How to DIY your own hydroponic nutrients from only raw salts

In this video, I show you how to prepare hydroponic nutrients from all raw salts, without having to use any premixed micronutrient blend. The micronutrients are supplied using low-cost metal sulfates and the metals are then chelated in-situ using disodium EDTA. The solutions are prepared in a 1:100 concentration (1 gal prepares 100 gallons of final solution).
These ingredients, especially those of the B solution when bought in industrial-grade purities, are not adequate for the preparation of more highly concentrated solutions. To prepare solutions above 1:100, higher grade purity inputs, or different inputs altogether, are required.
The formulations for 250mL of final solution are given below:
Solution A (250mL final volume)
- Calcium Nitrate (agricultural grade) - 27.368g
- Potassium Nitrate - 0.425g
- Red food dye
Solution B (250mL final volume)
- Magnesium Sulfate (heptahydrate) - 12.677g
- Monopotassium phosphate - 4.394g
- Disodium EDTA - 1.8g
- Sodium Benzoate - 0.050g
- Potassium Sulfate - 9.912gg
- Iron Sulfate (anhydrous) - 0.163g
- Manganese Sulfate (anhydrous) - 0.069g
- Zinc Sulfate (monohydrate) - 0.034g
- Boric Acid - 0.072g
- Copper Sulfate (pentahydrate) - 0.005g
- Sodium Molybdate (dihydrate) - 0.003
- Green food dye
Please bear in mind that the exact salts above should be used. Adjustments need to be made when the degree of hydration of the salts does not match the example. For example, if you do not find anhydrous iron sulfate but, iron sulfate heptahydrate, you will need to adjust the amount accordingly. If you need help with any such adjustments, please leave a comment below.
These are the target concentrations for the different elements (in ppm):
N (NO3-) - 160
N (NH4+) - 12
P - 40
K - 235
Mg - 50
Ca - 208
S - 141
Fe - 2.4
Mn - 1.0
Zn - 0.5
B - 0.5
Cu - 0.05
Mo - 0.05
Here are some of the glassware and scales used in the process:
(Please notice that the Amazon links below are affiliate referral links. This means that if you click on them I may receive a commission from purchases. There is no additional cost to you, but it helps me to keep posting content for free.)
Class A Volumetric Flask (250mL)
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Beaker set
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Recommended scale (+/-0.01, 500g max)
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[@nevales]

You're amazing and generous. Bless you a lot. Thank you

[@user-gh8wt2zi2n]

Finally, the video I've been looking for. So many videos claiming DIY nutrients only to be disappointed. Thank you 🙏🏼👍🏻✌🏼

[@ScienceinHydroponics]

Thanks for commenting! Let us know about your experience if you make them.

[@stefano5080]

When the scale is not precise enough to dose the microelements, I dilute a greater quantity of them in water and then take a fraction of it. For example, needing 0.005gr of copper sulphate, I can dilute 0.05gr in 100ml of water and put 10ml (~10gr) of it into the fertilizer.

[@ScienceinHydroponics]

Thanks for commenting. That is the right approach if you want to be accurate and your scale - like mine - sucks. I honestly didn't think I would be having this sensitivity issues with the scale as I had weighed low quantities (certainly not as low) before.

[@piotrjarecki1835]

Been following your website and read all articles, very nice the youtube channel getting some love now :) Keep up the good work! Cheers from Poland

[@ScienceinHydroponics]

Thanks for your comment and support! I am very happy you like it!

[@steveraman4562]

excellent info keep it going

[@paulbraga4460]

meticulous every time...wonderful...mygreathanks and blessings

[@akoini4199]

sharing to my group...thanks a lot

[@ScienceinHydroponics]

Thanks for sharing!

[@funderspunder8148]

Hey, thanks for the awesome content and for answering my last comment too. Ive been having tons of fun mixing my own solutions lately. Ive also noticed that when i add peroxide to keep my system cleaner (rather than something like hydroguard) my solution turns cloudy over the span of a few hours. Im assuming that it's reacting with something and causing precipate? Should i be worried? Thanks and please keep making great videos.

