Mark Greens Perpetual Multi-Strain 2 Liter SOG

[LoveVibez]

Dude here in LA. Tap water comes out at 7-7.5. I have to let it sit for at least a day so it gets rid of most of the bad stuff. It's ph Goes down to 6.8 after a couple days. I killed my first plant giving it plain Tap water :O. I ph test now every feed/water...tedious sometimes

 

[Mark Green]

For the last year it has been 6.9-7. Checked it the other day 7.5ish, so back to ph'ing I go. My RO unit still works fine and I use it for feedings, however I normally use tap to water to flush/water the mothers. Clones/girls in flower only get RO.

 

[Truth Seeker]

Mark Green,

A question if I may, I am looking to start using RO water for my ladies, I have been having issues with my watering and I think it has to do with my tap water coming out at 7.9... so I have came to the conclusion that I need to go with RO water... my questions is: "If I start using RO water, do I need to add Cal/Mag now?"

 

[Mark Green]

Mark Green,

A question if I may, I am looking to start using RO water for my ladies, I have been having issues with my watering and I think it has to do with my tap water coming out at 7.9... so I have came to the conclusion that I need to go with RO water... my questions is: "If I start using RO water, do I need to add Cal/Mag now?"

Once you start using RO water you should add cal/mag. However I am not as strict as some, so you may or may not want to follow me. My mothers don't seem to need any extra cal/mag so they get 5ml/gal maybe once a month. Now for the girls in flower; weeks 1-3 = no cal/mag, weeks 4-6 = 5ml/gal cal/mag, weeks 7-8 = 7.5ml/gal cal/mag, and week 9 = no cal/mag this is my final flush week. The weekly flush they all get is straight RO water.

I do things a little different, but hey it seems to work for me.

 

[Mark Green]

You may not need RO water have you checked you tap waters ppm? It is you choice, but if you pmms are low you could just add ph down to 6.8ish.
Side note I also use apple cider vinager for ph down and baking soda for ph up.

I don't "need" the RO water unit, but I find it worth the price. I like knowing my girls only get what I feed them. Ph'ing does go faster now, I think my nute mix come out at about ph5.26 so not to off from my goal of 5.8.

 

[Truth Seeker]

I unfortunatly don't have a PPM meter just yet... I am working on getting that next, with the outdoor season coming up, I have to get soil, pots, sun... oh wait, we already have that. but yea... not to mention, I had to get the beans for the pots... LOL..

anyways, on the city's water report, where do I look to see what it is... I think I am supposed to look at total dissolved solids... and if so it shows that our water here is at 140-250 ppm with a 197 average...

 

[TorturedSoul]

That's really good, at least compared to mine (depending on what the TDS are actually comprised of, of course).

You might call your local water department - or the water treatment plant (maybe ask for the lab) and ask if they would charge you to spot-test a sample if you bring one in. There are also quite a number of companies that'll test your water (they'll generally send you a container to place your sample in and send it back to them). They run the full range in price, though, and if the test is a thorough one it could be expensive. Doing a web search for such companies and then emailing them to ask their prices is free though.

 

[SmokzAlot]

I have found in my travels that you need to focus on a few things.

Ph
Hardness vs Soft
Alkalinity

Total alkalinity being probably the single most important. It related to the Ph as well. We know why we have concern for Ph. I also like a swinging Ph so all nutes/minerals get a shot at the table.

Hard vs Soft can make a major diff. Soft water (excessive salts) are no good. Sodium overloads to lockouts.

Alkalinity will kill quickly as it relates to total Ph directly. It will all depend on the makeup of the local sources. Such as limestone or shale compositions. Agriculture areas as well are impacted by run offs as well.

So I keep 3 basic on hand.
Ph meter
PPM meter
Pool test kit (total alkalinity)

I used to mix my WW and RO but when the well went alkaline, I found it best to run straight RO and Cal Mag to keep it simple and consistent. Consistent is the key word here.

 

[1970s Grower]

Mark Green,

A question if I may, I am looking to start using RO water for my ladies, I have been having issues with my watering and I think it has to do with my tap water coming out at 7.9... so I have came to the conclusion that I need to go with RO water... my questions is: "If I start using RO water, do I need to add Cal/Mag now?"

