Athena Toolbox
Precision tools for cultivation professionals
💧 Dry Back Calculator
Calculate target substrate VWC% at dry back based on peak field capacity and desired dry back percentage.
Dry back is the intentional reduction of substrate VWC% (volumetric water content) between irrigation events. After reaching peak VWC at field capacity, the crop is allowed to transpire and deplete moisture to a target level before the next irrigation cycle.
Managing dry back gives you direct control over plant stress response, root development, and generative vs vegetative growth balance.
- Generative Higher dry back (40–50%+) — triggers stress response, promotes flowering, fruiting, and root zone development. Less water = reproductive signal.
- Vegetative Lower dry back (20–40%) — keeps substrate wetter, promotes shoot growth, canopy expansion, and vigorous vegetative development.
- Transition timing and magnitude determine how aggressively you steer the crop.
- Set Target Peak VWC% to the water content at the top of your irrigation cycle (field capacity for your substrate).
- Set Dry Back % to how much you want to reduce from peak.
- The Dry Back VWC% Goal is the substrate reading where you trigger the next irrigation.
- Monitor your substrate sensors and irrigate when VWC hits the goal.
- Athena crop steering protocols vary by cultivar, growth stage, and environment. Calibrate with your local data.
- Dry back targets interact with EC strategy — a heavier dry back often pairs with lower frequency, higher EC shots.
- Sensor placement matters: measure at mid-slab, not edges.
⚗️ RDWC Nutrient Calculator
Calculate Athena nutrient addback volumes for recirculating deep water culture systems based on stage, week, and current EC readings.
| Nutrient | mL / Gallon | Total mL (system) |
|---|
💉 Netaflex Injection System Calculator
Calculate NMC settings, stock tank dosing, and injector flow rate for Athena Pro Line fertigation with Netaflex systems.
| Product | g/gal | mL/gal | Injector % | mL/min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pro Core | - | - | - | - |
| Pro Bloom | - | - | - | - |
| Pro Grow | - | - | - | - |
Combined EC is distributed across all three products using Athena's standard ratios (Core : Bloom/Grow ≈ 60% : 40% g/gal). Set each product on a separate injector channel.
- Combined mode — enter one target EC; outputs are distributed across Pro Core, Bloom, and Grow proportionally based on Athena's standard ratios.
- Individual mode — set a separate target EC for each product. Use when dialing in one product at a time or running custom ratios.
The amount of dry fertilizer dissolved per gallon of water in your stock (concentrate) tank. Higher concentration = less volume needed per gallon of fertigation water.
- 1 lb/gal — light mix, easy to dissolve, larger tank required
- 2.5 lb/gal — concentrated, smaller tank, more dissolve time
- Liquid — Athena Liquid Pro Line, pre-dissolved
The NMC (Nutrient Management Controller) takes either a mL/gal or an injector % as its input. Both values represent the same thing — how much concentrate to inject per unit of water.
- mL/gal — direct volume ratio for volume-based NMC inputs
- Injector % — percentage of system flow injected (e.g. 0.85% means 0.85 mL per 100 mL water)
- Calculated from your system flow rate and g/gal dose. Set your rotometer or pump dial to this mL/min value.
- System Flow Rate (GPM): Total irrigation water flow in gallons per minute at the injector point.
- Use Total Injection Volume (mL/hr) to estimate stock tank usage per irrigation cycle.
🔬 EC Blending Calculator
Blend two nutrient solutions to hit a precise target EC. Calculates exact volumes from each tank and validates the result.
Uses the standard mixing formula: blendEC = (volA × ecA + volB × ecB) / totalVol. Solve for volA: volA = (targetEC − ecB) × totalVol / (ecA − ecB). Tank B volume = total − volA.
Set Tank B EC to 0.0 to use pure RO water as your dilutant. This is the most common use case — diluting a concentrated nutrient solution to a target feed EC.
The calculator checks that required volumes don't exceed what's available in each tank. If Tank A or B doesn't have enough volume to hit the target EC, an error will show with the maximum achievable EC given your constraints.
- Always verify with a calibrated EC meter after blending.
- Allow 5–10 min for full mixing before final EC check.
- Temperature affects EC — measure at consistent temps.
🌡️ VPD Calculator
Calculate vapor pressure deficit from temperature and humidity for optimized crop steering.
Tab accessible in dev mode for navigation testing.
Logic not yet implemented.
🪣 Water Volume Calculator
Calculate system water volume, container capacity, and irrigation run volumes.
Tab accessible in dev mode for navigation testing.
Logic not yet implemented.
🧪 Pro Line Stock Tank Mixing Calculator
Calculate dose rates and total batch volumes for Pro Bloom, Pro Grow, and Pro Core stock tank preparation.
Dose rates scale linearly with EC. Base rates are calibrated at EC 3.0 from Athena's published feed schedule. Enter your target EC to get the proportionally adjusted dose.
Higher concentration = less volume needed per unit of solution. Start lower (1 lb/gal) if solubility is a concern. Liquid Pro Line is pre-dissolved at its own density.
- Grams tile hides automatically when Liquid is selected — it's not applicable for pre-mixed liquid product.
- Pro Bloom: 7.67 g/gal · 2.03 g/L
- Pro Grow: 7.67 g/gal · 2.03 g/L
- Pro Core: 4.60 g/gal · 1.22 g/L
- Select your product and target EC.
- Set your stock tank concentration — the strength of concentrate you're mixing.
- Enter total system volume and select units.
- Use mL for Full Tank to measure out concentrate, or Grams for Full Tank to weigh dry product.