AKMARK, RickyShaw, other MasterBlend, FloraNova users - AKMAR

[Ricky Shaw]

I weigh actually. The 16oz glass was more a visual example of the small amount of solids required to fertilize 55gals. For mature plants under a fruit load my weights were 5oz 4-18-38, 5 oz Cal, 2.75oz Mag

A pH/EC meter is handy to establish source water baselines and to check that your fert measurements were correct. Lots of variables, the plants will tell you what they like.

Here's a link with info and directions. https://hydro-gardens.com/product/to...box-4-18-38x5/

[Barb_FL]

Just an update - Feeding has been going well although very time consuming, Florida's weather has been super cooperative so much better than Fall 2015.
Lots of fruit set, lots of big fruits, and huge plants.

When I initially set up my plants (EarthBoxes and RootPouches), I mixed in the TomatoTone/PlantTone. I'm sure with the RootPouches the original fertz have leached out by now. Previous seasons with the EB' even before this stage, they would be OUT OF FOOD.

I typically have a lot of wind so the potting mix dries out quickly.

To save time, the first thing I do for the RootPouches is douse them with plain water, then I FEED them with the Masterblend solution. BTW - In prior season's I use to do this with TTF and overwater.

Later in the afternoon I douse them with plain water again.

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On the EB, I do the opposite, I start with 1/2 gallon of the MasterBlend Formula, then when I'm done watering everything else, I fill the EB with water from the hose. I'm done for the day.

I'm not sure how much I am sacrificing not FEEDING them with every watering.
Any comments?

Ricky, when your plants were mature and was hot outside, how much masterblend solution did you give your plants?

How long did your 55 Gallon solution last?

[BigVanVader]

This is a great thread. It makes me want to try some containers but time is a major issue so they'd have to be irrigated. Hand watering is to much of a time sink for me. Is there a cheap and dependable way to fertigate a container system like this? Atm I have a battery controlled system on my outside spigot that runs on a timer with a backflow preventer, pressure control valve. I need something that can fertigate everything while I am watering.

[Ricky Shaw]

I'm not sure how much I am sacrificing not FEEDING them with every watering.
Any comments?

Every time you water, I'd keep pouring the coals at every opportunity. Under a load, those plants can easily take 10% more ferts. I cut back on some plants when it got hot and I was watering more, fearing salt and fert build-up from the excess evaporation. It was not a problem, the size of the containers at 15gal may have helped with that. Regardless, the plants I kept at full strength ( EC 2000 millisiemens), produced more and also one other interesting result. They were much less apt to show the white fibrous veins indicative of yellow shoulders as a result of potassium deficiency. My observations are only that, I have no proof, but I think Mark feeds constantly too.

[Ricky Shaw]

Ricky, when your plants were mature and was hot outside, how much masterblend solution did you give your plants? How long did your 55 Gallon solution last?

I use the Chemgro, I believe the Masterblend is very similar. Very early and very late in the season the tome would take 1 to 1.5 gals per day. Through most of the high season, 2 gals per day. On a handful of especially hot days, a second mid-afternoon water of an additional gallon.
In midsummer I would use about 80 gals of solution a day, so I was mixing a new drum daily. I was hand fertigating about 30 toms, flowers, squash, cukes. Eight pounds lighter and felt terrific.

[Ricky Shaw]

The reflex here, and it certainly was for me, is that fertilizing constantly will harm the plants. Not so, in these overall weak mixes, and there's even room to spare if you slightly over-mix.

1) The blue Miracle Grow in solutions tests at 3000 EC/ms and that's without Cal/Mag, and why it's meant as weekly treatments that you would supplement with a Cal/Mag. The ChemGro/MasterBlend is 2000 EC/ms but includes Cal/Mag and would be at every application.

2) Another point I'd like to make is these are not now ordinary tomato plants, least not like I'd seen before, these are turbo-charged. These over-achievers produce clusters with more and bigger tomatoes and have a larger nutrient appetite.

[Barb_FL]

Ricky - Thanks for all the info; I really appreciate it.

I can't believe how far off I am on the amount of nutrient fluid to use. Will up the quantity.

Do you know how the "formula" performs with pepper plants? I saw on Chem-Gro they have a separate pepper formula.

I thought Masterblend and Chem-Gro were the same; just different vendors.

ETA - Congrats on the weight loss; I'm sure an unexpected benefit.

