Question about ppm

[Cannalove420]

Hello growers I have a question regarding auto flowers and what should the runoff ppm be? My runoff was 3000 ppm the meter read 250-300x10 on 2 different meters. I was using hard well water with a ppm of 300 but recently got a 5 stage water filter that brings the ppm to 0ppm but raises the ph significantly, I use citric acid to buffer down the water. The soil is grown organic with fox farm ocean forest, about 10% royal gold and 1/3 of the bottom of the 1 gallon pot has natures living soil which is bat shit and other goodness. My question is, should I flush out excess salts until I get a lower ppm reading or do you think 3000ppm is ok if I keep watering from now on with soft water?

 

[Old Salt]

I take it that your stages are sediment, carbon, carbon block, RO membrane, and de-ionizer. You don't have the coconut re-mineralization filter as your final stage.

If so, you don't need to pH adjust your water unless you add nutrients to it.

I'd leave things the way they are unless your plants complain. Your water will pick up all kinds of solids as it passes through your soil. This is normal, and what you are seeing on your TDS meter.

 

[Johnny5thesim]

I take it that your stages are sediment, carbon, carbon block, RO membrane, and de-ionizer. You don't have the coconut re-mineralization filter as your final stage.

If so, you don't need to pH adjust your water unless you add nutrients to it.

I'd leave things the way they are unless your plants complain. Your water will pick up all kinds of solids as it passes through your soil. This is normal, and what you are seeing on your TDS meter.

That’s great to know about output ppm. So if I’m watering to runoff regularly. And still seeing 1800 ish ppm out. It doesn’t necessarily mean salt buildup?

 

[Old Salt]

No it doesn't mean salt build up in soil. Soil contains many compounds, and some of them get carried out with the water.

 

[Johnny5thesim]

And would this same logic apply to Promix HP? Peat based stuff

 

[Old Salt]

And would this same logic apply to Promix HP? Peat based stuff

I don't know.

 

[Johnny5thesim]

Ok, sorry to hijack!

 

[MassMedMan]

And would this same logic apply to Promix HP? Peat based stuff

I would say no since promix is an inert medium. Definitely not like soil....

 

[Johnny5thesim]

After doing a bit of reading. Which I can’t seem to find again. Someone had said peat tends to have buffering agents that wash out giving higher ppm counts.

I last did a watering where my previous output ppm was 750. I watered with 823ppm next, and I’m getting 1900ppm output. So I’m thinking there must be something in there that’s adding to ppm numbers. My plant is healthy and growing like a beast and has just entered flower.

 

[MassMedMan]

I'd like to see that. Peat itself is inert. HP is probably even cleaner. Runs a very low PH. When, clean.

 

[Johnny5thesim]

This is by a guy called “old med user”

It’s from a forum on another site. Not sure if I’m allowed to link another site!

“I've been growing with Promix HP for a number of years now and might have a little insight into your high runoff. HP has dolomitic and calcitic limestone added to counter the low pH inherent in peat moss. Once you first water your plants it begins to dissolve and greatly increases the amount of mineral salts/ppm in the pots. Then you pour in your nutes and test your runoff to find it's way higher than what you added.”

I'd like to see that. Peat itself is inert. HP is probably even cleaner. Runs a very low PH. When, clean.

 

[MassMedMan]

Well I guess if he says so then there you have it. Best of luck to you.

 

[Hdinkleman]

Hello growers I have a question regarding auto flowers and what should the runoff ppm be? My runoff was 3000 ppm the meter read 250-300x10 on 2 different meters. I was using hard well water with a ppm of 300 but recently got a 5 stage water filter that brings the ppm to 0ppm but raises the ph significantly, I use citric acid to buffer down the water. The soil is grown organic with fox farm ocean forest, about 10% royal gold and 1/3 of the bottom of the 1 gallon pot has natures living soil which is bat shit and other goodness. My question is, should I flush out excess salts until I get a lower ppm reading or do you think 3000ppm is ok if I keep watering from now on with soft water?

dont bother checking runoff ppm in a soil grow, thats all the nutes in your soil, if you flush it till its gone you are removing the buffer of nutes inside the soil and might as well be growing in coco ( hydro)

 

[Hdinkleman]

This is by a guy called “old med user”

It’s from a forum on another site. Not sure if I’m allowed to link another site!

“I've been growing with Promix HP for a number of years now and might have a little insight into your high runoff. HP has dolomitic and calcitic limestone added to counter the low pH inherent in peat moss. Once you first water your plants it begins to dissolve and greatly increases the amount of mineral salts/ppm in the pots. Then you pour in your nutes and test your runoff to find it's way higher than what you added.”

best idea is pay attention to whats going into the pot and completely forget about testing any runoff

 

[Hdinkleman]

After doing a bit of reading. Which I can’t seem to find again. Someone had said peat tends to have buffering agents that wash out giving higher ppm counts.

I last did a watering where my previous output ppm was 750. I watered with 823ppm next, and I’m getting 1900ppm output. So I’m thinking there must be something in there that’s adding to ppm numbers. My plant is healthy and growing like a beast and has just entered flower.

stop testing runoff water its worthless
i remeber testing it months ago thinkjng it was something i needed to know, found out it means pretty much nothing.
whatever your tds runoff numbers are is completely worthless unless you have some way to test what exactly is in the runoff, which im assuming your pen or whatever you are using doesnt tell you