Some of us have mixed salad green and herb gardens and I have speculated that salad green and herb nutrient can be used interchangeably. I went to a seminar last night where close to half an hour was spent on fertilizers so U starting to think it would be good to have more scientific data to back that up and do some analysis on variances. Since I have both seed kits plus the Cherry Tomato kit, I start with the facts on lables and later put it into a grid.
1. Salad green 6 pod nutrient tablets - small 3 & 6 5-20-22 - net weight 31 grams
Nitrogen (N) 5%
Phosphate (P) 20%
Soluble Potash (K) 22%
Calcium (Ca) 5%
Magnesium (Mg) 1%
Sulfer (S) 0.5%
2. Gourmet Herb 6 pod nutrient tablets - small 3 & 6 5-20-22 - net weight 32 grams
Nitrogen (N) 5%
Phosphate (P) 20%
Soluble Potash (K) 22%
3a. Cherry Tomato 6 Pod - small 3 & 6 5-20-22 - net weight 3 grams
Nitrogen (N) 5%
Phosphate (P) 20%
Soluble Potash (K) 22%
Calcium (Ca) 5%
Magnesium (Mg) 1%
Sulfer (S) 0.5%
3b. Cherry Tomato 6 Pod - Large 3 & 6 6-15-19 - net weight 60 grams
Nitrogen (N) 6%
Phosphate (P) 15%
Soluble Potash (K) 19%
Calcium (Ca) 6%
Magnesium (Mg) 1.5%
Sulfer (S) 0.9%
Underneath on both boxes, there is the additional info
Derived from Calcium Nitrate, magnesium Nitrate, Ammonium Phosphate, Mono Potassium Phosphate, Potassium Choride and Potassium Nitrate. Information regarding the contents and levesl of these products is available on the internet at www.aapfco.org/metals
Looking at the small 3 & 6 in the filing, in addition to the 5-20-22 of N-P-K, it also list
Heavy Metals (in Parts Per Million)
Arsenic: 0.23
Cadmium: 0.74
Mercury: 0.013
Lead: 9.8
Nickel: 6.7
Looking at the large 3 & 6 in the filing, in addition to the 6-15-19 of N-P-K, it also list
Heavy Metals (in Parts Per Million)
Arsenic: 0.17
Cadmium: 0.71
Mercury: 0.001
Lead: 12.3
Nickel: 6.9
Some information for the fertilizing materials guide
http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/is/docs/FertilizingMaterialsGuide-rev12.08.pdf
You can search for Aerogrow registered nutrients for state of Oregon at
http://www.oda.state.or.us/dbs/heavy_metal/search.lasso
using registrant Aerogrow or brand name Aerogarden.
Fri, 04/17/2009 - 05:00
Fri, 04/17/2009 - 05:08
#2
If anyone has information on nutrients for additional seed kits or different information than what I posted, please add it here and I will try to compile them together. Similarly if someone has detailed composition of alternative fertilizers they are trying in Aerogrow, provide as much as possible here.
Fri, 04/17/2009 - 10:24
#3
Interesting Mary, looking at the tablets 1-3b, they are pretty much the same.
I'm wondering why the heavy metals (arsenic, mercury, lead, cadmium & nickel) have been added - all chemicals which are not good for you. If you look at a list of macronitrients and micronutrients in hydroponic solutions, non of these chemicals are in them, they are not required for growth?
Macronutrients:
Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), Potassium (K), Sulfur (S), Calcium (Ca), and Magnesium (Mg).
Micronutrients:
Boron (B), Copper (Cu), Cobalt (Co), Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn), Molybdenum (Mo), and Zinc (Zn).
It's obviously safe, otherwise AG would not be able to patent them - but, I'd rather not be eating plants with accumulated heavy metals stored in the leaves/fruits. 
Fri, 04/17/2009 - 10:34
#4
Peat, I think those are more like pollutants, contaminants than requirement for growth. Think they are not added but just present in the nutrients, probably from the maunfacturing process or raw materials. No heavy metals are good for health from what I understand.
