Using dissolved enhanced fertilizer for Dutch buckets made easy by mhpgardner on YouTube.com You can find his video with a full explanation here:
Master Blend Fertilizer White Board with all the details, watch the video.
A place to get Master Blend Tomato Fertilizer is Morgan County Seeds in Missouri. click this link.
Basically in a nutshell, the formula uses three components: 1. Master Blend Tomato Fertilizer, Calcium Nitrate, and Epsom Salt. I use the word enhanced in the opening sentence because Master Blend is nutrient rich and has a bunch of trace minerals included.
Taylor Biggest Loser Digital Scale from Walmart
Bobby decided to share the formula in detail, but simplifies it all the way down to 12 grams Master Blend, 12 grams Calcium Nitrate, and 6 grams of Epsom Salt, that’s all it takes dissolved in a five gallon bucket of water. Another consideration is the Ph of the water, and he or someone said, catch rainwater to get low Ph, so I did. My initial grab was two buckets. Then a storm went through and I nabbed six more for a total of forty gallons.
Left: Master Blend Tomato Formula Fertilizer, greenish yellow. Middle: calcium nitrate, white pellets. Right: epsom salt, white crystals. What you see are measured portions poured out beside each other, 12, 12, 6 grams respectively. It is a surprising small amount for five gallons of water.
Today I grabbed some small kitchen tubs with lids and put the three ingredients in tubs. This keeps me out of the larger bags of fertilizer components and helps keep humid air from entering the bags and causing the material to lump.
Basically here is what you need to measure out nutrients for Dutch buckets. I use envelopes temporarily for pouch of nutrients to a five gallon bucket of water. See the plastic tub storage, the gram scale, I tried measuring spoons but a regular teaspoon worked best. See a tiny container lid for holding each of the ingredients in turn. Ruler just for scale.
So, Bobby insists on using a gram scale, like you find in the kitchen for weighing small portions of food for dieters. My scale came from Walmart, ordered it in for free store delivery. It cost about seventeen bucks, and it was a Taylor “biggest loser” digital scale, #3831BL. I mixed nutrients for six five gallon buckets and it was a breeze. I used envelopes to contain the material until needed. I like adding each to a small lid, zeroed out on the scale, then added to the envelope until needed. I seal the envelope, just to keep from spilling it, and rip it open to use. Envelopes are cheap. See the next article: Setting Up the Reservoir.
So, I now have twenty or twenty-five gallons of nutrient solution in my 27 gallon reservoir. Getting closer. It’s tomato time. I just found a two pack of Epsom Salt at Walmart for under six bucks, 4 x 2 is 8 pounds. http://www.walmart.com/ip/23267037
Aaron Brands Laxative & Epsom Salt, 4 lb (Pack of 2) at Walmart.com
I got Master Blend Tomato Formula Fertilizer at Morgan County Seeds in Missouri. 25 pounds with shipping ran me $40 to Arkansas.
Calcium Nitrate should be available at any farm supply or garden center, you will recognize the white pellets from seeing it in fertilizer mix, same stuff you see in lawn fertilizer. It is 15.5-0-0, lots of nitrogen, nothing else.
YouTube Video of me weighing up a batch. Enough for a five gallon bucket full of nutrient solution.
Tomato Heaven 
how often do you change the nutrient solution.
I don’t change it. The nutrients are eaten, by the plants. The dutch buckets and roots of the plants act like a huge filter. The water after two days is nearly gone all 45 gallons, and it is clear as crystal, meaning the nutrients are used entirely up. about once a month I will clean the tank as there are minute settlings on the bottom and also the pump needs rinsing of the foam pad. It’s easy to maintain the nutrients, just mixing new as needed. I sometimes need to leave so I can top up the nutrient solution at any time then have two days auto feeding without a thought.
I am hoping you can help me identify possible problems with my newly established dutch bucket system modeled after MPH gardner. I started Beef Steak and Brandy wine from seeds with great success in rock wool cubes. I planted half in my raised outside garden and the other half in the dutch bucket system. I also set up 2 kratky lettuce systems. I weighed out the nutrient solution for both tomatoes and lettuce and am sooooo disappointed. I have 8 ft tall tomatoes and thin spindly lettuce in the hydroponics, while the outdoor tomatoes are flourishing with think stalkes and fruit clusters. I expected the hydroponics to at least match the growth of the outdoor plants. I have measured the PH (started with rain water as suggested) and adjusted to 6.2 to improve nutrient uptake. No blooms developing at all on the tomatoes. I hate to start over not knowing what the problem could be. Any ideas?
Tara, thanks for emailing the photos of your tomatoes. The ones in the soil look normal and should give ample fruit. Sadly the hydroponic setup with the same tomatoes you raised from seed appear light-deprived. Tomatoes can handle full sun. When they are deprived, they seek more light, naturally, causing the plants to grow heavenward as your photos depict. This gives the plant the thin spindly appearance and yes, it may not even bloom or if it does it may not set fruit as it would require more of the plant than it can support. By example I had a super 100 last year that set 42 tomatoes on a single bloom stem, 1 inch fruit of course. To salvage the hydroponic setup, it would likely need to be moved to a sunny spot. I did not have money or place for a greenhouse that extends the growing season and if heated, can become a year round endeavor. So I elected my sunniest spot where I used to park my F150 Pickup. I recommend grabbing some new tomato plants and get them going in a new sunny spot. Plenty of growth time to get good production this year. Sorry I don’t have better news, and it is just my best guess as to what is happening with your skinny tomatoes. I tried growing tomatoes on my deck and had the same result about four years ago, and figured out the missing component was Plenty of Sunshine. Cheers, Bruce
Is there any health hazard consuming veggies/herbs produced using Masterblend as a fertilizer?
