# when to add yeast nutrient



## murray123 (Apr 30, 2014)

Picked up some chiliean pinot grigio juice. When is the best time to add the yeast nutrient. pitched yeast yesterday


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## sour_grapes (Apr 30, 2014)

Standard advice is to make sure you add it by the time that 1/3 of your sugar has been consumed. Many people like to split the dose up, and add half of the nutrient earlier, like, say, now.


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## miccbull (Apr 30, 2014)

sour_grapes said:


> Standard advice is to make sure you add it by the time that 1/3 of your sugar has been consumed. Many people like to split the dose up, and add half of the nutrient earlier, like, say, now.



How do you calculate 1/3 of the sugar? 

say you start at 1.085 ... how do you calculate the specific gravity at which you have 1/x of the sugar left?


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## sour_grapes (Apr 30, 2014)

Well, you figure you will finish with a SG of about 1. (You could be more precise, and guess that you will get to, say, 0.994, but it really does not matter for your purposes, since "1/3" is just a rough number anyway.) So, you take your starting SG (1.085 in your example), and subtract 1 to get 0.085. Now multiply this by 2/3 (because you want 2/3 of your sugar to be left) to get 0.057. Now add your 1.000 back on, to find that the SG where about 1/3 of your sugars are gone is about 1.057.


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## Turock (Apr 30, 2014)

Always add the first nutrient dose after lag phase of the yeast---a fancy term that means when you see the yeast taking off. As soon as the yeast become active, they will be looking for N2 sources---depriving them of it early can stress the yeast right out of the gate and you could be on your way to H2S production.


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## Sp33dymonk3y (Apr 30, 2014)

Yikes I have always added mine when I add sugar, and yeast. So is it to late to go ahead and add more? I added yeast nutrient, sugar, and yeast 2 days ago


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making


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## Wiz (Apr 30, 2014)

I agree with you DYMonk. Gosh guys, go to your old recipes. Why try to reinvent the wheel when all this has been already been done for you. Add everything in the beginning with yeast following 24 (12) hours later.


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## Turock (May 2, 2014)

You should never add nutrient during lag phase because this can encourage the wild yeast to take off. The rule is first dose of nutrient after lag phase and second dose at 50% dry mark. Doseage of Fermaid K is slightly different--last dose at 1/3 sugar depletion.


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## Runningwolf (May 2, 2014)

It really depends on what you are using. Go with the manufactures recommendations. For instance, Goferm is used in the yeast starter followed up with another nutrient at about 15 brix.


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## Deezil (May 2, 2014)

Turock said:


> You should never add nutrient during lag phase because this can encourage the wild yeast to take off. The rule is first dose of nutrient after lag phase and second dose at 50% dry mark. Doseage of Fermaid K is slightly different--last dose at 1/3 sugar depletion.



You sure it's not Fermaid-O / organic nitrogen that's last addition is the 1/3 mark? Pretty sure I remember reading that yeast have issues assimilating inorganic nitrogen past the 50% mark.. Fermaid-K would fit the rule, and Fermaid-O would be the exception..?


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## sour_grapes (May 2, 2014)

Huh. Actually Fermaid O says to add last dose before 1/3 sugar, and Fermaid K says to add last dose "anytime between 1/3 and 1/2 way through the fermentation."


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## Turock (May 3, 2014)

Last dose of Fermaid K is at 1/3 sugar depletion. Fermaid 0 is at 1/4 to 1/3 sugar depletion.


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