Mixing 2 Part Nutrient
Hi, this is Michael with American Hydroponics. What we are going to do today is mix two part powders. Commercial growers use their own powders and mix in water in the store. When you buy them premixed with colors in them you’re paying probably 30% more than if you were to mix the powder and water yourself. In every two part powder there are two bags, bag A and bag B. All you have to do is pour all of bag A in one container and all of bag B in another container, it’s a two-part powder. Once bag B an bag A are completely dissolved in water, I’m going to add more water to top it off. With an 8 kilogram batch you use two 5 gallon containers, with a 20 kilogram batch to use two 30 gallon containers, and with a 60 kilogram batch to use two 50 gallon containers. Once the containers are filled with water, we mix thoroughly and in about 20 to 30 minutes both of the solutions will clear up and be ready to use.
One important thing to remember is never mix the two concentrates together. The calcium in one tank will mix with the phosphorus and sulfur from the other and precipitate out, and you don’t want that, you only add them together in your working solution. In one gallon of water, mix together 15 milliliters of A and 15 milliliters of B. Once combined it should equal about 20 CF or 2 EC or around 1,400 parts per million. So we’ll stick our truncheon in here, it’s 20 CF, a little bit over, so that’s 20 CF or 1400 parts per million for 2.0 EC. This 8 kilogram batch of nutrients will produce 1,266 gallons of working solution at 20 CF. It’s about a third the cost of the pre-mixed nutrients you buy in the store and these two-part powders contain 16 mineral elements that we blend specifically for each crop specific formula. From tomatoes, to cucumbers, to peppers, to fast-growing flowering annuals, every one of these is measured down to the gram. This way it only costs around 11 cents per working gallon of solution instead of over 30 cents a gallon.
Mixing your nutrients with your own water saves you a lot of money. Commercial growers don’t use liquid nutrients, they they mix their own two-part powders and use their own water. When you’re all finished mixing your two-part nutrient concentrates, store them in a dark container in a cool place so no light gets to it. Keep it cool so that it will last for a long time. It’s as easy as that! You can get all of your two-part formulas direct from American Hydroponics.
