i feel like 90% of the people that say that AN sucks either have never tried it or have used way too much to the point of overfertilization. if you go off their nutrient calculator, you will burn the shit out of your plants.
THey calculate ppm by EC x 700 = ppm when the standard for most devices and people is EC x 500 = ppm
this means that most people over-fertilize by around 30% if they do not use the corrected ppm scale!
Their nutrient calculator also has some big errors-
For vegging, they say a 1040ppm is a 2.4EC when really 2.4EC = 1680ppm!
for flowering, they say a 1040ppm is 1.48EC which is what it should be.
here are 2 snap shots directly off AN's website showing the discrepancy
Well, I always use about 25% less because I actually watch my numbers of my grow.
I mean, the truth is that with ANY nutes, you will have people who just want things to be easy as can be. And while that's certainly that sounds like a good idea, it isn't going to help you learn anything about growing.
I think the lesson here is that growers need to be more responsible and not just read labels. Good growers are going to also spot nute problems before they turn into anything major.
When I hear that people are just blindly following things, that's strikes me as odd. I mean, I know I listened to the labels when I first started, but the truth is that I also learned how to grow by watching what was happening, even though I didn't realize what they meant.
I think growers need to stop being so whiny about the fact that the nute companies aren't giving them all of the answers. It's not like the nute companies are leaning over them and telling them to f-k up their grows.
In the end, it's the grower that's the one that calls the shots. And if you want to change things up, YOU CAN. The label on a bottle doesn't mean that you need to follow it. LOL