They look real Pricey, Whats Your friend Growing? I went to their site, Excellent promotional graphics. But that thing they call a nutrient calculator is a joke.

I checked out the nutrient calculator. Why is it a joke? Looks pretty normal to me. I am pretty new to this. Please help. Also I know they are trying to sell but is what they say on this page true? I do not want to waste money on over priced stuff. This is the one I am looking at...

Here is a link that might be useful: Cyco Nutrients

I haven't used cyro nutrients myself. Although you should always be weary of any company's sales pitches. They always try to make there products seem superior than anyone else's product. Especially when they make a clam like "25%-30% increase in yields." Just about every nutrient manufacture makes smiler clams. So who is telling the truth, and who is lying. Well it simply depends on what it is they are comparing it to (that's the fine print they don't tell you). They could be comparing it to plants grown in soil without any nutrients at all. Even if they say it's compared to a specific nutrient, they control the test. And it's what they don't tell you about how it was compared that you would really want to know. Bottom line be aware of any sales pitch before you buy.

If you really want to know the real poop, look for legitimate third party's (not testimonials that the company gives you), that have done side by side comparisons (like product review websites, like consumer reports). Legitimate ones wont be advertising any products. Also I would look for sites ending in ".org" for non profit sites, or ".edu" for educational websites. But you would be lucky to find a .edu site that compares commercially manufactured nutrients I'm sure (I haven't seen it yet). Or you can buy a small amount and test/compare it yourself. I'm sure it will grow plants, but will it live up to the clams? I doubt it.

please be aware the .org does not have to be a non profit address. When originally conceived it was specifically for non profits, but it has since been deregulated. Just a little FYI.
infinat,
If you're growing pot, stick with what the potheads use. If you're growing something else, tell us what it is and maybe we can point you at something more cost effective.

Some things never change.

Around three years ago I worked in a hydroponic retail store for maybe fourteen months. This was in addition to spending a summer working in a facility that bottled hydroponic nutrients, cloning solutions and other additives. It was an eye opening experience. During the time I spent on the retail side of things a coworker summarized the nature of the hobbyist hydroponic market well. I'm only paraphrasing, but it was along the lines:

"It doesn't matter how reputable or effective a product may be. If something is new and it has a cool sticker on the bottle everyone will want to buy it."

I try to be optimistic about people in general. However, I couldn't deny that his observation was accurate. Hydroponic companies are aware of this and they understand their consumers. The website linked isn't as bad as some, but you almost always see the same hallmarks.

1. Technobabble. Big sounding words made to impress consumers with a limited scientific/technical vocabulary into thinking the manufacturer holds an almost esoteric level of knowledge about the sciences which enables them to produce a virtually magical product.

2. Difficult or impossible to locate MSDS. Remember, if people actually knew that Dutch Master was bottling paclobutrazol as Super Bud maybe not as many people would have bought it.

3. Statements that renowned chemists, plant physiologists, or biochemists worked on the development of the product. I always ask "Really? Who?" I have free time. Let me read their master's and/or Ph.D thesis along with any peer reviewed journal articles.

4. Bogus claims that don't actually claim anything. "Grow 25% better yields" or "Best in the industry." Half of the stuff these companies sell I'm not even clear on what the product is supposed to do because the claims are kept so ambiguous.

5. Lack of any real science in demonstrating their product doing something. Quit showing me pictures of people in lab coats already. Is something as simple as a student's T-test too much to ask for?

I can probably expand this list later when I think about it more. This company wasn't too bad since they made their MSDSs easy to find and didn't fill their website with big science words that mean nothing, which is something I respect greatly given the condition of the industry. Looks like a regular nutrient line otherwise.

Yes grizzman that's true, I don't remember how long ago that took place, but many are still non profit. The trick is being able to tell the difference. I usually rely on .edu for information, just in this case I don't think they would find anything for that info.

If you don't want to waste money on overpriced stuff, then don't. Get the stuff that is tried and true. There are plenty.

If your friend vouches, why would you go to a bunch of strangers for verification? I mean, you can read our claims, but you can see his/her results. Whether growing pot or veges or decorative plants, it is just a plant. If you look into it's needs and feed accordingly, you can go with lower priced stuff with just as good of results. I must say, I recommend a silica additive. I started using silica this year on some plants. Those that I did really did have much better structure to them. I have to admit that I didn't exactly use the scientific method in my comparisons, though.

the thing about cyco is that it uses protine instead of acid for uptake. soon all nutrients will do this. some human vitamins use protein uptake. folic and citric acid uptake is about 13 to 18 percent of the nutrient....you urinate out the rest. Nutrients attached to protein up take in the 80 percent range. If cyco has done this, it will change the market of nutrients. I am going to do more research, but I work at a mineral processing factory. Our protein kelated nutrients are super valuable and very expensive. If it is true, I would use them.

Yes, do more reasearch.

I swear the hydroponic nutrients and bodybuilding supplement companies are one and the same, the snake oil is always a breakthrough and always changing the market.

Take the Guaranteed Analysis of several various brands of these "revolutionary" commercial products, and run them through the Hydro Buddy (A real nutrient calculator, not a feeding schedule/mixing direction chart). I'm quite sure you will come to the conclusion that these companies make the largest portion of their profits through fancy packaging and colorful advertising, along with a ludicrously colossal concentrated heaping of bamboozling Techno-Babble designed to impress the gullible.
And furthermore if anyone attempts to promote these products on this forum with the use of SPAM, the product's sales reputation will be abruptly crucified without hesitation.
Yes, do more research.
Then get back to us.
~Ken~

I haven't tried them yet, but they did send me a free platinum series kit for free. It came with their full line up for free. All I did was e-mail the regional distributer, and told him I couldn't find any reviews on their product. He then took my name down, and sent it to the hydroponics store in my area under my name.

Do you know any third party testing websites or consumer report sites that work with gardening fertilizers and nutrients.

I completely agree with how bad the industry is. It really is all about how good are your labels, what colors do you use and how fancy can you make your product sound. If you take a look at the ingredients list, there are not a lot of hydro nutrients out there with anything special, a lot of them do the same thing, just in a different format.