How to properly use cal/mag?

lookntoimpruv

New Member
I have Hardwater. I do not have any water softeners in place but somehow it was still giving me problems.I caught it in time with some help from 420 support,and flushed with distilled.
My plan now is to use distilled water on water days with cal/mag from here on out. But on nute days I was going to use the hardwater because I use hardwater micro. Do I add cal/mag to that also??
Or do I used distilled water on nute days as well? And if I should use distilled on nute day will still using the hardwater micro have any adverse effects??
Hardwater SUCKS!
Also is cal/mag something you use all the time or just when needed??
 
Re: How to properly use cal/mag??

I don't think it will hurt to mix with nutes but I use calmag even though I no longer have mg/c deficiencies. I have a gallon mixed with calmag and tap water set out of 24-48 hrs along with some vinegar to control my ph. Hasn't hurt my plants one bit. I also give in a foliar spray mixed with nutes.
 
I have Hardwater. I do not have any water softeners in place but somehow it was still giving me problems.I caught it in time with some help from 420 support,and flushed with distilled.
My plan now is to use distilled water on water days with cal/mag from here on out. But on nute days I was going to use the hardwater because I use hardwater micro. Do I add cal/mag to that also??
Or do I used distilled water on nute days as well? And if I should use distilled on nute day will still using the hardwater micro have any adverse effects??
Hardwater SUCKS!
Also is cal/mag something you use all the time or just when needed??

I will endeavor to answer your questions..

I am curious how you determined the water was hard and bad? Do you know the ppm and alkalinity of your water?

Working with DI or RO water can require the addition of calcium and magnesium due to the fact it has been removed from the water. It is a nutrient set needed by most plants. To add it back is the normal procedure. Hard water will already have ample amounts of these minerals.

Your hard water nutes are designed to work with hard water, which means it lacks what the water is abundant in. As I am unfamiliar with your nutes I can not comment on it any further.

Given what you have at hand, I would suggest water with cal/mag and RO water, then feed with hard water and nutes when it is appropriate.
 
like smokz said, hardwater micro is missing most, if not all of its cal, and mag.

if i were you, i would use cal mag every time you feed.

lots of the time i notice even the normal micro's lack in the ca and mag department and i need to use some anyways. (i use RO) so. start adding it at reccomended str, and see where it goes from there.

if its continues to show a def, add more, and if all is good, try lowering the amount you use slowly until you get to about half recommended.

if at any point it starts to show a ca or mag def, raise it back up a little, and leave it there youre whole grow.
 
Thanks for the replies as always fellas. To be honest I dont even know for sure but I think I have hardwater. Shit maybe I dont and just the fact that I am using micro hardwater is giving me the difficiency. I have well water and see like dark(blackish) marks in the toilet well behind the bowl. My nieghbor has softeners and I dont so I just figured I do. Something is causing fan leaves to turn brown in blotches and the tips are curling up and drying out. But since the flush they seem to be good.
Put it this way , I am in the third week of flower and NEED TO KNOW how the best way to finish this safely. I have to much time invested at this point. Even if I buy distilled here on out for water and nute days, I still have regular micro for it.
Let me give you guys my schedual so maybe you can see if I am doing something wrong:
I use FF OF soil(thats it nothing else mixed in)
GH floragrow,floramicro(hard), and florabloom
also floralicious plus,florablend,floranectar,etc. Pretty much go with the gh expert(drain to waste) schedual but keep everything on the low side so I dont over do things.
I also use fox farm solubles (open sesame,beastie,and cha ching) but on the low side as well like for example it will say 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon and I will go 1/4.
The only other things I use are a Great White root treatment(good bacterias and microbs) and hydrozyme(3 to 4 ml per gal., also on the low side of the recomendation.
I had the same prob. last time, the fan leaves dried out and fell of throughout flowering and I still did pretty good, if I could figure this out I could really bring it to the next level.

Any ideas?

One more thing also, I would like to do a root treatment again since I flushed but is there any setbacks doing that in flower?
 
One other thing, the reason why I flushed is because something(thinking the well water)was causing the ph in my soil to go way down. I took a simple soil test and was a 5 also runoff was coming out in the 4's at first. After the flush I got it in the 6's. So I think we are on the way back but need to know the least risky way to finish up.
I know I need a PPM and a real soil Ph tester, but they are so $ and I have invested in so much other stuff. I want to eventually get them just cant right this moment.
 
it sounds to me like you are getting mag def come flower.

i would start adding some magnesium to it. a cheap way to do so, is epsom salt (from any drug store) mix in a bit into your water. little goes a long way.

or you can get a product like calmag, or calmax. its about $10-12 a liter.
 
it sounds to me like you are getting mag def come flower.

i would start adding some magnesium to it. a cheap way to do so, is epsom salt (from any drug store) mix in a bit into your water. little goes a long way.

or you can get a product like calmag, or calmax. its about $10-12 a liter.

Do you think I can still use my water on nute days or should I use distilled from here on out for everything?? Does it sound to you like it is hardwater? How about micro or hardwater micro, which do you think I should use?
 
i have no experience with hardwater micro. and personally.. i would use RO water all the time.

if it were me in your situation, i would use the normal micro, and use RO water from here on in. then add calmax at recommended str.

you can just control it better, and know exactly what you're giving her. which IMO is best.
 
Re: How to properly use cal/mag??

