I've got two girls .that are about a week into flower. Using GH flora series(Lucas formula). 900 ppm, ph 5.3-5.5. My question involves topping off the dwc res. When it's time to top off, do I top off with just phd water, or nute solution? My concern is that since the nute ppm drops a bit daily, by topping off with nutes my ph never drifts any higher than 5.5. I 've read that 5.8 is ideal. Topping off with only phd water results in a steady decrease of ppm. Should I be more concerned with allowing th ph to drift all the way thru to 5.9, or maintaining the ppm @900? this newb thanks you for your advice
I change out my buckets every 7-9 days. I also use the Lucas Formula, and adjust to around 900 ppm. I check my water level every day and lately they have been using almost a gallon a day. I top them off with just R.O water, and don't add any additional nutrients. I keep my PH at 5.7-6.0. The ph. seldom changes.They did get up to 6.2 a week or two ago, but as I was going to do a change-out the next day I didn't sweat it. I'm sure others do things differently, but once you discover what works for you, you have a tendency to stay with it. I'm on my first week of flower, and have 2 Super Lemon Haze and a Punky Lion, and my 4x4 tent is completely full. They vegged for 44 days and are about 3 feet tall and I'm hoping they don't grow much taller as I'm quickly running out of ceiling height. Good luck with your grow. There's some old timers here with a lot more experience than I. Hopefully they will chime in and give you their opinion.
Thanks for the input. There seem to be a fewfew different schools of thought on this issue. Some only adjust ppm at res change/ flush and top off with plain water, or phd water between changes. Some top off with 1/2 to full strength phd nutes as needed. Some some use both nutes and water. Another question i have involve nute ph. When nutes are mixed, the nute ph is fairly low 4.6-5.0. When added to the res with water, ph is usually @ 5.3. Should i be adjusting nute ph prior to adding to the res? Or should i just keep relying on the higher phd water to bring the ph up to acceptable levels. Dont get me wrong, the plants are doing fine. (White castle and sugar black rose) Im just trying to learn some best practices for my future grows. Thanks