[@emel6956]

Hello Dr. Danniel, Thanks verry much for sharing this information with the world. I was searching for the chemicals to compose the solution and encountered I problem. I can’t Find the anhydrous iron sulfate but the iron sulfate heptahydrate is available. The same problem with Manganese Sulfate (anhydrous), the monohydrate is available. The Zinc Sulfate (monohydrate) seems not to exist according to Wikipedia? Witch replacement to use for those chemicals and how to adjust the amount in the formula. Please keep in mind that I m not a Chemist. Thanks verry much for you reply. 👍

[@gennodinnilong9115]

I have problems with 3 inputs. These are Iron Sulfate monohydrate, Zinc Sulfate heptahydrate and Manganese Sulfate 98% Feed Grade. These are not the same as what you used. Can you help me by giving me the correct weight for these inputs? I really like your channel and watching it almost daily. I am also a subscriber and signed up with your newsletter. Thank you

[@TechniqueUndRoses]

Hello. How to count Disodium EDTA? Thank you.

[@clovesystems8998]

Hi Daniel, it is great that you are sharing very informative videos on nutrient solutions and help people who don't have access to Hydroponics Solutions. Just wanted to check if I have to prepare 1000ml instead of 250ml, Can I multiple the weights of individual salts by 4 times? Would it yield the same concentration as yours. Thank you.

[@ScienceinHydroponics]

Thanks for commenting! Exactly, just multiply the masses by 4 if your final volume is 1000mL and you'll each the same final concentrations.

[@atulksanjiv]

Hi What to do if iron sulphate(anhydrous) and magnesium sulphate(anhydrous) is not available?

[@shshin2758]

I love these series :) So much to learn from them. I would like to someday create a subtitle in my language and send it to you so people can come here and learn. It's really hard to get quality contents like this where I live. I actually have quite a few questions, if you have the time, please :) 1. Is there a reason why you added salts of larger amounts first, unlike the first vid? 2. For those of us who use a different chelated micronutrients premix, which micronutrient should we base our amount on? So, say if the micronutrient I bought has more Zinc or Boron than the one usually used in hydroponics, should we just go with a lower amount of Cu, Mn, Mo, or even Fe, so that we don't get too much Zn or B in our solution? 3. In Hydrobuddy, iron is in the default set as to be mixed in solution A. Is this something you decided to change or should I still follow what it tells me? 4. I usually create a 1L batch of 1:250 solution by dissolving the hard to dissolve salts in 3 batches of 250ml volumetric flask and then mixing in the rest in the last 250ml. Wouldn't doing this save time by not having to make concentrates too often, and also having the benefit of not needing to use sodium benzoate by being more concentrated? or is there a problem in this practice? Also, not a question but a small bug report: the accuracy of the scale does not save correctly in Hydrobuddy. Thank you again for your wonderful content. 10/10!

[@ScienceinHydroponics]

Thanks for commenting and supporting my channel! It makes me happy to read people are enjoying the content. About your questions: 1. In this particular case I needed the pH to be set for the chelating agent to properly work, so I needed to make the large additions first due to this reason in solution B. The order of addition can be optimized depending on what you care about most (reducing the cost of potential mistakes, increasing the speed of dissolution, avoid having to heat, etc). In the case of solution A, it was just easier to use the beaker and weigh the heavier substance first. 2. Many micro blends are not meant to be used in hydroponics and have unacceptable ratios. For example, many micro nutrient blends are made for foliar spraying and their Zn or Cu is just too large to be used in hydroponics. If your micro blend does not comply with the normal ratios used in hydroponics, I would say it is preferable to just prepare your own micro nutrient solution from raw salts. Make sure the micro blend is designed for hydroponics, note that this is NOT the same as fertirrigation. 3. It is common to mix iron chelates in solution A, to avoid problems when some of the other micronutrients are not chelated. If everything is chelated you can put Fe in A or B, especially if B is set to an acidic pH (3-4). In this case, I put it in the B solution because I wanted to only add chelating agent to the B solution. 4. In this case, you would have a lower error by using a 1L volumetric flask, instead of doing 4 additions. Also you will need to use sodium benzoate, regardless of the concentration of the solution, if you use chelates and intend to store the solution for any significant period of time. Sometimes making 1:250 can be very hard if the inputs are not pure enough, in this case - where I have quite low quality inputs that are often found in developing countries - going for such high concentrations can be counter productive when generating chelates in situ. About your bug report: Thanks, I will look into it! Thanks again for commenting, I hope the above answers your questions :)

