Epsom Salt usage
- Thread starter snutter
- Start date
snutter
Well-Known Member
How much water is in your reservoir?
fatman7574
New Member
If there is no magnesium sulfate at all in your nutrient formula then add 1 ounces (by weight) ie 28 grams, per every 5 gallons of mixed nutrient water. That would be the equivalent to using a GH formula of Florabloom as Part B of a two Part formula. There is no magnesium Sulfate in their Part A Flora series. That will provide 150 ppm of magnesium.
snutter
Well-Known Member
Thank you fatman!!! That was exactly the kind of response I was hoping for. It's all in the details people...
-S
snutter
Well-Known Member
so I believe that works out to 10 teaspoons for 10 gallons of water... That seems like an awful lot. I could be wrong. I've only been using a healthy pinch... It seems like I could use more, but I just wasn't sure...
fatman7574
New Member
In lucas formula , which is two parts Bloom and one Part Micro there are 13.5 ounces of magnesium Sulfate in a x100 concentrate. Lucas is remember two parts Bllom. The bllom contains the magnesium sulfate. 13.5/100 = 0.135 ounces per gallon. There are all kinds of approaches and all kinds of opinions. I have no idea how much 0.135 ounces would be in teaspoons. 3.78 grams per gallon if you have a gram scale. Magnesium is a secondary nutrient not a trace nutrient so quaite a bit is used. As you can see below with the Lucas formula there is quite a lot of magnesium used. By weight there is almost as much magnesium sulfate as there is calcium nitrate.
Formulation:
Luca Formula
ppm
Nitrogen 167
Phosphorus 333
Potassium 397
Magnesium 100
Calcium 215
Sulfur 133
Iron 3.33
Manganese 1.67
Boron 1.67
Zinc 1.00
Copper .33
Molybdenum .03
Ounces
PART A
Calcium Nitrate 14.2
Iron Chelate .45
Part B
MonoPotassium Phosphate 21.0
Magnesium Sulfate 13.5
Manganese Sulfate .090
Boric Acid / Solubor.123
Zinc Sulfate .058
Copper Sulfate .020
Ammonium Molybdate .001
Volume of Stock Solutions 1
Dilution Rate 100
Formulation:
Luca Formula
ppm
Nitrogen 167
Phosphorus 333
Potassium 397
Magnesium 100
Calcium 215
Sulfur 133
Iron 3.33
Manganese 1.67
Boron 1.67
Zinc 1.00
Copper .33
Molybdenum .03
Ounces
PART A
Calcium Nitrate 14.2
Iron Chelate .45
Part B
MonoPotassium Phosphate 21.0
Magnesium Sulfate 13.5
Manganese Sulfate .090
Boric Acid / Solubor.123
Zinc Sulfate .058
Copper Sulfate .020
Ammonium Molybdate .001
Volume of Stock Solutions 1
Dilution Rate 100
snutter
Well-Known Member
I'm sorry that you took the time to type that all out, fatman. I just went out surfed it up and read about it cause I do use the lucas formula (your previous post prompted this, especially after I did the conversion to teaspoons). After reading the back of my nute bottles I figured I needed to do myself some learnin. heheh. Thanks for taking the time to put this info here. I am sure it will be a help to other growers in the future. Definitely a great help to me!!!
-S
-S
repvip
Well-Known Member
Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate heptahydrate, so don't forget about the majority of water mass. It may seem like a lot, but it's ~50% water weight, and only ~9% Mg.
MgSO4 = 120.415g/mol
MgSO4*7H2O=246.47g/mol
Mg=24.305g/mol
Using the heptahydrate weight:
28g MgSO4 * 1mol MgSO4/246.47g * 1mol Mg/1mol MgSO4 * 24.305g Mg/mol = 2.761g Mg
I hate ppm conversion, so I approximate using 1 ppm ~= 1mg/Liter
2,761mg Mg/19.2Liter (5 gallon) ~= 143 ppm
Looks good!!
http://agr.wa.gov/PestFert/Fertilizers/FertDB/Product1.aspx
This website has some interesting fertilizer data, if you decide to make your own... alphabetical listed by manufacturer and sometimes product.
any idea if molasses can be diluted down + epsom salt to make a Sweet or Floranectar type bloom product, for use in hydroponic? Great for dirt, but I'm wondering if a homemade brew would ferment!? ick.
fatman7574
New Member
Actually (5 gallons/0.2642) = 18.93 liters, so (2761/18.93)= 145.85 ppm or 146 ppm with trucation
repvip
Well-Known Member
oh dang you caught me approximating!
I've never had a good conversion factor for gal->liter
I was using 960mL/quart so yeah that error added up quick with 5 gallons
Made some homemade Sweet today. Just until I get the real thing.
fatman7574
New Member
As long as there are areas in your system where there are anoxic conditions the supplemet should be fine. If there are any anoxic spots with anerobic bacteria then expect a bacterial blossom, therefore grey water, possibly smelly. This is usually most commom with systems like DWC and small tube aeros where root health is often questionable and where there are areas where the roots are in low DO water or dead roots and such have accumalated.
repvip
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the epsom salt answer that was perfect timing for me. I didn't think to use that much! The math is fun, though.
I evaporated 5mL of Botanicare Sweet and was left with 1.1g residue, which I'm guessing is mostly sugars and mag sulfate. I diluted 20mL molasses +150g epsom salt in 4L, and hope it's a decent match for sweet for a few days. I'm evaporating 5mL of my solution now to see if it's close
snutter
Well-Known Member
it all sounds good except the molasses portion.. I don't think molasses does well in hydroponic systems...Thanks for the epsom salt answer that was perfect timing for me. I didn't think to use that much! The math is fun, though.
I evaporated 5mL of Botanicare Sweet and was left with 1.1g residue, which I'm guessing is mostly sugars and mag sulfate. I diluted 20mL molasses +150g epsom salt in 4L, and hope it's a decent match for sweet for a few days. I'm evaporating 5mL of my solution now to see if it's close
Silky Shagsalot
Well-Known Member
one teaspoon per gallon.
repvip
Well-Known Member
Right.. I was wondering about that. Sweet is made from cane sugar.. some other bloom products for hydro are derived from molasses.. so I think it can work. I was more worried about the solution fermenting.
The stock solution is diluted just like Sweet... 10mL per gallon of rez.. it ends up being really dilute molasses and epsoms.
llLOU
Well-Known Member
GROWING IN SOIL, I USE 1 tsp. PER GALLON.
fatman7574
New Member
100 to 150 ppm.
fatman7574
New Member
The "fermentation" would need yeast (eukaryotes), the bacterial blossom is merely a rapid bacterial growth of the more common bacteria (prokaryotic). They prefer a low pH nitrogen-limiting environment. They are nore common to soil grows whereby there is a lot of petat moss etc.
The nutrient manfacturers are now pushing carbohydrates rather than the sugar. Same results without the bacterial blossom caused by the sugars. With sugar the exponential growth phase of the bacteria is almost vertical and nearly immediattely while with carbohydrates there is the typical lag phase in growth then the bacterial phase on a growth curve is at about a 45 degree angle.
The same end results effect is experienced by the plants but over a period of a couple days versus over night.
Sorta like eatting oatmeal verus Captain Crunch. Captain Crunch gives an immediate rush from the sugar and highly processed grain while the merely lighly rolled oats have a more moderated long term nutritional output (staying power).