Dynagrow Foliage Pro Questions

OK, so this whole FP is really starting to confuse me in regards to nutrient ratios and horticulture knowledge.

@Uncle Ben recommends it highly, but I believe he mostly grows in dirt which may contain some nutrients of its own made more available by the bacteria in the rhizosphere.

@homebrewer recommends it and I believe has also grown with hydro.

First off, under LED in hydro with RO water I definitely notice Mg and Ca deficiency. Initially I solved this with raw salts (epsom and calnit) as I recall trying to bring the RO to 200ppm. (note all ppm measurements are actual mg/mL, not measured by a meter)

Next I made my own liquid Calmag (based off my raw nutrient salts, but soluble):
Dilute to 1 gallon, use 2.5mL for every gallon of water when using foliage pro.

Name Chemical Formula Weight(g)
A - Haifa Magnisal Magnesium Nitrate Mg(NO3)2.6H2O 443.699
A - Yara Calcium Nitrate Yara_Ca(NO3)2 597.424

Now I am running 1mL of FP per gallon, 0.4mL of dripclean, and 2.5mL of my calmag at 1.0EC and the plants look ok, albeit with some tip burn (more on the bubba kush than the gg #4)

Now I am trying to copy FP @ 1mL/gallon ppms + Botanicare Calmag @ 5ml/gallon ppms and this is what I get. (final ppms in 1 gallon of solution are at the right)



The ratios seem off for the elements from what I understand. The sulfur is way low and it's supposed to really help boost flowering (I'm about to start week 5). I'm almost out of FP and I don't know if I should switch to something else, or if i should keep everything else the same and add more sulfur to a DIY solution I mix up keeping all else the same.

Here are my formulas in case I made a mistake somewhere.

You're running a hydro mix where you're only using 1ml/gal of Foliage Pro?

Roughly, it was at 1.25 mL roughly 1.2EC but I was getting tip burn, now it's at 1.0EC.

I have another thread in this forum with a few pics from yesterday - someone thought I was deficient but I have burned tips from the 1.2 EC. http://rollitup.org/t/gorilla-glue-4-and-bubba-kush-33-days-after-the-flip.885180/

Let me know and I can get some more close up pics later today, what are your recommendations?

Foliage Pro must be rocket fuel if plants burn at 1.25 mL/gallon.

ShirkGoldbrick said:

Roughly, it was at 1.25 mL roughly 1.2EC but I was getting tip burn, now it's at 1.0EC.

I have another thread in this forum with a few pics from yesterday - someone thought I was deficient but I have burned tips from the 1.2 EC. http://rollitup.org/t/gorilla-glue-4-and-bubba-kush-33-days-after-the-flip.885180/

Let me know and I can get some more close up pics later today, what are your recommendations?

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What kind of meter are you using? 1.25ml/gal does not equal 1.2EC.

5mls/gal equals 1.2EC.

Dynagro...wow. They were around in the very beginning. For a one part its very concentrated. But to formulate such a strong one part nutrient they had to make compromises. Look at the calcium, magnesium and esp. sulphur amounts in the minimum analysis on the bottle. Been so long iam not sure if they even list sulpur. Anyways yeah ive used it. Way back. Its advisable to use a magnesium sulphate supplement in the beginning of forcing flowers. Then once flower set is initiated switch over to a potassium sulphate supplement. This is the true "bloom booster". Used by many Dynagro greenhouse flower and fruit/vegetable users back in the day.

since1991 said:

Dynagro...wow. They were around in the very beginning. For a one part its very concentrated. But to formulate such a strong one part nutrient they had to make compromises. Look at the calcium, magnesium and esp. sulphur amounts in the minimum analysis on the bottle. Been so long iam not sure if they even list sulpur. Anyways yeah ive used it. Way back. Its advisable to use a magnesium sulphate supplement in the beginning of forcing flowers. Then once flower set is initiated switch over to a potassium sulphate supplement. This is the true "bloom booster". Used by many Dynagro greenhouse flower and fruit/vegetable users back in the day.

