AG Liquid Nutrients request

[CatHerder]

I just did a chat on the MiracleGro site and asked about the nutrients.  They were very quick to respond.  Even when I chatted with AG a couple times this week, they were just as fast and helpful as I've experienced in the past.  Makes me even sadder to see them go.

Yes, I know there are alternatives to their nutrients, some of which are probably better, however...
a.  I'm lazy
b.  I'm not, and will not ever, be monitoring and adjusting pH, etc. 
c.  I like the convenience of the liquid and NO mixing of multiple products
d.  I'm lazy

So, the person suggested anyone interested in MiracleGro continuing to produce/sell the current Aerogarden nutrients contact them and make a request.  I figure, the more of us that ask, the more chances we have that they may continue to make this product.

My long standing theory is: "It never hurts to ask."

[pfunnyjoy]

Hopefully MiracleGro will listen. It seems a no-brainer to continue to sell the nutrients to the large population of AG gardeners who like using them.

I did, during a random search for Aerogarden stuff (in case of deals) while shopping online yesterday, spot this:

HiThrive - 32oz Aeroponics & Hydroponics Liquid Plant Food

I have absolutely no idea if it's any good or easy to use or not or pH buffered like the AG nutes. Not too many reviews and I have never heard of the brand. I'd say stock up on the AG nutrients and hope that Miracle Gro will provide a product, or third-party offerings will appear.

I've heard FoxFarm liquid hydroponic nutrients are good, but I don't know anything about them.

Depending on your water source, you might be able to use GH Maxigro fairly easily if AG nutes work without monitoring. The Aerogarden Experiments guy on YouTube uses Maxigro and he proclaims he is lazy. He has also been using AG nutrients, so when his supply runs out, he might perhaps do some more videos on the subject of nutrient alternatives.

Making up liquid Maxigro isn't bad. I measure mine into a Mason jar, add a little warm water from my electric teakettle, put a lid on and shake up. Then, when dissolved, I add to cool water in a gallon bottle. (I use empty/rinsed cleaning vinegar gallon bottle, and just label with painter's blue tape.)

[CatHerder]

Oct 5, 2024 16:20:03 GMT -5 pfunnyjoy said:

Hopefully MiracleGro will listen. It seems a no-brainer to continue to sell the nutrients to the large population of AG gardeners who like using them.

I did, during a random search for Aerogarden stuff (in case of deals) while shopping online yesterday, spot this:

HiThrive - 32oz Aeroponics & Hydroponics Liquid Plant Food

I have absolutely no idea if it's any good or easy to use or not or pH buffered like the AG nutes. Not too many reviews and I have never heard of the brand. I'd say stock up on the AG nutrients and hope that Miracle Gro will provide a product, or third-party offerings will appear.

I've heard FoxFarm liquid hydroponic nutrients are good, but I don't know anything about them.

Depending on your water source, you might be able to use GH Maxigro fairly easily if AG nutes work without monitoring. The Aerogarden Experiments guy on YouTube uses Maxigro and he proclaims he is lazy. He has also been using AG nutrients, so when his supply runs out, he might perhaps do some more videos on the subject of nutrient alternatives.

Making up liquid Maxigro isn't bad. I measure mine into a Mason jar, add a little warm water from my electric teakettle, put a lid on and shake up. Then, when dissolved, I add to cool water in a gallon bottle. (I use empty/rinsed cleaning vinegar gallon bottle, and just label with painter's blue tape.)

Cool, thanks for the info.

I use tap water.  It's very hard water here, with a pH of around 7 (?) last time I checked it, but I've never had issues with it.

My Amazon order of Maxigro arrived today.  I feed all my gardens on Sundays so I plan on feeding my herbs and lettuce with the Maxigro to save the AG nutrients for fruiting plants.  I understand that the Maxigro isn't for fruiting plants due to the low phosphorus content, but should be fine for green plants. 

