Help with Blue Lab conductivity pen

[mojuan]

my question is .... i'm running advanced nutrients products, the scale is a 700 scale, where should i be at on the ppm range and if i'm over or out of range, how do i get back in range? ph up or down depending on where i'm at? ill probably be running 1/4 or 1/2 strength because of the nuet burn i encountered with my first grow.

 

[Old Salt]

If you add pH up or down it will increase the TDS (PPM) of your nutrient solution somewhat. The way to drop the TDS is to add water with a lower TDS. You may be able to add a substance (agar, I think) to drop the TDS, but who knows how it will affect the nutrient balance.

I don't even measure the TDS of my nutrient solutions. I mix them accurately by volume and weight, adjust the pH, and I'm done. This is for a drain to waste hydroponics system where I mix up to 18l or 3.75 US gal at a time. This lasts four to seven days.

Are you running a recirculating hydroponics system? If so, I recommend checking the TDS after you have mixed your nutrient batch, then adjusting it daily to maintain the level you measured.

For a given concentration of nutrients, the TDS will vary depending on the source of your water (municipal, RO, distilled, etc).

 

[Old Salt]

What is your question?

Do you want advise on what concentration of the Advanced Nutrients' products to use? If so, shout for Chris Scorpio. He uses these products in DWC if I remember correctly.

Do you want help using the pen? This would not be specific to any product. Anyone with a TDS pen can help with that.

 

[mojuan]

What is your question?

Do you want advise on what concentration of the Advanced Nutrients' products to use? If so, shout for Chris Scorpio. He uses these products in DWC if I remember correctly.

Do you want help using the pen? This would not be specific to any product. Anyone with a TDS pen can help with that.

Using the pen

 

[mojuan]

Using soil, when I feed Monday I'll see where it's at

 

[LiberalThinker]

Using the pen

I'm no expert on this but I've read of this way for hydro, which I'll be following:

Make up your nutes > Test and correct its pH to 5.8ish > Take a reading with TDS meter and note the value... this is your target value to maintain. From there on, take a reading 2 or 3 times a day (to get a feel for it) and if the TDS level rises, add pH-corrected water until it goes back down to your target pm. If the reading is less than your target ppm/ec value, let it fall to 70% of your target ppm/ec, then replace your nutrient solution and start again. The logic here is that you do not know what nutrients have been used up, so you don't know if you are adding excess of some nutrients and not enough of others.

Another way to do it, which is probably along the lines of what most people do is:

Make up your nutes > Test and correct pH to 5.8 - 6.0 > Take a reading and note the value, which will be your target to maintain > If ppm/ec value rises, then correct with pH-corrected water to your target value. If the ppm value drops, then add pH-corrected nute solution to bring it back up to your target value. Change your nute solution every 7 -10 days as a routine.

I can't vouch for either way as "best" because I'm a noob with DWC. I've only done soil.

 

[mojuan]

what range is the ppm suppose to be. i finally have a controlled environment, now i trying to figure out this ppm pen, pretty much figured out the ph pen and where i need to be on that but i keep hearing people talk about the ppm. growing in soil so i haven't figured out the soil ph relevant to the watering ph and or ppm in order to get to the desired range where the plants will absorb the nutrients without blocking out the nutrients........ does that make any sense? because i really don't know what im talking about lol. I'm sure when the light comes on it will blind me, I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed. when i figure it out im throwing a party. first time growing ANYTHING! i was a garbageman for 15 years and i hated anything that grew, grass, trees you name it. I also was a sewer man for 15 years and they talked about ppm but it was fecal matter in discharge water going into a creek or stream. I'll keep asking questions till i get an understanding, trying not to over think it. i just need a number of where i need to be at.... 700-1200-1500? or a range of between this number and that number

 

[George Mc]

what range is the ppm suppose to be. i finally have a controlled environment, now i trying to figure out this ppm pen, pretty much figured out the ph pen and where i need to be on that but i keep hearing people talk about the ppm. growing in soil so i haven't figured out the soil ph relevant to the watering ph and or ppm in order to get to the desired range where the plants will absorb the nutrients without blocking out the nutrients........ does that make any sense? because i really don't know what im talking about lol. I'm sure when the light comes on it will blind me, I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed. when i figure it out im throwing a party. first time growing ANYTHING! i was a garbageman for 15 years and i hated anything that grew, grass, trees you name it. I also was a sewer man for 15 years and they talked about ppm but it was fecal matter in discharge water going into a creek or stream. I'll keep asking questions till i get an understanding, trying not to over think it. i just need a number of where i need to be at.... 700-1200-1500? or a range of between this number and that number

I've read on here were some people like to keep it basically simple at 600. Others push that number well over a thousand. I've always been a type of person to err on caution. I use soil by the way.