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Interesting post. I've been experimenting with the addition of Potassium Sulfate in promix for the last 8 months and have noticed no differences. I also messed with calmag additions in hydro and saw no benefits either. I sent samples from my reservoir out to a water analysis lab and it actually showed that at the end of the week with no supplementation that there was plenty of calcium and magnesium left in the reservoir. I even had elevated levels of sulfur that the plants did not use over my 'control' samples.

Since 1991, I know they seem to be lacking in a few areas, any recommendations on a 2 part that is good for ro water and LEDs?

Homebrewer, I'm using an inline ec meter connected to a robomatic doser. My handheld reads 0.4ec when the inline reads 1.2.

Homebrewer, look at the state of Washington fertilizer analysis of fp, they don't even detect sulfur so maybe it's in your water or medium.

All the base nutrient brands work if you know how to read a meter, your plants and whatnot. There all overpriced but you pay for convenience. Ive used just about all of them at one time or another. A good 2 part liquid thats no longer made was by Eco. One of the first nutrient companies. They might still make it. Not sure. They were popular for their dry powdered jar nutes.

ShirkGoldbrick said:

Since 1991, I know they seem to be lacking in a few areas, any recommendations on a 2 part that is good for ro water and LEDs?

Homebrewer, I'm using an inline ec meter connected to a robomatic doser. My handheld reads 0.4ec when the inline reads 1.2.

Homebrewer, look at the state of Washington fertilizer analysis of fp, they don't even detect sulfur so maybe it's in your water or medium.

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Your meters are wrong. In the meantime, I'd suggest you increase your dose of FP.

I also wouldn't recommend flowering with foliage pro in hydro.

FP contains sulfur, albeit not very much, but unless you're seeing a sulfur deficiency then the amount contained in the bottle is plenty.

Well I don't think any of the meters are ever right as I've never gotten a consistent reading between any two (and I've had some expensive ones). As long as they're consistent that's key.

I may see some salt buildup in the cubes, which shouldn't be there? It's just white buildup at the top and could be mold. I do use drip clean.

I've been looking at different nutrients now and then finding their guaranteed analysis and it seems like very few are complete, in fact the only other one I've seen that's a complete and a two part is by dutch master - they have a single part too but I'm not sure how good it is.

ShirkGoldbrick said:

Well I don't think any of the meters are ever right as I've never gotten a consistent reading between any two (and I've had some expensive ones). As long as they're consistent that's key.

I may see some salt buildup in the cubes, which shouldn't be there? It's just white buildup at the top and could be mold. I do use drip clean.

I've been looking at different nutrients now and then finding their guaranteed analysis and it seems like very few are complete, in fact the only other one I've seen that's a complete and a two part is by dutch master - they have a single part too but I'm not sure how good it is.

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You insure accuracy in your meters with calibration solution. That should be done regularly.

I don't think your target EC is off but your meters certainly are. Drop your calmag and bump up the FP to 4mls/gal (that should put you around a safe 1.0 EC). Please report back in a week or two.

My dosage ratios are:

2mL of dripclean
5mL of foliage pro
12mL of calmag

This is based off of the 0.4mL of dripclean per gallon so the one gallon ratio would be:
0.4mL of dripclean
1mL of FP
2.4 mL of calmag

my calmag is:



Threw in my silicablast copy for free but I'm not currently using it.

What ratios do you recommend?

I'll be honest -the robomatic doser is junk IMO. With the stock meters the thermistor burns out in a few days and it will bounce around in readings like nuts. I added my own thermistor and my own probes and my readings are at least consistent with my own EC and pH probe.

Even fresh after calibration with a handheld and the dosing unit I get the above ratios (except FP @ 1.25 mL) at 1200 microsiemens on the doser and ~400 microsiemens on the handheld, both calibrated with a 2930 microsiemen stock solution (I know I know too high but I can't choose calibration solution strength with the doser)

These readings held consistent FWIW and so I decided to judge based off the plants. If we're counting days since after the flip, I should have more weight on these plants IMO. Currently I've gotten no additional burn at 1.0EC.

