feed, working great on several different strains/plants.
5 ml/gal Armor Si
7 gr/gal MaxiBloom
1 gr/gal KoolBloom Dry weeks 4-6
pH Solution to 5.8-6.2
Mix each ingredient in the order listed, fully dissolve between adding new ingredients.

Above feed gives me 1.3 gpw (grams per watt) with LED. This is assuming your whole light footprint has buds under it.

These supplement products usually contain the same stuff as the base nutrients and will just throw your pH and nutrient ratios off when you add them to your feed. I would stick to all general hydroponics products and if you go off most of their guidelines they're pretty solid. Of course feed charts and instructions are guidelines, you may need to use a little less or more depending on your grow.
Thank you, I am outdoor though…does that change things? We’re you able to look at my pics?
 

calvin.m16

Well-Known Member
Thank you, I am outdoor though…does that change things? We’re you able to look at my pics?
Yes this doesn't change anything, outdoors or indoors the plants eat the same diet. Remember that Maxi is only recommended to be fed to soil plants once or twice a week with water in between. That's their advice, not mine. I don't grow outdoors anymore due to cross contamination risk while growing indoors.
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ZackAttackMack

Well-Known Member
Yes this doesn't change anything, outdoors or indoors the plants eat the same diet.
My God that is the most gorgeous set up I have seen in my life! I hope I get there someday! Last question…my girls are 74 days old and 6 feet tall just hit preflower. I’m in So Cal, weather for harvest time is mild but we do have morning/midday fog that rolls in. Should I and can I top my plants to help with mold prevention?
 

calvin.m16

Well-Known Member
My God that is the most gorgeous set up I have seen in my life! I hope I get there someday! Last question…my girls are 74 days old and 6 feet tall just hit preflower. I’m in So Cal, weather for harvest time is mild but we do have morning/midday fog that rolls in. Should I and can I top my plants to help with mold prevention?
Topping can help also "selective" defoliation, I would recommend just topping any branches that are obviously outgrowing others. basically go in and pluck out any big overlapping fan leaves especially in the mid canopies. Make sure plants always get good airflow, if you have access to power, I have a friend that has those circle industrial fans on a timer to run in the mornings through his rows of plants, helps dry things out from the morning fog/dew if its a big problem. I'm in Michigan so we get really wet mornings where the grass will soak your shoes early AM.

Also, prepare for late harvest early, the buds outside tend to get very heavy and can fall over if your not staking & tieing them.
 

calvin.m16

Well-Known Member
My God that is the most gorgeous set up I have seen in my life! I hope I get there someday! Last question…my girls are 74 days old and 6 feet tall just hit preflower. I’m in So Cal, weather for harvest time is mild but we do have morning/midday fog that rolls in. Should I and can I top my plants to help with mold prevention?
Wow, thank you for the compliment. I don't feel it's done yet. That is the side of my grow that isn't done yet. :eyesmoke:
1689561946893.jpeg

TheBucketCompany 22" Drain trays with 1" PVC that runs to a drain (I like these wayy better than the round ones in the other side)
LUXX 645 LEDs
10 gal plastic pots with Coco/Perlite
I hand water, I used to use those halo drippers like you see on the table but it doesn't give as good of a watering as doing it by hand. You end up with channeling and issues from the water always only entering the soil in specific spots. I roll around in an office chair and hand water using a normal garden wand in a Brute bucket with wheels. :D
 

7CardBud

Well-Known Member
Wow, thank you for the compliment. I don't feel it's done yet. That is the side of my grow that isn't done yet. :eyesmoke:
View attachment 5309123

TheBucketCompany 22" Drain trays with 1" PVC that runs to a drain (I like these wayy better than the round ones in the other side)
LUXX 645 LEDs
10 gal plastic pots with Coco/Perlite
I hand water, I used to use those halo drippers like you see on the table but it doesn't give as good of a watering as doing it by hand. You end up with channeling and issues from the water always only entering the soil in specific spots. I roll around in an office chair and hand water using a normal garden wand in a Brute bucket with wheels. :D
I like the 1/2" water halos. I use them, but I also add about two inches of expanded clay on top of the mix to diffuse the incoming water.
 
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