TDS problem with label instructions..?

I have started to use Advanced Nutrients Sensi Grow and Bloom. The label has recommendations for TDS numbers (ie. how many ml per liter to use). I mixed my nutrients using their suggestions for 800 ppm (grow), but my solution came up WAY short. My water was about 400 ppm to start out of the tap, so I added 3.1 ml per litre (grow) to bring it to 800, and my TDS reading was about 930.

Question: Should I add enough nutrients to bring the solution to about 1200 ppm (400 tap water + 800 veg nutes)? My plants look like they have been under-fed. I just changed the nutes yesterday, so I'm going to give it a few days and see how they look.

My tap water is pretty hard, usually starts at about 450 ppm. I have been adding epsom salts to my nutes. Where should my TDS levels be with all this madness? I'm thinking about 1300 for vegetative growth, and 1700 or so for flowering. What do you guys think?

No.

You probably don't need the epson salts.

400PPms is pretty high. You really have to count it all in. So when you TDS meter reads 800 thats 800. weather you tap water starts at 0 or 400.

It's probably mostly calcum, this will lead to a magnesum lockout, which will show up around week 4 of flowering.

I often use rain water to lower the PPms of my tap water.
You can use a hardwater nute, which will be designed for water with a high calcum content.

But.

As all plants are differnt, the best results will be acheaved by carfule observation of the plants and nutrate soloution. The info on the back of the box is just a guide.

Hope that helps, and that my infomation was not miss leading.

like mr greenman said that high ppm out of the tap is going to cause you some problems down the road, i would look into getting a R/O filter or something to help with the hard water.but the ppms i've always been told to keep for veg is 800-1000, and 1400-1600.

ADVANCED NUTRIANTS AND HOUSE AND GARDEN NUTRIENTS HAVE BEEN DESIGNED AROUND 0PPM WATER--AS THE POST ABOVE SAID----GET AN RO------MY WATER FROM THE TAP IS HARD AT 716PPM---MY RO brings it down to an acceptable 17ppms---No reason for you not to reach close to 0ppm's----------If you use an RO you will need to add cal/mag to your feeds.----------------------good luck.

Sorry about the caps

But, Don't think you will not be able to grow atle with your current water.

You will get better results with RO water but you can still use what you have.

I had a very suscsesful DWC grow using tap water with a PPMs of 400. I see some Magnesum Lock out and During the 4 weeks in the middle of flowering when the plants where resciveing a high nute load, I used Rain Water to bring down lower the PPMs to 200.

Cool. Thanks a lot guys.

I have been adding epsom salts to my nutes during the growth stage, and I haven't had any nute lockout problems. I am going to start flowering in a few weeks, after my clones are rooted. We'll see how it goes.

Do R/O machines have to be plugged in, or do they just work off of line pressure? I have been looking at a R/O machine from BG hydro. Seems like it is pretty capable, but I really have no idea how it works..?

the.underachiever said:

Cool. Thanks a lot guys.

I have been adding epsom salts to my nutes during the growth stage, and I haven't had any nute lockout problems. I am going to start flowering in a few weeks, after my clones are rooted. We'll see how it goes.

Do R/O machines have to be plugged in, or do they just work off of line pressure? I have been looking at a R/O machine from BG hydro. Seems like it is pretty capable, but I really have no idea how it works..?

Click to expand...

line pressure unless you have really low tap or well pressure then they have models with electric pumps for those.

What are the Epson Salts for?

Magnesum Def, looks a little like heat burn, rusty brown spots apearing on Fan leaves. But it will be fine as long as you don't make you mix to stronge.

I would think that if your water is that hard you've probably got some magnesium in it already. Can't say for sure, obviously, but it stands to reason with that much ppm you're getting enough magnesium in your water and nutrients without needing to add any more. And with water that hard you want to save as much of the additional ppm as you can for nutrients.

Like Dr. V said, you'll want to get RO water when you can, but you can make due with the tap water in the meantime.

Once you get better water your TDS problem should be fixed.