Is it time to flush?

Mj19975 said:

Ordering a ppm pen tonight. Any recommendations?

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Blue lab

Old Thcool said:

Blue labView attachment 4266867

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That’s the blue lab pH pen.

I used to use this pen.

But I got sick of calibrating pH every week.

I use a BLUELAB EC TRUNCHEON imo the best EC PPM Meter available.

Never needs calibrating and for pH I use the SERA pH dropper test kit now as I’m tired of calibrating pH pens and making sure they sit in either distilled water or calibration solution.

Once your pH electrode on the end of your pen dries up it renders the pen useless.

I prefer the simplicity of pH droppers now.

As long as my solution is between dark yellow and light yellow I know I’m right between 5.5-6.0

That’s good enough for me as I’m very much a KISS grower.

Isn't 5.5 a little on the low side? I could imagine that could get problematic over the long haul if its on the low end.

jondamon said:

That’s the blue lab pH pen.

I used to use this pen.

But I got sick of calibrating pH every week.

I use a BLUELAB EC TRUNCHEON imo the best EC PPM Meter available.

Never needs calibrating and for pH I use the SERA pH dropper test kit now as I’m tired of calibrating pH pens and making sure they sit in either distilled water or calibration solution.

Once your pH electrode on the end of your pen dries up it renders the pen useless.

I prefer the simplicity of pH droppers now.

As long as my solution is between dark yellow and light yellow I know I’m right between 5.5-6.0

That’s good enough for me as I’m very much a KISS grower.

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sorry posted wrong device! This is what I’ve been using

jondamon said:

That’s the blue lab pH pen.

I used to use this pen.

But I got sick of calibrating pH every week.

I use a BLUELAB EC TRUNCHEON imo the best EC PPM Meter available.

Never needs calibrating and for pH I use the SERA pH dropper test kit now as I’m tired of calibrating pH pens and making sure they sit in either distilled water or calibration solution.

Once your pH electrode on the end of your pen dries up it renders the pen useless.

I prefer the simplicity of pH droppers now.

As long as my solution is between dark yellow and light yellow I know I’m right between 5.5-6.0

That’s good enough for me as I’m very much a KISS grower.

Click to expand...

I’m not to bothered by the calibration thing but I get it. And the solution I sit it in is the 7.0 stuff , just below the ridge in the plastic moulding of the chassis. Doesn’t seem to dry out?

I love my blue lab pH pen and I use a cheap PPM pen like @jondamon showed. He is right about the pH pen probe drying out, I use mine daily but if you don't you should use the drops they sell that keep the electrode moist.

shawnery said:

Isn't 5.5 a little on the low side? I could imagine that could get problematic over the long haul if its on the low end.

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I grow in coco and like I said as long as I’m between 5.5 and 6.0 I don’t worry too much.

Obviously for hydro the ideal is 5.8.

But anywhere between 5.5-6.0 will still be fine.


If I find I’m getting an Mg def I’ll jump up the pH to 6.0 and add some Epsom salts etc

Don’t worry about me bud.

You only need to check my previous grows on here to know that I’m no fool.

Renfro said:

I love my blue lab pH pen and I use a cheap PPM pen like @jondamon showed. He is right about the pH pen probe drying out, I use mine daily but if you don't you should use the drops they sell that keep the electrode moist.

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If you want to keep your pH pen at its optimal working order then you should get yourself some KCI storage solution as it’s the only thing bluelab recommend for storage.

Personally used to use the SERA KCI storage solution.

My problem now is that because I don’t grow for profit etc only for Percy I can have 2-4 months off between grows as I simply don’t need to keep banging out 10-15oz every few months as I only go through around 2oz a month so I end up forgetting about the pH pen and it inevitably ends up dying out lol.

When I was in my height of growing as soon As one flower run was finished I was starting another.

So using my pH pen was second nature and I used it religiously.

Now after over a decade of growing you learn to see reactions in the plants first and adjust accordingly.

For eg most calcium issues begin with a blade twist of the fan leaf area.

But most people don’t see the Ca issue until it’s breaks out into spots etc.

With a Ca def you can adjust your pH to between 4.8 and 5.8 for its best uptake range but obviously too low and you inevitably end up stopping other nutrient ions from being taken up by the plant.

But where I do it is drop ph to 5.5 for 2 feeds and add some mono Ca then go back to around 5.5-6.0 mark for further feedings etc.

Like I keep saying people don’t need to worry about the way I grow as it suffices me.

At one point i was fitting in 4 flowering cycles a year and harvesting near on 15oz each time.

Check my started threads.

A lot of folks at one point called bogus on my methods so I did a grow to suffice them with blue cheese and pulling over 1g/w at the same time.

What I find funny on this site is when you get those people with 3 or 4 grows under their belt dishing out advice like they’ve been growing for 30 years etc.

Just because you read something somewhere doesn’t mean you’ve seen it first hand or know how to fix it properly.

I was just asking for information sakes. I always have room to grow. Thanks for the heads up!

I have so much to learn

jondamon said:

If you want to keep your pH pen at its optimal working order then you should get yourself some KCI storage solution as it’s the only thing bluelab recommend for storage.

Personally used to use the SERA KCI storage solution.

My problem now is that because I don’t grow for profit etc only for Percy I can have 2-4 months off between grows as I simply don’t need to keep banging out 10-15oz every few months as I only go through around 2oz a month so I end up forgetting about the pH pen and it inevitably ends up dying out lol.

When I was in my height of growing as soon As one flower run was finished I was starting another.

So using my pH pen was second nature and I used it religiously.

Now after over a decade of growing you learn to see reactions in the plants first and adjust accordingly.

For eg most calcium issues begin with a blade twist of the fan leaf area.

But most people don’t see the Ca issue until it’s breaks out into spots etc.

