ttystikk
Well-Known Member
My Blue Lab combo meter with pH pen and temperature compensating EC meter was $200. I use it several times daily, every day, and have for years now. It's accurate, durable and reliable.
Jacks (JR Peters) nutrients
- Thread starter Growerguy420
- Start date
PDX Joe
Well-Known Member
Oh yeah, I've had a Bluelab EC meter from the get go. I figured mixing custom batches of Jacks salts would require it. It's been great so far.
i bought mine about a year ago after going through 3 hanna's in 9 months at $140 a pop.....not 1 hiccup from the bl.
ttystikk
Well-Known Member
Everyone I know has had the same experience with them. I wonder how they stay in business.
OutofLEDCloset
Well-Known Member
Using Jacks 3 2 1 with tap water. Drain to waste. In rockwool cubes. I'm getting a calcium deficiency. Cal mag didn't help. Any ideas why? My water tap is 400ppm. Thinking my tap is locking it out.
PDX Joe
Well-Known Member
My local hydro stores won't even sell them.
I started with FFOF and nutes under COB lights I made, this one and another for veg:
Had been doing pretty good but switched to Jacks when I saw this thread about a year ago. Have not done well due to a number of problems. I used FFHF with jacks but think I had watering issues. My well water PH is ~7 when I had it tested but very hard water and feel it has caused some problems as well as giving up on PHing it with strips. Along with that I also tried to implement an irrigation system with sprayers and feeder as the room is tight so thought this would make life easier...
I am starting a new batch of random freebie seeds and will water by hand again. They are doing well so far but they always seem to do well in the begining and go to shit at the end.
Ordered GTH#1 for next batch and want to get things right.
So figure I should get the BL combo meter to keep PH right which I just ordered. Assume I mix a big batch using this? So I will need to get a big bucket.
Maybe will also need to RO my water or at least filter? There is some sort of filter but ive no idea what it does other than backflush and flood my yard. I assume it is some sort of RO system but cannot say it works.
Do I also need EC meter? I believe I have one that I bought for my pond but do not see how it would help unless I RO water, or I guess I can test before adding then add jacks than PH...
Should I switch to Coco or promix as well?
Some pics of first run:
https://www.rollitup.org/t/plant-moisture-stress-symptoms-and-solutions.150004/page-105#post-11257102
But as u can see from attached ut did not come out horrible. But I want AMAZING.
2nd run with 21 plants in 5 gallon buckets did even better, about twice yield compared to first run with 6 bushes in 17g buckets. But then things went to shit and as I said it was due to a number of reasons.
I also need to learn how to trim plant so I get more big buds so i am going to go top these now...
Sorry for long post.
Yes I am newb but appreciate any help.
Had been doing pretty good but switched to Jacks when I saw this thread about a year ago. Have not done well due to a number of problems. I used FFHF with jacks but think I had watering issues. My well water PH is ~7 when I had it tested but very hard water and feel it has caused some problems as well as giving up on PHing it with strips. Along with that I also tried to implement an irrigation system with sprayers and feeder as the room is tight so thought this would make life easier...
I am starting a new batch of random freebie seeds and will water by hand again. They are doing well so far but they always seem to do well in the begining and go to shit at the end.
Ordered GTH#1 for next batch and want to get things right.
So figure I should get the BL combo meter to keep PH right which I just ordered. Assume I mix a big batch using this? So I will need to get a big bucket.
Maybe will also need to RO my water or at least filter? There is some sort of filter but ive no idea what it does other than backflush and flood my yard. I assume it is some sort of RO system but cannot say it works.
Do I also need EC meter? I believe I have one that I bought for my pond but do not see how it would help unless I RO water, or I guess I can test before adding then add jacks than PH...
Should I switch to Coco or promix as well?
Some pics of first run:
https://www.rollitup.org/t/plant-moisture-stress-symptoms-and-solutions.150004/page-105#post-11257102
But as u can see from attached ut did not come out horrible. But I want AMAZING.
2nd run with 21 plants in 5 gallon buckets did even better, about twice yield compared to first run with 6 bushes in 17g buckets. But then things went to shit and as I said it was due to a number of reasons.
