Problem with runoff PPM being 8000+

MerionMatt

MerionMatt

Active Member
I know it sounds ridiculous.. I've never tested runoff before just started doing it. I have the dr meter ppm meter it was like $10 so keep that in mind.

5 weeks into veg
Fox farms main three nutes and cal/mag
Roots organic soil

They are all healthy and growing fast so I have no idea what I've done wrong here. All nutes have been given 1/2 strength.

Tap water reads 8.0 ph and 140-150 ppm.

Nutrient solution going on is always 5.8-6 ph and 800-900 ppm

Today PH coming out was 5.8 and ppm was 850x10 lol, so 8550?

Couple of questions.. 1) I didn't really get %20 runoff I collected maybe 3 ounces of runoff from close to a gallon of water/nutrient solution. Does checking the Runoff only work when getting at least %20 runoff

2). The holes in the bottom of the pot are pretty big and the runoff has dirt in it that made it through the holes. Does that affect the PPM?

i just find it hard to believe there's that much in there I've only fed them 3 times
 
im4satori

im4satori

Well-Known Member
im always telling people to test there run off

just thinking out loud

after reading your post maybe I should consider soil different than hydro in terms of checking run off, im just not positive


fox farm is known to be hot so maybe its leaching out the stuff already in it? im not sure and maybe we should hear from a soil guy that can anyone confirm whether or not checking run off in soil gives any indications?

I do it for hydro but maybe its not a good tool for soil idk for sure
800 to 900 ppm isn't high really
the only thing else I can think is if your not getting enough water thru it each time you water

are you dosing nutes every time you water or are you watering with plain water every other?
 
im4satori

im4satori

Well-Known Member
you will need to verify with a soil grower that what im saying is possible or not

I don't grow in soil so im not 100% but

if you don't put enough fluid thru the soil with each watering to achieve a good run off that could cause your accumulation if it is indeed that

you need to put enough water thru it so that it washes the old out and makes way for the new

if you don't adequately rinse thru the pot and get good run off your adding more to whats there instead of adding new and flushing the old
 
whitebb2727

whitebb2727

Well-Known Member
If you use synthetics and don't water until too run off, at least 20%, then salt will build up.

No telling what else in the soil the meter is picking up.
 
Garrett Richardson

Garrett Richardson

Well-Known Member
im4satori said:
I though tthat might be the case

im trying to remember if ive accidentally told any soil growers to test run off....lol
Click to expand...
Yeah it's hard going about testing run off when you grow in soil, seemingly impossible! Best bets are to grab some calibration solution from a local hydro store, or even go In and see if he'll do it for you, I'm a regular at my local shop so he looks out for me
 
im4satori

im4satori

Well-Known Member
Garrett Richardson said:
Yeah it's hard going about testing run off when you grow in soil, seemingly impossible! Best bets are to grab some calibration solution from a local hydro store, or even go In and see if he'll do it for you, I'm a regular at my local shop so he looks out for me
Click to expand...
http://rollitup.org/t/need-some-immediate-help-please-time-sensitive.933297/page-3#post-13323246

garrett
take a look over here at this post that im talking in (above)

itll be interesting to hear the different opinions on run off samples in soil
 
MerionMatt

MerionMatt

Active Member
Yea I've never calibrates the PPM meter only the PH meter came with calibrating solutions. I'm just going off of the tap water being 150, nute solition 800/900 so I figured it's about right. I don't really care if it's off a little bit but 850x10 was shocking.

I water once a week and feed once a week. Sometimes it might be water then 4 days later feed then 4 days later water.

I'm just trying to get this all dialed in before they go into 12/12.
 
D

Dr.Nick Riviera

Well-Known Member
Just google cation exchange and learn about IMMOBILE nutrients and you will understand why measuring run off is stupid.
First off, ask yourself, is there something wrong with my plant that i feel the need to do this? or am I creating problems that don't exist by taking measurements that mean nothing?
 
