Shelf Life of these nutrients?

[SweetIndica2]

Hello everyone, i took a break from growing for awhile but i am planning on starting up again soon. I have some nutrients left from my last grow and was wondering if anyone knows the shelf life of the following nutrients/supplements:

Pure Blend Pro Grow
Flora Nova Bloom
Canna PK 13/14
Botanicare Power Clone Rooting Gel


They are all about 1.5-2 years old. The cloning "gel" and Canna PK 13/14 are really liquidy, almost water consistency and they LOOK fine, and i would assume they would be the last to go bad but i can't tell for sure.

I'm assuming the PBP Grow and the FN Bloom have gone bad, because they are really thick in consistency naturally and i know both of them are organic or part organic so i know they won't last for that long.

I'll probably just end up throwing them away, unless it would be safe to stir them up and try them out atleast? I just want to save as much money as possible on this grow, because right now i can't afford much more supplies until i finish this grow and have some cash in my pocket.


EDIT: Oh, and they have all been kept in a dark cool place BTW

 

[SweetIndica2]

Oh, and for my nutrients i'm thinking of just using the following:

FN Grow

FN Bloom

Canna PK 13/14

And some Epsom Salt if they need it, and maybe some Molasses for the end of flowering. I'm thinking the FN will keep them healthy and i can use the Canna PK 13/14 for my flower booster without breaking the bank.

Also, how long does Neem Oil last? I still have an almost full 8 oz. bottle of pure neem oil that has been kept in a cool/dark place too.

 

[SweetIndica2]

Ok, i know i've asked a million questions but have one more as well. For Rooting Powder, does it matter on the brand? Are there any specific powder brands that are better reviewed by growers?

 

[whatissixbynine]

.

 

[FunkBomb]

Ive had some Botanicare fertilizers for longer than that, and they still work fine. Have they been in a decent enviroment? Not too hot or cold? If they have they are probably bad. Shake them up really hard and smell them. If they smell bad then you know they're bad.

-Funk

 

[djam]

I use botanicare and they can go bad if left in a warm place etc .
the flora nova is stable .cann pk will be fine . just give them all a wiff , the nose knows

 

[SweetIndica2]

Yea, they have been stored in a cool dark place. I will smell them and see, thanks guys.

 

[VenturaHwy]

I use 7 year old dry ferts, work perfect...

 

[SweetIndica2]

I have one more question, this doesn't pertain to Nutrients but lighting. Anyways, i have used the Light Charge below for a few years, but how come it says a 1000W shouldn't be any closer than 10 Inches away. Can a light really be TOO Close? I just never really thought about it i guess. I mean, obviously you don't want your plants to get burned but if you have an air cooled hood that keeps the light completely cool then i didn't think it would matter. It even says on the chart that even though the light shouldn't be closer than 10", the lumens still increase alot when putting the light closer than that. But yet it says "This chart is in reference to the amount of light, not heat" so i am confused.

http://www.icmag.com/gallery/data/500/13657HPS-Light-Chart--3.jpg

EDIT: Now that i think about it, i'm assuming they say you don't want it closer than 10 inches is because the light won't be spread out as much among the plants? It will be concentrated in the middle? One other thing that makes this chart a little useless for me, is that for the 1000w it says "Optimal Distance" is 10-36" which is pretty vague. I just always had the idea that most people try and get the light as close as possible without burning the plants, but obviously still SOME space between the light and the plants. With my 1000W HPS, since it's air cooled i put it at about 6-8" Away, but i haven't grown more than 5-6 plants or so under it at once. This time i will be doing 12-16, basically a 4x3 or 4x4 Sq. Ft. Area so i want good coverage too all of the plants obviously.

What would be a perfect height for an air-cooled 1000w light to be? I'm using a Valubrite 6" Air Cooled Reflector if that matters. It's about 21 x 23" or something like that.

I am probably just thinking too deeply into this lol.

 

[SweetIndica2]

These are kind of stupid questions, but i have been out of the loop for a few years and my memory isn't very great. I'm going to be flowering out 12-16 Females, which will be trained so they are bushy and finish at a 3-3.5 Ft. From what i remember the rule is 1 Gallon of Soil per 12" of Plant Height, and i know you want them to have plenty of room for the roots to grow. Would 3 Gallon Pots be fine for flowering plants that height or would i want to go a little bigger like 4 Gallon Pots? The 4 Gallon are wide though, it would increase my plant area from 4'x4' Sq Ft. to 5.33' Sq Ft.

 

[SOTF420]

3 gal's are perfect dude.

 

[SweetIndica2]

Alright thanks, and since i am using Flora Nova Grow, Flora Nova Bloom and Canna PK 13/14 as a bud booster in flowering i am planning on using a good, but simple soil mix. If i take something like FFOF or Pro-Mix BX and add say 25-30% Chunky Perlite and Dolomite lime when needed will that be an ok potting mix? I know i could get more creative, but i want to keep it simple and from what i have read FFOF and Pro-Mix has everything you really need along with Perlite, Lime when transplanting and Nutrients of course.

Also, i will be growing Indicas and Sativas together so i am planning on using LST to keep them at an even height for even light penetration. Since the Sativas will stretch more, should i keep them LST'd for say the first few weeks or flowering to keep them even with my Indicas? Will LST still give me a great yield if using a 1000W Light? Or should i top/fim or leave them untouched? I am looking for the best yield possible as this bud may need to last me for awhile.