I just don't trust using runoff for ph.....Your plants don't really show effects of ph yet. I found the best way to check ph is by doing a slurry test. There is a thread called flushing 101 that will explain how to do that. I use one of those Rapidtesters you get at Ace for ph and check the medium. Much more accurate. So if I were getting a 6.8 ph and my water/solution was 5.8, I would lower the water/solution to 5.0 ph and hope for 6.0 in my test...Sooner or, later the medium will balance itself and you can go back to just a 5.8 ph for watering.... I would go more by what the plants health looked like before I went adjusting. You really have to get the ph right before you start fixing a problem and most problems are ph related....Fix the ph and walla, no problem in most cases
Runoff pH is extremely misleading. I regularly get around a 6.5ph in the runoff if I am testing it, regardless of what I use. Coco is EXTREMELY pH tolerant and has tremendous buffering capability. Although, I find that a range of solutions from 5.0pH to 6.0pH to work in coco and as such have not concerned myself about precise levels for several grows now. Trying to fuck with the pH of your solution because of a snapshot reading of your runoff is a good way to create problems for yourself when none existed. Runoff readings are useful only when you have collected several weeks of readings and you can graph them to observe the changes over time. Like if it is getting more acidic or less or staying stable. Like I said before though, not really something to worry about with coco. Just run something south of 6.0pH and let the media do the rest of the work.
Thanks for your input guys I appreciate it. Cola i have been trying to find the thread on flushing that you mentioned, but i have yet to find it. Also i was wondering if you can explain how to do a slurry test. I just got my hanna combo pen about two weeks ago so I am pretty new to adjusting my pH in my coco. I do not believe my plants are growing nearly as quick as they could be and i think it is because of my pH. The leaves look healthy for the most part. One plant is doing much better than the other tho. i cant point out any deficiencys or see any signs of over fertilizing. This is why i think it is the pH. Before your replys i thought the runoff was a good way to check the pH of my coco, but apparently not. So other than making sure the water going in is pH correctly, what can i be doing to maintain a healthy pH in the soil? What sort of signs will my plant give me to indicate the pH is off? This is my first grow ever so i know i do not know everything, iv been doing the best i can but i wanna improve the way im a growing! Also for my two plants that are the same age one is doing much better than the other and i cannot figure out why. Its leaves are sorta shaped oddly, look almost bubble like. They also are bending in odd ways, the other plant is not. Another thing is all of its leaves are compacted together really tight compared to the other plant. oh yeah and it is not growing as quick compared to the other plant is, i am treating them the same so im not so sure whats going on. Could this be genetics or something i am doing wrong? I will post some more pics later tonight maybe it will help diagnose the issue.
Your plants look fine...Wait till they get their true leaves before diagnosing a problem...I think what your seeing as a problem is a temporary glitch of some kind and will straighten out when her time comes..Nothing severe here... No 2 seeds from the same strain are the same. They have different phenos(growing patterns etc)and can show different foilage characteristics. Maybe one is just having a bad day and will look different tomorrow.... Seedlings are doing fine when they have a nice green color to them, you are noticing growth, their are no burnt tips, yellowing or severely damaged leaves....All this comes from the growing environment, food, water,oxygen light....When you dial a grow in you will have very little problems,other than pests etc... Get an accurate ph test and we can go from their..... http://forum.grasscity.com/coco-coir/1104948-flushing-coco-101-a.html
ya know im sure u competly correct, i think im worrying for no reason. Growth has been getting better everyday, there starting to look like real plants and are getting bushy. I'll get a good pH tomaro and post more pics. thanks cola
so i decided i wanted to set up a simple drip irrigation system. I did this because im going home for winter break and i will not be able to tend my plants for two weeks. My roommate will be here so he will be doing that for me. What i thought would be smart is to set up this drip system. I have it hooked up to a digital timer so that it will water my plants everyday two times. All my roommate should need to do is fill the water bucket with fertilizer. I have showed him exactly how i do it. I just set it up today and i have lots of studying to do so its not complete by any means. I will set it to water my plants with the correct amount i just need the time to sit there and figure out how long of intervals to turn it on for. I have been doing the hand watering method up to this point. Do you think this is a good idea? theres some pics to show what iv done so far
Yes, I think that's a good idea. Like you said, you'll have to get it dialed in over the next bit. Once you do your roommate should be good to go. I'd make sure he is able to tell if they are not getting enough or too much water, just in case.
Here are some updated pictures starting to get some good growth, the plants look really healthy. I cut a bunch of the smaller stems and leaves close to the bottom of the stalk because i hear they will grow small shity buds. I got my R.O machine today!!! i have not set it up yet but im pretty jacked on in. Hopefully i finish my drip system soon and have it working. I need to get a second pump to keep my water in my resovoir moving then it can be put on a timer. Let me know how the plants are looking
Looks good smoky, the only thing I see is that your drip lines are clear. You might end up getting algae and bacteria growing in the pipeline. I think I would wrap them in some duct tape or black electrical tape. Would suck to come home to cloged lines and a big mess. Best of luck
cool, yea i was wondering if the clear line was guna cause some issue. I have it ona timer now. It will give my plants 2 gallons a day and will go on/off for 2 minutes ever 4 hours. I will duct tape the hoze soon so i dont get algae.
So I think I am seeing early stages of pistol growth my two plants that are bigger. I have some pictures, there not the best cuz their from my phone. I can see white bud hair begginning to grow. Also, on one leaf i found some yellow spots that im not sure what they are from if any one can help out. I have also learned that i had my light too close to my plants, i can see some heat stress on my leaves, tips are curling up and leaves are a little misshaped. I think this is also why my plants are so short and bushy. I raised the light so this issue should go away. My buddy came over and checked out the plants , he told me the way my crystal plant is growing is awesome. Instead of growing up the main stem, it split and is growing up in two directions. It almost looks like two plants connected to one. Heres some pictures!
Just some updated pictures their starting to loook bushy, i did some trimming underneith. Transplanted crystal the smaller plant aswell.
Updated pics. Can any one give me tips on trimming my plants. I've been trimming my plants cuz there starting to get super bushy and crammed. Not sure if iv been doing it correct