DWC tds?

[Stormblessed]

So I just got a tds tester pen today, but I’m unsure what the targeted tds is for dwc, and help would b greatly appreciated, also, I kno what tds is pretty much but ignorant about a lot of the details of it

 

[Herby Paisley]

Hi Stormblessed ....For your seedlings and clones you will want your ppm to be in the 300 to 500 weaker range to start, Then in veg and late veg state bump it up to around 800 to 900 ppm and then in flower stage bump up the ppms to 1000 to 1200 ppm, all these numbers really tell you is how much concentrated undissolved particles you have in your water. Also there are different ranges for nutrient up take, So keeping those ppm numbers in those ranges and you should keep your plants healthy during your grow, Coupled with correcting the ph level in your water!

 

[Stormblessed]

Awesome thank you for the information, I imagine all nutrients effect the ppm differently or is there only a few that effect it

 

[Herby Paisley]

I believe all nutrients affect the ppm because no matter what unless the nutes is just water and even water has minerals unless filtered your still putting some type of particles in to the water there for adding to the over all ppm.. lol

 

[The Phantom]

I really only use my TDS meter to monitor the nutrient uptake of the plants, I follow the dosing instructions on my nutrients when it comes to the actual dosing.

So when I mix my “soup“ for the water change I couldn't any care less about what the EC/ppm reading is because I will dose based on what my nutrients say to dose. Once it’s all mixed then I will take a reading, record it, and when the next day comes around I will check the reading again to see if it’s stable, falling, or rising (you never want rising). I’m not trying to get/worrying about getting my ppm to a certain level based on the stage of growth.

First, follow what your nutrient manufacturer says to dose at each stage of the grow, they spent the time to develop that dosing schedule, use it. Second, learn to read your plants, they will tell you if they need more or less of the manufacturer’s recommended dosage. Lastly, use the TDS reading to monitor what your plants are taking in (hopefully not putting back) day to day.

It’s not that trying to hit the ppm levels that Herby mentions is wrong or not good advice to follow, it works for a lot of people with the results to boot. It’s just if you follow the dosing schedule developed for you and can read your plants, the only time you need to worry about TDS levels is to make sure it’s either staying stable or falling from day to day, not what the actual value is.

Just in case you don’t have it already here’s a chart that’s worth printing out.

 

[Stormblessed]

Awesome thank u

 

[The Phantom]

One last bit of advice is to make sure you have calibration fluid handy to calibrate your TDS and pH meters monthly.

 

[Stormblessed]

I have the pens I just need to get/make the calibration liquid, one last question, how much hydroguard would u use per gallon for dwc

 

[The Phantom]

2ml per gallon is what I use throughout the grow, it’s their recommendation.

 

[Stormblessed]

Awesome thank u, I’m always iffy about the measurements on the bottles because I’m never sure if that is ok with the roots soaking in the DWC system

 

[The Phantom]

Not any different than roots in soil soaked with nutrient rich water. Plus Hydroguard is specifically designed for hydroponics. There are some nutrients and supplements that absolutely won’t work in hydroponics so it’s always good to ask when you’re not sure!