Fri, 04/17/2009 - 13:08
#5
I can't see how the raw materials used can have heavy metals in them, they are basic chemicals - nitrates, sulphates etc.
If it's a result of some manufacturing process, then I don't want to know...
Are there any chemists on here that can answer this? How to AG inject heavy metals into their nutrient tablets?
Fri, 04/17/2009 - 13:15
#6
Probably minor contaminants present in all chemicals.
Check out this link on the components of Flora Micro.
http://www.oda.state.or.us/dbs/heavy_metal/detail.lasso?-op=eq&product_i...
Not as much as AG nutrients but it is there.
Fri, 04/17/2009 - 13:20
#7
it's obviously safe, otherwise AG would not be able to patent them
After learning that our government allows all sorts of unsafe things to be added to, or done to, our foods --- I no longer assume anything is safe. If there are poisons present, then maybe it's time to check it out.
Fri, 04/17/2009 - 13:24
#8
Probably still below the threshold that the Govt consider it to be poisonous. Not sure how much will the plant accumulate it though and where it is accumulated in.
Fri, 04/17/2009 - 14:05
#9
This is what I like. I put the same post on the other site and not a single reponse...
The reason I started doing this is that I bought some Plant Prod hydroponic fertilzers 10-6-16 last night at the garden center for C$4 for 250g container and it is dried crystal. The people there recommended the brand but I cannot compare it to any AG type fertilizers so at a loss what to use it for.
When I looked up the company, they had a rather nice fertilizer guide so I started to think.
http://www.plantprod.com/upload/File/PlantProd2008ProductGuide.pdf
Composition of the one I bought is
N 10%
P 6%
K 16%
Calcium 7.2%
Magnesium 2.2%
Sulfer 2.9%
EDTA Chelating Agent (min) 1.0%
Micronutrient content Of EDTA- actual is
Iron (Fe) 0.3000%
Copper (Cu) 0.0052%
Maganese (Mn) 0.1042%
Zinc 0.0052%
Boron (B) 0.0157%
Molybdenum (Mo) 0.0105%
Note, Iron, Copper, Manganese and Zinc present as a chelated metal complex of tetrasodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate. huh?I had to brush off some of my high school chemistry and reading up on gardening reference books on fertilizers to try to understand it.
Direction / mixing rate:
Vegetables - 2mL per litre of warm water
Houseplant - 5ml per litre of warm water
Seedlings/transplants - 5ml per 5L of warm water
Anyone with ideas on what it can be used for? I would try it with seedlngs.
If anyone has other seed kits, please add the information on the side panel or back here so I can compile a comparision chart/grid and we can put our heads together to understand AG nutrients.
Fri, 04/17/2009 - 14:11
#10
Peat,
I think Salad green, herbs, and growth part of tomatoes all use the small tablets from AG master gardener kit with starting nutrient being half strength. I think the 3a is a typo on the lable and it really is 30+ grams. Herb being a little more hungary has 1 more gram than salad green. This kind of support my hypothesis that I can use salad green and herb nutients interchangeably.
Sorry forgot to edit something in 3b in the cut and paste. The large tablet was 60grams with slightly different formula than small tablets.
Fri, 04/17/2009 - 14:26
#11
Fri, 04/17/2009 - 16:01
#12
Yes, that is the one I bought! You mean I could have cut and pasted ?
I saw your analysis and it was great and that kind of supported my assumption that salad green nutes and herb nutes are somewhat interchangeable. Interesting that the one I got is could be for fruit / flower. Really need to get one of those flower kit compositions.
Fri, 04/17/2009 - 16:56
#13
Very interesting! I always wondered if there was really a difference btw the nutes tabs (not nuts... right Peat....lol)
Can the flower nutes be used interchangeabily with the vegetable nutes? I have a ton of those. I just got the Incredile Edibles kit in the mail today and although I was looking forward to growing flowers, I dont like the colors... yellow snapdragons, orange marigolds 
Fri, 04/17/2009 - 17:47
#14
jessi, if you have the kit, can you post those components on the labels?
