H.A.F.
a.k.a. Rusty Nails
You want a pH meter. Anything wet you put in the soil should be adjusted to 6.5pH. Whether it is tap water or a bunch of nutes, always adjust if needed.
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H.A.F.
a.k.a. Rusty Nails
After that you need a TDS/EC meter that measures parts per million of solids in the water. It's the thing on the "Zero-Water" commercials that shows that it makes water more pure than the Britta - by measuring PPM.
Use this to see how much you are feeding them, and comparing that to the run-off after watering or feeding to know what the plant wants next - food or water.
Use this to see how much you are feeding them, and comparing that to the run-off after watering or feeding to know what the plant wants next - food or water.
Seed of Memory
Paradise Found
So I actually have 3 saltwater tanks and a full chem set for it. I can test for almost anything in ppm. Would that work? I have a Pur water purifier for my tap and i use distilled water for the plants. I have a pH adjuster for my tanks as well but i run them much higher, at a 7.8.
My tap water runs at a 6.8 but I could lower it with my saltwater shit, if it would be safe. I guess i will pony up for a good meter though. I'm already about $300 in, may as well keep going the distance. I know what I want for christmas bitches. Lol. Jk.
So I'm testing the runoff water right? Can i use the pH up and down for soil though?
H.A.F.
a.k.a. Rusty Nails
I'll make this easy. Only reason I mentioned the "zero-water" is because the commercial made the test meter familiar. If you get that you get that.
I don't care if you use tap - you should aerate it for a while if you do to de-chlorinate it (like with an aquarium air-stone). Or if you use distilled, RO, filtered, pond, puddle, or drain-spout rainwater. Before it goes into the soil it should be 6.5 pH.
As far as the ppm, it is a measurement tool for feeding.
I don't care if you use tap - you should aerate it for a while if you do to de-chlorinate it (like with an aquarium air-stone). Or if you use distilled, RO, filtered, pond, puddle, or drain-spout rainwater. Before it goes into the soil it should be 6.5 pH.
As far as the ppm, it is a measurement tool for feeding.
BigBallzWillie
BE THE BALL
This is going to be a dirt grow, right????
Heck, some of this info being tossed around seems a bit much, imo. That said here's mine
I have never tested runoff in soil. There is no point to that and you can't do anything with that info even if you measure it. Not in dirt.
Your tap water is FINE for dirt. If you want to ph your water, a couple drops of vinegar will do it down. Baking Soda = up. My water is 7....I do nothing to it
PH pen is about $20. I have this one, THAT I RARELY USE, mostly collecting dust. But it works.
PH Meter with Automatic Calibration - 7Pros High Accuracy Pen Type Water Quality Tester with built-in ATC, 6 pH Calibration Packets, Best Tool to test PH of Hydroponics, Kombucha, Wine, Drinking Water: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific
PH Meter with Automatic Calibration - 7Pros High Accuracy Pen Type Water Quality Tester with built-in ATC, 6 pH Calibration Packets, Best Tool to test PH of Hydroponics, Kombucha, Wine, Drinking Water: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific
www.amazon.com
PPM, wtf is that? lol I know what it is actually, and I have no way at all to measure it. I like it like that.
Maybe if I grow in water I'd get one but there is zero need for me to have one for growing in dirt.The fox farm trio is pretty much what I use. The PPM's (lol) are simple. For all three bottles...... One cap per gallon. One cap each of Big Bloom and Grow Big goes in the same jug, for veg. Every other watering. Tiger Bloom...the same thing in it's own jug. Add some epsom salts to your soil mix if worried about mag problems. You won't see that mag problem for your first couple of grows on new soil anyway. One tip for using the FF trio.........shake them bottles good in the beginning, and then everytime right before use.
KISS keep it simple stoner
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H.A.F.
a.k.a. Rusty Nails
I use the run off ppm (in soil) to know whether my plants need either food or water. If the ppm is high, no feed, just water. It ain't rocket surgery.
