Hydroponic Gardening | The Truth behind hydroponic nutrient blends

Learn how @vinnygrowsvegetables prepares his nutrient solution for his hydroponic systems. Also learn how to supplement your nutrient solution by extracting calcium from a natural source. This formula is cheap, easy to blend together, and provides excellent plant growth.
Products mentioned in this video:
MiracleGro Bloombooster: amzn.to/2CWnP5r
Epsom Salt: amzn.to/2WsI2IW
Distilled White Vinegar: amzn.to/2MHKcjr
Introduction to Plant Physiology: amzn.to/2Ww8NMz
*Purchases from product links in this description may earn affiliate commission for us (i.e. Amazon Affiliates Program).
Learn how to build the indoor hydroponic system here: • DIY Indoor Hydroponic ...
www.greensandmachines.com/2018...
Purchase the plans to build the bigger hydroponic garden featured on this channel:
www.etsy.com/listing/11518788...
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Credits to DJ Petesake for the music in this video / @djpetesake
More information on how to prepare Calcium Acetate:
www.greensandmachines.com/2018...
Visit www.greensandmachines.com for more

[@greensnmachines]

I'm planning on putting each of the fertilizers I've mentioned to the test in a side-by-side-by-side comparison test in the future. If you found this video helpful and would like to see more, consider subscribing to our channel

[@parfaitamour1304]

I just sub to see ur future videos 😂 good infomations

[@rosertaylor6139]

I have subscribed & the side-by-side comparisons will be interesting, however in Australia we have different products, but I can work that out.

[@greensnmachines]

@@rosertaylor6139 welcome to the channel. It might be a bit before I get around to the side by side comparisons. Just moved and still need to set this garden back up

[@generalawareness101]

@@greensnmachines I had an absolute utter failure this year with 6 months of work and everything was stunted then died using Miracle Grow which had everything you mentioned in a Kratky, and a DWC. Not sure what happened.

[@generalawareness101]

Oh, I don't eat eggs so a calcium carbonate substitute is Crayola White school type chalk. Not the sidewalk chalk as Crayola says not to use that as it isn't Calcium Carbonate while the regular chalk is.

[@wizardman1313]

I searched for a video like this, but nothing came up, only videos on store bought fertilizers and terms like "A" and "B", they didn't help me, then one day I randomly came across this video and I didn't expect it to have everything I was looking for, especially the part about making Calcium from eggshells! Great!

[@timothyblazer1749]

The farm store sells calcium for laying hens fairly cheaply as well, in case you want to buy in bulk.

[@FreeRadicalX]

Honestly one of the best hydroponic nutrient mix videos on youtube

[@arendaw]

This vid needs more upvotes for containing actual measurements and usable info on mixing nutrients that arent some brandname stuff... great job

[@greensnmachines]

Thank you!

[@shitpostingcrusader7966]

Pov: youre a redditor

[@SeamusHarper1234]

This is really nice info. I'm not sure if I will make my own fertilizer, because I am willing to pay the premium for not having to think about this too much. Understanding the process is invaluable, nevertheless!

[@compubyte2010]

AWESOME !!.. thank you so much... THIS will NOT only save me 100's of dollars.. and YEARS of trial and error !!

[@missyg_]

I've been researching a lot about hydroponics, costs in my country are really high for some of the stuff and I was very pleased when I found your video, it was very useful thank you.

[@chuckitaway466]

This video contains very practical info for beginner hydroponics. And I'm a beginner. Thanks so much

[@LiliansGardens]

I enjoyed watching this. Good and healthy plants.

[@debbiespencer4363]

Thank you very much. This video was simple and to the point. I will try this. Thank you for answering people's questions. It shows you like what you do. Have a blessed day.

[@greensnmachines]

Thank you for the kind words

[@benthere8051]

Thank you for some really good information.

[@hopegardens3057]

this video is packed with great info and visuals...thank you!

[@greensnmachines]

Thank you for the kind words, wish you the best for your garden

[@hopegardens3057]

@@greensnmachines thanks much, you as well!