[@whoisthatguy420]

Can you recommend a substitute for the boric acid? I cant legally source it where I live :/

[@NewAgeGardens]

Thank you, so how do you dilute the solution to the plants?? Or you can give it directly to plants ?? Thanks

[@paulbraga4460]

this can be used for foliar?

[@GrowPotCheaply]

To dissolve disodium EDTA the water needs to be ph to 8 first. But Tetrasodium EDTA will dissolve in water because it has a high ph naturally.

[@ScienceinHydroponics]

Thanks for commenting! Tetrasodium EDTA is definitely easier to dissolve. Bear in mind that disodium EDTA will dissolve at lower pH if you have heavy metal ions present that can get chelated. The chelation of the heavy metals displaces the equilibrium and fully dissolves the disodium EDTA, even at acidic pH values.

[@hipNds]

Hi Daniel, thank you as always for the great videos and knowledge sharing for the hydroponics community. I was wondering about the amount of disodium edta to be added to the heavy metal solution at higher concentration. Say at a 1:200 concentration factor (with higher grade starting material) at 250mL, do I just multiply it from 1.8g to 3.6? Thanks again and cheers from Thailand.🇹🇭

[@ScienceinHydroponics]

Thanks for writing. You can certainly just multiply proportionately for the higher concentration.

[@LeonardoDuljic]

Hello Daniel, great series, I really enjoy it. One question, if I substitute boric acid with liquid boric acid (purity >99.5%) ... how many ml should I add instead of the 0.072g. cheers, Leonardo

[@ScienceinHydroponics]

You will need to calculate the % of Boron in your product by volume and then calculate how much you would need to replace the solid boric acid addition. I cannot tell you from the data provided.

[@whoisthatguy420]

Isn't the amount of sulfate in the solutions going to supply a hefty amount of sulphur to the plants? I got that u chose sulfates because of them being somewhat readily available and cost effective, but i'd love to hear if there is a decent alternative to the Potassium Sulfate in the mix :) Also you make by far the most informative and in-depth content about this on youtube, thanks for this

[@seymourgreen5859]

Hi Dr Dan! Could this possibly be used as a veg solution for medicinal plants?

[@ScienceinHydroponics]

Thanks for commenting. Most plants should grow healthy with this solution - especially when producing only leaves - if root zone pH and EC are properly managed and root zone aeration and irrigation are adequate.

[@NSchaferFilm]

If you have hard water would you need to test the water beforehand to see how much calcium and magnesium is already there, or is that not necessary? Thanks for the videos :)

[@ScienceinHydroponics]

Thanks for commenting. You do need to test your water if you intend to use the nutrients along your water source without treatment. You then need to create a formulation where that Mg and Ca are accounted for.

[@Buggered71]

Hello Daniel,I am a european fellow of yours,what values do you suggest in my formulation including average 50ppm of calcium and 27 of Magnesium and a Total alkalinity of 240ppm Carbonates of my tap water,considering It Is for Coco coir Hydroponic cultivars? I have problems with Coco coir specific formulation fertilizers and calcium uptake/lockout

[@ScienceinHydroponics]

In this case you likely need to prepare your own formulation using phosphoric and sulfuric acids to adjust the pH and raw fertilizers to prepare the solutions. Commercial hydroponic fertilizers are not made to account for alkalinity or Mg content this high. If you require additional help, please consider booking an hour of consulting time.