 

[George Mc]

I have a PPM meter but never have checked my nutrient solution going into the soil. I've only check the pH going into the soil. Caring about a month my plants will be old enough from me to start feeding and I will check that PPM number then.

 

[mojuan]

ok, now i have a base number to shoot for, thanks

 

[George Mc]

ok, now i have a base number to shoot for, thanks

Keep asking other folks before you do anything. I did not read your Journal but whatever method you using for your medium do a search on this site and see what other people are using

 

[mojuan]

Keep asking other folks before you do anything. I did not read your Journal but whatever method you using for your medium do a search on this site and see what other people are using

1st Journal From Phone, 4 WWA & 5 TWA, Thanks For Any Tips & Help Along The Way

Monday updates Being there were plants with mildew on them in the small tent before the babies went in and not cleaning, the babies might have mildew already. They got some growing up to do. I got 6 out of 9 with the seed. Next grow I'm gonna have 6 in a 4x8x6 tent. I'll answer my own...

www.420magazine.com

this is my second grow but im going to see the first 1 thru to the end to see what i did right and wrong, second 1 is going good, have 6 girls but 1 is a runt, not sure what to do about her.

 

[Barney86]

I'm no expert on this but I've read of this way for hydro, which I'll be following:

Make up your nutes > Test and correct its pH to 5.8ish > Take a reading with TDS meter and note the value... this is your target value to maintain. From there on, take a reading 2 or 3 times a day (to get a feel for it) and if the TDS level rises, add pH-corrected water until it goes back down to your target pm. If the reading is less than your target ppm/ec value, let it fall to 70% of your target ppm/ec, then replace your nutrient solution and start again. The logic here is that you do not know what nutrients have been used up, so you don't know if you are adding excess of some nutrients and not enough of others.

Another way to do it, which is probably along the lines of what most people do is:

Make up your nutes > Test and correct pH to 5.8 - 6.0 > Take a reading and note the value, which will be your target to maintain > If ppm/ec value rises, then correct with pH-corrected water to your target value. If the ppm value drops, then add pH-corrected nute solution to bring it back up to your target value. Change your nute solution every 7 -10 days as a routine.

I can't vouch for either way as "best" because I'm a noob with DWC. I've only done soil.

Tell you what mate that was well said.
Especially for a dirt slinger lol. Spot on though man. Don't think hydro will pose many issues for you. Sounds like you've been doing it for years

 

[George Mc]

1st Journal From Phone, 4 WWA & 5 TWA, Thanks For Any Tips & Help Along The Way

Monday updates Being there were plants with mildew on them in the small tent before the babies went in and not cleaning, the babies might have mildew already. They got some growing up to do. I got 6 out of 9 with the seed. Next grow I'm gonna have 6 in a 4x8x6 tent. I'll answer my own...

www.420magazine.com

this is my second grow but im going to see the first 1 thru to the end to see what i did right and wrong, second 1 is going good, have 6 girls but 1 is a runt, not sure what to do about her.

If you have room for the runt keep her going. Think of it as a challenge see how much you can get off her.

 

[LiberalThinker]

Tell you what mate that was well said.
Especially for a dirt slinger lol. Spot on though man. Don't think hydro will pose many issues for you. Sounds like you've been doing it for years

I'm learning hard atm. It's an obsession and costing me a small fortune getting the stuff and time reading. Dirt is a lot easier and I'd only check pH with it. I think getting into TDS readings for soil is a deep rabbit-hole to get lost in for no real reward. It's too dynamic with so many uncontrollable variables to account for. I don't think there is the need for that kind of precision in soil because it will more or less deliver food as the plant requires it, as long as the preparation and ingredients is good...it's a very good buffer for our mistakes.