I have DWC type system im growning a plant in (no idea the strain because it was from some seeds that i had gotten from a friend that also had no idea). Right now its in veg with 8 Cfls on it. Its about 16-17 inches tall and maybe 3 or 4 months old. The reservoir is 3 gallons and i always keep my ph at around 6. Now the question that i have is ive been using 1/4 strength nutes since i transplanted it and every time i try to up the nute strength it burns the plant. I would think that by now with how big and bushy it is it would want more nutes but it will still only take 1/4 stength...Does this sound normal to anyone or has anyone had an issue like this? I would just like to say thanks in advance to anyone one that takes the time to help me out.
i realized i should reword my post rather then 1/4 strength what it is is 1/4 teaspoon of the 3 part system. Where at full strength for veg it should be at 3-2-1 if im not mistaken but ive tried 1/2/-1/2-1/2 and it gets burnt. I tried watering the 1/2 mixture down a little still gets burnt to point where im sitting right back where i started at 1/4 lol.
Also this is just for the veg state when i kicked it over to flower sex it i used full strength nutes and it had no issues.
how is personally look at it, it's growing its healthy its fine? What system you in? You got any pics?
The system im using is the general hydro flora. She is real healthy. The stem is about the size of a quarter very stalky and bushy however i dont have any pics at the moment (yes i feel like a terrible parent not having pics of my baby). The only conclusion i've come to is that she doesnt need the nutes because shes not streching? or it just growing at its own pace.
I just speaking out of what I've read here, mine weren't drinking the nuteS and did the same as yours wouldn't take more so I've just left the level low and they are fine - saves me nutez
Im just looking for an answer because i want to use this plant as a mother because i got a few people that want clones and was hoping to get her to grow faster and take the nutes but i guess it'll just be a waiting game lol. But hey thanks for the help its much appreciated.
Yea I'd have I agree I use to give my girls ppm (full strength) of 800 some times now I have NO signs of any stress and only use 1/4 of what's suggested and my ppm during veggie are under 100 & for flowering ill never go over 300ppm
Yeah high ppm's don't grow big buds it only stresses the plant and some strains don't like it. All that matters is that the plant looks happy and the foliage stays green so that it can process the light. The more green foliage then the more light can be photosynthesized to make the big bugs.
Plants also acclimate to the environmen tthat they are brought up in. I generally keep my plants around 400 during veg, and end at 1200 PPM towards the end of flower (on a .5 conversion metter.) I noticed that if I kept the ppm's at about700 ppm in veg, I could push my ladies up to 16-1800 ppms without burning in flower. What I am trying to get at is since you introduced the lady into a weaker solution, she may be used to it and dislikes stronger solutions. Another possibility is that the initial solution was too strong to start out. In DWC, if the mixture is too strong, the plants absorb more water than nutrients (so your PPMs will go up), meaning even though you are still giving the plant 1/2-1/2-1/2, the strength of the water may still be quite high. My biggest suggestion is to buy a cheap digital PPM meter, and gauge the strength of the water, rather than "doses."
Wow that all does make a lot of sense and thanks for that insite. Im just curious is there a way to make adding the nutrient solution easier if you keep track of the ppm. Like would you measure the solution in your reservoir get the ppm and if you need to add more would you just check the ppm of the solution your gonna put in and add the 2 together or would you have to account for the volume of 2 and just add solution and check in the reservoir what the ppm is and slowly add solution if it it needs it? i would imagine the second more being the case.
Please read. I had made a couple errors when typing it so just read the whole thread. Its not long. http://forum.grasscity.com/hydroponic-growing/1143567-healthy-hydroponics-ppm-ph.html
Since your reservoir is 3 gallons, I would suggest buying a 5 gallon bucket from your local hydro store, or a hardware store like Home Depot. Then I would fill that bucket up and add your nutrients. Check the PPM's of it and make sure they are at your desired level, as well as a stable PH. I would put a cover on it and whenever the plants need a little more water I would just pour a little into your 3 gallon bucket to top it off. I would check the 3 gallon reservoir a little later to make sure the PPM/PH isn't too low/too high. Like I said before, if the PPM is rising without adding anything the strength is too strong, and you should only add water to dilute it. If the PPM is lowering without adding anything, the plant can handle more nutrients. There is an equilibrium between the two where the PPM level will RELATIVELY stay consistent. It is all trial and error, you won't kill your plant trying to find that point.
First, welcome to Grass City. You'll have fun here. Lots of good responses on here for you already, totally agree that high ppm's are not needed for quality grows. But I'm not quite sure anyone picked up on exactly how low your formulation was - 1/4 tsp or 1.25 ml per gallon for each of the three paths of GH Flora. That's clone-rooting or new seed strength I use 1/2 tsp./gal. Of each of the GH formulations (2.5mL of each, per gallon) for my mother plants in bubble buckets, and this is only about 300ppm strength. You're at half that!!! Lower light strength / lumens will restrict how much nute a plant can tolerate, and since you mentioned CFL's for veg, wondering if that might be part of the issue. Are you switching to T-5 or HPS when blooming? More light = more healthy nutrient uptake. Also, you made no mention of aeration, what are you doing for that? You need a good strong bubbling action in DWC to keep the roots healthy & the plant happy. Running eight CFL's, assuming these are 23W actual? Or 13W? That's an awful long time to veg to that height. I'd highly recommend looking into a 250W HID system for one or two plants. They will provide a quicker veg and much higher bud quality in bloom. Just keep your plant canopy around 2X2 or 4 sq. Ft. And this combo will provide good bud. Now, if you get seriously addicted to growing, a 400 or 600W system will be in your future. Again, good info by the others, just some more food for thought. I do think that ultra low strength is causing your long veg times. More light will let you safely increase nute strength, within the reasons others mentioned. Hope this helps, bestaluck to ya.
I top off my res by adding reg water back up to the usual level i keep it at, and then i add nutes to bring the ppm back up to whatever im keeping it at. if you top off the res with water thats already nuted out at lets say 600 ppm, wouldnt dumping that into a solution thats 500 ppm average it out at 550? It seems like it would be harder to keep your res at a constant ppm if your adding the two nute solutions together to top off, instead of bringing the water level back up and then adjusting the nutes
Why are u using the gh flora grow? Did u know the man behind star wars George Lucas realized the flora bloom had plenty nitrogen so the flora grow was rendered obsolete..stayin 2:1 bloom to micro made the equilibrium balanced..Lucas Formula
Now make fun as you may but I was not aware that it is the Star Wars creator George Lucas who made the formula and will talk to you on cannabis-world.org? Is this a fact? Sorry please excuse the handicapped