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Olafhenny · 08-23-2012, 05:17 PM

I

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smokey-hitz

Ive got this general hydroponics fertilizer which comes in three bottles first one being flora micro 5-0-1 second one being flora grow 2-1-6 third one being flora bloom 0-5-4. Would there be any way i could add some together to make 15-5-30 or would this not work? And then if it would work how would i do this? And how much water should i mix it with

No, it wouldn’t

The numbers express the percentage of each fertilizer as part of the whole solution.

In other words if you add 100 ml each of your three fertilizers you would get the following:
5-0-1 divided by 3 = 1.67-0.00-0.33
2-1-6 divided by 3 = 0.67-0.33-2.00
0-5-4 divided by 3 = 0.00-1.67-1.33
Total mix result: 300 ml of 2.34-2.00-3.66

If you want a similar effect as 15-5-30, you have to use more of your much weaker fertilizers. To
use five times the amount of 2-1-6 as you did 15-5-30 PLUS the same dose as 15-5-30 of 5-0-1
would get you as close as you can come.

Here is some information on fertilizer/fertilizing and related costs, you might find useful. This is
largely a copy of one of my earlier posts, but misconceptions about fertilizers keep on cropping
up frequently, so I believe it is worth repeating:

QUOTE
The fertilizer industry is one of the biggest rackets on this continent, but perfectly legal.

No matter how ‘miraculous’ or ‘wonder grow’ the name is, any fertilizer consists of only three
elements: Nitrogen (first number) Phosphates (second number) an the third number: Potassium.
You need all of them every time you fertilize. Everything else is trace elements. For those you
have to contact your local department of agriculture or such and have the soil analyzed. But that
is rarely necessary, if you also use some compost in your soil.

As far as the basic fertilizers are concerned you just need to know,
- that nitrogen is there to produce plant mass
- phosphates are for bloom and fruit
- potassium will help roots to develop.

Accordingly you will pronounce nitrogen and phosphates in spring, except for your lawn, there you
wantto stay low on phosphates, because you do not want it to break out in bloom and seeds.
Go heavy with potassium in fall, when all plants outside of the tropics retract their juices back
into the roots. That makes the leaves loose their chlorophyll and turn those wonderful colours.

Another thing to know in this context is that plants as a rule grow toward warmth, i.e., in spring, when
the air warmer than the ground plants grow “up”. They sprout everywhere. In fall everything, which has
been retracted, goes into the roots. That is, why the best time to (trans-) plant is fall. The garden
shops know that, but their customers don’t. They are much more easily captured by displays of spring
awakening then by retiring plants in fall. That is why you can’t find anything decent in your garden
shops, when it is the best time to plant.

Back to the fertilizer: I buy one big bag each of the three fertilizers in high concentration. then mix it as
desired and get it for about one sixth of the price I’d have to pay at Walmart or Home Depot. If
you are in doubt as to what kind of blend to use for your tomatoes, just go to the next store and look
at the label of tomato-specific fertilizer and take your cue from there.

One word of caution: If you go too heavy on the nitrogen, you are likely going to burn some roots.
That goes no matter if you use premixed or mix your own.
UNQUOTE

I had recently a Lady offering me some rose fertilizer, because she didn't have any roses. I asked
her, if she had tomatoes. She had. The fertilizer mix for roses and tomatoes is identical, give
or take a percent or two variation between brands.

As you may have surmised from the above, the 15-5-30 is a typical fall fertilizer, though a bit high
on nitrogen (the 15). It would be a lousy fertilizer for roses or tomatoes.

Good luck,
Olaf