[@kenwalker9780]

Is it possible to find your formula or recipe in a format that I can copy and paste? Id love to have a printed sheet that I could more easily follow. I cant seem to copy the recipe that you provided in the video description.

[@ScienceinHydroponics]

Thanks for the suggestion, I will think about a way to share it that is more friendly.

[@alvaroperez961]

What would be the N-P-K numbers for this solution? Great channel, thank you

[@ScienceinHydroponics]

Thanks for commenting. For solution A, the values are 1.72-0-0.079 for solution B they are 0-0.917-2.752.

[@dkc_1978]

Thanks Sir, Please explain me , is it for leafy veg. Or flowering ones?

[@ScienceinHydroponics]

As in my previous video, this is a generic formulation meant to grow all types of plants just fine. It is suboptimal for everything but generic enough to keep plants alive and well in most cases. It is however not optimal for either flowering plants nor leafy greens.

[@melodydunn4546]

Do you have any recommendations for getting the salts to dissolve? I am trying to add potassium sulfate to my nutrients but I'm struggling to get it completely dissolved.

[@ScienceinHydroponics]

Thanks for commenting! Potassium sulfate is a classic problematic salt. Most sources are rather low purity and will be quite difficult to dissolve and - even then - substantial insoluble impurities will remain. Heating the solution helps dissolve things. As a rule of thumb, don't go above 1:200 if you're using K sulfate, especially if the quality of the sulfate is not very high. You can also recrystallize K sulfate if you want to improve the quality of the input. If possible, try to avoid using it if you don't have access to a recrystallized, high purity potassium sulfate.

[@melodydunn4546]

@@ScienceinHydroponics I liked the idea because I think I also can use more sulfur for my nutrients. What do you recommend as a potassium boost instead? Or do you know a good source of potassium sulfate? I am using Down to Earth.

[@ScienceinHydroponics]

Higher quality potassium sulfates are sources like Yara and Haifa irrigation grade salts. Like YaraTera Krista SOP. The Down to Earth potassium sulfate is low quality in terms of solubility. As a replacement to potassium sulfate, you can choose to use more potassium nitrate and mono potassium phosphate, reducing your Ca nitrate and Mg nitrate use if necessary. There are also salts like potassium citrate and potassium acetate that can be used, although with some problems because of the carbon source that's added with them.

[@PoiKiaMau]

Another great video! Thank you! Is there a general rule on using Sodium Benzoate? Like a formula how much do I need on a specific quantity of stock nutrient solution?

[@ScienceinHydroponics]

Thanks for commenting. That depends on the components of your solution, the pH of the solution and how it will be exposed to fungal spores. For a solution like this, 200mg/L is a high enough concentration, but solutions with additional carbon sources might requires substantially more. Bear in mind that benzoate is only an effective preservative at pH values lower than 5, if your stock solution is not acidic, then you will need to use other preservatives.

[@pelegsap]

Do you think using a bit of Hydrogen peroxide is a good idea?

[@ScienceinHydroponics]

No, it is not a good idea.

[@pelegsap]

@@ScienceinHydroponics Interesting. Why is that? tbh I always store my concentrated solutions without any preservatives, because I thought the salt solution was concentrated enough to prevent real growth of anything. Then again, I never stored them for longer than 2 months 😛

[@PoiKiaMau]

@@ScienceinHydroponics Thank you so much!

[@surfieldthomasjr.4404]

Can iron sulfate anhydrous be swapped out with Ferrous Sulfate Heptahydrate?

[@ScienceinHydroponics]

Yes, but you should correct the mass to account for the same moles of Fe.

[@ravikiranramanath5579]

Are the Nutrients same during different stages of plant? For which stage of plant we can provide this nutient

[@ScienceinHydroponics]

These nutrients are not meant for any specific period of plant growth. They are generic, meaning that they will fit overall plant needs. However, they do not provide additional Ca, P or K which might be desirable during flowering and fruiting stages for fruiting crops.

[@atulagarwal5514]

How to judge the quantity of sodium benzoate that is to be added?

