Best hydro nutrients for aroma

[Redoctober]

I'd like to take a little survey of what all of you hydro growers out there have noticed insofar as nutrient lines and how they affect the smell of the final product, all other things being equal. I know that drying and curing have an important affect on the smell as well, and that may be incorporated here if one so chooses. Here are some of my observations for the lines I've tried thus far. General Hydroponics Flora series, Dutch Master complete line, House and Garden line minus Algen extract, Shooting Powder and Amino Treatment. I noticed that the aroma was strongest with Dutch Master followed by House and Garden, then GH. I'm not sure what it is in the DM line that makes the odor so powerful (in a good way), but boy does it make the smell strong. Interestingly, the DM line didn't make the plants reek that bad but after drying and curing, the smell was quite powerful. House and Garden on the other hand make the plants smell much more, but after drying and curing, the odor wasn't as strong as DM. This could be attributed to slight differences in drying time and ambient humidity between the DM harvest and the H&G harvest as well. I'm trying to think of any possible variables. I really do like the H&G line very very much though, I just wish it had the same affect on aroma as DM. Perhaps the additives I left out would make a difference?

I'd love to hear your experiences.

 

[Moebius]

I generally dont equate specific brands to smell, aroma or even taste. IMO it comes down to genetics,grow method, drying and curing.

I would advise against peeps getting twisted on what brand to use or marketing but If you are interested in brands, dont just swap on an ad-hoc basis but investigate 'why' it might work better.

 

[Illegal Smile]

It depends 0on how you define final product. If you mean right after it is cut, or even after it is dried, it doesn't matter. Cure it correctly and long enough, and it won't matter a whit what nutrients you used, whether you flushed at the end, or anything else.

 

[PetFlora]

If you have the finest nutes in the world, but have poor; grow skills, lighting, pH issues, over/under fert... they won't compensate

 

[CoralGrower]

I'm at 7 weeks of flowering with Master Kush and it is barely stinky. The Aurora Indica in the last grow was super stinky. I used DG nutes for both grows, so my opinion is that the strain determines the stinkyness. Attention to detail in the curing process produces the bouquet of the finished product, while gimmicks clearly demonstrate why advertising is a multi-billion dollar industry.

 

[Redoctober]

Okay so the consensus seems to be that nutrient brand has no effect on smell? It is all in the dry and cure?

If this is the case, it actually makes me feel better, because I found a nutrient line I actually really like, and I thought the lack of powerful odor was being caused by that.

What have you found is the ideal dry and cure? I try to hand the buds still on the branch for anywhere from 4-7 days in 40% humidity, then clip and jar, burping daily for about 10 min for a few weeks. The humidity lately has been all over the place so drying has been very erratic. Some days it's 75%, and other days its 20%. Very hard to maintain steady drying conditions in the spring and summer.

 

[PetFlora]

Okay so the consensus seems to be that nutrient brand has no effect on smell? It is all in the dry and cure?

If this is the case, it actually makes me feel better, because I found a nutrient line I actually really like, and I thought the lack of powerful odor was being caused by that.

What have you found is the ideal dry and cure? I try to hand the buds still on the branch for anywhere from 4-7 days in 40% humidity, then clip and jar, burping daily for about 10 min for a few weeks. The humidity lately has been all over the place so drying has been very erratic. Some days it's 75%, and other days its 20%. Very hard to maintain steady drying conditions in the spring and summer.

Just saw a post of the Veg + Bloom thread where the user says he has grown the same strain several times, but it never smelled like it does with V & B. https://www.rollitup.org/nutrients/513971-veg-bloom-all-phase-all.html

 

[Redoctober]

Just saw a post of the Veg + Bloom thread where the user says he has grown the same strain several times, but it never smelled like it does with V & B. https://www.rollitup.org/nutrients/513971-veg-bloom-all-phase-all.html

Thanks Flora! I'm beginning to think that you read every post on the board lol I will have to try some of that V & B. I was reading your post about the phosphorus being used as a buffer which is very interesting. Of all the brands I've tried so far, H&G has been by far the most stable. I hardly ever have to adjust it. All the others would drift almost an entire point every day; it was super annoying. I also realize that I had been using the exact same Dutch Master mix as you. I like DM a lot except for the pH fluctuations and the hard salt crust it left all over my tubes and rez (god was that hard to get off). Apparently people have been saying really positive things about the V&B, and it's cheap which is nice. My only question about the V&B is will it dissolve finely enough to work in an aero system without clogging spray heads? But I know you run HP aero, so if it doesn't clog those super fine heads, it sure won't clog my LP heads. And would you include any additives for any reason? It seems to be a pretty complete formula. I'll do a side by side next time.

