whats your jacks recipe?

1 part Jacks 5-12-26

1 part Calcium Nitrate
zero Epsom salt

It's the easiest formula to remember that also provides balanced nutes for cannabis. NPK is about 4-1-6.
Cal / Mg ratio is 3:1 with plenty of both elements. Just mix it up to whatever ppm you want for each
stage.

Extras worth using - fulvic acid, chitosan, bio-available silica

Added kelp extract to my nutes for the current grow. Seems to be making a noticeable difference in the
speed of growth in veg.

I don't do hydro. I use peat and perlite. Drain to waste. Fresh full strength nutes with each feeding.

Fed 15x a month. I use 4g of each by late veg and don't get leaf issues.

Peat is similar to hydro in terms of nutrients, but hydro people tend to use a lower ppm than I use for
peat.

I couldn't run 321 in high EC mode (more than 2.0EC or 1000ppm) without running into cal mag issues.
There was too much Mg and K competing with Ca.

So I made a spreadsheet that is specific to the dry nutes I use to calculate ppm. Then I did some research
regarding nute levels of Mg for various crops. It made it easy to see there is too much Mg in the 321
formula.
Part A has plenty of Mg. Especially when 3g of part A and B are used. If you only use 2g of each for
strength reasons, you might need a little epsom. Like 0.5g when the others are 2g.

Jacks 321 formula has too much Mg and not enough Ca for me.

This is what I use for veg at peak demand

jacks 5/12/26 - 4g per gallon

calcium nitrate - 4g per gallon
epsom salt - zero

fed 15X a month in peat

Any minor leaf issues that may occur can be sorted out with some Cal Mag foliar treatments.

The pH of the media was 7.8 after 4 weeks of veg. I was able to reduce it to 5.7-6.4pH and keep it in the
safe zone. How?

By using a shit ton of citric acid and water. pH the water to 3.0. This takes about 15g-20g of citric acid per
gallon with average tap water. The first flush was a big one. 10 gallons per plant. This isn't something that
can be cured with one flush. I had to repeat it before feeding for about 3-4 weeks before it became fairly
stable in the low to mid 6's.

The subsequent flushes did not need 10 gallons. They got just enough volume to get runoff with 3.0 pH
citric solution. Then feed with a bicarbonate free nute mix 15 minutes later. It took about a week to get
out of the pH danger zone.

After it got down to the low sixes, I didn't need to hit it with acid before each feed. It's only once per
week now. Grow has about a month to go. But it's not too early to call this acid flush thing a success.

I did this on four different strains. All the plants are doing fine. No leaf issues after I got the pH in check.
So if you try ever this and it doesn't work, well you clearly did it wrong! This would be harder to do near
the end of the grow because more bicarbonate has accumulated compared to my 4 week old example.
It's worth a try if you ever have high media pH issues.

Nutrient lockout is often a consequence of high media pH. And by managing media pH, we can create
conditions where the pH remains in the optimal zone. There are a few ways to do that. Acid flushing is
one of them.

This is a simplified shedule

week 1 seedling - 1.0EC

week 2 seedling - 1.5EC
week 3 veg - 2.0EC
week 4 veg - 2.5EC
week 5-7 veg - 3.0EC.

3.0EC can also be used for all of bloom. You can use as much as 4.0EC if you have enough light, but don't
have to use that much to get a big yield. You can cut nutes in half during the last two weeks of bloom.

You could also try the 1.25 part A to 1 part B ratio, if you are seeing nutrient deficiency. That is what I
have been using recently. You don't have to worry about not being able to run higher than 2.5EC if the
plants are growing well. Some strains can't handle high EC.

Kelp extract can be used for the whole grow. It's fairly cheap too. A gallon was about $35. Using 5ml/gal.

Yes, the media is peat. Either Promix HP or Sunshine #4. Both come with perlite, but I add a little more.
Feeding 15x a month. Usually top between the 4th and 5th node. I use strings clamped to the rim of the
bucket for LST and make adjustments as it grows. Before using kelp, I would make LST adjustments once
a week or so. Now with kelp, I have to adjust LST and remove leaves every time I water until growth
stops.

Kelp appears to have accelerated Veg growth. I'm anxious to see what happens in bloom.

Cal Mag deficiencies are the most common issues. Foliar is the fastest way to fix Cal Mag issues. It can
also be used to prevent Cal Mag issues.

