Advanced chemical understanding for a beginner!

SMELLLLL

Member
Hi all,

This might very well be basic chemical/nutrient stuff, but I'm hoping that someone can explain or direct me to some further reading or videos that can help me answer the following questions:
  • The difference between if something is Something Nitrate or SomethingChloride (such as Calcium Nitrate and Calcium Chloride).
    • In regards to a fertilising/maintenance program, has this got something to do with one being applied as a foliar spray, and the other being substrate-dressed?
  • What Calcium Nitrate and Calcium Chloride can affect plant growth/well being?
  • What Potassium Nitrate and Phosphorus Nitrate would be used for. Am I correct in thinking these would be soil-applied?
Thanks!
 

MoroccanRoll

Well-Known Member
Ok. I've read through your other posts so i think i might know where this is going.

First, I'm not sure that a marijuana growing forum is the appropriate place to ask questions about chemistry. We could talk about the periodic chart of the elements; protons, neutrons, electrons; covalent and ionic bonds; atoms, molecules, mixtures, suspenions, blah, blah, blah. But I'm not sure that would be helpful. If you're truly interested in chemistry, i would suggest the first thing you do is take a course in basic chemistry. Now on to the important stuff....

@Wattzzup @Merlin1147 are correct. Nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium (N,P,K), calcium, (Ca), magnesium (Mg), along with an entire host of other elements are required for healthy plant growth. I think your line of questioning is leading to how those specific elements (or nutrients) are delivered to your plant. Correct?

There are several different options for growing. Soil, soilless media (DTW), straight water based hydroponics (Kratky, DWC, flood and drain and others), aeroponics, aquaponics.... Each of these options have well defined and proven methods for the delivery of the required nutrients. Some are easier than others.

From your previous posts, it appears you are attempting to grow in coco coir. Perhaps the simplest well defined and proven method for growing in coco is Drain to Waste (DTW). There are several popular, commercially available nutrient formulas available to you. Everyone has their favorite and there's lots of discussion on the forums about which is "The Best". Choose one (preferrably the least complicated) and either follow the manufacturer's directions or directly copy what someone else has done. Search for Bill Ward (not the Black Sabbath drummer) on youtube. He runs a really simple DTW. The results speak for themselves.

As a hobby grower, you don't have to worry about the chemistry to be incredibly successful.
 

SMELLLLL

Member
Haha - you’re not wrong Wattzup, I just figure rollitup is a good resource for tailored advice.

Big thanks Merlin and TintEast, I will read through that stuff for sure.

Moroccan, thanks for the time and reply. My questions are very much general horticulture questions, as I am doing some other fruit horticulture ventures on the side. But of course my main interest is cannabis, so I’m just generally trying to learn. Re my tent grow, I am already implementing (a very crappy) DTW, so yes applying any new, general, horticulture nutrient uptake understanding to my cannabis crop will come in handy. But yes, the purpose of my post was very much about broad horticulture/chemical/nutrient tings.
 

MoroccanRoll

Well-Known Member
Cool. That was just a really long way to say, "It really doesn't have to be that difficult." While you're getting a couple of simple grows under your belt, you can research the more advanced stuff.

And, yeah, you'll find that a lot of the members here grow a lot more than cannabis.
 

curious2garden

Well-Known Mod
Staff member
Hi all,

This might very well be basic chemical/nutrient stuff, but I'm hoping that someone can explain or direct me to some further reading or videos that can help me answer the following questions:
  • The difference between if something is Something Nitrate or SomethingChloride (such as Calcium Nitrate and Calcium Chloride).
    • In regards to a fertilising/maintenance program, has this got something to do with one being applied as a foliar spray, and the other being substrate-dressed?
  • What Calcium Nitrate and Calcium Chloride can affect plant growth/well being?
  • What Potassium Nitrate and Phosphorus Nitrate would be used for. Am I correct in thinking these would be soil-applied?
Thanks!
@cannabineer can you help out?
 

cannabineer

Ursus marijanus
Hi all,

This might very well be basic chemical/nutrient stuff, but I'm hoping that someone can explain or direct me to some further reading or videos that can help me answer the following questions:
  • The difference between if something is Something Nitrate or SomethingChloride (such as Calcium Nitrate and Calcium Chloride).
    • In regards to a fertilising/maintenance program, has this got something to do with one being applied as a foliar spray, and the other being substrate-dressed?
  • What Calcium Nitrate and Calcium Chloride can affect plant growth/well being?
  • What Potassium Nitrate and Phosphorus Nitrate would be used for. Am I correct in thinking these would be soil-applied?
Thanks!
These are salts.
A salt has a positive and a negative ion. The naming convention is “positive negative” as in calcium chloride.

So if you want to add calcium, it will always be calcium (negative ion).

Calcium nitrate has two nutrient ions that supply the plant with stuff it needs.

Calcium chloride provides calcium, but chloride is a problem. It isn’t toxic on its own, but it competes with the other negative ions that provide macronutrients like N, P and S. The consequence can be lockout if valuable ions.

I’m not sure about your other questions. If you have more, feel free to ask. I’m an old lab chemist and a former college lab instructor.
 

Boatguy

Well-Known Member
 

[email protected]

Active Member
Dive right in! Maybe try feet first, most fertilizers are complete, ganja is a plant. If organic, think poop and lots of it. Start with a little end up using a lot. It’s a weed in most climates the most important nutrient is H2O. I recommend organic chemistry and a soils course at UNR and a UofO chem lab that was fun too.
 
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