What are your nute PPM levels everyone?

SuperiorBuds

Well-Known Member
Why though? I'm asking honestly.. i have always used ppm and never got around to understanding EC, what makes ec better other than none of the 500-700 scale shit?
If you read the docs for most PPM and TDS meters they say that the reading is an estimate. That's because they are actually measuring EC and then doing the multiplication internally. Since EC is what you're actually reading, it only makes sense to use that as the data point. (And not some made-up number that gets you "close" to expensive sensors.)
 

myke

Well-Known Member
my pen being a cheap oh reads 1280 ppm in 2000 us /1000ppm calibration solution.Its consistent anyway.I think the 2000us translates to 2.0ECEC
 

icetech

Well-Known Member
K.. did some reading up on EC.. mainly wanted to figure where i should fall.. will start using it..
 

DailyBlastin

Well-Known Member
just wanted to come back to update- after being urged by many to measure in ec rather than ppm i finally did, turns out my 1200+ppm solution was 1.9ec and that high concentration was pushing my ph down. refilled my res last wednesday and set to 1.3 ec, ph has stayed perfectly stable at 5.9!
 

Keesje

Well-Known Member
just wanted to come back to update- after being urged by many to measure in ec rather than ppm i finally did, turns out my 1200+ppm solution was 1.9ec and that high concentration was pushing my ph down. refilled my res last wednesday and set to 1.3 ec, ph has stayed perfectly stable at 5.9!
Nice!

What you experienced is a good example of how things can get fucked up.
Apparently your meter uses the 0.64 scale.
 
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icetech

Well-Known Member
just wanted to come back to update- after being urged by many to measure in ec rather than ppm i finally did, turns out my 1200+ppm solution was 1.9ec and that high concentration was pushing my ph down. refilled my res last wednesday and set to 1.3 ec, ph has stayed perfectly stable at 5.9!
I have always had bad ph swings myself and lately have switched from 1000-1050 down to 700-800 and my ph stays much more stable :) I think i'm at 1.4ec.. haveonly started using ec myself a few days ago..
 

shambler

Well-Known Member
I cant get over 1.2ec max. But i use ppm .5 scale for two reasons. One, my nutrient company (gh) feed chart is in ppm .5 scale and Two i can notice smaller changes in my ppm.
 

Keesje

Well-Known Member
I cant get over 1.2ec max. But i use ppm .5 scale for two reasons. One, my nutrient company (gh) feed chart is in ppm .5 scale and Two i can notice smaller changes in my ppm.
That General Hydropinics uses it, is a good reason to keep on using it. Would be better if GH would use EC as well. Or at least all the ppm scales.
The other reason (smaller changes) is invalid, I think.
Because ppm is just a 'translation' of the EC your pen is measuring. So I would not know how it could be more precise.
 

myke

Well-Known Member
Is it normal for a ppm pen to fluctuate when in solution?Mine jumps around 30~50 never settles on one number.This is in a flowing solution.
 

kingromano

Well-Known Member
depending on your rh and the temp in your room your plant will need a different EC
more they transpire ( high vpd) and lower the ec must be

usualy makes from 1.2 to 1.6 mS in bloom
 

icetech

Well-Known Member
Is it normal for a ppm pen to fluctuate when in solution?Mine jumps around 30~50 never settles on one number.This is in a flowing solution.
That flowing solution is the issue.. even in my DWC i have to turn the airstone off or i get numbers bouncing around.. i would find something you can block the flow from hitting the pen while you do a reading and see if it works better.
 

shambler

Well-Known Member
my ppm monitor changes in increments of 10, ie 500, 510, 520. So 500 ppm .5 scale is 1ec what ec is 510?
 

shambler

Well-Known Member
im in flood and drain, and my blue lab monitor in my res. dont bounce around, it will stay put, or slowly drift in one direction. as soon as it moves i know what direction its going. if it s moving up...too strong, if its moving down...too weak or sometimes i'll call that close enough.
 
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