He seemed to recommend 1 tsp/gal.  Do you find this to be the right strength?

Is it ok to mix it and let it sit for a week, if I mix too much, or does it have to be used right away?

[maskedsonnet]

Aw man, I REALLY hope that they either keep selling it or a third party appears. I don't like the thought of buying and mixing multiple products, my reasons all being identical to yours. I bought 5 bottles of it to add to the 3 I've already got, so I should be set for quite a while. But when that's all gone if they've discontinued it I'll certainly be searching for something similar!!

[CatHerder]

Oct 5, 2024 16:45:27 GMT -5 maskedsonnet said:

Aw man, I REALLY hope that they either keep selling it or a third party appears. I don't like the thought of buying and mixing multiple products, my reasons all being identical to yours. I bought 5 bottles of it to add to the 3 I've already got, so I should be set for quite a while. But when that's all gone if they've discontinued it I'll certainly be searching for something similar!!

I too bought a couple heck-of-a-lot of bottles with my coupon.

Email or do the instant chat (lower right side) on the website and ask them to keep making it.

The more of us that do, the better chance we have of getting it.  Hopefully.

miraclegro.com/en-us/home?srsltid=AfmBOoqDad4TUvD7Qy5RVMbIqEF77lokCQK94RFafN1db_3HagYxF5yP

[blueoak]

I use 1/2 teaspoon MaxiGro per quart Kratky jar, which may be too much. Maybe I should cut that in half. I've been using AG nutes in my Aerogardens.

When adding to an Aerogarden between R&Rs, say you want to add 1 teaspoon MaxiGro to a Bounty, the equivalent of 12 ml AG liquid nutes. You need to dissolve the 1 tsp to a small enough amount of water to top off your garden and not overflow it. If you want to do four gardens at once, say, and only want to mix one batch, you can add 4 teaspoons to a volume of water, but then you need to measure the solution and provide 1/4 of it to each garden so each gets its 1 teaspoon.

I just did some calculations to see if I could make up a stock MaxiGro solution with a concentration equivalent to AG nutes, but it doesn't seem possible because it would take so much of the powder, I don't believe it would dissolve in the required amount of water. Maybe I should do a test on a small sample.

[pfunnyjoy]

Oct 5, 2024 16:37:56 GMT -5 CatHerder said:

Cool, thanks for the info.

I use tap water.  It's very hard water here, with a pH of around 7 (?) last time I checked it, but I've never had issues with it.

My Amazon order of Maxigro arrived today.  I feed all my gardens on Sundays so I plan on feeding my herbs and lettuce with the Maxigro to save the AG nutrients for fruiting plants.  I understand that the Maxigro isn't for fruiting plants due to the low phosphorus content, but should be fine for green plants. 

He seemed to recommend 1 tsp/gal.  Do you find this to be the right strength?

Is it ok to mix it and let it sit for a week, if I mix too much, or does it have to be used right away?

Your pH is nowhere near as high as mine (8.5). Maxigro tends to lower pH, so can't say for sure if it will work entirely "fuss-free" for you or not. However, if you have hard water, you may not need to add any CalMag, and that'll make things easier.

I go light on Maxigro when seed starting or for seedlings, ESPECIALLY for herbs/lettuces. Something like Tatsoi, or kale that likes a lot of nutes, I'd cut it to half a teaspoon per gallon for seedlings, but once past that stage, a teaspoon works pretty well. Don't heap the teaspoon! This stuff is pretty strong.

I honestly don't know about letting it sit for a week. I usually mix before a rinse and refill, then use extra mix for top-off watering. That's why I like to label with blue painter's tape, so I know what concentration I have in which bottle.

If plants are more sensitive to nutrients, then maybe every other watering. 

It's probably going to take a little experimentation, but I think once you see what your plants like, you'll find it a fairly easy alternate if Miracle Gro doesn't come through.

