Does adjusting the PPM levels of your faucet water work the same as adjusting the pH levels of the water? For example, is there some sort of PPM up/down liquid adjuster like there is pH up/down adjuster? Thanks in advance!
PPM stands for parts per million. The only way to really make the ppm go down is a filter. Even brita style filters don't really do a whole lot. Basically, there's minerals in your water and that's what your ppm meter is picking up. If you'd remove them, it'd simply lower your overall ppm.
youre correct for lowering ppm's in general. for growing cannabis you will high/lower ppm's with the nutrients you feed the plants. your next step is to search for where your levels should be at during different stages of growth.
Well ppm is like the above said parts per million. Anything you add to the water increases it. Theres no real way of say lowering that in say a bucket of water. PPM is the total number of particles in the water. Your TDS/EC pen doesnt know whats in your water all it knows is the total dissolved solids in it which is expressed in ppm or ec. If your water iwth nothing it it is high well you cant remove it unless you get a RO system. A brita filter can add to it since it runs the water through minerals to soften the taste. For myself my ppm is 50. My city water is very low in particles and is very clean so no need for a RO filter. That reading I get is most likely the fluoride and calcium that is added to soften the water. Anyhow anything you add to the water increases that number as its a disolved solid. So if you add nutes it increases it. Look for a chart like the above said. There are ppm charts for the particular nutes you use.
Thanks for the helpful info everyone. So why exactly should I be buying a pretty expensive TDS/EC meter if I can't really do anything too much to control it? Lol. Also, I'm using FFOF soil, and Roots Organics Buddha Grow & Buddha Bloom currently. Thanks again for your help!
For a soil grow a TDS/EC is not really necessary...vital to hydro owners though. Its how you keep track of nutrient levels.
Okay, that's music to my ears, man! Thanks! I will just go ahead and get me a nice HM pH/Temp meter for now, & get the TDS/EC meter in the next month or so, since I really need to go ahead & get a 60x-100x microscope and the calibration, storage, & cleaning solutions at the moment. Thanks again!
I have well water with a water softener...After talking to a few people about my nutrient burn, someone asked what the ppm of my water was...wtf?? I have no idea what the dudes even talking about...lol.... So purchased a cheap tdm guage and BAMMMMMMMM my fuckin PPM out of tap is at 554 and I wonder why my plants are getting crispy... So I started reading.....am not about to buy a RO system just yet so was looking for a cheap alternative and came across this zerowater system...just got it today, reduced my PPM from 554 to 000 no bullshit....I was floored.....anyway kind of a pain as I got 8 plants in 3 gal pots so its taking a while for the flter to run all the water through I have not timed it but think it'll filter a gallon in about 20 minutes,,, http://www.amazon.com/ZeroWater-ZD-018-23-Cup-Disp...
okay so i heard it mentioned, but noone elaborated. What SHOULD the ppm be during the different stages? Ill be running a bucket bubbler DWC hydro system. And also just curious. I run x4 23 watt cfls and x1 150 watt cfl up top. Question is do you think it would be smart to invest in a 250 watt hps/mh lighting to compliment my cfls for my single plant single tent grow? Thanks for the info!
Check out the dwc grow journals and see what their ppm is at week to week. I use a chart for the general hydroponic micro/flora/bloom series that gives me a per gallon amount week to week. It even acounts for longer veg or flower rates. As far as the extra light, do yourself a favor and just buy a inexpensive led fixture. More light is almost always worth it. If its a single plant tent, the temps are gonna be alot easier to controll with an led vs a hps or mh. You can pick up a decent "300 watt" led off amazon for like 99$ free shiping.