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tommaldito

Nutrients Question (Phosphate)

tommaldito
14 years ago

I posted before about Booktips, got some and come deeper and deeper in the topic.

I just started building my first Setup ( Raft System for Lettuce nd Basil).

Im a little confused now about the Ingredients of the what they in the books call Solution A..

In some books its Calzium Nitrate, Potassium Nitrate and Mono Amoniac Phosphate

In others its Calzium Nitrate, Potassium Nitrate and

Potassium Phosphate Mono

My Question: Mono Amoniac Phosphate and Potassium Phosphate Mono are the same? (I think not)

Are both of this Nutrientsalts working good? If yes, are the concentrations the same?

Can somebody please post a Formula for lettuce and basil which he/she tested succesfully?

Please help me, its already hard to get the Informations, cause English is not my Mothertongue and im reading the Hydroponic books with the dictionary next to me hehehe

Thank you very much

Greets Tom

Comments (10)

  • hex2006
    14 years ago

    Hi Tom
    Mono Ammonium Phosphate provides N and P, Mono Potassium Phosphate provides P and K.

  • lucas_formulas
    14 years ago

    Hi Tom,

    >>Im a little confused now about the Ingredients of the what they in the books call Solution A..With solution A they mean 1 of 2 components. You probably found out that you can't mix certain salts in concentrated form and hence need to split them in A and B.

    >>My Question: Mono Amoniac Phosphate and Potassium Phosphate Mono are the same? (I think not)
    Are both of this Nutrientsalts working good? If yes, are the concentrations the same?Both are not the same but very distinct ingredients/components.
    Hence the concentrations are different as well.

    Both are used to provide P (Phosphorus) and either N or K to the formula.
    Potassium Phosphate Mono is more commonly used, and Ammonium Phosphate-mono (or Mono-ammonium Phosphate) can only be used sparingly in a formula (added in small amounts) because it has 12.x parts of ammoniacal Nitrogen. Only a max of 15% ammoniacal Nitrogen can be added to a formula, because of it's relative "toxicity".

    I am not posting any formulas publicly (anymore) for professional reasons. But you can email me at chiliparadise(at)gmail.com anytime for more details and formulas. I am perfectly fluent in German and French, and I guess one of them should do fine for a swissman, right? ;-)

    If you want to go on your own instead, a standard lettuce formula (compared to others) is quite easy to get hold of with some more extensive googling. You mainly have two types 1. Higher in Nitrogen (in relation to K) for cooler climates and indoors, and 2. Somewhat higher in Potassium (compared to N) for hot-, summer or tropical climates. Any lettuce formula should do for basil, as basil thrives quite well with almost any formula.

  • urbangardenfarmer
    14 years ago

    @lucas_fomulas this is off topic but I was wondering if you knew what kinds of nutrients are in fish water(fish tank water to be specific)? I have a small aquaponic setup (10 gallon) and don't know if I need to add nutrients to the water?

  • lucas_formulas
    14 years ago

    In fact, and amazingly for some - there is all that is needed in fish waste. Actually the problem (if there is any) doesn't turn around the content in elements of fish waste, but is in fact related to the adequate decomposition and sufficient release in relation to time.

    And if I understood the principles of "neo-aquaponics", the point is to improve and insure best decomposition (oxygenation and bacterial activity) to have optimum release and availability of all nutrients that are required.

    Although it is (well, apparently it truly is) possible to provide sufficient nutrients in (newer) well balanced and leveled systems, there is indeed another approach and strategy. Because In case nutrient balance is difficult to realize for some reason or with some setup, the most commonly observed deficiencies are of Potassium and Fe. The magic word here is seaweed extract, - and for others, the right dose of potassium sulphate and EDTA chelated iron simply does the trick.

    This is the best and most up to date Aquaponic Forum I know of ->

    Here is a link that might be useful: backyardaquaponics

  • tommaldito
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    @ lucas formulas : Thank you very much for your answer and for your offer to contact you. I will, in german, because if i do in swiss-german you may need a dictionary as well ;0)... et mon francais cest pas bon pour discutè le topic..;0)

    @ urbangardenfarmer: funny that you bring in the topic aquaponics, because thats my final vision, maybe i will seperate the two systems, so its not realy aquaponics anymore, but the idea is to use the space under the growingbeds of the lettuce and herbs to raise Tilapia. Im located in the southern Philippines, both lettuce and fish are getting more and more expensive, because the lettuce consumption is increasing and the amount of catched fish out of the sea decreasing...there i see my chance to generate income for my familie.

    Good luck with your aquaponic experiments...

  • lucas_formulas
    14 years ago

    >>@ lucas formulas : Thank you very much for your answer and for your offer to contact you. I will, in german, because if i do in swiss-german you may need a dictionary as well ;0)... et mon francais cest pas bon pour discutè le topic..;0)Go ahead in "classic" German (Hochdeutsch), I am not bragging but am truly fluent ;-)

    Jö, Hochdeutsch ist Ok, aber ich kann notfalls auch eppes uf Schwitzerdütsch verzelle odder in Berner oder Baslerdütsch verseckle. Chunnsch druus? LOL.

    Impossible to translate, sorry guys...

    Btw: As I am in Northern Thailand (expatriate from a small constitutional Monarchy of Europe) climate and other conditions (also availability of materials and stuff) are quite similar here. I guess it's a good thing to exchange some ideas in private. Looking forward to it!

  • tommaldito
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Sehr gute Idee mit dem Ideenaustausch, hoffe es wird nicht zu einseitig sein, weil Du scheinst viel Erfahrung und Wissen im Bereich Hydro zu haben, ich hingegen bin Greenhorn. Habe allerdings gute Kenntnisse der Biologie der Pflanzen, bin Landschaftsgärtner von Beruf, wird sicher ein Vorteil sein fürs Verständnis der Materie.

    Werde für 3 Tage abwesend sein, die letzten Schritte für mein Residency Visa und Arbeitserlaubnis erledigen, sobald ich zurück bin schreibe ich ein Mail..

    Bis dann und danke nochmals für deine Hilfsbereitschaft..

    Gruss Tom

  • lucas_formulas
    14 years ago

    Fine Tom, got it.
    Eigentlich dachte ich die Unterhaltung in Deutsch für später aufzuheben, kleines Missverständnis also (mein Fehler). Ist wohl Ok, bloss dass die allermeisten es halt nicht verstehen können. Wir sollten's besser nicht übertreiben... ;-)
    Keine Sorge wegen der Einseitigkeit!

    Don't get me wrong here, I actually meant keeping the "foreign chat" for later. Some people may not exactly appreciate it as they can't understand a thing. Nothing wrong with it I guess (well I hope), as long as we do not exaggerate. ;)

    Catch you later!

  • tommaldito
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Sorry also from my side for the german in one of my posts..
    Im not only new in Hydroponics, also in Internet Forums and it seems to be a DONT to write in another language than English..

    So i will go on with English, if you folks dont mind the grammar and the spelling ;0)

  • leemc_grower
    14 years ago

    Tom,

    I recommend going with an easy 1 part nutrient such as Pure Blend Pro Grow or Ionic Grow. These are easy to use, mix, and provide excellent growth for vegetation. Make sure you have plenty of oxygen for your raft system. This will increase nutritional uptake and vigor.

    T-5 fluorescent lamps will work well, as will metal halides. If you decide to use Pure Blend or another organic nutrient, a 2-stage dechlorinator and sediment filter system will be a worthwhile investment.

    Good Luck!