[@TM-we6eg]

I'm gonna give this a go and experiment thank you for the advice and the video

[@sleepypanda9126]

Thank you very much for sharing this with us. I wanted to grow Choi sum/Yu choi using Kratky method in mason jars and wanting to find cheaper nutrients instead of buying store bought liq solutions.

[@steveraman4562]

excellent info thanks keep it going

[@roydroyd6097]

Hi, I'm from the Philippines I'm glad to find these videos 🥰💕 happy new year🎇

[@PertaniandanWisata]

Green hydroponic vegetables have a lot of nutrition. Thank you for the information

[@EdurtreG]

Very helpful. Thank you.

[@seaak6346]

Great video very informative and easy to understand. I would love to see you do a PK or bloom booster recipe, then explain how they work.

[@ssxss12]

Great information thanks for the Good info

[@AimgreatnessGaming]

Thanks for the knowledge

[@materialgirl338]

Thk you I use Fox Farms for years and have beautiful growth.

[@blueandbanana]

Thank you so much for this information! I too have a similar Plant Food box by Expert Gardener and didn't know what to do. Notes: Plant Food box is missing: Magnesium, sulfur, and maybe calcium depending on state/city water. 1/2 tbsp Plant Food per gallon of water, 1/4 tbsp epsom salt per gallon salt. For calcium: 1 egg shell with vinegar. Stir. Wait a day or two. Filter out to get calcium acetate. 1/2 tsp calicum acetate per gallon.

[@CD-rt8wj]

that was very cool!

[@cortleyjames]

Sweet been doing hydro of all types for 30 + years

[@nkvball808]

Great video- I’ve started hydroponics the same way using regular fertilizers like Fox Farm Grow Big (regular soil version) Epsom salt and calcium extracted from egg shells w similar results! That formula seems to do better than MaxiGro for lettuce and pak Choi.

[@bossmannblues1923]

Thanks you

[@lynkcoely91]

I enjoyed the Fatboy Slim reference, cheers

[@freedomanonyme4597]

Hi! Thank you for this video! Very helpful. Just one think, what is the frequency you add these nutrients to your solution?

[@greensnmachines]

Every week or so, depending on how fast the water in the reservoir is being consumed. Some of that can be due to evaporation though. Just have to see how the plants look to know

[@pumasoledad2001]

So what is the dosage you use when using the regular liquid fertilizer ?

[@tamarkatzwer3421]

thank you for this. Very educational. Can this be used to grow a fruiting plant? Specifically peppers in a kratky setup. Or is it only for leafy greans

[@greensnmachines]

I have used this to grow peppers in a kratky system

[@sandrasmith392]

Im brand new to hydroponic growing. Im planning to start with green leafy vegetables. How often do the fretilizer, episom salts and calcium need to be added to the water?

[@pedclarkemobile]

Very informative, presented in a digestible way. Having been on both sides of the counter at boa few different Hydro retail stores, many people spend way more on plant nutrients than they need to. Ruthless marketing and lack of basic knowledge of essential elements leaves consumers vulnerable to pricey bottles with a shiny label. Something that is very relevant to ALL hydroponic methods is pH. For anyone growing hydroponic plants it is essential data, readily available and very low cost. Either a pH pen or liquid indicator test kits (both are fairly simple to use). Deficiency symptoms may appear despite all elements being present, pH is usually the culprit.

[@gregc.9313]

How did one grow hydroponically with success BEFORE ph meters were invented? How are many folks that are poor (financially) but utilize the salvage they find to create their own hydro systems but can’t afford all the PH stuff on a consistent basis growing successfully? Did you know ALL of the PH companies are majority owned by Monsanto and Blackrock?

[@pedclarkemobile]

@@gregc.9313 universal indicator.

[@totopolo2379]

great

[@thenande]

Hi, thanks for your great information! May I know if the calcium acetate solution is made from 3 egg shells and half plastic cup of vinegar in the video? Does it matter if I add different amount of eggshells?

