Ppm nute questions

[watsupbud]

Im a bit confused on how ppm work with nutes and water. I know you use a tool to measure ppm but what exactly are you trying to accomplish weekly during feed. How do you adjust the ppm up or down and so on. Following the chart that came with the nutes is kinda confusing. For example, if plain water was at 400ppm and the chart says 900ppm with the nutes and i put the correct ppm in and it goes to 800ppm am i suppose to add water or subtract water or add more nutes? Can some one break down on how PPM is used/adjusted with water? Thanks

 

[mikmike]

If u add water your PPM will decrease, if you take away water should stay the same. You will need to add nuts. (hydro) Now lets say you made a mixture at 900PPM, now you come back to check on it and it has risen up to like 1000PPM, this means there is t much nuts in the water and the plant is mostly taking the water in and not the nutrients (also need to make sure PH level is between 5.6-5.. To fix this add water to the mixture to lower it. till you find a good medium where the PPM stays about the same. Now if you are doing a soil grow, you need to make sure PH level is correct, i think soil needs to be around 6.1 not to sure on that. and read the plant and see if u need to ad nuts or take away nuts, based on if it starts burning or not. Hope this helps

 

[watsupbud]

If u add water your PPM will decrease, if you take away water should stay the same. You will need to add nuts. (hydro) Now lets say you made a mixture at 900PPM, now you come back to check on it and it has risen up to like 1000PPM, this means there is t much nuts in the water and the plant is mostly taking the water in and not the nutrients (also need to make sure PH level is between 5.6-5.. To fix this add water to the mixture to lower it. till you find a good medium where the PPM stays about the same. Now if you are doing a soil grow, you need to make sure PH level is correct, i think soil needs to be around 6.1 not to sure on that. and read the plant and see if u need to ad nuts or take away nuts, based on if it starts burning or not. Hope this helps

So once you sustain the correct ppm, does this mean that the ppm will be the same till the next week with new nutes and fresh water or am i going to have to watch the ppm daily and adjust it daily. Also i must follow the ppm thats on the chart depending on what nutes i get correct?

 

[krisko]

Never follow the chart on the back of the bottle!!! Thats Way to many nutrients. I promise you, do only half of what it says and your plants with grow huge! If you follow this rule you will never have to worry about them get nutrient burn and slow it growth. Once you get a idea of how much nutrients they can handle then you can raise it. I promise you will never be close to what the bottle says even if you were trying to push the plants to there limits. I check my PPM daily. You want your ppm to drop everyday that shows your plants are using the nutrients. If you top off your reservoir and ppm is around the same you might want to back off on the nutrients. ALWAYS ADD NUTRIENTS SLOW!! You will put the plant into shock every time you add it. Just go up a little bit at a time maybe bring it up 25 ppm more per day if your trying to raise it. Your plant will tank you for this. You can probably get away with raising it 100 ppm in a day, but every time I get in a rush with things my plant does not like it.

 

[reefcouple]

After you calibrate your ppm meter (store bought solution, usually cost a few bucks), you check your water PPM (parts per million), most RO water is less than 50, tapwater varies depending on your water (if you use tap water, let it sit for a day before using), my tap is around 250 PPM.

If you want a PPM of 1500, subtract your water (nuteless) PPM and add your nutes to reach desired level. I dont check my PPM daily, usually weekly during my water changes..

 

[watsupbud]

Never follow the chart on the back of the bottle!!! Thats Way to many nutrients. I promise you, do only half of what it says and your plants with grow huge! If you follow this rule you will never have to worry about them get nutrient burn and slow it growth. Once you get a idea of how much nutrients they can handle then you can raise it. I promise you will never be close to what the bottle says even if you were trying to push the plants to there limits. I check my PPM daily. You want your ppm to drop everyday that shows your plants are using the nutrients. If you top off your reservoir and ppm is around the same you might want to back off on the nutrients. ALWAYS ADD NUTRIENTS SLOW!! You will put the plant into shock every time you add it. Just go up a little bit at a time maybe bring it up 25 ppm more per day if your trying to raise it. Your plant will tank you for this. You can probably get away with raising it 100 ppm in a day, but every time I get in a rush with things my plant does not like it.