[@ScienceinHydroponics]

This depends on the contamination burden you expect, but normally 400mg/gal is a good start.

[@omarbastardo4587]

Can you please list the recipe for the best nutrition for leafy greens?

[@ScienceinHydroponics]

I will consider this for a future video.

[@FreeFire08056]

can i use calcium ammunium nitrate alternat of calcium nitrate.

[@ScienceinHydroponics]

The video uses agricultural calcium nitrate, which is calcium ammonium nitrate.

[@giannisttakka2780]

Very nice video, but I've watched in another video to that EDTA is not very good

[@jagadishseervir8122]

Can I use manganese sulfate (monohydrate)

[@ScienceinHydroponics]

Yes, you can. You need to adjust the amount proportionally to the difference in molar mass with the source I used though.

[@totopolo2379]

I love the formulas but also how you used sodium benzoate in a probable vitamin C environment . Plants can get rid of benzene but better not having that possibility

[@ScienceinHydroponics]

The amount in the final solution is going to be extremely low. No significant plant uptake into tissue would be expected.

[@jagadishseervir8122]

Can I use zinc sulfate .7H2O?

[@ScienceinHydroponics]

Yes, you can. You need to adjust the amount proportionally to the difference in molar mass with the source I used though.

[@johanclaassens5998]

please make a A and B Grow and a A and B Bloom 🙏

[@ScienceinHydroponics]

Thanks, I will consider doing a video about this!

[@ehabkamel6197]

I did not get the reason why the top of solution you throw away from the flask right before you put it in the final jar, thank you.

[@ScienceinHydroponics]

That's just purging. You wash it with a small amount of solution several times to ensure that the jar is washed of any impurities it might contain before you add the bulk of the solution.

[@omarbastardo4587]

How many gallons of nutrient solution can you make with this concentrate?

[@ScienceinHydroponics]

This question is answered within the description of the video.

[@jasonsu2148]

Quick question, so I am trying to replicate a well known brand fertilzier that has micro, grow, and bloom. Using salts, that means I would have to prepare 6 bottles from A and B solutions for all three? How are these companies able to combine A and B without worrying about compatibility and precipitation? Thanks

[@ScienceinHydroponics]

There are many ways to formulate solutions. What you have there is an A/B/C configuration, where you use A/B/C at different proportions through a growth cycle. You can get lab analysis for each bottle and then just copy each bottle exactly, no need to do 3, A/B splits. Which inputs to use depends exactly on what goes into each bottle.

[@jasonsu2148]

@@ScienceinHydroponics Thanks for the quick reply. For us hobby growers, without getting a lab analysis for each bottle due to cost and the fact that plants are pretty resilient; how are we able to create those solutions without precipitation and without 3 A/B splits? I am sure this will help many watching your videos that are trying to create solutions that are not in the extreme side of becoming 100% accurate with the exact figures?

[@jasonsu2148]

@@ScienceinHydroponics I have also read your blog on ABC solution, but how are we able to find compounds that are able to be used as the shared C solution? Do we just play around with it? My process was dissect the elements for each bottle and then bought salts that could make each bottle into A/B for each. Though there are some common elements, I’m having trouble finding common compound that would mix to equal the the numbers of ppm and obviously I would also have to set the weights for the common on compound once found.

[@ScienceinHydroponics]

@@jasonsu2148 If you are new to nutrient preparation then I would advise you stick to A/B preparations for the start - which HydroBuddy can help you mix more easily - you can then change to more complicated setups when you get more experience. Figure out the final ppm targets you want to get in your solution, then create a single A/B mix for it. Choosing salts comes from knowledge about chemical interactions between compounds and experience in the mixing of solutions. So sadly it is not easy to summarize in a short reply. Also bear in mind that the labels on bottled nutrients are often not an accurate representation of what's actually in the bottle - differences can be quite big - so chemical analysis is a requirement if you want to reproduce bottled nutrients. If you go of f the label then your results will likely be very different compared to those bottles, even if you are able to match what the bottles have on the label. If you want to make your own fertilizer, then I believe you are likely to be more successful using a traditional hydroponic formulation like a Hoagland solution - rather than trying to copy some commercial nutrient without a proper analysis.