 

[marc88101]

I like the floralisious plus, for aroma

 

[zem]

the proper usage of fertilizers is what really matters, I don't even use a brand, I use raw chemicals mix them to my needs, this way I control exactly what to feed my plants, basically, you need to lower the nitrogen and magnesium in the end of flowering period. in growing, knowledge is far more important than the brands that you buy

 

[Illegal Smile]

Curing is everything. To do it right, you need a small hygrometer (or several). The Caliber III can be had on ebay for under $20. These measure humidity. You put it in a jar sealed with buds and it tells you where they are with humidity. That is important because curing happens between 55 and 60%. If over 60, you have to keep airing it out. And you can air it out down to 55, then put the lid on, and it minutes it's back up over 60. So it's a process that takes some work, which is why most don't do it right. Note that if humidity drops below 55% (in the sealed jar) the curing process CANNOT be restarted. You can moisten buds, but you can't restart the chemical curing process. Do this right and when your buds stabilize between 55 and 60, leave them in the jars for at least a month and you will be amazed.

 

[PetFlora]

Thanks Flora! I'm beginning to think that you read every post on the board lol I will have to try some of that V & B. I was reading your post about the phosphorus being used as a buffer which is very interesting. Of all the brands I've tried so far, H&G has been by far the most stable. I hardly ever have to adjust it. All the others would drift almost an entire point every day; it was super annoying. I also realize that I had been using the exact same Dutch Master mix as you. I like DM a lot except for the pH fluctuations and the hard salt crust it left all over my tubes and rez (god was that hard to get off). Apparently people have been saying really positive things about the V&B, and it's cheap which is nice. My only question about the V&B is will it dissolve finely enough to work in an aero system without clogging spray heads? But I know you run HP aero, so if it doesn't clog those super fine heads, it sure won't clog my LP heads. And would you include any additives for any reason? It seems to be a pretty complete formula. I'll do a side by side next time.

Well I am always looking to learn.

I mixed it 2 days ago (4 tsp/4g-, 640ppm) to use in my DIY Undercurrent rig. To my naked eye it totally dissolved. Won't be running it in hpa until next go-round. I check pH in my F & D rez twice a week; DM has proven very stable, maybe it's the lava rock, whatever, I dump and use fresh every week feeling it has given up most of what the plant needs during the week, and is therefor less than 100%.

 

[Redoctober]

Curing is everything. To do it right, you need a small hygrometer (or several). The Caliber III can be had on ebay for under $20. These measure humidity. You put it in a jar sealed with buds and it tells you where they are with humidity. That is important because curing happens between 55 and 60%. If over 60, you have to keep airing it out. And you can air it out down to 55, then put the lid on, and it minutes it's back up over 60. So it's a process that takes some work, which is why most don't do it right. Note that if humidity drops below 55% (in the sealed jar) the curing process CANNOT be restarted. You can moisten buds, but you can't restart the chemical curing process. Do this right and when your buds stabilize between 55 and 60, leave them in the jars for at least a month and you will be amazed.

That's a good tip. I actually bought two good hygrometers to try,: and Xikar and a Hygroset II. I looked at the Caliber III but it wasn't clear from the description whether or not you could calibrate it, so I passed on it. The trick for me seems to be nailing the timing perfectly of when to stop the drying and start the curing. Because the ambient humidity in my drying area is 20-45% (which is quite dry), sometimes the buds dry out too quickly. I may need to set out a wet sponge/shamwow just to release some moisture into the air and have the buds dry a bit slower because at that humidity , they are dry in a day or two. I have also observed what you've said which is that below 55% humidity in the jar, burping is pretty useless because it remains at 55%. The ambient air in the room is probably around 40-50% as well. I'll have to get them into jars just a little bit sooner, and if it's too humid, just air em out for a few hours. I don't know if I'll really be able to slow down the drying process, but hopefully it's the curing that's most important.