[pfunnyjoy]

Oct 5, 2024 18:18:14 GMT -5 blueoak said:

I use 1/2 teaspoon MaxiGro per quart Kratky jar, which may be too much. Maybe I should cut that in half. I've been using AG nutes in my Aerogardens.

When adding to an Aerogarden between R&Rs, say you want to add 1 teaspoon MaxiGro to a Bounty, the equivalent of 12 ml AG liquid nutes. You need to dissolve the 1 tsp to a small enough amount of water to top off your garden and not overflow it. If you want to do four gardens at once, say, and only want to mix one batch, you can add 4 teaspoons to a volume of water, but then you need to measure the solution and provide 1/4 of it to each garden so each gets its 1 teaspoon.

I just did some calculations to see if I could make up a stock MaxiGro solution with a concentration equivalent to AG nutes, but it doesn't seem possible because it would take so much of the powder, I don't believe it would dissolve in the required amount of water. Maybe I should do a test on a small sample.

Yeah, that's more or less what the AG Experiments guy does. I don't think it would work as well for me, because of my tap water situation. I'd far rather adjust pH in a separate bottle than hope and pray by just dumping some nutes in the AG bowl. Plus, I have to add a little CalMag, so for me, it's easier to just mix it all separately.

But for those who have more reasonable tap water, I'd say mixing small quantity and adding to the AG unit directly is the way to go.

Warm, near to boiling water helps dissolve the Maxigro nutes, but I would let the solution cool before adding to an AG unit.

[pfunnyjoy]

Oh, tonight found another all-in-one liquid nutrient that looks potentially promising: Ionic Hydro Grow

You can download a FAQ and Feed Schedule at: HydrodynamicsIntl.com - Ionic Grow

They do have something for flowering plants, but I didn't really look at that yet. Hope this might help someone out!

EDIT: I'm having trouble making the links work for some reason, so if they don't, just google for it. It's sold on Amazon, and the home site is hydrodynamicsintl.com. I think it might've been my VPN, I paused it, the links worked. 

[scarfguy]

Oct 6, 2024 0:20:31 GMT -5 pfunnyjoy said:

Oh, tonight found another all-in-one liquid nutrient that looks potentially promising: Ionic Hydro Grow

You can download a FAQ and Feed Schedule at: HydrodynamicsIntl.com - Ionic Grow

They do have something for flowering plants, but I didn't really look at that yet. Hope this might help someone out!

EDIT: I'm having trouble making the links work for some reason, so if they don't, just google for it. It's sold on Amazon, and the home site is hydrodynamicsintl.com. I think it might've been my VPN, I paused it, the links worked. 

I have used IONIC GROW and IONIC BLOOM for years AND I've recommended it here some time ago...

(nobody listens to me).

I don't use AG nutes at all.  I use Fox Farm Grow Big for seedlings and growth phases and turn to IONIC BLOOM for all of my flowering and fruiting stages.

[scarfguy]

WELL that's interesting pfunnyjoy

Your first link in your post appears to link to a DIFFERENT product called "IONIC HYDRO GROW".   It's packaged differently from IONIC GROW and IONIC BLOOM, the products I'm using.

I can't tell from the Amazon listing whether it's the same product or not. It's a poor listing. Not showing nutrient content and points to a different merchant.

very confused

[scarfguy]

Hmmm... Buried down in the product description "Ionic Hydro Grow"  is 1-3-4.

www.amazon.com/Ionic-Hydro-Grow-Litre-Hydroponic/dp/B004KYGB96

WHEREAS, "Ionic Grow"

www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077RLC9GP

is 3-1-5

That's a big difference!

[Clovis Sangrail]

What is the shelf-life on this stuff?

I am asking because I have, or will have when the rest of my AG Grow Anything kits arrive -- 3 dozen small 3 oz. bottles of AG nutrients. This is easily a year's supply, probably more, so if I bought something like a 1 liter bottle of AG nutrient and didn't open it, would it still be good in a year or two?

