Question

D

dirtball

Member
Sorry guys, this is only way my old ass could figure out how to ask questions.
So my question is, should runoff ppm be same ppm goin in? Say I'm pouring in at 400-500 maybe slightly over and my runoff is 530-550. Is that good? Tolerable? Or should it be less coming out than going in?
Any advice or thoughts from a seasoned vet out here. Soil grow, botanicare nutes.
 
D

dirtball

Member
Ph in at 6.3, out at 6.3 fyi. Ppms juuust a touch higher than what goes in. I try to keep it 400-450 going in. Sometimes I mismeasure and it's 500 or slightly higher. Any more info u all need please ask.
Thanks
 
D

dirtball

Member
I've always thought it should b less coming out because plants are uptaking some food. But I don't really know, more of a common sense thought process.
 
Kushash

Kushash

Well-Known Member
I don't use liquid fertilizers, I use top dressing with dry ferts. I don't water to runoff most days. I use a mix of tap and RO water that's about 200 ppms going in. When I do get runoff and test it I like to see between 1700 - 2500 ppms. During the grow because I don't often water to runoff the ppms will increase some. I can only speak for myself. If I got a runoff ppm of less than 1300, I would think my soil was depleted of fertilizer. like coco.
Maybe some others will chime in.
 
D

dirtball

Member
Kushash said:
I don't use liquid fertilizers, I use top dressing with dry ferts. I don't water to runoff most days. I use a mix of tap and RO water that's about 200 ppms going in. When I do get runoff and test it I like to see between 1700 - 2500 ppms. During the grow because I don't often water to runoff the ppms will increase some. I can only speak for myself. If I got a runoff ppm of less than 1300, I would think my soil was depleted of fertilizer. like coco.
Maybe some others will chime in.
Click to expand...
I use botanicare liquid that's as close to organic as u can get without being full organic. I NEVER water to runoff. I had a suspect plant so I wanted to test what's at the roots n it's basically identical to what's going in. So it's likely a deficiency of calmag is my guess. Using straight ro now. I'm working w a 35 veteran commercial grower who says what we've all heard...less is more. These are the numbers he runs and pulls 6-7 lbs in a 4x8 in about 3.5 months consistently. I pull half that. He can't answer all my questions so I'm reaching out here for other advice/insight.
He's a master grower n never tests runoff, he's just dialed in. I Google or read bottles recommendations and they're talking 1100-1500ppm in flower. He's pulling insane results w a third to quarter of that.
I'm having good results also, just didn't know if runoff should be same out as in. I know in hydro the plants eat and in a recirculating system it comes back to reservoir at less ppms because plants uptook some food. Didn't know about soil, same concept...plants eat and therefore runoff ppm should be less in my mind.
 
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