Maximalist Semi Hydroponic Fertilizer Recipe

This recipe takes the fundamentals of the original recipe and adds some additional ingredients to create a complete suite of fertilizers for those of us who want to control all the things.

As I was getting started in the hobby I was frustrated to find that smallest sizes of each of these items that I wound up purchasing was close to $250 and would last a semi-hydro hobbyist approximately 1,000,000 years, so I wanted to share some of what I've learned and simplify it for people who don't want to spend all that money without even knowing if they like the product. To that end, if you see me at a plant expo, I sell my recipe along with free samples of the fertilizers that I use if you aren't ready to commit to the expense of buying all the raw materials.

Before you can create your own magical plant potions and get creative, you have to start somewhere. I really struggled to find very specific instructions, so I created the base recipe after reading a bunch of blog posts from other planty people who are growing semi-hydroponically in LECA, which is my preferred substrate -- special thanks to LECA Addict, and Botanically Insane for sharing their resources.

Like the base recipe, you don't have to grow in semi-hydro to benefit from this recipe. But you should know that some plants are more sensitive to some of the ingredients on this expanded recipe than others, so tread with caution. That said, I also use this fertilizer for my plants in regular soil, I just dilute it to 1/4 strength or 1/2 strength (depending on the plant) instead of using full strength.

As with the basic mix, I use equal parts of General Hydroponics FloraMicro, Flora Gro, and FloraBloom. This fertilizer isn't super shelf-stable, so I usually make 1 liter a week, rather than a gallon. After mixing, you really should use it within a few days, but I've had it be usable for at least a week without issues (verified with a PPM meter.)

I'm also a cooking nerd, so I'm putting this in recipe format, and making recommendations for tools based on how deep down the science nerd rabbit hole you have gone.

Semi Hydroponic Liquid Fertilizer Maximalist Recipe

A comprehensive recipe for semi-hydroponic fertilizer that can also be diluted and used in soil setups. Best used within a day or two, keeps up to a week. If you use different formulations you may need to adjust the proportions, these proportions will work with the sample packs I provide at expos.

Ingredients and Tools

Ingredients

• Distilled or Reverse Osmosis Water*

• Cutting Edge Solutions Bulletproof SI

  • this product can be diluted and used as a foliar spray on its own as well

  • if you do not have a magnetic stirrer you should probably just use silica as a foliar spray, it falls out of solution very easily in most water

• General Hydroponics FloraMicro

• General Hydroponics FloraGro

• General Hydroponics FloraBloom

• General Hydroponics CALiMAGic

  • this may not need to be supplemented every time

• FulPower

  • this product can be diluted and used as a foliar spray on its own instead

  • you can increase the concentration of this for cuttings to kickstart growth

• General Hydroponics RapidStart

  • I don't use this every time, I mostly use it to help with rooting young plants

• 3% Hydrogen Peroxide*

  • optional, not used every time, helps prevent algae in semi-hydro

• Rosemary Oil*

  • optional, not used every time, organic pest management, not tolerated by every plant

• Hydroguard

• PH Up and Down

  • You usually only need one or the other of these if you use the same water and products every time

  • If you need to use one, dilute it in water and slowly add a little at a time checking PH frequently

* = not included in the sample kit

Tools

• Beginner

  • 1/8, 1/4, 1/2 and 1 teaspoon measuring spoons

    • pro-tip: I strongly advise using dedicated spoons for chemicals and not re-using it for food, just keep it with the fertilizer and not in the kitchen

  • One Liter container

    • a clean one liter soda bottle is great, just don't ever use it for food again

  • PH Test Strips

• Intermediate

  • A disposable pipette or syringe

  • A 16 ounce boston bottle

  • Simple PH Meter or test strips

  • Cheap Magnetic Stirrer

• Advanced

  • A micro-pipettor

  • A 1 liter reagent bottle

  • PH Meter with Probe

  • Magnetic Stirrer

Recipe

1 Liter

• Place 900ml of Distilled Water into a one-liter container

• Optional Add 1/8 tsp (or .5ml) of Bulletproof SI and stir. Wait 30 minutes before continuing the next step. Stir frequently during that time.

  • this step can be skipped entirely, you can foliar spray silicon, or skip it entirely

• Optional Add a generous 1/4 tsp (or 1ml) of CALiMAGic and stir.

• Add 1/2 tsp (or 3.3ml) of Flora Micro (Maroon color) and mix well

• Add 1/2 tsp (or 3.3ml) of Flora Grow (Green color) and mix well

• Add 1/2 tsp (or 3.3ml) of Flora Bloom (Pink color) and mix well

• Add heaping 3/4 tsp (or 4ml) of Fulpower and mix well

• Test your PH. The PH should be within 5.5 - 6.5. If not, mix PH Up or PH Down with a small amount of water and gradually add and retest until you are in the correct range.

  • If using a test strip 5.5 - 6.5 is yellowish green to light green

• Optional Add 1/8 tsp (or .5ml) of RapidStart and mix well

  • optional -- recommended for young plants

• Optional Add 1/4 tsp (or .8ml) of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide and mix well

  • recommended to prevent algae growth

• Optional Add 2 drops of Rosemary Essential Oil and mix well

  • this can be used as a preventative for pests, but not all plants tolerate it well, and it does cause a strong odor in the fertilizer

• Add 1/8 tsp (or .5ml) of Hydroguard and mix well

• Add distilled water to top it off to 1 liter

  • use within a day or two, one week at the latest. Dilute to 1/4 or 1/2 strength for feeding plants in soil.

1 Gallon

• Open a gallon of distilled water and pour off about a cup to put aside for later

• Optional Add scant 1/2 tsp (or 2ml) of Bulletproof SI and stir. Wait 30 minutes before continuing the next step. Stir frequently during that time.

  • this step can be skipped entirely, you can foliar spray silicon, or skip it entirely

• Optional Add 1 tsp (or 5ml) of CALiMAGic and stir.

• Add 2 tsp (or 10ml) of of Flora Micro (Maroon color) and mix well

• Add 2 tsp (or 10 ml) of Flora Grow (Green color) and mix well

• Add 2 tsp (or 10ml) of Flora Bloom (Pink color) and mix well

• Add 3 tsp (or 15ml) of Fulpower and mix well

• Test your PH. The PH should be within 5.5 - 6.5. If not, mix PH Up or PH Down with a small amount of water and gradually add and retest until you are in the correct range.

  • If using a test strip 5.5 - 6.5 is yellowish green to light green

• Optional Add scant 1/2 tsp (or 2ml) of RapidStart and mix well

  • optional -- recommended for young plants

• Optional Add 1/2 tsp (or 3ml) of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide and mix well

  • recommended to prevent algae growth

• Optional Add 5-6 drops of Rosemary Essential Oil and mix well

  • this can be used as a preventative for pests, but not all plants tolerate it well, and it does cause a strong odor in the fertilizer

• Add scant 1/2 tsp (or 2ml) of Hydroguard and mix well

• Add remaining distilled water to top it off to 1 gallon

  • use within a day or two, one week at the latest. Dilute to 1/4 or 1/2 strength for feeding plants in soil.