I'm looking at this one --  AeroGarden Liquid Nutrients (1 Liter).



And as for finding a 3rd party substitute, I found this, which seems to be the same specifications as AG Juice -- TPS Liquid Plant Food for use in AeroGarden, IDOO and Hydroponic Growing Systems, Liquid Fertilizer 8 oz (250mL)






Finding something that showed AG analysis was difficult, but if you bring it up on-line from Amazon, you can get the magnified label.



Both AG and TPS are 4.0 - 3.0 - 6.0, and the analysis shows the same numbers

Is the TPS an adequate substitute for AG Juice? If so, there's no need to stock up with the 1 liter jug.

[pfunnyjoy]

Oct 6, 2024 11:18:28 GMT -5 scarfguy said:

Hmmm... Buried down in the product description "Ionic Hydro Grow"  is 1-3-4.

www.amazon.com/Ionic-Hydro-Grow-Litre-Hydroponic/dp/B004KYGB96

WHEREAS, "Ionic Grow"

www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077RLC9GP

is 3-1-5

That's a big difference!

Well, I just added your link to my "garden" list on Amazon. I didn't realize there were different formulations. I just spotted a comment on Reddit about the Ionic Grow, went to Amazon, and found what I found, LOL!

Glad you feel it's good stuff, I might be tempted to try it at some point, see if it works out any better than the AG nutes, which didn't actually do that good a job of buffering for my problematic water.

I was definitely reassured by finding an actual feed chart, and when I googled further, I could find several Reddit comments about it, so it seems a very valid option for those who like the convenience of an all-in-one liquid nutrient. 

Me, I'll happily listen to your experiences with it!

[CatHerder]

Oct 6, 2024 11:36:51 GMT -5 Clovis Sangrail said:

What is the shelf-life on this stuff?

I am asking because I have, or will have when the rest of my AG Grow Anything kits arrive -- 3 dozen small 3 oz. bottles of AG nutrients. This is easily a year's supply, probably more, so if I bought something like a 1 liter bottle of AG nutrient and didn't open it, would it still be good in a year or two?

I'm looking at this one --  AeroGarden Liquid Nutrients (1 Liter).



And as for finding a 3rd party substitute, I found this, which seems to be the same specifications as AG Juice -- TPS Liquid Plant Food for use in AeroGarden, IDOO and Hydroponic Growing Systems, Liquid Fertilizer 8 oz (250mL)






Finding something that showed AG analysis was difficult, but if you bring it up on-line from Amazon, you can get the magnified label.



Both AG and TPS are 4.0 - 3.0 - 6.0, and the analysis shows the same numbers

Is the TPS an adequate substitute for AG Juice? If so, there's no need to stock up with the 1 liter jug.

MiracleGro said the shelf life is indefinite if kept in a cool dry place, basically in your home, I guess (but don't refrigerate).

[CatHerder]

Oct 5, 2024 18:23:07 GMT -5 pfunnyjoy said:

Oct 5, 2024 16:37:56 GMT -5 CatHerder said:

Cool, thanks for the info.

I use tap water.  It's very hard water here, with a pH of around 7 (?) last time I checked it, but I've never had issues with it.

My Amazon order of Maxigro arrived today.  I feed all my gardens on Sundays so I plan on feeding my herbs and lettuce with the Maxigro to save the AG nutrients for fruiting plants.  I understand that the Maxigro isn't for fruiting plants due to the low phosphorus content, but should be fine for green plants. 

He seemed to recommend 1 tsp/gal.  Do you find this to be the right strength?

Is it ok to mix it and let it sit for a week, if I mix too much, or does it have to be used right away?

Your pH is nowhere near as high as mine (8.5). Maxigro tends to lower pH, so can't say for sure if it will work entirely "fuss-free" for you or not. However, if you have hard water, you may not need to add any CalMag, and that'll make things easier.