[@greensnmachines]

More eggshells provides more surface area for the acetic acid to react, meaning better conversion of Calcium Carbonate to Calcium Acetate, and less likely to have residual acetic acid remaining in the solution.

[@thenande]

@@greensnmachines Thank you so much!

[@andyjessica1749]

Thank you so much now I do not have to buy expensive fertilizers for my few hydroponic for fun. Can you do the banana peel for potassium (water soluble potassium).

[@greensnmachines]

From what I've researched, the process of extracting potassium from bananas is much more complicated than calcium from egg shells. I do not recommend attempting

[@ali-bl8is]

Great video! I have an unrelated question. Would plants be able to absorb the nutrients from a DIY fish fertilizer (ground fish, sawdust, molasses and water; let to ferment) or is this type of fertilizer only suitable to "feed your soil"? I am planning to switch from regular container gardening to a soilless, but preferably organic vegetable gardening on my terrace.

[@snakebored]

Yes 100% I’ve made a hydroponic system that had a siphon/drainage that would soak leca from water that was used in a tilapia tank, only issue would be to keep checking on the pH of the water but the bacteria from the fish water would “breed” inside the holes of the clay pebbles and worked way better than adding dry nutrients . Idk compared to liquid solutions but I like the general hydroponics bloom trio works fine if you’re just starting out , I think your mix of ground fish would work fine

[@ali-bl8is]

@@snakebored Thank you for your input! Actually I've now opted for a grow bag/ rain gutter self watering - type system as I find the hydroponic solution only maintanance approach way too expensive (Spain) and "complicated". I do prefer soil and that way I can use my fish scraps as well. I initially looked into the soil -less approach because I have a huge white fly problem here, but I think that bottom watering and adding a layer of clay pebbles as a mulch pretty much solves the problem.

[@janemacasiano1863]

Hi do you use one container for both epsom and 15-30-15 then mix it up?

[@greensnmachines]

I'm not sure what you're asking, but I mix up the nutrients dry in a container before adding to the reservoir. I hope this answers your question.

[@bdgackle]

I appreciate the safety warnings about chemistry. Scary to think what could happen if an unqualified person were to add egg shells to vinegar outside of a properly certified fume hood using OSHA approved PPE.

[@greensnmachines]

There are many reactions involved in fertilizer production that are not as "tame" as the one mentioned in this video

[@debbiekling5518]

Any thoughts on adding Fulvic Acid ?

[@greensnmachines]

I've never used it

[@SchwiftyFingers]

Hi. I can source the epsom salt and calcium nitrate. But I have a npk 19-19-19 which doesn't have the micro nutrients. I can buy the micro nutrients separately. Is there any way in which I can know how much Teaspoon to use? Edit: I'm from india. And cannot source miracle grow or masterblend in my country.

[@greensnmachines]

Hello, I do not have an exact amount for how much of the micronutrient solution to mix in that would work.

[@SchwiftyFingers]

@@greensnmachines alright. I'll do some trial and error. Ty

[@tinkertom3683]

You seem very knowledgeable on the subject I have a question for you. How do you measure the element concentrations in solution? So you can adjust accordingly. I want to add macro and trace elements to the mix as nutritious fruits and veggies are important for the human health. I'm a noob to the world of plants and hydroponics so please be patient 😅. I'm not too sure how plants in General up take nutrients do they absorb what they need and leave the rest in solution or do they absorb all nutrients in equal amounts? If they use more iron for example and less of an other element wouldn't the concentration be unbalanced especially with trace elements, the EC readings could say the system is okay? Or there could be a dangerous amount of a certain trace element. The book in the beginning of the video looks interesting 🤔

[@rosertaylor6139]

Question. It appears that you are using regular packet fertilizers rather than those specifically for hydroponics. Is this correct?