Regular foliar feeding is useful to me for the first half of veg. Seedlings get a full nutrient foliar plus kelp
and fulvic. This reduces my seedling time from two weeks to as little as one week.

Veg plants get some preventative Cal Mag foliar plus fulvic and kelp.

Calcium and magnesium are normal and not a substitute for cal mag. I use 200ppm Ca and 75ppm Mg.
Your water doesn't have anywhere near that.

Bicarbonate level is fine, but the water should be acidified to remove some and get the right pH.

Plants don't stop uptaking Si in nature during bloom, but some humans think they have a better recipe.
Si doesn't make harsh smoke. It doesn't even burn.

Too much P is the most common source of nute related harshness. It forms phosphorus pentoxide when
burned which is an irritant to the throat.

Who said PH adjusting removes alkalinity?

Science says so. When we add acid to tap water it reduces alkalinity. It can be reduced to zero with the
right amount of acid. The media pH can also be reduced and controlled by simply using acid. In order to
do this, we must prepare an acidic solution that has NEGATIVE residual alkanity. In other words, the
solution has enough acid to neutralize all the bicarbonate in the water PLUS some bicarbonate in the
media. This experiment used citric acid to reduce the pH of soil while growing wheat.

I have used large doses of citric acid to reduce the media pH from 7.8 all the way down to 5.1 pH. Refer
to this thread if you want to know more.

Question for curiosity:

Soil pH is 7 and you want to get it to 6.

Can you feed your plants with nutes pH at 5 and level the pH to 6? Or does it not work this way?

I just tried soil for my first time this grow and it never went over 6.5 but I was curious if that approach
would work or if it’s counterproductive.

It can work similar to that way. But it isn't a linear equation. If soil is 7 and you feed 5, the result is not
immediately 6. It will be less than 7 and more than 5. It would be very close to 7 with one watering. It
works gradually.

If you want it to reduce media pH faster, acid flushing at 4.0 pH works in peat. I haven't tried that with
soil. It should work. When the media gets above 7, it takes a considerable amount of acid to reduce it.

This is for the purpose of reducing media pH which has risen too high late in the grow. It appears to be
working. It feels so naughty feeding at 4.0-4.5 pH.
 What I did is called an acid drench. It's one of a few ways to reduce media pH quickly. No lockout issues
occurred and all the leaves are still flawless. The media pH lowered by 0.6 pH and normal feeding has
resumed.

"Bottom line is if you need to drop the pH of our growing medium, consider using acidic fertilizers or
injecting acid into the water to neutralize the alkalinity that causes growing medium pH to rise."

Bicarbonate in tap water is the main thing that increases the pH over time. The bicarbonate of my tap
water is not high. It's about 70ppm before acid. This is usually low enough to not cause a pH rise
problem when I acidify to 5.8. For whatever reason, the media pH got up to 7.3 this time. Problems can
start occurring above 7.8, so I wanted to lower it quickly just to be safe with a few weeks to go. It
worked.

I did an acid drench flush at 4.0 pH with 2-3 gallons of water per pot. Let it soak in for 12 hours. Then fed
at 4.5pH. Did this for two feeding cycles. The media pH dropped down to the sixes. The plant's roots
aren't drinking super low pH water in this scenario because the pH raises quite a bit a few seconds after
mixing with the basic media.

Just wanted to give an update on this. The 4.0ph acid drench / flush solved the issue. Rather than repeat
this once a week, I just fed at 5.0ph for the rest of the grow. The runoff remained in the safe zone and it
remained stable. pH went from mid sevens to mid sixes. Didn't develop any leaf defects.

I've heard people claim this method is a recipe for disaster. "You can't feed with the pH that low". Then
they point to a nutrient uptake pH chart as 'proof'. Well, it's not a recipe for disaster. It's a valid method
to solve an alkaline media issue quickly.

The plant isn't drinking dangerously hot acid water. The pH of the acid feed rises into the safe zone when
it mixes with the alkaline media while simultaneously lowering the pH of the media to the desired range.

CO2 makes the plant metabolism go crazy, especially at hotter temperatures. When you put together a
formula in Hydrobuddy, your calcium should be more than your nitrates. At transition, you can bump the
increased calcium intake at 0.2-0.4g/gallon of calcium acetate.
 Jasper.Palmer said:
Hi, the Recipe is compelling and I want to try it in my next grow. Any experience with using the Recipe
with an Autopot setup, along with coco/perlite potting mix ?

i.e. does it work from the roots' perspective

does it risk gumming up the Autopot lines and valves? thank you!