So pretty much everyday im going to have to watch the ppm either to add a lil more nutes or add water correct? until the next week with a fresh flush w new nutes and water. Or can i get it at a good ppm lets say on tuesday than dont check the ppm till the new fresh water w nutes on monday. Whats better?

 

[watsupbud]

After you calibrate your ppm meter (store bought solution, usually cost a few bucks), you check your water PPM (parts per million), most RO water is less than 50, tapwater varies depending on your water (if you use tap water, let it sit for a day before using), my tap is around 250 PPM.

If you want a PPM of 1500, subtract your water (nuteless) PPM and add your nutes to reach desired level. I dont check my PPM daily, usually weekly during my water changes..

So once you get your ppm that you want (w nutes and water) at the begining of the week, you wait till the next week to check the ppm when you've added new water and nutes?

 

[reefcouple]

So once you get your ppm that you want (w nutes and water) at the begining of the week, you wait till the next week to check the ppm when you've added new water and nutes?

Exactly.. All I check is my PH every couple days.. When I do my water/nute change every week is when I check my PPM.. (make sure to check your water (nuteless PPM) before you add any nutes as well..

 

[watsupbud]

Exactly.. All I check is my PH every couple days.. When I do my water/nute change every week is when I check my PPM.. (make sure to check your water (nuteless PPM) before you add any nutes as well..

thanks reef!!!! Are you using dwc? Im in the process of building a dwc system not sure if im going to do a rdwc or just have the 5gallons connected to each other and add a reservoir or just have it separately. What do you suggest? it will be under 6x1000 watt lights. How often should i clean the buckets. My friend i believe never cleans his 5 gallons once in flower and they are all connected to each other. If i have 6x1000 lights i should have about 6 5gallons per light correct?​

 

[reefcouple]

thanks reef!!!! Are you using dwc? Im in the process of building a dwc system not sure if im going to do a rdwc or just have the 5gallons connected to each other and add a reservoir or just have it separately. What do you suggest? it will be under 6x1000 watt lights. How often should i clean the buckets. My friend i believe never cleans his 5 gallons once in flower and they are all connected to each other. If i have 6x1000 lights i should have about 6 5gallons per light correct?​

I have a few different types of tables and one is a swc (ebb and flow table with a res and airstones (kind of a hybrid).. DWC's are great, just make sure you insulate your bucket(s), they tend to warm up fast.. some people convert coolers into dwc's that works great because they are already insulated..

With that amount of light whatever system you go with make sure theres no light penetration to the water (light + water = algae and ph issues).

There are many DIY connected DWC threads out there, you can just google it and I'm sure you can build it... I prefer "solo dwc's" for perpetual harvests rather than "batches" and "lulls" you get with the connected dwc's.

 

[watsupbud]

I have a few different types of tables and one is a swc (ebb and flow table with a res and airstones (kind of a hybrid).. DWC's are great, just make sure you insulate your bucket(s), they tend to warm up fast.. some people convert coolers into dwc's that works great because they are already insulated..

With that amount of light whatever system you go with make sure theres no light penetration to the water (light + water = algae and ph issues).

There are many DIY connected DWC threads out there, you can just google it and I'm sure you can build it... I prefer "solo dwc's" for perpetual harvests rather than "batches" and "lulls" you get with the connected dwc's.

Yea, I will be insulating it and also have a water chiller. so with 6 lights, would 36 5 gallon buckets be ok at 6 buceets per light or can i add more or subtract less. Im trying to yield high as soon as possible.

 

[reefcouple]

Yea, I will be insulating it and also have a water chiller. so with 6 lights, would 36 5 gallon buckets be ok at 6 buceets per light or can i add more or subtract less. Im trying to yield high as soon as possible.

absolutely, 6 plants per light will be just fine, you could even bump it up to 9 if you wanted to.. (I have 9 plants under a 1000) and if i start blooming super early early I can go 16.. But if you veg for a few months and get them pretty tall first (3+ feet) for max yeild 6 sounds perfect.