I also need to learn how to trim plant so I get more big buds so i am going to go top these now...
Sorry for long post.
Yes I am newb but appreciate any help.
Attachments
Last edited:
boostedhonda
Well-Known Member
you def need a reliable ph meter, strips are not accurate enough. 400 ppm for your source water is pretty high, i would get an RODI and start using a coco perlite blend... as far as plant training techniques for larger yields, topping, fimming and supercropping all will help to do that. whatever u have to do to keep an even canopy
So should I put info coco/perlite when put these 1g soil into 5gal buckets? is that OK? or wait and start from coco next time.
Well I got the BL combo meter for $200.
I was reading this thread:
https://www.rollitup.org/t/best-ph-meter.932018/
I assume I need to order the Bluelab Probe Care Kit – pH & Conductivity, seems like this should have come with it but will order for $20.
Seeing post where a $17 Etekcity PH tester and $10 of storage fluid has worked for Honey Oil Riot Squad is a bit discouraging but oh well already ordered BL tester.
I thought DI was bad?
https://www.rollitup.org/t/ro-di-to-use-di-or-not.914265/#post-12752592
My hardness is 212 mg/L:
I can only assume this is CaCO3/l in which case is is 212ppm. This is out of spigot which does not go thru the filter so I am not sure what my well water is like out of the tap where i get it after filter. I guess I can check EC when I get the BL meter and then decided if I need to get a RO system? Or just get one and be done with it...IDK.
Last edited:
boostedhonda
Well-Known Member
different strokes for different folks, i myself use a 20$ ph meter that works well enough, a BL meter is on my list of things to get. i could be wrong but i believe u can only get down to 7 ppm or so with a basic RO with the RODI u get 0 ppm. i am also on a well with a water softener, even with no solar salts in the system the plants reacted very badly to jacks mixed with well water and mine comes out the tap at about 90ppm. i got an RODI and started running everything sterile and havnt had an issue since
fearnoevil
Well-Known Member
Well in my experience, unless you've got something really nasty in your well water, a reverse osmosis system is just overkill. I've been doing this a long time, and over the years I've used an RO system and in comparison to a simple filter system, I never saw a much, if any, difference at all. That said, I've had friends whose well water was SOOO nasty, that an RO system was well worth the investment.So should I put info coco/perlite when put these 1g soil into 5gal buckets? is that OK? or wait and start from coco next time.
Well I got the BL combo meter for $200.
I was reading this thread:
https://www.rollitup.org/t/best-ph-meter.932018/
I assume I need to order the Bluelab Probe Care Kit – pH & Conductivity, seems like this should have come with it but will order for $20.
Seeing post where a $17 Etekcity PH tester and $10 of storage fluid has worked for Honey Oil Riot Squad is a bit discouraging but oh well already ordered BL tester.
I thought DI was bad?
https://www.rollitup.org/t/ro-di-to-use-di-or-not.914265/#post-12752592
My hardness is 212 mg/L:
I can only assume this is CaCO3/l in which case is is 212ppm. This is out of spigot which does not go thru the filter so I am not sure what my well water is like out of the tap where i get it after filter. I guess I can check EC when I get the BL meter and then decided if I need to get a RO system? Or just get one and be done with it...IDK.
I think it's too easy to get stuck in a mindset of dialing everything in to the Nth degree, and in doing so we lose sight of the fact that we are dealing with plants, and a weed to boot, which has evolved to survive outdoors under a WIDE range of habitats and climates. We can also tend to anthropomorphize our "girls" and begin to think of what is good/bad for them in humanistic terms, oiw like they were tender, delicate littlle babies, lol.
Along that same vein, spending too much on everything from nutrients to tools (like pH meters) is an easy trap to fall into as well and, unless you have more money than common sense, can/should be avoided. Now that's not to say that your $200 meter isn't going to be worth the money, and I will often prefer a better (ergo more expensive) tool over a cheap one, as long as quality, durability and/or accuracy is the reason, and not just a brand name.
But sometimes you can pay for the Cadillac of whatever brand of tool, only to find that it breaks just as good as the cheapie model when it's dropped onto a concrete floor (been there).