Thank you for your reply. All the inputs should be totally soluble. I would use a nice, light and airy mix
like buffered Canna coco 70/30 perlite. I would top feed until roots are established and there should be
no issues with using Autopots.

Fulvic acid is going to be compatible with a living reservoir using Hydroguard. It is not compatible with
strong oxidizers like hypochlorous acid (UC Roots, Athena Cleanse) because it creates biofilm when
combined.

I use FA as a drench start to day of harvest. When using it in flush, the minerals build brix, retain proper
sap pH and prevent osmotic pressure.

As far as dosage, it is active from a few ppm up to 250 ppm for plants. You may have to reduce your base
fertilizer 10-25% if using higher application rates. Human health benefits from 50-100 mg of fulvic acid a
day as well.

I do silica/base ferts/fulvic all the way through veg to flower. Kelp/Ca at flip for structure/vigor.
Homemade Hammerhead week 6 of flower based on tissue samples. You can tweak it however you
would like, this just keeps it simple.

Hammerhead 0-9-18
Mono Potassium Phosphate 107g
Potassium Sulphate 68g
Magnesium Sulphate 4g
My ppm is was 465, but my out ppm is still 1540. What the? Flush again????
Keep flushing until it's 600 ppm.
Always feed until 10-25% runoff to prevent it.

ascophylum nodosum used as a foliar one time at transition prevents stretch and improves plant
structure.

Transition is also the perfect time for a calcium application, which is when it requires it the most in it's
life cycle. It revs up the plants metabolism for flower and prevents light tops. I suggest calcium acetate,
calcium EDTA or Metalosate calcium.

Mix from least soluble to most soluble- potassium silicate, Part X with micros, calcium nitrate, epsom
salt, organics like kelp and fulvic. Use a submersible water stir pump as air stones tend to raise pH more
quickly.

Calcium is rarely strain dependent. Pure sativas don't like a heavy EC. If you have a Kush for example that
is a heavy feeder, just raise your base fertilizer a bit. Cal-Mag is a band-aid to sell you more stuff at the
hydro store.

If your plants are burning, always water until 10-25% runoff. Test your pH going into the feed and coming
out to diagnose any problems.

Length of flush depends on the CEC of your growing medium. You can flush rockwool for a couple
irrigations and get a nice fade. Coco, maybe a week and a half or two. Heavily amended soil gives a nice
fade when the plant is done.

Dirtbag said:
 I've been curious what your position is on flushing. Thanks for sharing that, I fully agree.
Something ill add that I've noticed in a couple crops using peat based media, is if I wait too long to
begin the flush, the uptake of water into the plant slows down so much at the end that getting a good
fade can be difficult.
Now I keep a very close eye on water uptake in weeks 7 and 8 to get a feel for when to switch to plain
water. As soon as she starts slowing down drinking I make the switch. Mind you I use rockwool now but I
use the same monitoring process, and usually flush for about 5-7 days. Bit longer than necessary for
wool, but not harmful.

That's a good observation.

I personally use an isotonic solution for flushing. Some people use homemade Clearex. Mr. Fulvic also
works to maintain osmotic pressure when flushing. It gives more residual weight, terpenes and better
shelf life as a perishable product.

Calcium needs are highest at transition. Try metalosate calcium, calcium EDTA or acetate foliar or drench.
Reducing feed when they have unique needs at a time like flip is only going to stunt the plants.

I hit my best yields with hand watered PromixCC. Now I'm cheap and just use 5kg coco blocks with 25-
30% rice hulls by volume. If I want a slower dry down, I'll add 10% castings or 1-3% vermiculite.

Potassium really kicks up the yield and oil content late flower. This thread is merely how to get the best
product with as few inputs as possible.

if they have their nutes dialed in perfectly they don't want to add anything to change whats going on in
the root zone, also if your running sterile you need to foliar Mr.fulvic, I know first hand commercial guys
using Mr.fulvic ( folair spraying ) and measuring quantifiable difference

every commercial guys has an IPM program and foliar's other stuff as well like kelp, Fulvic as a drench
helps build root mass and ups nutrient absorbtion, as foliar it actually makes your IPM program be more
effective, helps to create better overall growth and overall healthier plants, and it is also the quickest way
to see results

Fulvic you can use start to finish , some guys use fulvic when they flush as well, kelp I use it maybe once
during early veg, but really mostly I use it just before flip and during, once a week over 3 weeks, foliar or
drench. I'd keep it simple your first run as bill and guys describe in this thread, jacks start to finish, if you
want a booster in flower use the homemade hammer head, and then just fulvic and kelp, build yourself a
baseline grow see how it goes.