I don't think it will hurt to mix with nutes but I use calmag even though I no longer have mg/c deficiencies. I have a gallon mixed with calmag and tap water set out of 24-48 hrs along with some vinegar to control my ph. Hasn't hurt my plants one bit. I also give in a foliar spray mixed with nutes.

Hey I'm new to growing, got a stealth box and I want to grow some lowryder.
I know how to do everything apart f rom watring the plant.
How do I water it? What do I use? When to water it?

Please help?
 
I will endeavor to answer your questions..

I am curious how you determined the water was hard and bad? Do you know the ppm and alkalinity of your water?

Working with DI or RO water can require the addition of calcium and magnesium due to the fact it has been removed from the water. It is a nutrient set needed by most plants. To add it back is the normal procedure. Hard water will already have ample amounts of these minerals.

Your hard water nutes are designed to work with hard water, which means it lacks what the water is abundant in. As I am unfamiliar with your nutes I can not comment on it any further.

Given what you have at hand, I would suggest water with cal/mag and RO water, then feed with hard water and nutes when it is appropriate.
Holy shit! ThAt made me think! It is possible that I really don't have hardwater after all .
Let me ask u guys this: If I don't have hard water and use micro hardwater, cOuld the lack of( whatever it is that the micro hardwater lacks) cause a difficiency like I had?
I think like nibec said until I find out what is up with my water I am going with DI water with reg. micro and cal/mag fr here on out.
 
Do you guys think that 4-5 days is enough for a 4gal bucket to dry out after a flush?

That will depend on environmental conditions. I test by weight. Or stick something into the soil and see what sticks to it. Like the way Mom tested a cake to see if it were done inside. Can you stick your finger is a bottom hole and tell anything?

If you have good drainage and reasonable humidity it could be dry enough.
 
I would pick up a good ppm meter if I was you. That investment will answer most of the questions you have. Or, like nibec said, stick with R.O. water from now on. You will have to get regular nutrients though.

When I started growing I didn't think I needed a $80 ph meter, or a $100 ppm meter. I easily spent way over $180 on the extra electricity, time, and wrong supplements trying to fix a problem I couldn't even diagnose correctly. These are tools you need to grow successfully.
 
I would pick up a good ppm meter if I was you. That investment will answer most of the questions you have. Or, like nibec said, stick with R.O. water from now on. You will have to get regular nutrients though.

When I started growing I didn't think I needed a $80 ph meter, or a $100 ppm meter. I easily spent way over $180 on the extra electricity, time, and wrong supplements trying to fix a problem I couldn't even diagnose correctly. These are tools you need to grow successfully.

Good point! ....... But I am not even sure what to look for when trying to diagnose. For example, I flushed last wed. Night until I got a 6 ph runoff. I gave it nutes last night with cal/mag and reg. micro and my runoff was a 5 again, is that normal?
 
IMO you are ph'ing yourself to death. FoRGET AbOUT IT! The issue is being beat to death. Let the plants tell you what they want. You are making decision on cheap testers in the first place. I grew for years without the stuff. Gardeners don't PH the soil let alone the water they use from the hose. Learn to read the plant is my advice. Get some pics up so we can see what your problem is. Are the meters good to have YES, I have them now. It helps diagnose an issue easier or prepare nutes. Your ph will be influenced more by what you put in than take out. We ph our nutes so they are delivered in an acceptable state for consumption. If you are growing in soil I would encourage to to feed the soil and the micro herd that lives in it. Learn about microbial teas.

Lastly I suggest you start a grow journal and :420: can help you along the way
 
I think I need to explain a little better. What I mean is pay more attention to the PH of what you add, such as any nutes.

Nutes in detail, is a discussion beyond the scope of this thread as well.

More important for your soil is good drainage. If you are on a good watering routine and feeding ample nutrients all should be good to go. Know the water you are using as it also is an important factor in any future nutrient or additive decisions. If your water were to be highly alkaline, it is then recommended to use RO water. Hard in not automatically a bad thing. Know the soil you are in as well, if it has any N-P-K value it must be accounted for in the plan of things.

These same basics apply outdoors as well..
 
Re: How to properly use cal/mag??

Hey I'm new to growing, got a stealth box and I want to grow some lowryder.I know how to do everything apart f rom watring the plant.How do I water it? What do I use? When to water it?Please help?

Welcome Jubz. Sorry, I am just now seeing this. You give your plant water until you see run off in the bottom of the tray. What you use or feed your plants are nutrients. I assume you are using soil, you water every 2-3 days or you go by the weight of the pot. If the pot feels heavy the plant doesn't need watering. If you lift the pot and it feel light, you need to water. Or you can stick your finger in the soil about 2 inches, if the soil feels moist then you don't need to water. If it is dry, you need to water.Or even yet you could buy a meter that reads the moisture of your plant.

But here is a few links for you to check out. If you have any more questions feel to find my journal and ask your questions for me there. I don't want to hijack this thread...Hope this helps.

What are common mistakes made by first time growers?

What is the "lift the pot" method?

How do I determine my watering schedule for container plants?
 
Re: How to properly use cal/mag??

Hey I'm new to growing, got a stealth box and I want to grow some lowryder.
I know how to do everything apart f rom watring the plant.
How do I water it? What do I use? When to water it?

Please help?

This is trial & error (No errors with this) Use the weight solution.....water the plant like you normally would and pick it up to see how much it weighs. When your plants feel light, let them get a little lighter. Then water. Don't let the leaves get droopy. Do some research yourself on what to feed during veg and what to feed for flower. Info is out there - go find it. Good luck.
 
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