 

[watsupbud]

absolutely, 6 plants per light will be just fine, you could even bump it up to 9 if you wanted to.. (I have 9 plants under a 1000) and if i start blooming super early early I can go 16.. But if you veg for a few months and get them pretty tall first (3+ feet) for max yeild 6 sounds perfect.

As far as during the week as the water level goes down, when this happens all you add is water only correct. The nutes wont be added until the next week with new water?

 

[reefcouple]

As far as during the week as the water level goes down, when this happens all you add is water only correct. The nutes wont be added until the next week with new water?

correct, i'f i'm "topping off" I only add water, but I very rarely ever need to "top off".... If you're topping off regularly I would suggest a larger resevoir... But this may be a question that someone who has been working with buckets may be able to answer better...

 

[watsupbud]

correct, i'f i'm "topping off" I only add water, but I very rarely ever need to "top off".... If you're topping off regularly I would suggest a larger resevoir... But this may be a question that someone who has been working with buckets may be able to answer better...

Which nutes/supplements should i get? Which ones do you use? I have been looking at a couple and cant decide on which ones to use.

 

[Motherhugger]

Which nutes/supplements should i get? Which ones do you use? I have been looking at a couple and cant decide on which ones to use.

I would definitely go with Advanced Nutrients, of all the ones that are available.

I like:

Grow-Micro-Bloom
Bud Candy
Big Bud
Final Phase

Once you get dialed in, it seems like you barely have any ppm problems when you're running AN nutrients. I would at least give them a shot and if they don't work, then try something else.

 

[reefcouple]

Theres many good nutes.
AN - I used for years, I still use some additives, but I think they are a little overhyped (imo), and a bit spendy.
BC is good
Dutch Master is very good.
If you're going to use RO water (I suggest doing so), get yourself some CAL/MAG
and don't forget your PH UP & PH DOWN (as well as a PH meter and PPM meter (both digital and both can be had for about 50USD ea..

 

[Phillip J Fry]

one thing that has not been mentioned i dont think is that you want to start with low ppm and work your way up to the sweet spot. I use AN and if i give my plants what they suggest on the bottle they burn up bad. I would start with 1/4-1/3 the suggested amount. The idea is to get the ppm at the lvl where when they use up water the ppm stays the same. AN is also nice since it makes my water ph'd to 5.6-5.8 exactly every time (i use RO water with a ppm of 5). In my experiences I have not been able to push them past about 350ppm. I see a lot of others claiming they do 1000 ppm plus, not sure if they lie or different nutes allow different levels im sure due to the different levels of Nitrogen etc etc etc

I will quit rambling now , hope i helped in some manner.
Fry

 

[watsupbud]

one thing that has not been mentioned i dont think is that you want to start with low ppm and work your way up to the sweet spot. I use AN and if i give my plants what they suggest on the bottle they burn up bad. I would start with 1/4-1/3 the suggested amount. The idea is to get the ppm at the lvl where when they use up water the ppm stays the same. AN is also nice since it makes my water ph'd to 5.6-5.8 exactly every time (i use RO water with a ppm of 5). In my experiences I have not been able to push them past about 350ppm. I see a lot of others claiming they do 1000 ppm plus, not sure if they lie or different nutes allow different levels im sure due to the different levels of Nitrogen etc etc etc

I will quit rambling now , hope i helped in some manner.
Fry

As far as PPM, if the AN bottle says for example 1000ppm, does that mean 1000ppm with water and nutes? Im guessing its with both? But of course like you say you dont want to start off at 1000pm. You want to gradually move up. If your saying slowly move up, is that during the week? Or every week with new nutes and water?

 

[gostealth]

when you first start say first part of Veg what would the level of ppm would you want exactly? and, what would the increase be till Flowering? and the first change in water for Flowering what would the ppm start at? so it would slowly go up what does it look like in numbers? I do realize that it might be diff for diff people cause of the system they use, lets say for a connected dwc 6 pots 4-6 gal tank?