[@greensnmachines]

Correct

[@chrisl8950]

@@greensnmachines I use a generic and it also says water soluable just like miraclegro. Not sure if you've tried solid slow release or any other soil amendment kinds of formulas

[@yaqi7681]

Thank you for this! @anyone who has tried this, does it work? Any advice? I just got home with a bucket of miracle gro bloom + some epsom salt, gonna try to this solution out with the kratky method on lettuce :3 will also try it out with strawberries ! not sure if it'll work, i'm a complete beginner.

[@greensnmachines]

Check some of my more recent hydroponic videos. I use this recipe in that big garden

[@yaqi7681]

@@greensnmachines Nice, I took a look at your NFT system, super cool ! Do you have any experience growing tomatoes or strawberries with this solution/the kratky method? I didn't use calcium in my solution because my Toronto water has 32.3ppm of calcium (?) not sure if that'll work.

[@jackyabdoul1435]

Why don’t you use the Calcium Nitrat? It is very easy to find.

[@greensnmachines]

That's an option, I didn't want to buy it off the internet when I had a ready supply in eggshells

[@salehdag2190]

Music disturbs understanding

[@cortleyjames]

Don’t forget your PH /water temp

[@greensnmachines]

Very important. Some day in the future I'd like to learn how to rig up raspberry pi or something to do temperature/pH/control valve automation

[@valeriesanchez3074]

I bought masterblend off walmart. Like dam these nutrients give me pro results lol.

[@chrisl8950]

they stock it? Never seen it in store. Only online and shipped from the website

[@Fx_Explains]

Can i use chicken poop? how many chicken poop per gallon do i need if chicken poop will work.

[@werewasyo]

So don't need to buy masterblend?

[@greensnmachines]

If you watch the MHPgardener video, he puts similar big box fertilizer mixtures to the test vs the masterblend, so you can see how effective they are in comparison.

[@jasonfriedman8658]

I hope by now you cleaned your stove 😂

[@greensnmachines]

Na it was cheaper to replace it

[@mrdotak6]

What about 13-40-13 ?.

[@greensnmachines]

I haven't tested a fertilizer with that specific ratio. I suspect it would work, but it would depend on the content of micronutrients blended in

[@mrdotak6]

@@greensnmachines for micronutrient I'll be specially using combi-2 micronutrient. So no problem in that. Only concern is of macronutrient npk ratio.

[@bri3449]

4:31

[@bri3449]

5.5 tbsps

[@dianawilliams7955]

Interesting but I could sure do without that background noise. Thanks

[@Abc1234xxx]

Love the egg trick. Im going to put a balloon on a bottle and let the CO2 get trapped so i can reintroduce it to my plants

[@AMBlues]

Background music is distracting.

[@sixmillionaccountssilenced6721]

3:23 - You really don't want 5.7% NH4 form out of total 15% N in hydro which is more than 33%. You also don't want urea Nitrogen. You want mostly NO3 and very small amount of NH4. Optimal NH4:NO3 ratio IN HYDROPONICS is in 1:10 to 1:20 range (depending on CO2 supplementation) so something like 3-5% NH4. This is way too much. NH4 is toxic in hydro in amounts larger than 20-30ppm...

[@Meleeman011]

ACIDIC AcId LOLOLOL. it's Acetic Acid

[@greensnmachines]

Congrats on being the first person to point out that typo

[@w___s]

That "music" background is really annoying and distracting.

[@brucepraska7781]

I just started hydroponic growing myself but was wondering for plants like radishes and onions and particularly beets should I try something a little more I guess basic since they don't necessarily need that much of those nutrients you mentioned

[@greensnmachines]

Have you considered how the tap root for those plants will grow in your system?

[@brucepraska7781]

@@greensnmachines I'm currently using a DWC for the radishes but having some issues with the beets and wondering if it has something to do with nutrients in my water but when I test the ph it's WELL WITHIN the right range. Any suggestions as far as what could be the issue like it almost seems like the beets growth is a bit stunted or could it have something to do with my setup

[@brucepraska7781]

@@greensnmachines one other question for you Im currently growing radishes with a fairly large parsley plant. what volume of fertilizer should I use in a 5 gallon bin holding 6 2" net cups and the one parsley?