Thanks for the link Ian. 
Joao, the guys who have been doing this for a while have a thorough understanding of the equipment and materials they are using. George probably also knows what recipe is in the bottle. George also started with the dry powders described in the article. He has also used just about all the various fertilizer brands at one time or another. His success is due the fact that he is George, not solely on the fact that he is using this brand or that. I don't know what recipe is in any branded bottle unless it is specified on the list of ingredients on the bottle or is provided somewhere else, but it is very easy to figure out the standard recipe if I have access to the dry powders, which are the basic ingredients used in everybody's recipes.
I'll not bash any fert product because I realize that the suppliers are just trying to make a living, and if folks find it too difficult to make up the standard recipe, and if they just want to use something easy, without having to do any maths, then that is fine. If you read the EI article Ian linked to, you note that actually, the main reason for the development of home made recipes such as PMDD and later, EI, was economics. Suppliers were charging outrageous prices for pretty, but tiny bottles filled with water and with a smidgen of powders. They are still charging high prices today, not because of malevolence, but because they have mortgages and salaries to pay.
When you walk into a fast food restaurant and buy a cup of cola for 75 pence, you are getting probably only about 2 pence worth of actual cola. The plastic cup cost much more than the cola itself. There is a smidgen of cola formula and 99% water and CO2, which are very cheap. So every business does this, no surprise. But while I can't make my own cola, I can certainly make my own fertilizer!
I once calculated the per Liter price of a certain German nutrient product containing a mix of dry powders and water. They were the first company to discover the benefits of using KNO3 almost 30 years ago and they started selling it while hiding the list of ingredients. It turned out to be something like 800 Euros per Liter. That product is still on the market today and people are still buying it because of the brand name and other promotional factors.
This is all very well and good, but I believe that we can have success for less money if we gain a clear understanding of the fundamental principles of plant husbandry.
The more we understand, the better decisions we can make and the less fear and guesswork are involved. Of course there will always remain things that are far beyond our comprehension, but some things are very easy to learn and fertilizer mixing is one of those. Having the control of tailoring the fertilizer to your own needs is a good idea, so have a look at the Tutorial and ask questions if anything is unclear.
Cheers,
Joao, the guys who have been doing this for a while have a thorough understanding of the equipment and materials they are using. George probably also knows what recipe is in the bottle. George also started with the dry powders described in the article. He has also used just about all the various fertilizer brands at one time or another. His success is due the fact that he is George, not solely on the fact that he is using this brand or that. I don't know what recipe is in any branded bottle unless it is specified on the list of ingredients on the bottle or is provided somewhere else, but it is very easy to figure out the standard recipe if I have access to the dry powders, which are the basic ingredients used in everybody's recipes.
I'll not bash any fert product because I realize that the suppliers are just trying to make a living, and if folks find it too difficult to make up the standard recipe, and if they just want to use something easy, without having to do any maths, then that is fine. If you read the EI article Ian linked to, you note that actually, the main reason for the development of home made recipes such as PMDD and later, EI, was economics. Suppliers were charging outrageous prices for pretty, but tiny bottles filled with water and with a smidgen of powders. They are still charging high prices today, not because of malevolence, but because they have mortgages and salaries to pay.
When you walk into a fast food restaurant and buy a cup of cola for 75 pence, you are getting probably only about 2 pence worth of actual cola. The plastic cup cost much more than the cola itself. There is a smidgen of cola formula and 99% water and CO2, which are very cheap. So every business does this, no surprise. But while I can't make my own cola, I can certainly make my own fertilizer!
I once calculated the per Liter price of a certain German nutrient product containing a mix of dry powders and water. They were the first company to discover the benefits of using KNO3 almost 30 years ago and they started selling it while hiding the list of ingredients. It turned out to be something like 800 Euros per Liter. That product is still on the market today and people are still buying it because of the brand name and other promotional factors.
This is all very well and good, but I believe that we can have success for less money if we gain a clear understanding of the fundamental principles of plant husbandry.
The more we understand, the better decisions we can make and the less fear and guesswork are involved. Of course there will always remain things that are far beyond our comprehension, but some things are very easy to learn and fertilizer mixing is one of those. Having the control of tailoring the fertilizer to your own needs is a good idea, so have a look at the Tutorial and ask questions if anything is unclear.
Cheers,