[@jasonsu2148]

@@ScienceinHydroponics thank you so much, last question I am sure many want to know, if we do spend the money to do analysis. What information would it give us? The exact compound to use or would it just give us the exact ppm of elements?

[@Binode24]

What is the ratio between various salt

[@ScienceinHydroponics]

Thanks for writing. You can calculate whichever ratios you need from the data provided in the description.

[@bhoom2tika]

Measurements please

[@jand7277]

@10:40 if you face such situation, there is always possibility, at least for soluble substances - you can weigh more mass, say 500mg, dissolve it in volumetric flask, fill up to mark, and then get 1:100 of full flask volume by pipette. You got these 5 miligrams of substance precisely.

[@ScienceinHydroponics]

Thanks for commenting. Certainly! That is a great way to do it, in fact the preferable way to do it when weighing things at such low masses.

[@roydroyd6097]

What if I put iron chellate A mix❓

[@ScienceinHydroponics]

Thanks for writing. You can do this only if you add an Fe chelate directly. The process here, using Fe sulfate to then generate the chelate with disodium EDTA, cannot be done if adding Fe to the A.

[@roydroyd6097]

@@ScienceinHydroponics but I see many videos they add iron chelate on A mix with calcium nitrate and potassium sulfate I they are wrong❓

[@sushilwankar8184]

I downloaded your calculator but in substance selection there is no manganese sulphate to select from list. Previously it was there but now many salts are missing from the selection list. Could you please let us know why. I don't have manganese edta. Could you please help how I can use Manganese sulphate

[@ScienceinHydroponics]

Thanks for commenting. Please read this blog post for more information about the default database in hydrobuddy (scienceinhydroponics.com/2020/08/about-the-default-fertilizer-database-in-hydrobuddy.html). You can add any substance you want by using the "Add New" button and entering the composition information for the desired substance.

[@sushilwankar8184]

@@ScienceinHydroponics thank you for your reply. I greatly appreciate your efforts to make available such a great hydroponics nutrient calculator and that is for free. I am trying to grow hydroponically from many years now. Your website helped me a lot. I live in India and hydroponics nutrients were not available at all back then. So I decided to make my own and your calculator and website came in to my life like an angel. I am hobbyist grower and don't make any income out of it. If in future I made some .. definitely I would be happy to donate or I would say reward your immense efforts. Thanks once again.

[@giskio]

What can i say...thanks!

[@ScienceinHydroponics]

Thanks for your support!

[@davidnewton3064]

Most of this seems no different than building furniture from Ikea or assembling a computer from components. It's just a process. What struck me was the order of the additions. You mentioned adding one of them early in the preparation to eliminate the heavy metals precipitating out of solution later on. Like how do you know that? Is that just knowledge gained through a Chemistry education? Is there some kind of order of operations chapter in an organic chemistry textbook that informs you of what will cause things to fall out of solution? When I first started hydroponics I would use a full strength ph down into my reservoir and a cloud would form. I learned it was precipitates falling out but I never understood how people know exactly what was happening.

[@ScienceinHydroponics]

Thanks for commenting. In chemistry you normally learn some simple solubility rules during your very first chemistry courses. When you learn about chemical equilibria you learn about how pH affects the substances present in solution and their solubility, as well as concepts such as the constant solubility product, which are very useful to understand the solubility of substances. After you go through the degree you gain enough experience to be good at forecasting whether things will precipitate or not depending on the ions present and solution conditions.

[@thehazelnutspread]

You say that these are EASY to purchase but I haven't got a clue where to buy this kind of stuff........

[@ScienceinHydroponics]

Nowadays you can buy them in ebay, amazon or locally in chemical supply or agricultural shops.

[@totopolo2379]

truly economic salts if you knownwhere to look at

[@totopolo2379]

insta sub