I go light on Maxigro when seed starting or for seedlings, ESPECIALLY for herbs/lettuces. Something like Tatsoi, or kale that likes a lot of nutes, I'd cut it to half a teaspoon per gallon for seedlings, but once past that stage, a teaspoon works pretty well. Don't heap the teaspoon! This stuff is pretty strong.

I honestly don't know about letting it sit for a week. I usually mix before a rinse and refill, then use extra mix for top-off watering. That's why I like to label with blue painter's tape, so I know what concentration I have in which bottle.

If plants are more sensitive to nutrients, then maybe every other watering. 

It's probably going to take a little experimentation, but I think once you see what your plants like, you'll find it a fairly easy alternate if Miracle Gro doesn't come through.

Oops, so I was way off on the current pH. I used a "drinking water test strip" and got:
Alkalinity 180 (high!)
Hardness 120 (high)
pH 9.0  (eeek!)

I use CalMag every other week (feed one week, CalMag next week, etc.) on everything.  It just makes it easier for me.  Plus, I read an interesting agriculture paper on the importance of calcium and magnesium for all green plants, which is why I use it on everything (indoors and out).

Thanks for sharing how you use it; that's helpful for me.

[CatHerder]

Oct 6, 2024 5:47:21 GMT -5 scarfguy said:

Oct 6, 2024 0:20:31 GMT -5 pfunnyjoy said:

Oh, tonight found another all-in-one liquid nutrient that looks potentially promising: Ionic Hydro Grow

You can download a FAQ and Feed Schedule at: HydrodynamicsIntl.com - Ionic Grow

They do have something for flowering plants, but I didn't really look at that yet. Hope this might help someone out!

EDIT: I'm having trouble making the links work for some reason, so if they don't, just google for it. It's sold on Amazon, and the home site is hydrodynamicsintl.com. I think it might've been my VPN, I paused it, the links worked. 

I have used IONIC GROW and IONIC BLOOM for years AND I've recommended it here some time ago...

(nobody listens to me).

I don't use AG nutes at all.  I use Fox Farm Grow Big for seedlings and growth phases and turn to IONIC BLOOM for all of my flowering and fruiting stages.

I hear you.   I just put them in my cart for when I run out of the AG nutrients.

[swimmom500]

Oct 6, 2024 16:00:49 GMT -5 CatHerder said:

Oct 6, 2024 5:47:21 GMT -5 scarfguy said:

I have used IONIC GROW and IONIC BLOOM for years AND I've recommended it here some time ago...

(nobody listens to me).

I don't use AG nutes at all.  I use Fox Farm Grow Big for seedlings and growth phases and turn to IONIC BLOOM for all of my flowering and fruiting stages.

I hear you.   I just put them in my cart for when I run out of the AG nutrients.

Or when they it shows up in your price drops on Tuesday for prime day - whichever comes first. lol!

[CatHerder]

Oct 6, 2024 16:17:28 GMT -5 swimmom500 said:

Oct 6, 2024 16:00:49 GMT -5 CatHerder said:

I hear you.   I just put them in my cart for when I run out of the AG nutrients.

Or when they it shows up in your price drops on Tuesday for prime day - whichever comes first. lol!

I have a bunch of stuff in my cart all ready for Prime Day price drops.  Love it!  

[lynnee]

The AG nutes do seem to last indefinitely. I'm getting perfectly fine results with small bottles from seed kits that were purchased 4-5 years ago (before the pandemic). (A couple of years ago I discarded all my AG seed pods that were more than 2 yrs beyond the "sell by" date, and kept the sealed nute bottles.)

You do need to shake the bottles well, because the nutes settle to the bottom somewhat. The same is true for the economy size jugs, which take me a year or more to use up after opening.

It helps to have long dispensing needles for the larger jugs. That way you can tell if the nutes are shaken enough to recombine, because the separated layer will clog the needle.

Dispensing needles:
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MKQFVLQ/