Here's what I'm going to try tonight

I found this recipe today over on Herbivoracious, I think I'll give it a try.

The O'Berry Lychee and Yoga Farm

View Larger Map


Yes, and yoga. Picking season for lychee and longhans from the last week in May until the fruits are gone (usually in July)

My next Grow light

Here is where my next $600.00 dollars are going.


There it is. The Procylon-100 LED Grow Light
Features:

• 56 CREE* Xlamp high power LEDs (40 Red, 16 Blue)
• 100W nominal LED power delivery
• 125W total power consumption
• Integrated power supply; requires no “ballast”
• Replaces 400W HID light, giving 75% power savings
• Covers approximately 10 square feet
• 50,000+ hour LED life**
• Proudly Made in the USA!

Make Your Own: Supernatural's Green Stay

SuperNatural Green Stay The importance of keeping the leaves healthy and green through out their growing cycle can make a dramatic difference in flower and vegetable production. It is easy to keep your plants healthy and green. By using a foliar spray of professional quality nitrogen, magnesium, and iron formula like Supernatural Brand Green Stay, results can be seen in just two days with one application. Combine with Ultimate B1 Thrive for the highest quality first aid for plants.

Mix:
6 grams of potassium nitrate
2 grams of Epsom salts
5 ml of Seachem iron (or other soluble chelated iron use Seachem as it's easy to find)
1 gallon of water

Foliar feed once midway through the flowering cycle, and once 2 weeks before harvesting. This should allow the plant to more effectively photosynthesize by keeping chlorophyll alive and well, which should in turn increase the mass and density of the flowers.

The spray schedule is not for lychee but its a start. This product is listed as a first aid and not a regular fertilizer.

Make your own: Canna PK 13/14

Canna PK 13/14

Fast growing plants may need additional Phosphate (P) and Potassium (K). CANNA PK 13/14 stimulates floral development during the blooming phase, providing exuberant flowers and larger yields. Depending on the EC values and the type of growing medium used, this additive contributes to improved bloom and fructification. The form of the nutrients used requires a very small amount of absorption energy. This allows the plant to fully focus on blooming.

NPK Formula: 0-13-14

Lychee are certainly not fast growing. But I still think I'll give this a try.

Two ways to go about this one. First would be draining your reservoir, mixing up a nutrient solution with a NPK ratio of about 2-15-15. Let the plants use this solution for 24 hours, then dump and revert to your original mixture. This is what I would do, but I have lab equipment at hand and can easily determine the correct mixture. For the average gardener, I would mix:

16 grams Epsom salts
10 grams of monopotassium phosphate
5 grams potassium sulfate
1 gallon of hot distilled or reverse osmosis water

Let the mixture sit and cool, and if no cloudiness is present, foliar feed the under-side of the plants leaves. I would not recommend doing this more than once or twice during the plants flowering cycle, as potassium is deadly in very high concentrations.

A recipe for a one part 100% water soluble nutrient mix, using easy to obtain chemicals

Here are a few mixes I found they're not for lychee but I'll be using them as a starting point.

Vegetative mix:
1 US gallon R/O water
Calcium Nitrate - 2.2 grams *
Potassium Nitrate - 0.5 grams
Epsom Salts - 1.2 grams
Monopotassium Phosphate - 0.9 grams
Potassium Sulfate - 1.5 grams
Plantex CSM +B - .3 grams
* 3/4 cup of fresh sterile urine may be substituted

Blooming mix:
1 US Gallon R/O water
Calcium Nitrate - 3.1 grams *
Epsom Salts - 1.7 grams
Monopotassium Phosphate - 1.1 grams
Potassium Sulfate - 2.7 grams
Plantex CSM+B - .3 grams
* 1 cup of fresh sterile urine may be substituted.

How to mix if you aren't using zero or close to zero tds water -
1. Fill 1 gallon container half full.
2. Pre mix all ingredients in a small amount of hot water.
3. Add potassium nitrate and potassium sulfate to the container.
4. Fill container 3/4 full.
5. Add Epsom salts and monopotassium phosphate.
6. Stir well while adding calcium nitrate.
7. Add the Plantex-CSM+B
8. Top off container and pH to 5.8-6.4
9. Add .5 ml Seachem Iron if needed after mixing and pH'ing.
Failure to mix in the proper steps will cause calcium to precipitate out of solution and become unavailable to the plants. Water as close to zero tds as possible is highly recommended.

OR in a A-B parts form

For a 3 part concentrated mix (he did give that info, but I condensed the mixing directions and left it out):

Veg
Part A
1 US gallon R/O water
22 grams Calcium Nitrate *
* - You may not be able to keep 22 grams of calcium nitrate in suspension (depending on water purity). If this is the case, use 11 grams and double the dosage.

Part B
1 US gallon R/O water
Epsom Salts - 17 grams
Monopotassium Phosphate - 11 grams
Potassium Sulfate - 27 grams

Part C (micro)
1 gallon tap (chlorinated) water
30 grams Plantex-CSM+B

Dosage - 12 ounces of each part per gallon of reservoir volume.


Bloom
Part A
1 gallon R/O water
31 grams calcium nitrate *
*-You may not be able to keep 31 grams of calcium nitrate in suspension (depending on water purity). If this is the case, use 15.5 grams and double the dosage.

Part B
1 gallon R/O water
Epsom Salts - 17 grams
Monopotassium Phosphate - 11 grams
Potassium Sulfate - 27 grams

Part C (micro)
1 gallon tap (chlorinated) water
30 grams Plantex-CSM+B


Dosage - 12 ounces of each part per gallon of reservoir volume. These are just simple ratios. If you can double the amount of ingredients per gallon of water, use half as much per dose.
It can also be scaled down, i.e.- 1 quart water and 1/4 the amount of dry fertilizers will still equal a 12 ounce per gallon dose. 1 quart water and 1/2 the listed amount of dry ferts will equal a 6 ounce per gallon dose.

Mixing notes:
Part A
Add calcium nitrate slowly to water while stirring. Often it will help to heat the water. After mixing let the solution settle for 24 hours. If there is any cloudiness or precipitate, cut the solution by 50% with fresh water.

Part B
1. Fill 1 gallon container half full.
2. Pre mix all ingredients in a small amount of hot water.
3. Add potassium nitrate and/or potassium sulfate to the container.
4. Fill container 3/4 full.
5. Add Epsom salts and monopotassium phosphate.
6. Top off to 1 gallon.

Part C
Fill container with 3/4 gallon chlorinated water.
Add Plantex-CSM+B
Mix well
Top off to 1 gallon, again using tap (chlorinated) water.
Store in an opaque bottle, or in a dark place.
If chlorinated water is not used, this must be stored in the refrigerator.

Thanks go out to a nameless University professor from California

Could coco coir cause harm?

After discovering this article about the possible negative affect of using coco coir. Although I like working with coir, my plants tend to resembles the results of this study. So, I'll be switching to a soil that is about 1/3 Schultz Cactus potting mix and 2/3 peat moss.

PDF from the Utah State University crop physiology laboratory located here.