Is There A Best Time To Dose Fertilisers?

[minnnt]

Just wondered if there was a best time to dose ferts? My lights are on from 3-10pm.

Thanks.

 

[Ps3Steveo]

5 mins before lights come on i'd say, that's when I dose mine normally.

 

[ian]

theres a few schools of thought on this one...some even go as far as to set up automatic dosing systems. The general consensus is that its best to do it a couple of hours before the lights come on. But in real life most of us work and it's impossible to do that everyday.

personally, when i'm off, the tanks gets dosed at dinner time and the lights come on at 1500. When i'm at work the tank gets dosed at 0600 in the morning.

 

[minnnt]

Thanks. Could I really trust the missus to switch the light on and dose ferts?

 

[ian]

are the lights not on a timer?

 

[StandbySetting]

For me it's just before lights on.

 

[Ps3Steveo]

Stick the lights on a timer and dose when ya go to work mate, if you have pressurised co2 even better, stick it on a solenoid and timer. I always wondered about dosing liquid carbon ages before lights on tho as doesn't it slowly fade out?

 

[StandbySetting]

It has a half life of 11-12 hours if I recall correctly, and things like chelated iron are broken down by strong light as well.

 

[ian]

yeah, it's got a shorter life than once thought, it only last's 11-12 hours.

*high fives* Jack!


and yes, if you're dosing Chelated Fe, then it's best IMO to do it when the lights are on.

 

[Livewire88]

Thanks. Could I really trust the missus to switch the light on and dose ferts?

Well I rely on mine to dose my ferts and she has forgotten a couple of times!!

So I have to send her a text message every day at midday to remind her!! even then she is sometimes out, so I end up dosing the ferts when I come home for lunch

 

[minnnt]

The lights can't be on a timer on the 180 as it resets itself everytime the button is pressed. There is one built in, but I can never figure it out.

The other tanks are on timers though as they're switched.