New EC meter and some questions...

[311roller]

hey all,

i appreciate everything i have learned so far. i just recently purchased a bluelab truncheon ec meter. started seedling in moist paper towel then she cracked open about a week ago and i transferred it to rockwool, put it in my hydro drip system and put it under my MH light. she is now about 3 inches. i only plan on making her grow until she reaches about 10-12 inches. i am using general hydroponics 3 part system. i know the ec is suppose to be between .7 and 1.5 for veg and 1.0 to 2.0 for flower. ppm from 450 to 1000 for veg and 700 to 1500 for flower. 1)if my ec is low for veg should i add flora grow or flora micro since it contains more Nitrogen? 2)since i am having a shorter grow period, when should i check my ec meter to make sure it is where it should be? 3) when should i change the values of my ec during veg/flowering? i am only growing one feminized seed of a white strain. i got a mix of white so not sure what it is. thanks for all the info you guys have given me so far.

[Racefan]

You should add a combination of all 3 as if you are replacing all the nutes. You don't know which element is missing. You do know when mixing the nutes your using you shoud always use the micro first into a gallon or more of water then then grow and then the bloom. Never add each one to the other without diluting each one first. Lock out can occure if you don't follow the directions exactly.

[311roller]

yeh ive been following the directions on the bottle. in Smokin *****'s article on how to use nutes it said to add more every week until you get to flowering then it all together changes. during the week the reservoir has been given the correct dosage of nutes to obtain the correct ec, do i add nutes to the water i am topping off with? how do you get rid of a salty residue??

[Racefan]

Originally Posted by 311roller

yeh ive been following the directions on the bottle. in Smokin *****'s article on how to use nutes it said to add more every week until you get to flowering then it all together changes. during the week the reservoir has been given the correct dosage of nutes to obtain the correct ec, do i add nutes to the water i am topping off with? how do you get rid of a salty residue??

Well ***** got that article from a old grow FAQ and we have had to update and correct more than one thing in it. You can continue with *****s old article and we can be done as you seem to think you have all the info you need from it or we can continue. Your choice. I'm not here to play games or babysit!

[311roller]

wow did not think i was being rude or anything, i just want to know as much as possible. i read his article and wanted to know more details that is all. i do not understand if i am suppose to add nutes everytime i top off or what. if you just top off does that not dillute the solution you previously added at the beginning? i apologize if i sounded rude in any of my inquiries i did not mean to. i just am new to hydroponics and want to know everything i can. i appreciate all that have helped me so far.

[Racefan]

It's not that I think you were rude and I probably was ruder than I needed to be but I'm here to help. Not hurt. If I say something it's to your advantage. The method your using is called the lucas formula and you don't even use the grow part of the solution for that. You should be doing regular reservoir change outs. At least every other week minimum. What you add back is determined by the solution EC. I too have a truncheon so I understand your readings. If your EC is too high you add back plain water. If your EC is low you add back nutrients until the EC reads right. It's that simple. Sorry for being rude. You have no idea how many young growers get on here and ask a question and then ignore all the advice they are given. It's frustrating and a huge waste of time I could be using to help someone else.

[311roller]

no worries. i just did not understand what i needed to do to top off. i understand now that the ec should remain at a certain level. i just need to check that every few days, correct? or is it once a week? and if the ec is low, add nutes. or if its high plain water. i appreciate your insight. i understand how you feel with newbs. i work sales and when i get customers coming in asking for something and when i give an answer they say i am wrong, it is very frustrating!! i hope to soon have some pics up of my grow. thanks again racefan!!

[Racefan]

Originally Posted by 311roller

no worries. i just did not understand what i needed to do to top off. i understand now that the ec should remain at a certain level. i just need to check that every few days, correct? or is it once a week? and if the ec is low, add nutes. or if its high plain water. i appreciate your insight. i understand how you feel with newbs. i work sales and when i get customers coming in asking for something and when i give an answer they say i am wrong, it is very frustrating!! i hope to soon have some pics up of my grow. thanks again racefan!!

Check and adjust your EC and PH "DAILY" In hydro things happen extremely fast and if you don't stay on top of things it's very easy to get behind and destroy a crop. This is one reason I stopped hydro and went back to soil. I can set my pot into a tub of water and walk away for a week and come back to a healthy plant that might be hungry but isn't hurt. try that with hydro and you will most likely burn your plants up. But before I quit hydro I tried all the set ups. Ebb and flow, NFT, Drip, DWC and even run to waste using coir for a medium. They all work great and fast but aren't forgiving. IMO all new growers should grow in soil first. Learn what the plants want and learn what to do then switch to hydro.

[311roller]

cool!! thanks for all the info racefan! yeh, if i can not get it right i just might do that, go to soil. i only go on vacation once a summer so i should be able to keep on top of things, but stuff happens, right.... im gonna give it a try and will let yall know what happens.