Wow! Nice haul and good looking nugs!
How many plants was that total and how many days from seed?
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@Jellypowered has a good point. Particularly that Megacrop has molasses in it. I had trouble using an organic CalMag product that contained molasses.
GH 3-part is pretty cheap and redily available. It’s what I use in my E&F.
Of course that wont help you remember to turn the pump back on.
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I live in Washington State as well, not quite in the boonies but close enough to feel your pain.
I experienced constantly rising pH, some sort of bio-sediment, cloudiness (bacteria bloom?), and symptoms of severe nutrient imbalance by the end of the third week of flower every single time.
Plus, it was a pain in the rear to get a consistent mix when only doing small batches, it seems to be best when mixing larger volumes (and mixing a concentrated stock solution like they’ve suggested a few times was a freaking disaster, what a waste).
Hydrogen peroxide did absolutely nothing, keeping the reservoir (in coco, flood and drain to answer one of your questions) in complete darkness slowed it almost imperceptibly, and pool shock couldn’t keep up.
After going back to Jack’s (3.6g Jack’s Hydro, 2.4g CalNit, 1.2g Epsom, all per gallon) I still use the pool shock, but everything is stable, clean, and healthy.
I know lots of people do great with Megacrop and I think that’s wonderful because I like the concept and really wanted to love it, but it just didn’t work for me and I’m not motivated enough to find a way to make it work.
I know a four part regimen sounds more complicated, but I mix up stock solutions such that it’s the same amount of each per gallon, and it takes me like a minute to mix up a new batch.
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Hmmmmmmmm. I didnt know about the molasses or that it could cause issues, but that makes sense. The sugar would be particularly good for bacterial growth I would think.
I just checked and my Cal Mag doesnt say what its made from, but it says “The core of CalMag OAC is an organic acid complex derived from 9 species of plants”
The organic part has me worried now.
Did you find a brand that doesnt have organics/molassis in it?
I wonder if your water is like mine. With just plain water, after I drop the PH, it climbs with any agitation or aeration or even just sitting still in an open jug. Its much worse when I have bacteria or algae.
Thats exactly what was happening to me when I started HPA growing. I decided it was mainly due to wild PH swings, and root damage from leaving the misters off.
This time, the leaves look great and have not shown any of the same issues I had last time. The exception is when I forgot to turn on the misters and the roots died back severely. Then I had obvious leaf signs and almost dead plants.
I should say not until today, but I’ll go into that later…more root damage in this case.
Yeah, I gave up on pre-mixing because I kept getting growths in the water. I assumed it was just more of my crappy water issue. Plus, I wasnt all that careful to store the pre-mix out of the light.
I solved the mixing small batches problem by grinding the Mega Crop in a coffee grinder. No more worried about those chunks and it dissolves almost instantly now.
Ok, between @Jellypowered and @ReikoX and you, I think I will take a look at the Jacks.
I assume the Cal Nit gives you the extra calcium and the epsom the magnesium?
Edit: whats the ‘D’ part - the pool shock?
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The jacks only comes in 25 pound bags for over $60 at the cheapest. 25 pounds will last me about 10 years!
I found a re-seller on Etsy selling 4 pound “kits”
Does this look like the same products you’re using @Howard.Crane?
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Yes, those are the ones I use. Gonna see if I can attach my notes…
Jacks Hydro (Updated) - Mixing, Dosing, and Stock Solution.pdf (71.1 KB)
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Excellent! I just ordered the kit, and yes, the instructions came through just fine.
Last question - for now - what is the part D you have above - pool shock?
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Yes, that happens to me as well. Especially with strong agitation/aeration. The tap water quality here is actually quite good, but there’s almost no buffering ability.
Yes, the CalNit gives Nitrogen and Calcium, and the Epsom supplies the extra magnesium that I’ve found helpful when growing in coco under LED lighting.
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Yeah, pool shock. I just kept with the lettering system to keep things easier for my aging stoner brain, lol.
Btw, I’ve found that with my tap water, I do not need to adjust the pH after mixing, and that it stays pretty stable.
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Just did a quick read through your notes and you are using a much lower concentration of pool shock than Im using.
I have been mixing up around 6 gm/gallon of 49% shock and then add 8 ML/gallon to the rez - and it still hasnt been enough.
Lower concentrations of chlorine will help keep my fuzzies much happier 
Wow! That would be awesome. Cant wait to try it now!
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If you guys are on well water, it might be helpful to get it tested to see what’s in your tap water. Might even be free through the county. i noticed my water from the tap was 7 foot three longest time, then after this constant rain all summer, it’s up to 9. I was going to get it tested but I’m moving soon. So no point.
You could have organics in your water that could be filtered out.
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Hmm… Looks like that kit is intended to be ready to use for mixing up stock solutions for the classic “3-2-1”, which means the proportions are slightly different than what I use. For instance, less CalNit and more Mg.
Should be fine, and I don’t know if you will need to tweak it for aero anyways, but if you have any questions I’m happy to help.
