Hey all,

I’ve been using my fertilizer now for a year, and it’s the only one I’ve used up until now, because I alway was satisfied with it, because it’s both very inexpensive and well formulated imo.

I’m using the Masterblend set, with the solutions pre-mixed for short term use.

I have mixed two “stock solution” bottles, which last me a few months in winter (only for houseplants and my small indoor grow tent) and a few weeks in summer (balcony gardening + house plants). You can see the ingredients on the bottles on the picture:

They are always stored in complete darkness.

And then I have a diluted solution, with an EC of about 3-4 mS and a low pH, which I adapted to exactly match my tap water and houseplants when diluted to ~1/3. This pre-mix lasts me a few days maximum.

I’ve already noticed a few floaters in summer here and there, but didn’t mind them too much. They looked like small jellyfish or something floating around, but I thought that they might be some precipitation from minerals or whatever.

They got a bit more after some time, and a few weeks ago, I soaked everything in hot bleach water and mixed everything from scratch, because I already had the feeling that those might be amoebae or other microorganisms.

But now, everything is way worse. Just take a look:

Those specs are even in the normal nutrient solution!

A few of my plants have a reoccurring spring tail “infestation”. More like constant house mates.

I even got the chance to take a picture of them fucking. I feel like a pervert now...

No wonder they have such a good time. They’re probably feasting on those mold specs. They’re pretty much harmless and easy to manage, so I just don’t care as much.

Anyway… What I wanted to ask you: What shall I do? Desinfecting clearly doesn’t work.

The root cause seems to be the water. If I wouldn’t pre-dissolve everything, nothing would get moldy.

But of course, I need it to be in a liquid form for proper handling. Other fertilizer manufacturers are able to manage this too, so why can’t I?

Shall I add preservatives to the concentrate, like Isothiazolinones?

Or should I just switch to another fertilizer? If so, which one would you recommend, that is also cheap?

  • poVoq@slrpnk.net
    4·
    1 day ago

    You could try to use some glass bottles and try to autoclave it in a pressure-cooker?

    • Guenther_Amanita 🍄@slrpnk.netOPM
      3·
      17 hours ago

      I will try that.

      I also thought about it. But I’m not sure if it works, because I think many chemicals in there might be temperature sensitive and then reacting somehow.

    • Guenther_Amanita 🍄@slrpnk.netOPM
      2·
      17 hours ago

      Thing is:

      1. How should I handle it otherwise, especially for small amounts, like my 1 l watering can?
      2. How do other manufacturers sell liquid fertilizer, and those don’t go bad either?
      • SchmidtGenetics@lemmy.world
        1·
        16 hours ago

        For an example, this IS actual living microbes though, so not the same as “inert” nutrients, but point still stands, they only guarantee their product for as long as they’ve tested it to remain shelf stable. And that information SHOULD be available somewhere.

      • SchmidtGenetics@lemmy.world
        1·
        17 hours ago

        Mix up a new batch everytime you need it. If you’re watering in soil you should only be adding nutrients every 3-4 waterings anyways. Get as many as you can on the same schedule.

        They don’t “mix” them, they are their separate products, and they are shelf stable for X time. They have their additive and what not so they are stable for a decent time.

        For example some of my bottles last 1 year opened, while others last only a month. But unopened are both 2 years.

        Oxygen is the biggest culprit usually.

  • just_another_person@lemmy.world
    5·
    2 days ago

    Are you cleaning these after each cycle? Sanitize AND Sterilize. They are not the same things.

    I think you can add a Potassium compound to kill it off,.but I’d double check that.

    • isolatedscotch
      2·
      2 days ago

      you are probably referring to the same stuff they use in cleaning brewing supplies, potassium metabisulfite (sodium metabisulfite works just as well), but honestly a good rinse in soap goes a long way, bacteria is gonna find a way in eventually and frequent soap washes are better then using chemicals once in a while