MerionMatt

MerionMatt

Active Member
Dr.Nick Riviera said:
Just google cation exchange and learn about IMMOBILE nutrients and you will understand why measuring run off is stupid.
First off, ask yourself, is there something wrong with my plant that i feel the need to do this? or am I creating problems that don't exist by taking measurements that mean nothing?
Click to expand...
No there's nothing wrong with them at all. Thanks for the info, I will look it up tonight when I get home. I'm trying to read every night. I know it's a slow process I'm not thing to learn everything all at once. This is first time indoor and there's so much more to know
 
racerboy71

racerboy71

bud bootlegger
Dr.Nick Riviera said:
Just google cation exchange and learn about IMMOBILE nutrients and you will understand why measuring run off is stupid.
First off, ask yourself, is there something wrong with my plant that i feel the need to do this? or am I creating problems that don't exist by taking measurements that mean nothing?
Click to expand...
i too am a firm believer that testing the run off for things like ph and or ppm usually tends to cause more issues than it solves, and it's not something i've ever practiced myself..
like dr nick said, things like immobile elements makes testing run off a very inaccurate way of testing a soil based grow, as well as you don't know what was in the soil previous to your testing it, the chances of hitting a "hot pocket" if you would, an area in the soil that may contain more nutrients than another area, will all give inaccurate results at best, and have you chasing your tail and creating more problems that didn't exist before at worst..
 
im4satori

im4satori

Well-Known Member
im4satori said:
I though tthat might be the case

im trying to remember if ive accidentally told any soil growers to test run off....lol
Click to expand...
wouldn't it be a measure of nutrient build up if salt aren't leaching from the soil?

perhaps its not like hydro where youd expect your run off to be close to your feed solution but there has to be some point to where the EC of the waste is too high an EC meter might help identify it
particularly if its climbing weak after weak

im not sure id say I agree its useless...but I wont debate it much since I don't grow in soil I have no personal experience

therefore im just theorizing
 
im4satori

im4satori

Well-Known Member
racerboy71 said:
i too am a firm believer that testing the run off for things like ph and or ppm usually tends to cause more issues than it solves, and it's not something i've ever practiced myself..
like dr nick said, things like immobile elements makes testing run off a very inaccurate way of testing a soil based grow, as well as you don't know what was in the soil previous to your testing it, the chances of hitting a "hot pocket" if you would, an area in the soil that may contain more nutrients than another area, will all give inaccurate results at best, and have you chasing your tail and creating more problems that didn't exist before at worst..
Click to expand...
I had never considered nor would have thought of the idea of a hot pocket
if hot pockets are common then I see your point

don't misunderstand me im not arguing or debating im learning
ive been considering switching my mother plants into soil

I suppose if your re-pot in fresh hot mix theres nothing to be gained from testing the run off

question ; wouldn't the potential risk for hot pockets be reduced each time water is ran thru the soil so that a plant 4 weeks into flower and maybe 8 weeks old would have less nutrient in the soil over all and therefore might have more potential use for measuring the run off?
 
D

Dr.Nick Riviera

Well-Known Member
im4satori said:
I had never considered nor would have thought of the idea of a hot pocket
if hot pockets are common then I see your point

don't misunderstand me im not arguing or debating im learning
ive been considering switching my mother plants into soil

I suppose if your re-pot in fresh hot mix theres nothing to be gained from testing the run off

question ; wouldn't the potential risk for hot pockets be reduced each time water is ran thru the soil so that a plant 4 weeks into flower and maybe 8 weeks old would have less nutrient in the soil over all and therefore might have more potential use for measuring the run off?
Click to expand...
there is a mixture of nutrients and minerals in the soil, inside the soil there is a process going on, running water thru that soil and measuring what it picks up as it runs by will tell you nothing of use. read this
http://www.soilminerals.com/Cation_Exchange_Simplified.htm
 
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