Hydroponic Lettuce Experiment - Comparing Water Soluble Fertilizers

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11 жыл бұрын

I'm doing an experiment to see which water soluble fertilizer works best in a hydroponic setup. This experiment will compare Masterblend, Jacks Triple 20, Base Miracle Grow, and the Miracle Grow Tomato formula.
edit: Jacks does make a lineup of hydroponic fertilizers that would likely be a better option than the triple 20. Here's a link... www.jrpeters.com/Products/Hydr...
The goal here is to see if it's possible to use the last 3 fertilizers without any additional supplements, and to compare the overall results. It is not intended to discourage the use of either of them, as they all have situations where they could be of benefit. This is simply a side by side experiment to see how well they do at growing lettuce.
I would like to do some further testing with organic water soluble fertilizers for the folks who prefer to grow organic. Thus far, I haven't found anything except liquid. If you know of an organic water soluble fertilizer, please let me know.
/ mhp.gardener

Пікірлер: 487

@DevonWayne 7 жыл бұрын

What an inspirational and great open source educator!

@sirtom68 11 жыл бұрын

It has been worthwhile indeed.This type of side by side is what helps people who are new to hydro not make mistakes. Hats off to you brother!

@gpcm9226 10 жыл бұрын

Side by side hydroponic fertilizer comparison! Amazing. This is great.

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

If you know of an organic water soluble fertilizer that I could try, please let me know. Also, just a reminder, I'll be on prepperbroadcasting tonight talking with Rob, otherwise known as Web4Deb on youtube. The link is in the description box.

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

If you have a lot of questions, you can send them to mhpgardener@yahoo.com I'll do my best to help you.

@AdamuTubes 11 жыл бұрын

Watching your videos all afternoon whilst making 'passive hydroponic systems' out of old shoelaces, take-out & protein powder containers, I much admire & appreciate your work to share your passionate efforts with us all. Thank you much & well wishes to you and your family!

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

Thank you ! I was asked to try the Triple 20. I just looked it up, and you're right. I didn't know they had hydro formulas too. I learned something today. I'll make a note in the video.

@robertgreenwood8043 9 жыл бұрын

Mph Gardener Thanks for all the time and effort you put in these videos.If i could remember what you forgot about gardening i would be one smart gardener.You help a lot of people and again THANKS A LOT !

@mariomaldonado1313 7 жыл бұрын

You have probably the best explanatory videos, great stuff. Do you do ph test here or just mix the fertilizer.

@Automedon2 11 жыл бұрын

Caught the last half of the radio show - outstanding. I hope I remember to tune in for the next one. It's a nice break to get away from this little screen and kick back on the couch with the cat and listen to some interesting stuff. You have a great way of presenting an interview. Thanks.

@james-rgs1915 11 жыл бұрын

Great videos!! I have been a soil based gardener for a long time, you've been my top resource in switching to hydro. I don't know if you've noticed but the hydro ferts are Nitrate based, not urea or Ammonia based. Plants need the the urea and ammonia forms to be broken down by microbes and enzymes in the soil into a nitrate form. Obviously there is no soil to do this in hydro, that is why they use only nitrate based ferts. I would love to see a comparison of similar products. Great work!!!

@MrL102266 8 жыл бұрын

thanks to you, I will be planting my food this winter, your ideas are so great that I will want to all of my friends try it too.thanks.

@fairyfly500 11 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much, I am very grateful to see the experimental stuff that you have done. I am looking to start a greenhouse hydroponic system once I move down to GA. I am from CO so it will be a very different planting experience for me. I figured I would be doing these types of testing myself, but again I like to watch your videos of your observations and your personal opinions. Keep up the great work!!

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

I didn't know that. This is quite a learning process for me too. I wanted to keep people from wasting their time using the last 3 fertilizers, so I think it's been a worthwhile experiment thus far. Thank you.

@mijejo11 11 жыл бұрын

Thanks for clearing that up. I could not figure out where that number was coming from, but I knew it had to make sense in the calculation. I love what you are doing with the hyrdoponics. I am anxious to start some of my own.

@heckyes 11 жыл бұрын

Awesome. I'm very excited to see how they perform. I've thought about doing many tests like these myself but I don't have the space so I'm very glad to see you doing it! Long live Science!