I'm half ready to eat it and make my own nutrients - I tried fatmans before but I think he went way too high on the micros. Plus, hydrobuddy updated on me so I have to go back an update the purity %'s on all my chemicals..irritating. Except I want optimum ratios and would prefer to copy someone who already got it right on a formula that works well for veg and flower.

I just took a look at them, and there are a few leaves..maybe 15 single leaflets or so that show a bit of yelling between the veins, but the majority of issue I see looks like burn - browning of the tips and edges. the rest are 100% green.

Forgot to add, what ratios do you recommend?

ShirkGoldbrick said:

My dosage ratios are:

2mL of dripclean
5mL of foliage pro
12mL of calmag

This is based off of the 0.4mL of dripclean per gallon so the one gallon ratio would be:
0.4mL of dripclean
1mL of FP
2.4 mL of calmag

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Drop the calmag, this is the last time I'm typing that. What is dripclean? Whatever it is, it's not needed.

In hydro, DG's bloom is good along with a little FP to increase the N during flower. During veg, FP is all that's needed. I don't know, try a 50/50 Bloom:FP mix, maybe 70/30 during flower and adjust from there based on how the plants look.

Here they are at roughly day 42 (from the flip, ~2 weeks for flowers to show), a roughly 1 week update.

I switched water (1.5EC mostly carbonates, same ca, mg, and fe as calmag) This caused me to use a lot of pH down, bringing sulfur to 300ppm from sulfuric acid. Currently dosing with 10mL/gallon of dynagrow bloom.





I think the tops may have been burned from the LEDs being too close before? Also the dead one in the bottom left of second pic was from a clogged dripper.

There's something off all around. That brown problem is spread all over. That's not isolated to a single dripper. Something bigger is going on. I sure hope that's not from the lighting either. That is an easy fix. Simply raising the lights or adding a fan could have prevented that. Plus there would have been warning signs well before they became crispy brown.

budman111 said:

Foliage Pro must be rocket fuel if plants burn at 1.25 mL/gallon.

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I burnt some nl with fp @ 1ml/5gal
Maybe I fed too soon but they were 3-4 weeks old at that point.

1-5 ratio is way light compared to the feed chart lol

ricky1lung said:

I burnt some nl with fp @ 1ml/5gal
Maybe I fed too soon but they were 3-4 weeks old at that point.

1-5 ratio is way light compared to the feed chart lol

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I'd suggest no using FP with early veg/seedlings. I think grow is a better choice at that stage. Start low and don't trust their feed charts either. Or at least be more careful with FP. I bought some FP 6 months ago and I've only used DG. Long story short when I bought it I had mothers and cuttings. I had no bad results with those plants. Since then I got spider mites. Eventually I culled most of library. I wanted to toss some strains others I wanted to search for a better pheno.

The first batch of seedlings were going great. I've never had a problem with seedlings or plants in veg ever. I started a second strain a month after the first. So when I noticed the old leaves of the first batch were starting to yellow and get brown spots. My first reaction was I was low on N because this issue I've had several times in early flower. Which is why I bought FP in the first place. Since it takes less FP to add N during flower I can use more bloom than if I were to use grow. Only this time it wasn't giving me the desired result. At this point the problem was starting to show up on my second batch. So I switched back to grow. I caught it in time on the second batch. Unfortunately the first batch I culled the females with the males and only kept the cuts of each female. I didn't want to start a flowering cycle with leaves yellowing and falling off. So for the time being I'm only using FP on well established plants. At this point I think young plants benefit from the added phosphorus and FP just can't provide that.

From what I've read phosphorus helps with the uptake of N. So I think my problem wasn't that there wasn't enough. But rather the lack of P inhibited the uptake of the N.