PH meters might be in the later category (and some of these have VERY expensive probes that if broken, will cost almost as much as a whole unit to replace). Me, I've found that a well cared for Oakley pH meter can last quite a while, and at around $55 is a good investment that doesn't hurt your wallet when you replace it every couple of years.Well I would have been happier spending less but went with BL per posts from others in this thread. It seems I also need to buy the KCI storage solution, the probe cleaners and calibrations solutions.
Prices are not too bad thou:
BlueLab PH 7.0 Calibration Solution, 500 milliliters
$12.99 - Quantity: 1
BlueLab PH 4.0 Calibration Solution, 500 milliliters
$12.99 - Quantity: 1
Bluelab STSOL100 pH Probe KCI Storage Solution
$11.09 - Quantity: 1
Bluelab pH & Conductivity Probe Care Kit + Twin Canaries Chart
$21.99 - Quantity: 1
Prices are not too bad thou:
BlueLab PH 7.0 Calibration Solution, 500 milliliters
$12.99 - Quantity: 1
BlueLab PH 4.0 Calibration Solution, 500 milliliters
$12.99 - Quantity: 1
Bluelab STSOL100 pH Probe KCI Storage Solution
$11.09 - Quantity: 1
Bluelab pH & Conductivity Probe Care Kit + Twin Canaries Chart
$21.99 - Quantity: 1
Last edited:
fearnoevil
Well-Known Member
@avnewb
I currently run a modified Hempy bucket system, and in my opinion drain to waste is as easy and fool-proof as it gets when it comes to indoor growing. By modified I mean that I still use the coco/perlite mix, but I add about 20-25% organic matter which can include soil, promix, worm castings, mulch etc.
I started doing this in order to add some organic matter so as to provide a better environment for the bennies which I innoculate with, and this also helps retain moisture/nutrients (which = slightly fewer feedings). I also find that it still maintains the benefits of it being easier to flush than straight soil as well as being quicker to respond to changes in nutrient solutions (than straight soil).
So if you're planning on switching to a similar system, I'd say sure, go ahead and transplant your 1 gal soil pots into 5 gal Hempy buckets, you should be fine. Btw, not sure if you are actually using the Hempy system, or just buckets of coco/perlite mix?
I currently run a modified Hempy bucket system, and in my opinion drain to waste is as easy and fool-proof as it gets when it comes to indoor growing. By modified I mean that I still use the coco/perlite mix, but I add about 20-25% organic matter which can include soil, promix, worm castings, mulch etc.
I started doing this in order to add some organic matter so as to provide a better environment for the bennies which I innoculate with, and this also helps retain moisture/nutrients (which = slightly fewer feedings). I also find that it still maintains the benefits of it being easier to flush than straight soil as well as being quicker to respond to changes in nutrient solutions (than straight soil).
So if you're planning on switching to a similar system, I'd say sure, go ahead and transplant your 1 gal soil pots into 5 gal Hempy buckets, you should be fine. Btw, not sure if you are actually using the Hempy system, or just buckets of coco/perlite mix?
Last edited:
Yodaweed
Well-Known Member
Looks like nutrient burn you might need to rethink your feeding schedule. Good luck.I started with FFOF and nutes under COB lights I made, this one and another for veg:
Had been doing pretty good but switched to Jacks when I saw this thread about a year ago. Have not done well due to a number of problems. I used FFHF with jacks but think I had watering issues. My well water PH is ~7 when I had it tested but very hard water and feel it has caused some problems as well as giving up on PHing it with strips. Along with that I also tried to implement an irrigation system with sprayers and feeder as the room is tight so thought this would make life easier...
I am starting a new batch of random freebie seeds and will water by hand again. They are doing well so far but they always seem to do well in the begining and go to shit at the end.
Ordered GTH#1 for next batch and want to get things right.
So figure I should get the BL combo meter to keep PH right which I just ordered. Assume I mix a big batch using this? So I will need to get a big bucket.
Maybe will also need to RO my water or at least filter? There is some sort of filter but ive no idea what it does other than backflush and flood my yard. I assume it is some sort of RO system but cannot say it works.