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

I found out about potash several years ago when I was told that my first garden spot used to be a burn pile. Everything grew great, even though I had no idea what I was doing. Thanks Donna. :)

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

Thanks Rob.. 1) For this method, non-circulating, I've mentioned starting at 7.0.. either with good tap water, rain water, or bottled water. Harsh city water or hard well water may need some adjustment. 2) All 4 of these fertilizer mixes have the micronutrients, that's why I agreed to try them. But, they are commercial. I'm getting requests to do an organic test, but I don't know of an organic water soluble fertilizer. The liquids are too expensive.

@jonathanphipps5156 11 жыл бұрын

Love your videos. They have really got me motivated. I was using Miracle Grow for Tomatoes then switched to Jacks hydroponic formula for herbs and my lettuce took off fast. Thanks for what you do and God bless.

@hodagibreelosman5133 11 жыл бұрын

I had been delighted just to look how it is done. even the calculation of food plants fertilizers. thanks again.

@RobbsHomemadeLife 11 жыл бұрын

I am enjoying your experiments very much Bobby, thanks for sharing.

@DBIGMAN812MANY 11 жыл бұрын

Thank you Bobby for taking the time and patience to do these type of experiments and share your results and knowledge with us all. Your video's are always fun and informative. Keep the info and updates growing our way :-{}

@mck1070 9 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the video, you did a great job !!

@pauleester 11 жыл бұрын

Those plants looked great for such a short time. I like the tip on the 2" cups and water. Thanks!

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

Thanks. I've never done much with foliar feeding. Some folks claim it really helps, but I have no experience to say either way.

@honeybacres 11 жыл бұрын

Interesting experiment there Bobbie. Thanks for showing us how these 4 products compare.

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

This is a very easy and productive setup...thanks.

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

Yep, I found out about the urea vs nitrate situation while doing these experiments. The best way to learn is to just go out and do something, then post a video about it. I had a lot of feedback from the viewers and it really helped. Thanks.

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

You're welcome. I hope it helped.

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

Thank Larry. I'm learning quite a bit myself.

@XAVO21 11 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the great info!!!!! I think its really good of you to take the time and share your information.

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

Thanks Ben. Right now, with cool temps, the plants don't consume as much water. So the reservoir will be topped off when it's time for a new crop. There is very little water actually discarded from the hydro setups.

@rosanegron6629 11 жыл бұрын

very educational I have learned a lot from watching your video. I like the test you do and mention the items you use etc. keep up the good work and thank you for taking time to educated us newbies

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

Been there, done that ! Sometimes you find a channel that really keeps you interested. Rob's is like that.

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

Cool... I hope the move goes well for you. Thanks.

@daniel3484 11 жыл бұрын

Your the man Bobby! Thanks for all your hard work.

@peterc11364 8 жыл бұрын

Very nice and interesting experiment. Thanks for uploads. May I suggest to expand the test groups to leave bearing, floral bearing and fruit bearing, because all these fertilizers were designed for specific plants.

@coolguitargifts5209 9 жыл бұрын

This information is very helpful! You have really helped me so much. I need to find out where to order that Master Blend, and how to mix that. Thanks again.

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

Thanks Rob. I'm trying to come up with a cut and dry method that anyone could use. Looks like I'll have to do a lot more testing.

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

Thanks, I hope it helped.

@mhpgardener 10 жыл бұрын

Yes, it does speed things up by a few days.

@katzcradul 11 жыл бұрын

Very well done. SO informative.

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

For people who only want to grow lettuce and leafy greens, I'm gonna recommend they use something like the Hobby formula 10-8-22. Yes, they have to add epsom salt, but that is readily available. The soil based fertilizers, even though they are water soluble, just aren't gonna do as well. Thank you.

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

Thanks. I just found out about Jack's hydro formulas. And I saw the herb formula. I reckon I'll be trying it on the next run. :)

@MrSUBAIE 4 жыл бұрын

Amazing 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 I always learn new things here thank you so much, good luck From Bahrain 🇧🇭

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

Thanks. 1)The seedlings were over 3 weeks old, past due for transplanting. 2)Adrianna Butterhead 3)I order from several different sites online..hydro stores and Amazon. 4) Yes, it would work outdoors. I will be doing it later on.

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

Finally..an easy question ! The cubes are about a dime each, and the seeds are about a penny. Better to discard a few seeds than lose a few cubes. :)

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

I think it has to do mostly with the nitrogen. For hydroponics, you need the Ammonia Nitrate, and for soil you need Urea Nitrogen. Do a search for "urea nitrogen vs ammonium nitrate". I have a lot to learn, and the comments are helping a lot.

