shadyslater
Well-Known Member
how long will nutes last after they're mixed???????????
how long will nutes last???
- Thread starter shadyslater
- Start date
dl290485
Well-Known Member
If you are asking if they go 'off' or something just sitting in a bucket- chemical fertilizer doesn't do that. I don't know how long it can sit in a bucket mixed up but I know people have used the same water/fertilizer in their feed tank for 2 weeks or more. If you are using it, you aren't likely to see it's expiry date.
If you are using organic based or full organic fertilizer, consult your bottle or instructions they provide but most say to use them quickly. Some say within 7 days but a lot of them say 24 hours. They do go 'off' unlike chem fertilizer.
If you are using chem fertilizer in a recycling system, it's best to dump the tank regularly. Once a week gets right on top of things but some people top up the tank one week then dump the next. The bigger your tank is relative to your grow size the less frequent you can dump it.
Reason why you dump it is because elements are being taken out of it. You could measure using a TDS meter to see how much is missing- but the elements don't deplete evenly. For example you might drop 200ppm but 90% of that mass could be N, which would mean topping up with new fertilizer will add more of the stuff that wasn't used and the ratio will go out of wack. You'll end up with a tank with more concentration of the stuff your plant doesn't want.
Another reason why to dump it is because it usually gets saltier. Even though your plants are taking up the mineral salts, the water is also evaporating and concentrating what's left. So basically you end up with a concentrated tank filled with left overs with the key elements gone or low.
If you are using organic based or full organic fertilizer, consult your bottle or instructions they provide but most say to use them quickly. Some say within 7 days but a lot of them say 24 hours. They do go 'off' unlike chem fertilizer.
If you are using chem fertilizer in a recycling system, it's best to dump the tank regularly. Once a week gets right on top of things but some people top up the tank one week then dump the next. The bigger your tank is relative to your grow size the less frequent you can dump it.
Reason why you dump it is because elements are being taken out of it. You could measure using a TDS meter to see how much is missing- but the elements don't deplete evenly. For example you might drop 200ppm but 90% of that mass could be N, which would mean topping up with new fertilizer will add more of the stuff that wasn't used and the ratio will go out of wack. You'll end up with a tank with more concentration of the stuff your plant doesn't want.
Another reason why to dump it is because it usually gets saltier. Even though your plants are taking up the mineral salts, the water is also evaporating and concentrating what's left. So basically you end up with a concentrated tank filled with left overs with the key elements gone or low.
shadyslater
Well-Known Member
cheers fella's i was just curious because i didnt wanna mix nutes for my seedling in a gal jug then dump most of it.
again thanks
again thanks