Fri, 04/17/2009 - 18:06
#15
Hmmm... It came in a white box. I dont see any labels
Fri, 04/17/2009 - 19:21
#16
Okay. They are only on the actual purchased seed kits, not ones included with AG units... I only had the herb one in addition to the purchased salad green and cherry tomato due to AG sending me a kit to replace something and 2 pods with issues in germination and mold.
Fri, 04/17/2009 - 19:28
#17
Yea this was a replacement they sent me but I am sure we can find someone who bought a flower kit and can post the label for us.
Tue, 04/21/2009 - 20:23
#18
got my hands on a English Cottage garden kit briefly.
Small 3&6 5-20-22 16 g growth
Large 3&6 6-15-19 42g flowering
A 7 pod salad green kit
7 pod 8-19-18 37g
7 pods Cherry tomatoes
7 pod 9-15-16 76g
Thus it seems that there is only a handful of formulations but different strengths depending on the type and needs of the kits .
The 7 pod cherry tomato kit has exactly the same 2 red heirloom and 1 yellow as the 6 pod cherry tomato seed kits and the same weight in seeds but the 6 pod seed kit showedd the nutrient at 60 grams.
AERO downsized the nutrient tablets for the 6 pod seed kits from 76g to 60g despite the fact it had the same number of actual pods. It then turn around and sell booster nutrients when the plants experience nutrient deficiency while bearing fruit... Not nice or fair.
Tue, 04/21/2009 - 20:23
#19
Someone added the following kits
Mountain Meadow
Small 3&6 5-20-22; Calcium 5%; Magnesium 1%; Sulfur 0.5%; 15g
Large 3&6 6-15-19; Calcium 6%; Magnesium 1.5%; Sulfur 0.9%; 42g
7 pod Master Gardener Deluxe
7 pod 8-16-17 292g
Wed, 04/22/2009 - 00:01
#20
Huh - thank you, Mary, very interesting! So... then if I were mixing Flora Gro / Micro / Bloom for my flower mini... scribble, scribble... that would be approximately... 1:1:3 gro:micro:bloom at perhaps 1.9 EC. To match their flower nutes. Which is think is slightly more than 1 : 1 : 3 tsp per gallon. 
I was trying the same formula I used on fruiting plants, 1:2:3 at around 2.3 EC or so. The snapdragons and coleus like AG Large much better.
Wed, 04/22/2009 - 01:25
#21
What I figured is that if we can get more detailed information on the tablets / nutrients in the kits and some symptons / preferences plants have under certain conditions, we can better work out the ratios of alternate nutrients or supplements we need to consider or top up nutrients if one stay with the AG tablets.
Sat, 04/25/2009 - 22:28
#22
From MacTech
Neptune's Harvest Fish and Kelp liquid ferts on the tomatoes in my AG6E+, here's the breakdown of the nutrients in their Fish fert;
Nutrient Analysis of Hydrolyzed Fish
Elements
Amino Acids % by Wt.
