I dont have cf/ec or ph meter, can i still grow a plant DWC without these meters?

[SublimeOne]

i do not hav ethe two meters needed to measure the nutrient solution but can i still grow 1 plant in a homemade DWC if i have all the other things needed like hydro nutes air pump tubing net pot etc? I just want to test and see if the plant visibly blatantly grows faster and bigger than an identical cutting growing in soil. if i can see a significant difference i may have to seriously consider changing to hydroponic growing.

 

[Roseman]

I did 5 grows with no ppm meter, but you have to have a pH meter or some pH test strips, from the aquarium shop or swimming pool store.

 

[snutter]

Hello Sublime one.

Let me just save you head ache and trouble right now and say most definitely YES. You must have a PH meter. Trust me, as a new grower, I've went through many issues....One of them being a PH problem. Without the meter, I wouldn't have been able to fix it. Also, for DWC growing, you really need to maintain a proper PH level of between 5.3 and 5.8 (some people say 5.3 to 6.0, but I'm seeing best results with no higher than 5.8, but to each their own on this one I guess). If your PH drifts outside of these levels your plants will experience nutrient lock out and will not be able to get the nutrients they so dearly need to grow healthy, strong, and beautiful.

So do yourself a favor and grab a nice digital PH meter. Also, remember that once you've gotten the tip of your PH meter wet, you must always keep it wet (check the instructions).

As far as a PPM meter goes, I don't use one but I can definitely see the importance of having one. And, once I can afford one I'll buy it. That should save me money on nutes. I probably change them more often than I need too. But without knowing my PPM, I err on the safe side.

Peace out!

-Snut

 

[SublimeOne]

thank you both for your very helpful info. it seems you both agree that maintaining the ph accurately is essential where as with the nutes one can estimate and guess how much to add, and as long as the reservoir nute solution is changed often i can get away with not buying a ec.cf meter for a little while atleast. So i can if i do things correctly see the super effects of hydro DWC as a simple practice tester to convince me about hydro being the better way.

 

[snutter]

thank you both for your very helpful info. it seems you both agree that maintaining the ph accurately is essential where as with the nutes one can estimate and guess how much to add, and as long as the reservoir nute solution is changed often i can get away with not buying a ec.cf meter for a little while atleast. So i can if i do things correctly see the super effects of hydro DWC as a simple practice tester to convince me about hydro being the better way.

Yep you should be ok with just the PH meter. But like i said, PPM is very nice to have. I think even necessary as we want to get better at growing, producing better weed each harvest.

One thing I'd like to mention since you sound new to hydro: I use the General Hydroponics nutrients. It's a 3 part nutrient system: Flora Micro, Flora Gro, and Flora Bloom. But, I've learned about something called the "Lucas Formula" where you do not have to use the Flora Gro (do a google search, it's EXCELLENT reading). Basically it works like this:

For vegetative growth:
5ml per gallon of water Flora Micro
10ml per gallon of water Flora Bloom

For Flowering:
8ml per gallon of water Flora Micro
16ml per gallon of water Flora Bloom

That's it!!! And I'm getting KICK ASS results with this. I give my girls a fresh batch of nutes once a week (of course I add water to the reservoirs during that week as needed) since I do not have the PPM meter and so can't be sure how much nutrients are left after a week...

Simple and basic. One thing you MUST be aware of is this: DO NOT mix the nutes together. Add them to your water separately. Adding them together in the same container can cause some of the nutes to bind to each other, or lock some out. So I generally fill up my reservoirs, PH my water to 5.3, and then I add the nutes. They are PH balanced and don't screw with my PH too much, but a small adjustment is sometimes needed.

Good luck, and I hope this helps. If you go with different nutes, just be sure to know what you're using and how to use them. At this point, I'm too chicken to try anything else since I'm getting suck kick ass results!!!

-Snut

 

[Illegal Smile]

I would add that you are not guessing on how much nute product to add. Not having a meter just means you can't monitor it day to day. But every time you change the res, you should be adding nutes according to the maker's feeding schedule for that week so it is starting out presumable correct even though you can't measure it. Keep the water level constant during the week, and then change the res and reset the nutes at the end of the week. You can track how much water you are adding and add nutes proportionally mid week, but I find that to be a dangerous game. If you start each week with the right level and keep water level steady you should be fine.

 

[SpruceZeus]

i do not hav ethe two meters needed to measure the nutrient solution but can i still grow 1 plant in a homemade DWC if i have all the other things needed like hydro nutes air pump tubing net pot etc? I just want to test and see if the plant visibly blatantly grows faster and bigger than an identical cutting growing in soil. if i can see a significant difference i may have to seriously consider changing to hydroponic growing.

as already stated, its nice to have a ppm/ec meter, but not essential.

I personally don't have a PH meter, I use the strips, i find they're alot easier to use than the drops, and I'm too cheap to buy a meter.

I can almost guarantee you'll see a marked improvement in the growth of your plants.
a year ago I'd never used hydro before, now I have a 4 stage ebb and flow sog, and I could never go back.

 

[snutter]

as already stated, its nice to have a ppm/ec meter, but not essential.

I personally don't have a PH meter, I use the strips, i find they're alot easier to use than the drops, and I'm too cheap to buy a meter.

I can almost guarantee you'll see a marked improvement in the growth of your plants.
a year ago I'd never used hydro before, now I have a 4 stage ebb and flow sog, and I could never go back.

I have the strips as well. However, when I set my new nute batch to a PH of 5.3, measured with my digital PH meter, and then test the same nute batch with a strip the strip always reads 6.0. I'd figure that since I'm closer to 5.0, that that's what the strip would read...but nope. I guess what I'm saying is I don't trust the strips much. But looking at your pics, they seem to work for you!! And I suppose that they are better than nothing, and as long as you get your PH down to 6.0 you should be doing ok...

Like I always say, to each their own. You'll figure out what works for you as you go along bro, be it meters, no meters, strips, what ever. either way, i wish you good luck and huge harvests!!!

-Snut