Seed of Memory
Paradise Found
That is a good idea. Especially considering I don't know how to tell what my plant is trying to tell me. I just put in an order for the pH monitor, fabric pots, and fox farm ocean forest soil. Also ordered some rapid rooter starter things. Gonna try those as well. Ppm monitor will be next. As always, thank you.
Sorry if I sound stupid. I'm just trying to make sure I'm getting every thing correct. You all are taking the time to give me advice and I want to be sure I understand and implement it.
Seed of Memory
Paradise Found
It is a soil grow. I also just ordered some fox farm ocean forest soil. My understanding with it is that there are enough nutrients in it that I should not really need to feed often. That it can even burn my seedlings.This is going to be a dirt grow, right????
Heck, some of this info being tossed around seems a bit much, imo. That said here's mine
I have never tested runoff in soil. There is no point to that and you can't do anything with that info even if you measure it. Not in dirt.
Your tap water is FINE for dirt. If you want to ph your water, a couple drops of vinegar will do it down. Baking Soda = up. My water is 7....I do nothing to it
PH pen is about $20. I have this one, THAT I RARELY USE, mostly collecting dust. But it works.
PH Meter with Automatic Calibration - 7Pros High Accuracy Pen Type Water Quality Tester with built-in ATC, 6 pH Calibration Packets, Best Tool to test PH of Hydroponics, Kombucha, Wine, Drinking Water: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific
PH Meter with Automatic Calibration - 7Pros High Accuracy Pen Type Water Quality Tester with built-in ATC, 6 pH Calibration Packets, Best Tool to test PH of Hydroponics, Kombucha, Wine, Drinking Water: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientificwww.amazon.com
PPM, wtf is that? lol I know what it is actually, and I have no way at all to measure it. I like it like that.
The fox farm trio is pretty much what I use. The PPM's (lol) are simple. For all three bottles...... One cap per gallon. One cap each of Big Bloom and Grow Big goes in the same jug, for veg. Every other watering. Tiger Bloom...the same thing in it's own jug. Add some epsom salts to your soil mix if worried about mag problems. You won't see that mag problem for your first couple of grows on new soil anyway. One tip for using the FF trio.........shake them bottles good in the beginning, and then everytime right before use.
KISS keep it simple stoner
That mix seems simple enough. I've been using a half teaspoon measuring spoon. I've only fed them once though. But I thought it was probably Cal mag as I use distilled water and that means there are none of those nutrients in it. My plants have been having strange color changes and I have a deformed plant that is now getting wavy leafed.
H.A.F.
a.k.a. Rusty Nails
Not stupid - this "weed" is a finicky bitch sometimes, and is different from other plants you've grown.
Watering basic - take it FWIW, it works for me and I didn't make it up on my own...
I run one gallon or so of the "plain" water through, enough to get some run-off to check. Not a lot, maybe a pint to a quart. I check the ppm. If it is lower than it should be at that stage of growth, I feed. If not I add more calmag water until the pot is "full (feels heavy)
When your plants really start growing you can monitor how much they eat. I have gone 2-3 times with no feed if they were young and not eating much. The junk is still in the soil (I know because of the run-off) so wetting the soil again allows the plants to get more. I have also gone 2-3 times with nothing but food.
You can get a feel for the plants that way, and every plant (not strain) is different. Most times I already know what they are going to need based on the last water/feed. But I check the ppm because I have had side-by-side plants going where at some points one ate, the other didn't. Checking ppm in run-off kept me from burning one and wondering why when the other was fine.
Watering basic - take it FWIW, it works for me and I didn't make it up on my own...
- Let the plant get dry or mostly dry between waterings.
- Since you are soaking them when you do feed or water, you can't "over-soak" them. The excess should run out, because your soil should have good drainage. (5-10 minutes and it should stop dripping)
- Usually you just feed-water-feed-water... like the schedule says. Sometimes you have issues, sometimes you don't.