Nitrogen 2.23 Threonine 2.29
Phosphorous 4.35 Aspartic Acid 5.41
Potassium 0.30 Serine 2.74
Calcium 0.75 Proline 3.07
Sulfur 0.17 Glutamic Acid 8.03
Magnesium 0.04
Sodium 0.16 Glycine 6.22
Alaniae 4.15
Iron 26.0 ppm Cystine 0.38
Manganese 3.0 ppm Valine 2.17
Copper < 0.1 ppm Methionine 1.81
Zinc 9.0 ppm
Boron 2.5 ppm Isoleucine 1.60
Molybdenum < 0.1 ppm Leucine 3.42
Aluminum 8.0 ppm Phenylalanine 1.67
Lead < 1.0 ppm
Lysine 4.16
Ilistidine 1.09
Arginine 3.74
Hydroxproline 1.67
and their kelp ferts;
N-P-K; 0-0-1
Neptune's Harvest Seaweed Plant Food is an organic storehouse of over 60 naturally occurring major and minor nutrients and amino acids. It's growth promoting substances (Auxims, Cytokinins, Gibberellins) enhance plant development, color and vigor. Seaweed has also been found to increase plant hardiness and resistance to adverse environmental conditions, such as early frost, extreme heat
and lack of moisture. Used as a seed inoculant, seaweed fertilizer increases and accelerates germination, and enhances the rapid development of a healthy root system. Seaweed is an excellent addition to any fertilization program.
Fish+Seaweed blends these two seperate ferts together
Sat, 04/25/2009 - 22:34
#23
Went to a store with a number of seed kits and there seem to be similarity between certain seed kits where nutrients are concerned
Gourmet Herb = Tuscan Italian Herb
Salad Green = Mixed Romaine
16 nutrient tablets small 3&6 5-20-22 31 g
Mountain Meadow = English Cottage Flowers
22 Nutrient tablets
Small 3&6 5-20-22 15 g
Large 3&6 6-15-19 42 g
Green Beans = Cherry Tomatoes
22 Nutrient tablets
Small 3&5 5-20-22 3 g
Large 3&6 6-15-19 60g
Thus if you find a green bean kit on a good sale, I would be tempted to buy it for the basket and nutrients and use it for tomates
Sun, 04/26/2009 - 11:40
#24
Yeah, I think all the flower kits, herb kits, and salad kits use the same nutes. I'm a little surprised re the green beans, but peppers and tomatoes would be the same. There may be fewer of the "small" pills in a beans kit (beans grow a lot faster), but that's not a big deal.
Sun, 04/26/2009 - 12:02
#25
My Cherry tomatoes only had 1 set of starter nutrients, 1 set of growth nutrients (small tablets) and 9 sets of fruiting nutrients (large tablets). Sounds the same as the green beans but I did not have the opportunity to open one and count :D I have been going back and adding the specifics of types of nutrients for each kit if I know them.
Sun, 04/26/2009 - 16:51
#26
Maybe Jessi knows - she's had the green beans kit.
Jessi, did that come with 11 nute doses (22 weeks)?
Sun, 04/26/2009 - 17:09
#27
The box said 22 nutrient tablets but I am assuming it is the same breakdown as the Cherry Tomato kit with 2 starter, 2 growth and 18 fruiting..
Sun, 04/26/2009 - 17:19
#28
Ah. But that's a long time for bush beans, and a short time for cherry tomatoes. 
From the registration DB for 7 pod nutrient tablets
A. 7-19-18 Small 7
Nitrogen (N) 7%
Phosphate (P) 19%
Soluble Potash (K) 18%
Heavy Metals (in Parts Per Million)
Arsenic: 0.37
Cadmium: 1.8
Mercury: 0.01
Lead: 10.5
Nickel: 8.3
B. 8-15-16 Large 7
Nitrogen (N) 8%
Phosphate (P) 15%
Soluble Potash (K) 16%
Heavy Metals (in Parts Per Million)
Arsenic: 0.37
Cadmium: 1.8
Mercury: 0.01
Lead: 10.5
Nickel: 8.3
C. 5-25-25 Micro 7
Nitrogen (N) 5%
Phosphate (P) 25%
Soluble Potash (K) 25%
Heavy Metals (in Parts Per Million)
Arsenic: 0.3
Cadmium: 0.88
Mercury: 0.019
Lead: 11.1
Nickel: 6
SS6 to Mom (Jan 09) and AG3 to sister (May 09). Own SS6 (Apr 09) with salad green/brassicas. 1 red/black & 1 black AG3 to be planted (May 09) and await pickup for white AG3 and black AG6.