How To Determine Your Plants Preferred Nutrient Strength

Discussion in 'Hydroponic Growing' started by GoldGrower, Mar 27, 2013.

  1. #261 Qwatch2000, Sep 14, 2016
    Last edited: Sep 14, 2016
    I am by no means an expert. I just successfully completed a three plant harvest in DWC using Canna nutrients and employing this method to a certain extent. I did monitor my EC (ppm) and did Top Ups as needed according to those readings. What I did was :say my plant needed 1 gallon of water to top up and after that top up the EC was still within my range, that was usually the first top up of water normally about three days after a reservoir change for me.

    A few days later after the plant has drank more, pH has possibly needed adjusting and they are ready for more water, if I add another 1 gallon of water. I will mix my nutrients parts A+B for whatever phase I am in to 1 gallon.

    For you I would go off of your growth schedule and mix 1 gallon of whatever the three parts call for. So if it says 5 mL of bloom, 3 mL of grow, and 2 mL of micro (I think that is the purple) per gallon you would just make 1 gallon of water with those measurements and pour it into your reservoir and then check your EC.

    I have overtime managed to dial-in pretty much exactly what adding one "dose" of nutrients and a top up will increase my EC by.
    At 10ml/gal, one Gallon will increase my EC by .4. Usually exactly what I need to get back within range.

    After a second water only top up and the second nutrient top up, I usually find its time to change the reservoir entirely. Also my PH will become increasingly difficult to keep within range or plummet (usually a sign the plant is ready for bloom nutrients, as its trying to lock out nitrogen by dropping the PH; I read that somewhere and my shop/canna expert told me that, anybody know anything else about that?)

    I'm trying to limit my res changes (each one costs money in nutes). I got away with less than 4 in veg and about 2 plus the change to plain water in flower) does anyone have any knowledge about how long it's possible to push a single reservoir? In the Netherlands they have no drain to waste systems. They only put back in what the plant uses. Would love to develop a custom piece by piece a la Carte nutrient regimen using either cheap DIY, home brew nutes or the full line of Raw by NPK industries.

    I ramble. I'm enjoying my harvest a lot. :D
     
  2. #262 KulaKush, Nov 4, 2016
    Last edited: Nov 5, 2016
    K
     
  3. I just saw on a well known hydro store website some advice about maintaining the nutrient concentration. Looks like this idea is finally getting out to the mainstream

    [​IMG]
     
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  4. This was a great read, I am hoping to set up a bucket system in the next few months I have the system, but we will be moving so I will need to build a new room. I am sure to have many questions it seams to me from reading this system works best if growing clones from the same plant is the best way to do this, am I right in guessing that if I grew 2 or 3 kinds at the same time it would be harder to dial in and may always have some wild swings due to one plant needing more or less than the others or even each plant having its own set of needs?
     
  5. This is a good question. If the different plants are sharing a reservoir then you will be catering for the average among them. In my experience there isn't a large variation between strains when it comes to the nutrient concentration. The biggest variation is from age/size of the plants and the general set up so it shouldn't pose a problem
     
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  6. Thank you I started following you right after I joined, and to be honest of all the books, forums, and videos this is the first place I have sen this and it seems so easy and like a Homer Simpson moment when I read it, I can not wait to get it set up.
     
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  7. Thanks man, that means a lot. It's great to hear that people are using this system and that it's working for them
     
  8. Hi man. I'm always interested in everything you have to say GOLD. I've had plenty of good info from you. I'm just flushing my plants and once done I'll be going it alone. My 2 tents will go and I'm going to build a room in my garage approx 2m x 4.5m . I plan to run an 8 or 10 pot RDWC set up. I think this is enough room. I'd like to have a small veg area and maybe a nutes table to keep things organised. anyway thanks for this info. I'm planning to follow it to the T. Sure I'll learn a lot. Only run 3 coco grows so far and would like to get into hydro properly. Thanks for the info anyway.

    Sent from my SM-G930F using Grasscity Forum mobile app
     
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  9. You're very welcome man, that garage set up sounds awesome
     
  10. Have just sat an read this entire thread. Outstanding info for a new one like me to hydro. Thanks everyone. So gold I'm in process of moving from soil to hydro. Still no expert but been doing ok. Will be my first hydro. I have taken a 250 gal tote cut top off about 12 inches an flipped it over on top of remaining tote for the table. I will be doing a flood an drain with 600 watt light. Dropped girls in water last night will paper towel tonight an put into little plugs when germed. Then was planning on when rooted good in plug to place into 1 or 3 gal smart pot filled with hydroton. Then start flooding. My questions are 1. Should use 1 or 3 gal pot. 2. Will use tap water do I use just a few gal over what's needed to flood table ie 5/10 gal. 3. Do I need just a circulating pump in rez or is air stone necessary. (Was going to use air stone anyway) an after reading I understand to just mix my nutes right in my rez is ok. That should get me started. Thanks again for very layman terms
     
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  11. Almost forgot. Will be using elite nite line never used its pretty new I guess. Lady I deal with at hydro shop says they like so far. An yes she an hubby are similar cultivators not just pushing line.
     
  12. I've never heard of using fabric pots on a flood table but I guess the bigger the better.

    The very minimum to have in the res is when the flood table is full and there is still enough in the reservoir to cover the water pump. That's your res on empty. When it's at that point and the table has drained, make a mark where the water line is on the reservoir so you know not to let the water line drop below that. There is no maximum amount though, the larger the body of water, the more stable everything will be

    An air pump and the flood pump are the only pumps you should need
     
  13. Ok thank you another thing I took out brand new ppm meter an did not calib
     
  14. Thank you. Another thing I took brand new ppm meter out an checked tap water. Says 500 which screws up my idea of starting out feeding at 300-400. So do I need to filter my water? Have hard water has ton of calcium build up in hot water heater all the time. Suggestions ideas? An meter is a multi function can I use the pH setting an use pH 7 to calibrate. I have a separate pH meter been using for last year this first time using ppm an hydro run.
     
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  15. Tap water of a ppm of 500 is very high. I would look in to fitting a reverse osmosis filter. I rarely recommend them to people but with a ppm of 500 I'd say that you need it. My tap water is 50
     

  16. K what I figured was going to happen an any rec's for the ppm meter is it possible to use the pH function an calibrate with the 7 solution. Would it portray a accurate ppm even though calibrate for pH? I haven't done hydro because really didnt want to screw up everything at one time but like doing something new an like the challenges. Thanks again
     
  17. Although the product measures both pH and ppm, they will be separate systems inside so will need calibrating separately. The pH needs to be calibrated pretty accurately but the ppm only needs to be somewhere near as long as you're only using the one same meter. The difference between 605 and 610 is nothing
     
  18. 10-4 will update in a week or so thanks for all the help.
     
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  19. Ok Mr Gold need help here. I started out running half nute concentration tap water 100 ppm. Started 120 gal rez 5.8 pH 250 ppm with nutes. Over first couple days ppm creep up to 330 an had to ph down few times. Been steady for a week at 330-350 ppm EC .7 an 5.8-6 pH. Have topped up with 25 gal water so far. Plants are small but look good 3rd set of leaves growing an about 4 inch tall it is day 10 being placed into hydroton full smart pot in root plug. Question is I think ppm may be just starting to tilt towards going down where plants are eating more. Do I wait till that happens to start increasing ppm adding stronger nute. Or according to feed schedule I should be increasing my nutes now. Schedule is for draining once a week which I am not going to do. Again started at half strength. But ppm is steady at this point. Under 600 watt light 18 hrs an flood twice a day for 12 minutes per flood. Thanks in advance for any information.
     

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