I run one gallon or so of the "plain" water through, enough to get some run-off to check. Not a lot, maybe a pint to a quart. I check the ppm. If it is lower than it should be at that stage of growth, I feed. If not I add more calmag water until the pot is "full (feels heavy)
When your plants really start growing you can monitor how much they eat. I have gone 2-3 times with no feed if they were young and not eating much. The junk is still in the soil (I know because of the run-off) so wetting the soil again allows the plants to get more. I have also gone 2-3 times with nothing but food.
You can get a feel for the plants that way, and every plant (not strain) is different. Most times I already know what they are going to need based on the last water/feed. But I check the ppm because I have had side-by-side plants going where at some points one ate, the other didn't. Checking ppm in run-off kept me from burning one and wondering why when the other was fine.
Capt C
Saltwater Cowboy
No questions are stupid we all have been where your at. Like Willie said keep it simple. Also remember there is probably way over a thousand ways to get from point A (seed) to point B ( Bud ). You are getting good sound advice from all but you have to find the one that fits best for your circumstances. It will wind up being a mixture of a lot of different methods after a while.
Seed of Memory
Paradise Found
Had you asked me a few months ago if I thought i was a good gardener, I absolutely would have said yes. Now I'm like damn. Lol. I've grown peppers, flowers, tomatoes, every lily in the land, hibiscus, garlic and so on. Never thought so much would go in to a weed. Which technically you could neglect it and not harvest shit but that defeats the purpose.
I'm extremely helpful for all of the help and input. No one ever learned shit going solo with no knowledge. I just want to respect the craft. And it is clearly a craft. I feel I'm almost to where I need to be with equipment and I learn something new every day. It is honestly amazing how fast they have been growing since i started getting help on here.
My soil drains rather well but it seems to retain moisture. I have not watered since Tuesday and it is still wet. I'm no longer misting and the tent is actually too hot. The roots look very healthy so I don't know why they wouldn't be absorbing the water.
I'll try running it that way. Once I can afford a ppm meter it will be a bit easier.
BigBallzWillie
BE THE BALL
That dirt is good. Realistically, you'll need to feed 2 weeks into flower till 2 weeks prior to harvest on the first use. Subsequent grows will need more as the dirt gets played out.
My Fox Farms soil mix goes like this
1 bag FFOF
1 bag Happy Frog
1 bag Earthworm castings 14lb? it may be 20lb it's a big bag
20% perlite
That fills six 5 gallon fabric pots.
Cap C sums it up....there's a lot of ways to get to point B.
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BigBallzWillie
BE THE BALL
The first day that you make up your soil mix....What is the PPM runoff?
H.A.F.
a.k.a. Rusty Nails
I do similar, but I don't keep my plants under 18/6 light for much more than a month. So my feeding usually runs from flip to the end, and it's a bell-curve as to what they eat. It will peak mid flower then taper off, but at the end you'll manually reduce what you feed to make them use what's left in the soil and the plant.
H.A.F.
a.k.a. Rusty Nails
FFHF soil straight out of the bag is between 500-600ppm. I haven't been adding anything because that version seems to drain well and isn't too hot. I use a different soil for seedlings though. They don't hit the big girl dirt until they leave the solo cups.
Capt C
Saltwater Cowboy
I used to check my runoff in coco but there are a lot of variables that can affect run off ppm so i no longer do it and just try to read the plants instead. One example would be what Willie was saying another would be at what stage do you check your runoff when the first part of the runoff to the last of the runoff will be two different readings
H.A.F.
a.k.a. Rusty Nails
I am not using it as a science. More as a "feel" thing. If I know they'll need fed I feed them. If I just fed them, I water them.
This only comes into play when I "just water". For example If I check the run-off mid-flower, and the ppm is only in the 1000 range or less, instead of another gallon "just water" I'll top dress or add nutes to the water I was going to keep adding anyway. That's all.
BigBallzWillie
BE THE BALL
You are perpetual, no? I've seen your work so I know you know your way around
At any rate I submit that things that are second and third nature to you are or could be confusing to a new grower. I'm perpetual and I try to use the soil I made and then read the plants. Runoff does not tell you anything reliably, imo. It's all good