Do I also need EC meter? I believe I have one that I bought for my pond but do not see how it would help unless I RO water, or I guess I can test before adding then add jacks than PH...
Should I switch to Coco or promix as well?
Some pics of first run:
https://www.rollitup.org/t/plant-moisture-stress-symptoms-and-solutions.150004/page-105#post-11257102
But as u can see from attached ut did not come out horrible. But I want AMAZING.
2nd run with 21 plants in 5 gallon buckets did even better, about twice yield compared to first run with 6 bushes in 17g buckets. But then things went to shit and as I said it was due to a number of reasons.
I also need to learn how to trim plant so I get more big buds so i am going to go top these now...
Sorry for long post.
Yes I am newb but appreciate any help.
fearnoevil
Well-Known Member
Yes, absolutely. Proper care/cleaning of the probe is necessary to keep it functioning properly, and do NOT let it dry out. I always use the storage solution, calibrate after several uses (I do mine every other week) and then clean the probe monthly (more or less depending on usage). And don't drop the probe, lol. Good luck and hope you make progress, looks like you only need to dial in a few variables.
Oh yeah, don't know if you do, but if not, get a good dehumidifier as that is critical in controlling certain pathogens like molds, especially near harvest and even more so if the strain you're growing creates extremely dense buds. I have a pretty good unit, but slightly undersized for my grow area, and on my last grow I couldn't quite keep the rH down low enough during flushing and ended up with some bud rot on a VERY DENSE strain, ended up losing about 7-8 oz of excellent bud to that shite
Btw, those are some nice DIY COBs you got there! I'm building my own as we speak, should have them all done in the next couple of days ;?)
Last edited:
ttystikk
Well-Known Member
Don't worry about the storage solution, just keep it in nute water. PH calibrating solution is all you need.
fearnoevil
Well-Known Member
Hey @ttystikk, maybe you have the answer to this question (or anyone else ;?). I know I read it or saw it on a video somewhere, but I can't find it again, but I would like to take my Jacks dry ingredients and mix them up into concentrated stock solutions (especially the first part which seems to take forever to disolve). But I don't know what the ratio of dry ingredients to dihydrogen oxide 
should be I seem to remember from my clandestine chemistry classes that it's something like 1miligram to 1 millilitre, does that sound right??? I dunno, I think that's wrong cuz that would be like one gram per litre, not concentrated enough I'm thinking.....
should be I seem to remember from my clandestine chemistry classes that it's something like 1miligram to 1 millilitre, does that sound right??? I dunno, I think that's wrong cuz that would be like one gram per litre, not concentrated enough I'm thinking.....
ttystikk
Well-Known Member
I make a stock solution with the hydroponic mix as a matter of necessity; trying to mix up only enough for one batch at a time leads to problems. The mix is not homogeneous and so some scoops might have too much iron or some such. Making a 100:1 stock solution in a large enough quantity to last a couple of weeks smooths this out.Hey @ttystikk, maybe you have the answer to this question (or anyone else ;?). I know I read it or saw it on a video somewhere, but I can't find it again, but I would like to take my Jacks dry ingredients and mix them up into concentrated stock solutions (especially the first part which seems to take forever to disolve). But I don't know what the ratio of dry ingredients to dihydrogen oxide
To do it, simply use 1% of the water you would use for a given amount of mix. To aid in dissolving it, use hot water.
Don't try to make a complete one part mix; you'll end up with flocculation problems. Besides, mixing up single compounds like calcium nitrate isn't difficult.
880 grams of jacksHey @ttystikk, maybe you have the answer to this question (or anyone else ;?). I know I read it or saw it on a video somewhere, but I can't find it again, but I would like to take my Jacks dry ingredients and mix them up into concentrated stock solutions (especially the first part which seems to take forever to disolve). But I don't know what the ratio of dry ingredients to dihydrogen oxide
580 grams of cal-nit
Each into 1 gal distilled or RO water.
I boil the gal of distilled water to warm temp,pour some of it in a separate jug,add some jacks ,shake the shit out of it,and repeat.