@calvin415 11 жыл бұрын

Thanks for all the great videos, I'm headed over to Hydro Gardens today to pick up some Master Blend (they are local for me, bonus!) and wanted to just say thank you for all the great advice, we're starting our first hydro garden this year and hope for great things! BTW a simple formula for volume is LxWxH (in inches) divided by 231 = gallons. :)

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

In this setup, I'm using rockwool cubes. There is no soil to mess with. Yes, you can wash the dirt off if you have soil grown seedlings. But they will wilt for a few days as they get adjusted.

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

Thanks. I did try a sample bottle one time on some plants and it worked pretty good. The liquid nutrients are a lot more expensive in relation to the water solubles that I use, so i didn't pursue it any further.

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

It's the fertilizer that is most commonly available. I had a bunch of requests asking if it would work, so I had to find out. Thanks.

@rchopp 11 жыл бұрын

Great results with the Masterblend, It will be interesting to see the results in a couple of weeks, Take care and thanks for sharing your knowledge with us. Take care.

@DJMovit 11 жыл бұрын

Thanks, I love the look of the plants...looks like you can just pluck some leaf's and still have some more later.

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

Yes, that should work fine.

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

Thanks, I'm glad it's helpful.

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

Thank you very much, I do my best.

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

I read most of his writings too. Lots of ways to do sub-irrigation and non-circulating hydro. I'm pretty sure the problem is the fertilizer. The urea based Miracle Grow is just taking it's time. I went ahead and cut one of the heads from the Masterblend box today. It was a whole lot bigger.

@ClovisX 10 жыл бұрын

love your videos! Ever consider straining your natural fertilizer form the compost heap rather than using store bought stuff? if you have tried this let me know if it worked or if there are problems doing something like that.

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

Thank you Paula. The one thing I learn from your videos is that I am always hungry ! LOL

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

I order from a few different hydro stores online, and sometimes Amazon. Most everybody has the 1.5 inch Rockwool cubes.

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

Thanks. The mixing pans are fine, but a bit small. And adding fish is something totally different. I'll be working on that in the next few months.

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

Yes... this formulation comes premixed at 4-18-38. The Epsom salt provides Magnesium, and the Calcium Nitrate provides the additional Nitrogen and Calcium to bring it up to about a 20-18-38 level.

@BobbyJackBland 11 жыл бұрын

Hey mph that was my goof i posted my question and watched the video. Lol well i ordered some cups and rockwool already so thank u for the great videos and keep up the good work!

@spockmcoyissmart961 10 жыл бұрын

thanks! very informative. I want to try growing vegies this winter and am looking at the best all around method.

@spockmcoyissmart961 9 жыл бұрын

I have successfully been growing my greens in 2 garages over the winter. Turned out very well with this method. I did add air pumps however. I can say the setups are identical for me with my method/space. I use plastic totes vs wood frames. I supply the lights, water, fertilizer. One garage is heated, aprox 75 degrees for my tropical plants. the other garage is low/mid 60's. The COOLER garage grows faster lettuce than the warmer. The leaves are also 'crisper' vs the warmer garage which the leaves are soft/wilty type. All other things being even.

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

Thank you... that is very encouraging. :)

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

Yes, they should work just fine.

@villanuevaruth21 4 жыл бұрын

Hello there MHP, been watching your video thank you for all the knowledge and I like your calculations, thanks God bless you more.

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

LOL..flashback? I used to have shoulder length hair. Now, I can't even fill up a comb ! After learning more about the differences in soil based versus hydro fertilizers, this is making sense. I wanted to do this test since so many folks wanted to know if they could use MG or Triple 20. Yes, they can...but it's gonna be a much slower process. I'll keep working on it.

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

Thanks.... I'll do my best.

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

The 3 components you listed are to get a complete fertilizer with the Masterblend. The other 3 fertilizers are being used "as-is", straight out of the box, so no additional mixing. I mix at a rate of 10 grams per 5 gallon bucket. It takes 5.6 buckets to fill 28 gallons. So, 10 grams per bucket X 5.6 (the # of buckets) = 56. The 3 components for the Masterblend are not added together for the calculation...just the base ratio of 10g per.

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

Thanks Mike. I've heard all about GH...they are very well known. My concern with the liquids is the cost. When you start mixing 25-30 gallons of nutrients at one time, the liquid goes away much faster than the powder. I'll keep trying.