 

[PetFlora]

I confess that I have succumbed to the pics and the words of sweet dankness

FYI I decided to forgo the rest of my A/B grow test as the plants in HPA are small < 24" Indica doms, whereas their sister (in my 21st Century F & D) is sat dom. She is easily 5Xs bigger.

This provides the perfect excuse, SO, I decided to finish her using V & B. She is ~ 2ft diameter with > 10 side branches @ 12-15"; these will easily grow ~ 2 ft. Each branch has > 6 bud sites.

Started at 640ppms (1 tsp (and a pinch)/g RO). I will slowly ramp up to ~ 800, then back down to finish

I am excited to switch to V & B, even though I am doing so during early flower. Will be posting~ weekly updates in my journal

 

[KAL EL]

Enhance aromas and flavors with guanos.

 

[skunkd0c]

changing foods can make a small difference, but get it into perspective,
a different pheno, or strain will obviously make a much bigger difference , changing foods might not be noticeable by some people, others may have more sensitive taste buds lol
also the method of drying will make a difference, if you mess up the drying and curing part, you can ruin otherwise good bud
i find when weed is cured early, so the buds are a little more damp when the curing starts, 70-80% humidity this can make the flavor change a fair bit
it brings out more medicated stronger pungent smells and flavours,
if i cure the bud when it is dryier when the steams snap, the bud can be more fruity less sticky but sweeter smelling

peace

 

[Redoctober]

Very interesting observation skunkd0c. I will have to try the wetter cure. I think I always start the cure too late. I agree that strin is the most important deterministic factor for aroma, but what I have noticed is that keeping the string constant, i.e. using clones of one plant, I have noticed a difference in smell across nutrient brands. It may not be a huge difference, but it is noticeable...to me, but that may be because I am sensitive to it.

PetFlora, I am also going to try the V+B. Do you find any difference in aroma or quality/yield with hpa over say dwc, lp aero or other hydro methods? Or is it pretty comparable?

 

[Redoctober]

Enhance aromas and flavors with guanos.

I have heard good things about guano but never tried it. I am doing lp aero so whatever I put into the rez needs to be sterile and also be filtered with no debris because of the spray heads. Do you know or recommend any brands as such?

 

[GreenThumbSucker]

Aroma comes from genetics, finish and curing. Adding stuff wont make them smell better, flushing out crap will. Get a good smelling strain and don't harvest until it's dead ripe. Flush for a day or two before harvest. TO get the best aroma dry them for a long time. I dry mine for a month in a cool (55 degree) basement before I take the buds off the stems, I bag or jar them amd put a fresh big fan leaf in for every half lb. I take the wilted remains out a couple days later and my chit smells like perfume and has perfect moisture content.

 

[PetFlora]

Very interesting observation skunkd0c. I will have to try the wetter cure. I think I always start the cure too late. I agree that strin is the most important deterministic factor for aroma, but what I have noticed is that keeping the string constant, i.e. using clones of one plant, I have noticed a difference in smell across nutrient brands. It may not be a huge difference, but it is noticeable...to me, but that may be because I am sensitive to it.

PetFlora, I am also going to try the V+B. Do you find any difference in aroma or quality/yield with hpa over say dwc, lp aero or other hydro methods? Or is it pretty comparable?

I haven't carried testing THAT far, though I understand why you would ask.

Basically my current journal was intended to be a comparison of hpa vs my 21st Century F & D, using same F 1 cross seeds, nutes/ppms, & lighting.

Well the 2 plants in hpa are expressing squat Indica, though in mid flower the leaves are now looking more sat, whereas the plant in F & D is ~ 85% sat, with a more barrel (indica) shape. So I said F the test and am now feeding the F & D with V & B, but it's only been 3 days. I upped the ppm from ~ 640 to ~ 800 while increasing floods from 1/60 min to 1/30 min during lights on; 1/60 lights off.

Since feeding V & B (only 3 days) to the F & D buds they quickly plumped up to medium size marbles. New pics Friday. Hope you all come by my journal for a peek.