Kelp Once per week sounds like the whole grow to me. I'm using it twice a week on this grow. No
problems. Many colas.

Kelp is beneficial the whole grow BUT most cost effective and bang for buck to use during stretch

Lots of mention about silica. I too dress with a plant called horsetail.
Researchers believe that horsetail's bone-remodeling effect is mostly due to its high silica content. In
fact, up to 25% of its dry weight is silica. No other plant boasts as high of a concentration of this mineral

I have had no issues with ph. And it grows abundantly where I’m located. You can make horsetail tea and
drink it yourself too!!

Would adding Molasses to this recipe be overkill?

Yes. Go with recharge if you want microbe’s. Molasses isn’t all that. better for teas and what not.
Preferably dehydrated
I kinda did his recipe MKP at 50-80-ppm and SOP at 100-150ppm at the 5th week till harvest. buds was
nice and dense.

NPK is roughly 4-1-4 and Ca:Mg is 3-1 when using equal parts of A and B with zero epsom.

Lately I've been using 5g of 5/12/26 and 4g of Cal Nit at peak veg and bloom. So not quite 1:1. It's 1.25:1
now. Still no epsom.

This has an NPK of roughly 3-1-4 and Ca:Mg is 2.5:1

Yes, I run the same ratio for veg and bloom and don't cut N until the last two weeks. Starting as low as
1:1 or 1.25:1 and gradually increasing it as the plant grows.

Kelp and Fulvic foliar during veg twice a week. Cal Mag (500ppm) foliar during early veg twice a week if
needed. I don't use foliar in bloom.

If you can keep your runoff in the 5.0-7.5ph range, you will never have a problem. The ideal range for
optimal nute uptake is 5.5-6.0. pH related problems start occur above 7.8pH and below 5.0pH in peat.

when you run 5g part a & part b 4g w/out Epsom, how is it ec and ph looking like? Have you noticed
any major difference during veg and flower compared to your old runs?

It's about 2.5EC with average tap water. No major differences. I use it instead of 4g/4g because it adds a
little extra Mg and P. P for yield. Mg to prevent deficiency.
 ooo was debating between this and athena stack. Looks I'll try this instead. Do you foliar spray every
week from veg to harvest or stop at week 2 of flower

Did you run into low ph with 5/4?

Never. I always get higher than "ideal" runoff pH. It will get up into the high sevens by the middle of
bloom without some aggressive acid management. The nute mix will make the plant exude hydroxide
which increases the pH. If your pH is running low, it's due to bacterial acidification. Microbes are
dropping the pH. I don't experience that because I sterilize the media before planting.

You can raise your pH by using potassium silicate or lime. I would flush with lime. The ideal runoff is 5.5-
6.2. Problems can occur at 4.

I forgot to ask you can you please tell me how you came to bust the 2-2 instead of the 3-2-1 ???

I couldn't run 321 in high EC mode (more than 2.0EC or 1000ppm) without running into cal mag issues.
There was too much Mg and K competing with Ca.

So I made a spreadsheet that is specific to the dry nutes I use to calculate ppm. Then I did some research
regarding nute levels of Mg for various crops. It made it easy to see there is too much Mg in the 321
formula.

Part A has plenty of Mg. Especially when 3g of part A and B are used. If you only use 2g of each for
strength reasons, you might need a little epsom. Like 0.5g when the others are 2g.

Jacks 321 formula has too much Mg and not enough Ca for me.

Increasing Terpene Production In Hydroponic Systems

Chitosan for the entire bloom cycle ✅

Sulfur dominant feed during the last two weeks ✅

Using more than 12 hours of light during the last two weeks ✅

It's too late in the grow for the plant to reveg or herm from a few extra hours of light per day. More light
= more photosynthesis = more terpenes.
Another tip is to keep the leaf temperature below 80F. Some terpenes such as Mercene are volatile and
evaporate with higher temperatures.