Your crops wouldn’t get very far without nutrients. In fact, they’d go nowhere. Every living thing on earth needs a specific ratio of certain nutrients to live and thrive, and your crops are no different. That’s why it’s so important that you learn how to mix grow products for your crops’ ideal nutrient uptake.
How you mix your nutrients matters. Mixing them incorrectly can have a devastating effect on your crops and, by extension, your bottom line. In this article, we’re going to cover:
- How to safely store your nutrients.
- How you can easily calculate exactly what your crops need.
Mixing Advanced Nutrients Products
When you’re new to the world of growing high-value plants, buying and blending nutrients can seem like a daunting task. (Before you start mixing nutrients, read up on the importance of a proper feeding schedule here.)
The grow media you’re using determines how you should mix your nutrients and the ratios you should use. If you’re growing hydroponically, the nutrients are getting mixed into your reservoir. When you’re mixing nutrients for hydroponics, you’ve got to:
- Use distilled or reverse osmosis water if possible. Regular tap water in some municipalities can contain impurities that may harm your crops. Distilled and purified water are the safest options for your plants.
- Ensure your water is the appropriate temperature and quality. Make pH maintenance easy by using products with Advanced Nutrients’ pH Perfect® technology. (Read more about pH Perfect technology here.)
- Measure each nutrient using a clean container, such as a measuring cup. Avoid cross contamination between products.
- Shake up the bottle.
Use Advanced Nutrients’ online nutrient calculator to determine the correct nutrient ratio for your crops’ grow phase, base nutrients and reservoir size. How frequently your crops need to be fed depends on the type of grow setup you have, your crops’ current stage of growth, and the size of your reservoir.
For soil growers, there’s less pressure to get your nutrient ratios perfect. However, you should still strive for the correct ratios for your crops, because although there’s some leeway with soil, it’s still possible to overdo it.
As a soil grower, mix your nutrients into the water you use for your crops. Mix according to their recommended ratios and apply the solution according to your grow chart. You don’t necessarily have to water your crops every day; you should be watering them enough to keep the soil constantly damp. To determine whether your crop needs to be watered, poke your finger into the soil. If it’s dry up to about your first knuckle, it’s time to water.
Safely Storing Your Nutrients
Intense lighting, such as the HID lights you’re likely using in your grow room, will degrade the product over time. This is also true of sunlight, so be sure to keep your nutrients in a dark indoor place.
It’s also important that you keep your nutrients in a dry, moderately cool environment. Temperature fluctuations can break down the product, especially when those fluctuations are significant and frequent.
Storing your nutrients properly will maximize their shelf life, saving you money by enabling you to finish out each bottle you buy, rather than having to head back to the store early because your nutrients went bad. If you’re having trouble determining where to keep your nutrients, consider storing them in your bloom/flowering room. At a consistent temperature of about 77 degrees Fahrenheit (25 degrees Celsius), it’s the perfect environment for your nutrients.
Nutrient Mixing FAQs
Why do I need to shake nutrients in their bottle before mixing them?
Over time, components within the nutrients settle on the bottom of the bottle. When you pour a bottle without shaking it, you can potentially be pouring out an unbalanced solution. Shaking up the nutrient bottle ensures you are pouring the right blend into your reservoir, giving your crops the nutrition they need.
Can I mix products from different manufacturers?
Usually, it’s not a problem. But some products are incompatible with each other and can damage your plants when they’re used together. For example, bloom boosters with high PK numbers or low-grade silica products can destabilize your nutrient mix and cause nutrient lockout.
Nutrient manufacturers design their products to be used with each other. In doing so, they include specific portions of each nutrient in each product, so crops receive the right nutrition through each stage of the grow cycle. When you stick with one manufacturer, you don’t have to worry about inadvertently destabilizing your nutrient mixture. One example of why you need to stick with only one manufacturer’s products is Advanced Nutrients’ pH Perfect line. These products are designed to keep your crops’ root zone within a specific pH range. When you use them alongside products from other manufacturer, we can’t guarantee your root zone will maintain its optimal pH level.
Is there an easy way to know how much of each nutrient I need to add to my garden?
Yes! If you’re growing with Advanced Nutrients products, you can use our easy nutrient calculator to generate in seconds the correct nutrient chart for your crops. Check out Advanced Nutrients’ nutrient calculator here. Another great resource is our library of free custom-growing recipes. Try our expert grower-tested nutrient schedules here.
You can also download our official BudLabs app to generate nutrient schedules and receive real-time notifications for specific tasks, including feeding your crops. Upgrade to BudLabs Pro to maintain profiles on an unlimited number of crops.
Know How To Mix Nutrients Before You Start Growing
If you’ve never grown a crop before, read up on how to properly mix the nutrients you’ll use before you start your grow. This way, you’ll go into your new hobby prepared, rather than winging it while your crop progresses through its grow cycle.
There are plenty of resources available to teach you how to mix nutrients correctly. If you have questions, give the Advanced Nutrients Grower Support hotline a call or send us an email. The team is comprised of veteran growers who can walk you through any grow conundrum you may face. And it’s 100 percent free, 100 percent confidential, and designed to help you grow healthy, high-quality crops.