[Edited to add] Also, in my notes Part B is the Epsom, and Part C is the CalNit, which is the opposite letters of what everyone else uses, but I prefer it that way because it reflects the correct mixing order. I get pretty stoned sometimes, lol.
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My tap is municipal, but very low TDS readings and 7 pH straight from the tap. There could well be organics or other substances that don’t register, though. The city publishes a water quality report every few years, I should check. Good thinking.
I don’t have the budget for even a cheap R/O system, so it was important to find something that works with the water I have.
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Im on a well, but it also has low PPM its usually around 80 PPM but has been as much as 120. PH is typically 7 to 7.2 maybe. Great taste and no smells.
I got a water report a few months back…just have to find it…
As far as filtering out biologics or other stuff, I tried RO and saw no improvement at all. In fact, my worst run last year (as far as leaf uglies) was all on RO.
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It has molasses in it? Is this something new?
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Way back when, when I was just getting back into growing after so long of a break. I used Jacks in a DWC setup. It was the easiest, most stable nute line i’ve ever used.
After the first couple res changes, it was obvious that it was ph stable.
I had switched to Megacrop mostly because of the hype bandwagon, it works good but there are considerations for case by case usages as you, Howard.Crane, and I have found out through our trial and errors.
I used to live in Silverdale. Beautiful area. Miss it occasionally but i’m to old to start over again lol.
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Yes General Hydroponics CaliMagic, once I switched the funky res went away.
I think you would do well with the Jack’s 3-2-1 recipe. Seems to be right up your alley as far as tinkering.
My bad, it isnt listed as having molasses. It sure smells like it to me, must be the “organic acid chleated ingredients”.
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This will be an interesting test. I dont see anything in the ingredients of Jacks that sounds like a buffer. If it does help to keep PH more stable that will be awesome!
I love Wa state. Its the most beautiful place I have ever lived. We have mountains, lakes, Puget Sound and trees trees trees where I live. I love the forest. The only downside is the rain and clouds. On the other hand, its always such a wonderful shock when the sun comes out it takes your breath away.
I used to use the GH CalMag. It sounds like I wont need that with the Jacks kit I linked to above though. The CalNit and magnesium sulfate/epsom salt will take care of that.
One thing I love about Mega Crop is the simplicity, but your correct about the Jacks kit option allowing for more customization/tinkering.
The Jacks should be here later this week. I have kidney stone surgery this thursday, so it may not be till this weekend until I can switch over from MC to Jacks.
Im very interested to see how it does. Even if it has no molasses, the organics may still be at least part of the problem when combined with my water. I dont want to blame Mega Crop though no matter how this works out. As was said before, its my water/environment that is the primary culprit.
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LOL now Im confused. Was that PDF you linked above from the Jacks people or was that your notes? Im not finding that same page anywhere on the Jacks site, but its a little buggy for me.
I did find this:
One of the most common fails when using a Part A and Part B system occurs during the mixing steps. How do you know what nutrients can go into what bucket? It seems quite simple, part A in its own bucket and part B in the other, but what about other additions and boosters? Certain nutrients in the fertilizer world just are not compatible with each other and when mixed in stronger concentrations they will precipitate. The most common culprits for these messy situations are Ca-P precipitate, when a high P formula is mixed with a high Ca formula (ie. Blossom Booster 10-30-20 with Calcium nitrate 15.5-0-0). Another very common one is when a grower attempts to add a nutrient boost from Epsom Salts. When Epsom salts (a Mg-S source) is mixed with a Ca source in concentration you will have just magically made yourself a very messy clump of Gypsum (a Ca-S source) in the bottom of your tank. Both of these mixing mistakes are quite common and I often say to growers, once you make this mess once, you will never do it again. Crunchy stuff at the bottom of the tank is NOT an indication that there is fertilizer in there, it is evidence of a precipitate that will not go back into solution.
Now I need to have another cup of coffee and try to get this straight in my head
Those were my own notes. I made them for my own use, and so my wife would know the recipe if I get too sick to do it myself.
MOST people call it “3-2-1” because (at least in the original version) you’d use 3 parts Jacks Hydro, 2 parts CalNit, and 1 part Epsom per gallon of fertigation solution, and designate them Part A, Part B, and Part C in the same order because the Jacks is sold as Part A (Jacks) and Part B (Calnit), and cannabis growers add the Epsom for additional magnesium.
BUT, you would mix it as Part A (Jacks) first, Epsom second, Part B (CalNit) last. It bothered me, to use A, then Epsom, then B. I’m just weird that way. So for my own personal recipe, I just relettered shit to match the order in which it should be mixed: Jacks, Epsom, CalNit, Pool Shock.
I think that makes sense, but I too need some coffee hehe. I will come back in a bit and see if it still makes sense or if it’s just confusing the issue.
In any case, you know the correct proportions and the correct mixing order, and you can put any letters you want on your own bottles, lol 
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