Mullins Farms In Valley Springs

I cannot stress enough the importance of having your water tested. A good water test is surprisingly cheap and will tell you exactly what is in your water (message me if you need the name of a good water testing service); from that you can gauge what steps need to be take to ensure your water is the best it can be for your plants growing needs. Another option is to take a sample of your water to a pet store that sells ornamental fish, where they will usually test it for free. Shh, I didn’t tell you that. 🙂

That being said, I wanted to do a quick post and video on “How To Mix The 3 Part Flora Series Advanced Nutrient System” in your water so you don’t screw it up and make the nutrients unavailable.

Start with knowing the levels of certain minerals in your water. At a minimum you should know the current PPM, PH, hardness and calcium amounts. If you have a general PPM meter, and it shows anything over 200 PM, you should use the FloraMicro designed for hard water. The same goes if you have over 70 PPM of calcium – use FloraMicro for hard water. If you’re using Reverse Osmosis (RO) water you should add General Hydroponics CALiMAGic, usually at a rate of 5ml (1 Teaspoon) per gallon of water.

Now for the fun part.

Make sure to mix your nutrient solutions well before adding the next one, and clean your measuring device in between adding each nutrient type.

1. So water is tested, you are using the right kind of FloraMicro – normal or hard water version. If you are using RO water, and for optimal growth you really should be using RO water, the first thing to add is the General Hydroponics CALiMAGic, at a rate of 5ml (1 Teaspoon) per gallon of water. Stir your solution well after adding. Wash out measuring device.

Remember: Always add your FloraMicro before FloraGrow or FloraBloom, or nutrient lockout can occur. Make sure to never mix the individual nutrient solutions together. Always add each chemical to the water.

2. Put in the FloraMicro and then stir well. Make sure to clean your measuring device.

3. Add FloraGrow, stir well and clean measuring device.

4. Add FloraBloom, stir well and clean measuring device.

Now put in an aerator into your nutrient solution and let it run for 30 minutes for the PH to settle and make sure everything is well mixed.

5. Check your PH and PPM and record in your logs. Usually the PH is pretty close. Adjust with General Hydroponics PH UP or General Hydroponics PH Down, let it sit for another 30 minutes while being aerated and recheck.

Over the first couple days the PH will drift a bit, but after that the PH should stay somewhat stable. I like to keep a daily log of what’s happening. At a minimum you should include date, time, PH, ppm of nutrient solution, how much water the plants are using daily, grow room average temperature, growth rate of plants and what your plants are doing or look like to help troubleshoot issues that come up.

5ml = 1 Teaspoon
15ml = 1 Tablespoon
30ml = 1 fluid ounce

Below is a video of Jesse from General Hydroponics showing how to mix up your nutrients.

Happy Growing!

General Hydroponics Flora Series Mixing Chart - Click image for full size.