I like to go light on the CAL mag as the PPM hit at 1 tsp per gallon is quite high on the PPM scale at arround 300. I do 1/2 teaspoon per gallon once every two weeks or so with my 2 liter coco/perlite hempys. I lighten the nutes a tad that feeding to accomodate the extra PPM from the Cal/mag.

I have found that if you are using BPN Organic in Soil Cal/Mag is not needed.

 

[1970s Grower]

Great post on Alkalinity... I never knew that. I found this on Mississippi States website.

Total Alkalinity Total alkalinity is the total concentration of bases in water expressed as parts per million (ppm) or milligrams per liter (mg/L) of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). These bases are usually bicarbonates (HCO3) and carbonates (CO3), and they act as a buffer system that prevents drastic changes in pH. For example, in waters with low alkalinity, pH might fluctuate from 6 or lower to as high as 10 or above; while in high alkalinity waters, pH might fluctuate from about 7.5 to 8.5.

Greater production in bass-bluegill ponds is attained in high alkalinity waters because this pH buffering capacity makes phosphorus and other essential nutrients more available to the algae bloom.

Total alkalinity is not the same as hardness. Calcium (Ca++) and magnesium (Mg++) are primarily responsible for hardness. However, in most waters, alkalinity and hardness have similar values because the carbonates and bicarbonates responsible for total alkalinity are usually brought into the water in the form of calcium carbonate or magnesium carbonate. Waters with high total alkalinity are not always hard, since the carbonates can be brought into the water in the form of sodium or potassium carbonate.

 

[SmokzAlot]

My Logic thinks this way...

Cal/Mag is usually not an issue in soil due to it's ph buffering, one should notice the ph availability is different between the two when it comes to Cal/Mag. This is assuming you haven't deployed or mixed a bad soil and are not using RO or DI water. In hydro they compete one might say, hence I like the swing as it were. (5.6-6.0) Coco on the other hand wants to hold on to it all, or so it seems. Hence I have seen worse conditions in pure coco vs perlite in my garden.

I think the coco has been more sensitive to the shift that any other medium I have used to date. So far it's been manageable. It seems to raise it's ugly head about 2 weeks into flower. The quest is to avoid it completely.

I really thought I could get there mixing my hard WW, but I could not counter the total alkalinity it brought with it, and get enough of the cal/mag from the water. So straight RO now.

 

[Mark Green]

Wow, thanks you guys for the bounty of info! I love learning new stuff.

 

[Truth Seeker]

well I'm glad I asked in your journal, now I answer a question for the both of us.

 

[Mark Green]

Update:

Update time,so ill start with my mother cab. All of the ladies were given a flush after i had the ph problems. Things are looking better now, so thats whats up.

Bubba 76

Lucy

Og had the hardest time with ph, she is still growing though.

Critical+

Moby Dick( aka white haze)

C99

Pineapple Express

Girls in flower:

Now for a few C99 pics

 

[PotChimp]

Really nice.

 

[Mrgivemethat]

Nice mark happy you got everything under control + rep

 

[420fied]

Re: Update:

Update time,so ill start with my mother cab. All of the ladies were given a flush after i had the ph problems. Things are looking better now, so thats whats up.

Bubba 76

Lucy

Og had the hardest time with ph, she is still growing though.

Critical+

Moby Dick( aka white haze)

C99

Pineapple Express

Girls in flower:

Now for a few C99 pics

Awesome work Mark.

That Cindy plant is a chunker! How tall is that thing?

 

[1970s Grower]

This finishing out very nicely. Neat and organized grow rooms and FROST everywhere on the C99s. Good Job!

 

[Xlr8]

Love those Cindys! Nice work and nice pics.

 

[Mark Green]

Thank you all!

420Fied she is right at 15in tall.
I can't wait to try her out, she smells so good! This was her last day of flush and she will have 4 days to dry out. Then chop chop chop, take a small sample and cure the rest. I will let you all know if she is what they say she should be! I know she is not the original, but supposedly a cross of two of the original phenos. She looks good, she smells good, and let's hope the smoke it fantastic!