With a Ca def you can adjust your pH to between 4.8 and 5.8 for its best uptake range but obviously too low and you inevitably end up stopping other nutrient ions from being taken up by the plant.

But where I do it is drop ph to 5.5 for 2 feeds and add some mono Ca then go back to around 5.5-6.0 mark for further feedings etc.

Like I keep saying people don’t need to worry about the way I grow as it suffices me.

At one point i was fitting in 4 flowering cycles a year and harvesting near on 15oz each time.

Check my started threads.

A lot of folks at one point called bogus on my methods so I did a grow to suffice them with blue cheese and pulling over 1g/w at the same time.

What I find funny on this site is when you get those people with 3 or 4 grows under their belt dishing out advice like they’ve been growing for 30 years etc.

Just because you read something somewhere doesn’t mean you’ve seen it first hand or know how to fix it properly.

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It’s super cool that over the years you learned to read plants. There is a new facility opening up near here that is employing high tech leaf scanners and stuff to keep plants happy. I suppose they would say their method is superior to yours? Each to their own. But I see the merits of never developing an issue over trying to correct one as well.
It’s true that reading is not the same as doing, but I believe it’s better to read the instructions before you assemble the item.
Absorbing as much knowledge from various sources as one can is always superior to assuming you know best.

Old Thcool said:

It’s super cool that over the years you learned to read plants. There is a new facility opening up near here that is employing high tech leaf scanners and stuff to keep plants happy. I suppose they would say their method is superior to yours? Each to their own. But I see the merits of never developing an issue over trying to correct one as well.
It’s true that reading is not the same as doing, but I believe it’s better to read the instructions before you assemble the item.
Absorbing as much knowledge from various sources as one can is always superior to assuming you know best.

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I never said my method is superior.

Just that it’s sufficient for me.

I fully agree with you about absorbing as much information as you can.

I even copied entire magazine articles that I used to read, on to this site for others to gain knowledge on things like plant training for optimal lighting usage, pest identification and eradication etc. They were from magazine that I classed as my bibles back then called URBAN GARDEN MAGAZINE.

Unfortunately the publication is no longer being printed but it was a publication geared to indoor growing. Not MJ specific.

I’m not trying to sound superior to anyone else.

It’s hard for people on this site to know who to listen to when advice is offered up about problems.

IME I would rather listen to a grower that’s had decades of experience rather than someone who is only on their 3rd or 4th grow when diagnosing deficiencies etc.

I always offer advice and help where I can.

If I don’t think I can help I don’t post in that thread. Simples.

Old Thcool said:

It’s super cool that over the years you learned to read plants. There is a new facility opening up near here that is employing high tech leaf scanners and stuff to keep plants happy. I suppose they would say their method is superior to yours? Each to their own. But I see the merits of never developing an issue over trying to correct one as well.
It’s true that reading is not the same as doing, but I believe it’s better to read the instructions before you assemble the item.
Absorbing as much knowledge from various sources as one can is always superior to assuming you know best.

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Assuming the various sources know what the hell they're talking about

jondamon said:

That’s the blue lab pH pen.

I used to use this pen.

But I got sick of calibrating pH every week.

I use a BLUELAB EC TRUNCHEON imo the best EC PPM Meter available.

Never needs calibrating and for pH I use the SERA pH dropper test kit now as I’m tired of calibrating pH pens and making sure they sit in either distilled water or calibration solution.

Once your pH electrode on the end of your pen dries up it renders the pen useless.

I prefer the simplicity of pH droppers now.

As long as my solution is between dark yellow and light yellow I know I’m right between 5.5-6.0

That’s good enough for me as I’m very much a KISS grower.

Click to expand...

If you read the instructions with your pH pen you would have seen that they specifically tell users NOT to store them in distilled water. It ruins their calibration!

That's how pH meters can sit in nutrient solution for months without problems. A nutrient solution actually has salts and a pH to measure; distilled water has no pH, it's part of the definition.

ttystikk said:

If you read the instructions with your pH pen you would have seen that they specifically tell users NOT to store them in distilled water. It ruins their calibration!

That's how pH meters can sit in nutrient solution for months without problems. A nutrient solution actually has salts and a pH to measure; distilled water has no pH, it's part of the definition.

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I used to use KCI storage solution.

I don’t personally think I’ve ever had any distilled water in my house.

I was just making the point that I grew tired of making sure it was sitting in the relevant solution while I had my down time.

jondamon said:

I never said my method is superior.

Just that it’s sufficient for me.

I fully agree with you about absorbing as much information as you can.

I even copied entire magazine articles that I used to read, on to this site for others to gain knowledge on things like plant training for optimal lighting usage, pest identification and eradication etc. They were from magazine that I classed as my bibles back then called URBAN GARDEN MAGAZINE.

Unfortunately the publication is no longer being printed but it was a publication geared to indoor growing. Not MJ specific.

I’m not trying to sound superior to anyone else.

It’s hard for people on this site to know who to listen to when advice is offered up about problems.

IME I would rather listen to a grower that’s had decades of experience rather than someone who is only on their 3rd or 4th grow when diagnosing deficiencies etc.

I always offer advice and help where I can.

If I don’t think I can help I don’t post in that thread. Simples.

Click to expand...

The idea about listening and reading/ watching multiple sources is to gather information in order to better understand a topic. Some information may not be truthful, some in accurate, some worthless, but out of all of the sources the useful stuff normally shines through.
In general experience wins, but in many cases it breeds complacency and very often people that thought they’ve been doing things right have been doing them incorrectly. Perhaps understanding changes, such as the belief that green light is not used by plants?
People with experience tend to not like being proved wrong and will fight things tooth and nail despite the truth. There’s a couple folks on this forum that are either that or just assholes?
In any event, best to approach things with an open mind.