Yes. You can hurt your back carrying these ripe delicious tomatoes into the house. Aspirin helps.
Thanks for the info.
Next time you mix a batch can you give us the measurements using mixing spoons? Everyone has mixing spoons laying around. Not many have a scale with that resolution. I’ve gotten that info from other sources but I’m wondering about that source’s accuracy.
Hi David, I have not used mixing spoons. I’m sure it would be fairly accurate too. Basically I am done for the season. These scales are the way to go man. Walmart.com and get you one delivered to your store, free shipping. Biggest loser is the brand costs about twenty bucks and the accuracy is worth it. Toss any cup up there, measure the individual ingredients in grams, reset between each and off you go. I like to save my 16 ounce styrofoam tea cups as they will usually last me several months each and then I toss them. Matter of fact I save up pairs of them and allow them to dry before using next time to keep the weight accurate. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Biggest-Loser-11-lb-Glass-Digital-Kitchen-Scale/19528896 my taylor scale is only 6.6 lbs capacity. It is now replaced by the Taylor digital scale with 11 pound capacity 18 bucks. Cheers and grow some tomatoes folks, any way you can.
do you use the Calcium Nitrate and Magnesium Sulfate with the master blend all through the growing season
Hi Ray, Yes I do, These two ingredients are part of the formula. I do believe that Master Blend leaves them out, simply to save shipping weight.
Someone complained the price escalated and I can verify it has about $10 a bag of $25 pounds. Earlier in the season It was to be $40 from Missouri to Arkansas.
We see no reason to alter the formula during the growing season.
Thanks Bruce I`m going to try the dutch buckets outdoors and someone told me when the tomatoes started blooming to stop using Calcium Nitrate and Magnesium Sulfate just wanted to make sure.first time with hydroponics so far with 1 dwc tomato plant doing great thanks again.
Hi Bruce,
Congrats for a great setup and a super easy, well elaborated guide.
However have a few queries as I am working on a similar bato bucket setup for Beefsteak tomatoes :
Do you use 12/12/6 proportions for all stages or do you use different concentration for seedlings , growth and fruiting stages.
If yes please share the nutrient mix used at various stages along with ppm and pH values you maintain.
Happy Growing !
Ashish
The nutrients in my tanks are always the same
Dear Bruce,
I am working in Saudi Arabia as an Agriculture Engineer and I am fresh Post-Graduate in Horticulture so having no idea of Hydroponics. Now I have to start a complete new setup of hydroponics here. Here the water is salty or can get filterted water. My question is that by adding your mentioned ratio of nutrient will work here or I have to made some modification to the ratio?. Also how much ppm of water is required for adding the nutrients and will we have to add ppm of water to the ppm of nutrients?. Epsom salt or Mg. Sulfate have same nutrients and we can use it in same quantity or we can change its quantity?.
I am looking forward for your reply and hope you will help me regarding this.
Regards,
Syed Asad Ali
Hello Syed,
A guy named MHPgardner is on youtube. He did a whiteboard presentation in a video and that is what my nutrients are based upon. PPM yeah I know the term but it has no meaning other than I know it exists. Bobby used a particular hydroponic fertilizer, I use the same. It is Masterblend Tomato Formula and it has micronutrients that are water soluable specifically formulated for tomato, but will grow other vegetables as well. Bobby grew lettuce in a Kratky setup, also hydroponic, but static no pump, grow lettuce and harvest then start over. My eyes roll back in my head when I get into a video explaining the details of science of hydroponics. We gardeners just want something that works and don’t need to know the extreme details. My name on Youtube is Quietwoods2 and I see you have found my blog tomatoheaven.wordpress.com I would point you to Bobby’s online videos or my own, and there are many others. The main difference between me and Bobby is I do not use a greenhouse. His whiteboard video, scanning his videos you will see one with a whiteboard and fertilizer. Find that video. Beyond that if you cannot get the fertilizer we use you are shot down, and I seriously doubt it’s available at your local farm store, as it isn’t even available here without mail order. Locally we can Calcium Nitrate by the bag at a farm store and Magnesium Sulfate at the pharmacy, but Masterblend Tomato Formula must be shipped in by mail. So what would I recommend instead of hydroponics? Again is is a method you may not be able to employ, Earthbox which uses standard fertilizer but requires peat moss. Again Peat comes from Canada and there is a dwindling supply in this old world. Finally, you must be realistic. I have untilized also the Mittleider Gardening system. It uses standard fertilizer and a raised gardening platform. Ideally it uses sawdust which is sometimes difficult to locate as a growing medium. So Mittleider offers the alternative of soil grown vegetables when sawdust is not available. Back to hydroponics, I can grow tomatoes in Masonry Sand as a growing medium with Masterblend fertilizer. I do believe Saudi Arabia has plenty of sand. Best of luck in your endeavors. All systems it seems have positive points, but realistically they also have drawbacks which must be overcome to succeed. Sometimes giving a general answer isn’t enough. And salts in your water may cause troubles or who knows it may be just what is needed. Grow some tomatoes with salty water, grow some with filtered water, see which do best. I kept detailed weight logs of each tomatoes picked daily. In the space on my driveway where I parked my pickup, I grew 472 pounds of tomatoes in one season with Masterblend hydroponics and our city water which is on tap, likely filtered. So I found something that worked. Cheers, Bruce Dickey