EC..

scunkworm

Active Member
Hey everyone' im alittle confused after reading different things, when making my feeds im only taking an ec reading of that and only now and again of the res. What i want to know is that is the ec reading got to be of the jug your mixing in of is it the res that needs to be like 0.4ec? Im getting my feeds ec to 0.4 when mixing, or do the ec of the res need to be 0.4?
Thanks guys
 

scunkworm

Active Member
Anyone help plz/ im really thinking that im just managing to keep my plants alive if its the res that sould be 0.4.
 
0.4 is a little low. What was the EC prior to nutes? I typically feed young plants at 0.8 and matures 1.2. This is based on a DWC type setup, so the increased oxygen levels (DO) are typically higher then other systems, which allows me to feed lighter.

Do you have a nute feed chart? that's always a good start.
 
Actually, after re-reading the first post, I am not even sure what your question is about. If I am reading it right, you should be taking EC from the res, not "feeds". I may be completely misunderstanding your question.
 

Scroggsy

Active Member
EC 0.4 would be what you would give to young seedlings or cuttings etc, but they very quickly require more than that once established into little plants and have a root system.

I veg at around an EC of 1 once they go onto full strength and even during flower stay around 1.2 because it builds up in the coco anyway, but your system and strains will probably vary to mine.

EC 0.4 - 0.8 is like a starter strength, EC 1.0 -1.5 is middle of the road and an EC of 2.0 > is getting very hot indeed. When the leaves look pale you can feed more nutes and when the leaves are looking a rich deep green you should cut back just a tad. Hope that helps! Scroggsy.

Stick to your base nutrients and just add a little cal-mag 1ml per gallon if using RO water and you cant go far wrong. No need to go mental with additives and stuff thats how youll mess things up too easy you can try that later once you have green fingers, but I do think it's a good idea to use products that promote healthy roots like beneficial bacterias and enzyme products. Scroggsy.
 

scunkworm

Active Member
Thanks so much for the info, so i should be getting my res to 0.4-1.0ec' and not the ec of my ferts in 1ltr of water? my res ec is 0.1 and the little bits of what i thought was nute burn is more like the plant starting to starve its self, theres already 3nodes' 3 sets of true leaves and theres even axillary bud leaves growing' ill get my res up to 0.8-0.9 tommorow, what ive been doing like i said is putting 1ltr of water into a jug' then adding the nutes to the water in the jug untill i get 0.4 and then put init into my res.
 

Scroggsy

Active Member
Thanks so much for the info, so i should be getting my res to 0.4-1.0ec' and not the ec of my ferts in 1ltr of water? my res ec is 0.1 and the little bits of what i thought was nute burn is more like the plant starting to starve its self, theres already 3nodes' 3 sets of true leaves and theres even axillary bud leaves growing' ill get my res up to 0.8-0.9 tommorow, what ive been doing like i said is putting 1ltr of water into a jug' then adding the nutes to the water in the jug untill i get 0.4 and then put init into my res.
No mate the whole nute solution in your res needs to be made up to measure the desired strength. scroggsy.
 
I would start with fresh solution., if the existing solution is more than a few days old. The older the res gets the more slat buildup you get which throws the EC out of whack. I rarely add nutes other than to a fresh tank.
 

scunkworm

Active Member
Yeah thanks guys, ive got stuff here for taking everything out of tap water for fish and plants so i wont need to let the water stand for 24hrs, but its the coldness of the new water im worryed about? should i put the water into another tank to let the temp change with the water and then put it into my res tommorow? the only food that the plant has had is two jugs of 1ltr of water with an ec off 0.4ec so would there be much build up from that much? ive been abit unsure of the res change as ive red loads of peeps saying about they only change it before flowering
 

Clown Baby

Well-Known Member
just add nutrients to your rez until your rez has the right EC.
The people above had it right.
0.4 to 0.6 for cuttings/seeds
0.6 to 0.8 early veg
~1.0 for veg
and 1.0 to 1.6 for flower.

you really dont need to feed above 1.6.... even though some indicas can take 2.0+, you dont need to feed that much
 

Scroggsy

Active Member
Mate just top it up with nutes. The amount of nutes you have already put in there is next to nothing. I always add back 100ltrs of RO water back to my res which will have a few litres left of old solution each time I refill the res with nutes, no worries.

If your using an EC meter then just add back equal parts until the desired EC. Dont shock them with full strength at first because you have been starving them. If you use RO water then use a suppliment like Cal Mag plus or Calmax at around 1ml per gallon. Scroggsy.
 

scunkworm

Active Member
thanks guys, i wasn't gonna go anywhere near full as like you said what the plant has had so far is nothing so i thought go 0.6 frist and then 6 days later go to 0.9-1.0? i wont go more than 1.3-1.4.' im using tape water so will i need cal-mag? im thinking i will, so is there anthing i can add untill i get some? like i said i got something like tap safe for fish and plants so wont have to let water stand for 24hrs. as far as additives go ive got superthrive, nitrozyme, liquid silicon and liquid oxygen at 17.5%, seaweed extract, afew things and bit unsure how to use them you know.
 

ghantron

Well-Known Member
You should test your taps E.c. then that will be your base of where you want to start to build your nutrient E.C.. Most nutes I use have sufficient cal-mag. If you want an E.C of zero to start go with Distilled or RO water so you can control exactly what is going into your girls. Carbon filters, like the ones in the Brita pitchers, can remove a bit
 

scunkworm

Active Member
Hey guys, i got the ec of my res upto 0.4 for a frist tidy feed as like someone said the 0.4 i was making in 1ltr of water was nothing plus i didnt want to burn it at all, i got some lillte rusty looking spots on one or two leaves, would that be frist signs of cal def? i red somewhere that sider mites can also make spots of rust on leaves, but ive looked all over, up, and under and theres no little tiny black dots anywhere so im stumped?
 

Scroggsy

Active Member
You not been feeding them mate, youll see improvements after a week of feeding them a good balanced nute solution. Look for the new growth, if that speeds up and is healthy your rocking. If leaves look pale limey green and going yellow they need more food, if the leaves become dark green your feeding them too much. You want to find that happy medium.

Dont look at the old growth for signs of improvement because it wont ever go green again, youll find that the oldest fan leaves on the plant will tend to be the first leaves to release food and drop off eventually during flowering. If you get the autumn fall effect from the undergrowth during flowering then thats normal too. Scroggsy.
 
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