In coco coir and using ro with GH hydro nutes and cal/mag. Hanna combo pen. Should I be setting my PPM's before I add the cal/mag?
After. Depending on your water source you may or may not need the stuff. Two weeks into flowering is long enough as the GH Micro and Bloom will have enough Calcium and Magnesium to carry you through to the end. Cal-mag plus is normally only necessary when using soft water which starts at <0.1EC. The product should be added first to establish the hardness of the water as anticipated by the manufacturer, between 0.2 and 0.3EC. Some plants will not require more micro nutrients than the base system provides even with soft water so use the product sparingly until you are certain it is beneficial and necessary.
Thank you. I'm using RO water because i have hard well water coming out of the tap. I've heard that coco is notorious for calcium deficiencies and wanted to make sure I was providing it enough to offset the medium's appetite. I used 1/5 the recommended base nutes, and 5ml per gallon of cal/mag, but now am wondering if that's too much (girls did not look too happy afterward). It was their first feeding. 400w CMH. Any help is appreciated.
The 1/5th recommended approach doesn't give me much info because I don't know what you consider full strength. Using 5ml of the Cal-Mag Plus per gallon is up there, but with RO water it isn't too extreme. I found that 1ml of Cal-Mag Plus gave me a 0.1EC increase, and I think .25EC is all that you need to restore an acceptable hardness. This could actually be achieved by mixing some of your hard water into your RO water to get the desired level. Might be cheaper that way. I didn't use more than 2.5ml per gallon of the stuff myself, but then again... I was really just trying to add a pinch of iron to my filtered water. 2-4ml per gallon is probably a better range than 5+. The Lucas/H3ad/Rez formula for coco is well documented and effective. I think it is something like 6ml Micro and 9ml Bloom. But some people run more like 8micro and 11bloom. Or whatever... There are ways of using your GH Micro supplement to supply all the calcium, magnesium, and iron the plant needs without any other bottles. Check out the Lucas Formula modified for coco (google yo!) and see where that takes you.
Thank you for the information. The recommended dose was 5ml per gallon of both A & B. I used 1ml per gallon of each, plus the cal/mag. Good idea about using my own hard water. Definitely cheaper. Thanks again.
[quote name='"wesside"']which gh nutes are you using, the floraduo, flora series, or floranova?[/quote] Floraduo.
Oh the details. As I understand it, these should be your labels. Part A 5-0-6 Ca: 3% Mg: 0.1% Part B 1-5-4 Ca: 0% Mg: 1.5% Cal-Mag Plus 2-0-0 Ca: 3% Mg: 1.5% Here's how it would go in my own garden: This is a potassium dominant system no matter how it is carved. I think thay a good mixture early on would be a 3:2 ratio with the AB and always 2ml Cal-Mag Plus. This gives a rough 4-2-5 ratio with enough calcium to supplement the soft filtered water and to compete with all that potassium. In flowering I think that reversing to a 2:3 ratio for the AB is better and cutting the 2ml of Cal-Mag Plus out after flower set. The 2:3 provides about a 3-4-6 ratio with less calcium and more magnesium. Twenty days before harvest i might choose to use just the B for 10 days. It is very similar on paper to CNS17 Ripe which is used successfully in this way. Then in the end it would be clean water for 10 days before harvesting. It is important to make sure the plant stays healthy of course and using the proper EC strength of the solution through out the grow. I would definitely be attentive of cal-mag deficiencies as a result of the somewhat elevated potassium levels compared to coco specific lines like Canna and CNS17 in comparison to the lower ratio of calcium. H&G's coco formula does use more potassium, and I like the idea of having the K present in my base formula rather than needing to supplement it with a PK booster, but H&G has more Calcium as well. So in this case, with FloraDuo in coco with RO water, 2ml cal mag plus until flower set is a good idea, genetics determining the fine tuning required. 2ml of Plus, 3ml of A and 2ml of B in one gallon sets you up nicely for the first feeding at probably a .6ish EC. Add more Duo A if you need more Nitrogen or Calcium, or a 1/4tsp of Epsom Salt for more Magnesium while in veg. Don't depend on the Cal-Mag Plus to be you Nitrogen source. It is just a water conditioner. Or you could follow the GH instructions. I haven't read them. Just shooting from the hip as to how I might use this system sans a grow guide.
I think Cal-Mag is calibrated intentionally, I find that 1ml increases tds levels by 0.1EC. With the CNS17 line in coco with RO water, would one add 0.2EC Cal-Mag until final flush or just through flower set? (no other supplements) AGREED!
With the CNS17 coco/soil lineup there is no need for any Cal-Mag Plus in my experience with the products when using soft water, 30ppm. I haven't had the chance to run it on full RO water but from what I have seen the Plus is not necessary. If you want to use it then I think 1-2ml per gallon up until the flip to 12/12 would probably suffice to quell any micro deficiencies during Veg. CNS17 is a very well rounded and easy to use system which I have been suggesting to other coco growers for a long time now. Most choose to use it "as-is" but AskEd does have some interesting takes on it in his own garden. Check out the latest pages of his coco guide to get some ideas on how you could maybe use the Cal-Mag Plus in this system similar to how he does it.
I calibrated my ppm and p.h. meter today and did a test on 0ppm r.o. water and got: Fulvex at 3ml./gal. = 40ppm CalMag+ at 3ml./gl. = 135ppm. Fuvex and CalMag+ at 3 ml./gallon each = 175ppm P.H. at 4.5 after adding Fulvex and CalMag+ 6 drops of P.H. up from Botanicare brought P.H. to 7.2 [SIZE=12pt]PPM went from 175 to 183 after adding P.H. up.[/SIZE]