Cont’d
quantity than with overall quality, so for them to apply nasty
pesticides, PGR’s and other known products that are not
meant for edible crops, it is nothing.
So while the yield might be heavy , the quality is slim.
Personally my goal is always to attain the highest yield possible without hindering or cutting corners with plant quality. I’m
sure this is the same mind set for many other health conscious
growers that are still trying to get the most out of their limited
growspace.
There are instances where even the health conscious growers
can be fooled by all the smoke and mirrors and shady marketing tactics these nutrient companies are using. For example, a
little quote
“...This highly specialized mixture of selected rare earth elements and
photo nutrients supports your newly supplied bio available phosphorous by helping focus your plants internal energies into flowering,
producing large abundant flowers, without the necessary lag...
My intention of this article is not to scare people but more to
inform them so they start to ask questions on how their favorite nutrient is made and what different GRADES of materials
were used to make it.
Here is a quick breakdown for everyone on nutrients and
how they are graded based off impurities.
Four Types of Chemical Grades for
Fertilizer Materials:
Fertilizer or Industrial Grade- this grade is typically less
than 90% pure and contains the largest amount of impurities.
Technical Grade- this grade is typically 90%-95% pure, can
still contain a lot of impurities, including detrimental elements
British Pharmaceutical Grade-is the most preferred grade
of material. It is approximately 99% pure, and is tested to be
free of any metals and Perchlorates.
Laboratory Reagent Grade- Is above 99.5% purity, but
sometimes does not undergo specific heavy metal and perchlorate testing.
60
www.grozine.com
So now we know not all fertilizer ingredients are created equal.
The reality is that pharmaceutical grade and food
grade fertilizers are extremely expensive.
For instance you can purchase a kilo of calcium nitrate with a
purity of 98% for about a dollar, a single kilogram of the same
fertilizer at 99.5% purity (Pharmaceutical grade) would cost
much more. How do you know what grade was used? Did the
nutrient manufacture buy on price?
There can be huge differences in grade or even how the
material was handled in the process. For example CaNO3 is
sometimes shipped with a plasticizer coating to protect the
fertilizer- this needs to be skimmed out of solution if it is
used... If not you may be eating the stuff, and that’s just one
example.
I wanted to shed light in this journal with the growers who
care about high quality, that they need to pay attention to
where there favorite nutrient is sourced.
Reliable websites that list the metal content and finding for
your favorite nutrients. A good source for this information,
Visit department of agriculture Oregon website also Washington. Finding might vary slightly state by state. For my fellow
growers here is a good checklist to think of when shopping for
nutrients.
5 things you can do to help insure your quality of
purchase
1. It can pay to have a good relation with your
local hydro store. Ask someone you trust what
they know about the product. Be specific with
questions, ask if there are any PGr’s in the
product/hormones/etc..
2. Research the product and check out metal and
purity levels from one of the listed reliable
websites (Oregon Ag/Washington Ag)
3. If the label is flashy and product has big claims,
be skeptical
4. If the company is NEW check around via social
media and word of mouth--has anyone actually USED the product to be able to make any
kind of claims?
5. Be skeptical with additives-especially high
priced additives. (usually the hormone mix’s
and PGr’s are in the additives, although there
have been exceptions)