[Ricky Shaw]

My goal was to keep the media moist, which is what Mark says and promix says. I'd water early and check the plants mid-afternoon. I wanted the soil on top to be cool and moist an inch down, and the fabric outside the 15gal pots to feel moist on the shady side. And mid-season it would take 2 or 3 gallons to accomplish that.

Evaporation is wicked here, but the reflective bubble-wrap on top helped considerably and kept soil temps in the 70's even after weeks of +85F temps.

[Barb_FL]

Here's a couple of pics after weeding through all the foliage.

First pic is Dana's Dusky Rose growing in a root pouch

2nd pic is Champion 2 growing in an Earthbox with another tomato plant.

[Ricky Shaw]

Barb, those plants look very happy and healthy.


Van, member PureHarvest had a simple and efficient setup, but I can't find a pic. Mixed in a 275gal tote, delivery was a small electric transfer pump with lines and emitters to the pots. I think now he's gone to a two vessel system with fert/mag and cal separated.

[BigVanVader]

Originally Posted by Ricky Shaw

Barb, those plants look very happy and healthy.


Van, member PureHarvest had a simple and efficient setup, but I can't find a pic. Mixed in a 275gal tote, delivery was a small electric transfer pump with lines and emitters to the pots. I think now he's gone to a two vessel system with fert/mag and cal separated.

Ok Thanks Ricky! I may just PM him. I know we were talking about all this earlier but I am just now finding time to get back into prep for next year and trying to plan a few projects. My main issue is I can only water morning/evening so in mid summer it may be hard to keep containers moist without some kind of timer set up. I am determined to at least do a few grow bags this year.

I'm trying to imagine a way to set up a RGGS system with some drums of premixed solution to have a small self sufficient system. For example: two 50 gallon drums feeding the RGGS and another line with a float valve filling the 50 gallon drums for easy refilling and in case for some reason you forget to refill and mix ferts. This is the kind of thing I need to save time/energy.

[Nematode]

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

Ricky - Thanks for all the info; I really appreciate it.

I can't believe how far off I am on the amount of nutrient fluid to use. Will up the quantity.

Do you know how the "formula" performs with pepper plants? I saw on Chem-Gro they have a separate pepper formula.

I thought Masterblend and Chem-Gro were the same; just different vendors.

ETA - Congrats on the weight loss; I'm sure an unexpected benefit.

Peppers do well on the same formula.
As do eggplant.
And beans.
Kale, broccoli, celery, garlic, potato.

In my experience hydro is vastly superior to soil production for all the above, im sure formula could be tweaked for each crop, but not really needed in the home garden environment.

[Barb_FL]

Nematode - Thank you for the info.

Ricky - Thank you so much for your advise and your container garden thread.

A lot of the plants like the 2 I posted above I'm growing for the first time so I don't know what 'normal' production is. Since the hurricane in October everyone is doing exceptionally well in Florida. I live on a barrier island and humidity is in the 50s.

With that said, Kelloggs Breakfast, my favorite tomato of all time has more tomatoes set already that I had all season in my best year which was spring of 2014. Some of the Kelloggs tomatoes are really getting size too.

Last night, I started my last EB with zero fertilizer and filled the reservoir with the Masterblend Formula.

[PureHarvest]

You rang?

You can get a used 275 gal tank for under $100 around here.
I got mine for free from a fertilizer company that has tons of them sitting around. Found one that was used for liquid carbon, and one for beneficial bacteria so I could rinse them out and not worry about elemental residues.

Sometimes you can find ones that held food grade materials.

Here is the tank and pump. If i was gonna use this system again, I'd plum the hose into the bottom of the tank where the valve is, so I would not have to put the hose down into the tank from the top. It wants to float up from the bottom when you shove it in and you have to feed extra length so it coils down on the bottom.
If you have electric available, you can buy an A/C pump and plug and play.
I did not, so ran a D/C pump (about $110 new) off of a marine battery which I had to recharge every two weeks. No biggie. I had two pumps running off one tank to handle watering two zones worth of bags. They were wired into 2 digital timers that were $8 each.

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1/2" black poly lines coming from pump

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Spray stakes from 1/2" black poly lines

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250 gallons would last me about 2-3 days. I was feeding 90 bags with two plants in each bag.

This meant too much mixing time for my schedule with work. I will be going to concentrate tanks this year to do injecting right into the water line. Major time savings. I have electric now, so I can use my well and pressure tank etc.

[jpop]

Pure, any reason you opted for spray emitters vs. a deep root drip emitter?