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

If you search 4-18-38, it shows up. I've said before that their site is a little bit hard to navigate. If you want to try any of the other formulations, check with Hydro-Gardens. They have the complete lineup of mixes made for specific plants like tomato, strawberries, lettuce, etc. To keep it simple, I use the tomato and just weaken it down for growing leafy veggies.

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

Thank you very much..that's good to hear. :)

@IllegalAlienAutopsy 9 жыл бұрын

Hey bud, it might be a good idea to take into account what form(s) the Nitrogen is in for these different fertilizers. Some of these are probably higher in forms of Nitrogen that need to be converted by soil micro organisms before they can be accessible to the plants. I think the Miracle Gro Tomato fertilizer has a higher percentage of Nitrogen that's ready for the plants to use than the Miracle Gro All Purpose fertilizer. This may also be the case with the other fertilizer you mentioned.

@JayAbel 5 жыл бұрын

Great job. Thank you so much for the video

@MarioHemsley 8 жыл бұрын

Once again, excellent!

@aabhyankar 11 жыл бұрын

Bobby, Another informative video! Thanks for upload. Do you think spraying fertilizer on leaves about twice a week will help in having good green leaves?

@LDSPrepper 11 жыл бұрын

I agree. No two brews are the same. There would be no way to have any kind of consistency.

@ramrajjiwanand1102 11 жыл бұрын

thank you so much. u have inspired me to grow with hydroponics with all the information u give i dont need to take expensive classes. i fell in love with hydroponics and i hope to make some money from it to help out my family.im only 19 and have never planed in my life but from watching your videos i feel really experienced ☻ i do have some questions tho and would be so happy if u can get back to me

@DJMovit 11 жыл бұрын

Professor Bobby, Nice job! I love the refresher course in knowing the NPK and what to look for, I for one find it very helpful. What type of lettuce is that you are growing? Tim

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

Thank you very much.

@blackphoenix3249 10 ай бұрын

Thank you for your awesome videos. Do you need a fan or extra air flow? So excited to try🙏🏽

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

With night temps being kept in the 55 degree range, there's not a lot of cooling going on. I've checked the water temps, and they stay about 63-68 right now...perfect for lettuce. That's one good thing about a large reservoir and styrofoam insulation on top ... not much temp fluctuation.

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

Thanks Rob.

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

The lettuce is good, either in a salad or on a sandwich. How often do you clean your system? I clean my rails and boxes after each crop.

@linr7342 4 жыл бұрын

Love your water beds. What different types of plants do well in these? Is there a list anywhere or have you tried experimenting with different veggies, fruits and herbs? Thank you for your terrific videos we built our first GH and will be putting these beds in this winter to get ready for spring.

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

Thanks Brock. I just found out that Jacks made a hydro fertilizer, so I'll order some and give them another chance. Gotta be fair about it. :)

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

No, I haven't looked at the ph. I was just trying to use equal amounts and see what happened. I'll check the ph tomorrow. Thanks.

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

I'm learning a lot from this....and much of it is coming from the comments. Awesome. ;)

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

No, I use rockwool cubes or plain seed starting mix. But I think the netting is supposed to stay on. The roots will grow out with no problem.

@RobertSmith-ep1bk 11 жыл бұрын

thanks, think what you are doing is great stuff, we are in Oregon and getting ready to assemble our green house this year in hopes of producing winter salad crops. Watching you closely, as you seem to be the master. We have our own experiment going on with some romaine in an A frame rail system. When we get it dialed in I'll send you a link. Good stuff mentor!

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

Yep, that'll work. The stain was some kind of cherry I think. I had several partial cans, and just grabbed one that looked a bit dark, but not like walnut.

@omer_kaygin 9 жыл бұрын

thank you for this video. They are always helpful. Bless you =)

@JettsPetts 4 жыл бұрын

Will lettuce grow in hot summer temperatures? Love all the videos keep them coming.

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

Hey stranger...been a long time. Ya'll are having a baby? Awesome, and congratulations !

@mhpgardener 11 жыл бұрын

Thank you sir, I do my best.

@strx.artventure 11 жыл бұрын

Thanks for experimenting!

@unlearningmonocultur 11 жыл бұрын

Good Information Bobby. I find the results so far interesting in that I didn't expect regular fertilizers would do well at all. While master blend seems to be the king for hydo I'm happy to see you can still get good results with other fertilizers. In hard times hydro fertilizers might be scarce or unavailable all together. Thanks