Peter's Perfect - Reengineering 321 Formula to the Ultimate Coco Experience

it is. the 321 definitely produces serviceable results. i really cant complain about quality or yield. but once i set my mind on something, in this case the never ending res, i cant stop until i either succeed or completely exhaust any and all options. i will be the first to admit my own nitpickery, but if i can nail this down, it will improve the efficiency of my garden significantly

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Lol I know what you mean. Iā€™m the same wayā€¦ just canā€™t leave something alone, even if I end up partially jacking up 10 grows to figure it out. It can ALWAYS be better. Perfectionism is a bitch sometimes.

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@thenasty1 @GramTorino you guys ever looked at Master Blend?

https://www.masterblend.com/4-18-38-tomato-formula/

I just ran some numbers on that and itā€™s tempting

2.5g Master Blend
2.4g Calcium Nitrate
2.3g Epsom

Check this out:
N (NO3-) 114.523
K 209.085
P 51.878
Mg 64.311
Ca 127.562
S 83.011

23ppm lower N than with Peters w/ Cal Prime. Swap different amounts of epsom for mag nitrate and you get complete control over the N for veg.

Like if you want to put all 2.3g epsom into mag nitrate you get this:
N (NO3-) 180.933
K 209.085
P 51.878
Mg 62.002
Ca 127.562
S 3.963

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Plus you donā€™t need to deal with the pH buffering in the hydroponic formulationsā€¦?

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I kinda like the pH buffers :blush:

What donā€™t you like about them?

Iā€™m not doing hydro, so it requires pH UP to get the pH back up to 6.4-6.5 range.

Iā€™ve since learned to prepare my RO water with 2ml/gal Silica, and 2ml/gal calmag, and it minimizes the pH correction requiredā€¦

I already have most of a bag of Peters Prof hydro formula, but if I had to make the choice again I would have probably tried the Master Blend formula, or another dry fertilizer not specifically made for hydroponics.

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Man for my water (very soft, 50ppm at the tap), I mix the 321 and it locks on ph 6.2. I donā€™t make any adjustments, unless I use silica.

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Ok, Iā€™m gonna try a run or two with the Master Blend. Itā€™s as cheap as Jacks/Peters, but the higher ratio of phosphorus & potassium makes it much easier to work with. Went in for a 5lb bag to start, which should be enough runs to evaluate. Will probably start using it on my current grows next weekā€¦ I have some early in flower still, so I should be able to report back pretty soon.

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Interesting. I strongly considered trying that stuff last time, but in the end I just didnā€™t want to introduce yet another variable. I will be paying attention to your experience.

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If I were just a little more satisfied with the Jacks/Peters, then I would probably just settle on the 321 formula with mag nitrate substitution in veg. But I think due to the higher formula concentration Master Blend will be easier to use with coco, because of the higher concentration of P/K with respect to N.

It seems to be a near-ideal mid to late bloom formula for coco, and can be easily adjusted with mag nitrate to get the N up in veg.

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I have been wanting to switch to Masterblend next. After my Jacks runs out. How are you measuring this out? Masterblend has different recommendations over Jacks.

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I donā€™t think Iā€™m going to follow their recommendations exactly, mainly with the magnesium. Iā€™ve always had better results with Ca:Mg ratios around 2:1 with cannabis in coco. Iā€™ve seen suggestions for other types of media that 3:1 or 4:1 is (generally) optimal, but that is not my experience with coco.

So with that in mind, Iā€™m really going to target roughly the same PPM numbers in the macro and secondary nutrients (N,P,K,Ca,Mg,S), but with lower N than 321 in flower. And then Iā€™ll do a 1:1 exchange of magnesium nitrate with magnesium sulfate (epsom) to boost N in veg, tapering off toward flower.

Itā€™ll look something like (per gallon):
2.5g Master Blend
2.4g Calcium Nitrate
2.3g split between Magnesium Nitrate and Epsom, depending on needs / stage of growth
0.1g Agsil 16H (optionally to provide silica)

My first use of it will start next res fill. So Iā€™ll already be at full strength, but probably starting that mix at 1/3rd strength with small plants and increasing to full strength by the time stretch is finished. Iā€™ll post up a schedule soon.

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Intrigued by the mix of masterblend and Jackā€™s being in coco as well always looking for the right combo. I bet they like it

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When I make the leap from DWC to coco Iā€™ll be checking back here! Hope I can find all of the good stuff you guys talk about here in Euroland.

What do you guys think about amending the coco with the powder, like Canuck on the youtube? Less control I guess, but also a bit more convenient?

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I use 1 gallon pots and feed 3x per day. I think for pots as small as mine, no amount of amending would last for very long. But Iā€™m really trying to push the amount of coco I need down as far as possible. A lot of people use 5 gallon pots, but that a lot of medium for me to deal with and a lot more expense.

Hell, if Iā€™m running males, they never even leave a pot bigger than about a quart.

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I was looking at IC todayā€™s and if you go to the 2nd page under nutrients and fertilizers, thereā€™s a "Yet another Jacks thread. Click on it then go to Eric2028 recent post by clicking on his recent posts and he has had the BEST results I have seen using jacks his recipe is as follows.

3 grams 5-12-26 per gal
2.5 grams calnit per gal
NO EPSOM!
Check him out forearm sized baseball bats!!!
Not to mention the guy has the best roots on clones Iā€™ve ever seen he has that formula listed as well hope this helps guys.
CS

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Well of course he has good grows, using a good flowering Ratio. Low N , pushing K in flower, smart dude

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Starting week 2 or 3 of flower he adds .5 grams per gal of MKP the rest of the way till finish.

Itā€™s not just a good flowering feed he uses it from start to finish! See for yourself. Just trying to help.