How many EC (or PMMs, EC preferably) for one week old seedlings?

Currently, I have already popped open seeds in my Root Plugs: put in a wet paper towel for 30 hrs, today opened and inserted in the plugs. I expect to have seedlings within the next 2–4 days. I will then put 'em into my StinkBud vegging unit and under 18/6 600W MH. I know, don't scorn me yet, that's all I have for now (for vegging). Next grow I will downgrade to 250W.

I will be running my pump in the vegger on 15/15, that's the best timer I have for now, next grow will buy Cycle Timer and will switch to 4off/1on. For flowering I will try 24/7; I know they will feel flooded for a while; also, I will be watching the temperature very closely.

Now the actual question:

Can you please tell what EC levels I should have in the vegger. Stinkbud says put them into 1500ppm solution. By no means am I trying to discredit a grower like SB, 'cos I am a rookie, also apologise for the disbelief; but it just seems wicked high!

So I will reconcile my question:

1) What's the ideal solution for young seedlings?
2) Shouldn't I start off easy and then gradually add more strength, instead full blown 1500ppm?
3) Is there a rule of thumb? As in X amount ppm for X amount of plants. Or rather, certain amount of ppm per seedling? Does it make a difference if put in 2 or 15 seedlings into a vegger with 1500ppm?


Thanks everyone!

I grow in coco/perlite, but no I wouldnt start a seedling at 1500. I usually start at about 200 for the first 10 days, then gradually go up over the next couple weeks to like 600 or 700.

BustinScales510 said:

I grow in coco/perlite, but no I wouldnt start a seedling at 1500. I usually start at about 200 for the first 10 days, then gradually go up over the next couple weeks to like 600 or 700.

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I'll be using no medium (air). But it seems to me also very high. Thanks for the reply. I'll wait for others' replies also, since I have time.

1500ppm that is "wicked high" at any stage of the cycle. I start with 300-350 ppm, about half of that is from tap already. 200ppm nutes as the previous poster suggested would work fine.

I grew dwc, using bubbles, not drip feeding. I never ever once checked ppm or ec at that stage, because there's nothing I could do about it. Tap water is tap water. While people say to give seeds mutes in hydro due to the lack of minerals and such, I never used anything but plain water and they did just great

Sativied said:

1500ppm that is "wicked high" at any stage of the cycle. I start with 300-350 ppm, about half of that is from tap already. 200ppm nutes as the previous poster suggested would work fine.

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Thanks, Satived, that's what I'll do.

Here is the link to the video where is says it. I am also gonna double check the book I have.

I made it to 0:08.

Sativied said:

I made it to 0:08.

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Why ? He is a very experienced grower. He's been growing for over 14 years, so he says. I have used the paper towel method as well; it works.

Here's a chart I found yrs ago, it's a good starting point, you can adjust as needed, some plants can tolerate more, others less,, it's up to you to decide.

PPM for Hanna Chart PPM


Seedlings, Early Sprouts ..100 to 250 = .2 to .5 EC

Early Vegging ......................300 to 400 = .6 to .8 EC

Full Vegetation ....................450 to 700 = .9 to 1.4 EC

Early Blooming ...................750 to 950 = 1.5 to 1.9 EC

Full Mature Blooms ...........1000 to 1600 = 2 to 3.2 EC

are you using ro water? tap water? if tap water I would check the ppm of that before.. my tap water is like 340 ppm here so I got an ro system which makes it about 30.. that allows me to almost truly run any concentrate of nutrients controlled by me exclusively, and not not worry about what that 340ppm includes in my tap water. the 340 is added on top of whatever solution you feed.. so 300 with my crappy tap would measure around 640. With my RO water, I've been starting rootlings right at around 700-800ppm.. without ro I I could almost half the nutrients and be at the same ppm with tap water. so just some friendly advice to think about .

DeeTee said:

Here's a chart I found yrs ago, it's a good starting point, you can adjust as needed, some plants can tolerate more, others less,, it's up to you to decide.

PPM for Hanna Chart PPM


Seedlings, Early Sprouts ..100 to 250 = .2 to .5 EC

Early Vegging ......................300 to 400 = .6 to .8 EC

Full Vegetation ....................450 to 700 = .9 to 1.4 EC

Early Blooming ...................750 to 950 = 1.5 to 1.9 EC

Full Mature Blooms ...........1000 to 1600 = 2 to 3.2 EC

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Thank you for the chart.

fuzzyl said:

are you using ro water? tap water? if tap water I would check the ppm of that before.. my tap water is like 340 ppm here so I got an ro system which makes it about 30.. that allows me to almost truly run any concentrate of nutrients controlled by me exclusively, and not not worry about what that 340ppm includes in my tap water. the 340 is added on top of whatever solution you feed.. so 300 with my crappy tap would measure around 640. With my RO water, I've been starting rootlings right at around 700-800ppm.. without ro I I could almost half the nutrients and be at the same ppm with tap water. so just some friendly advice to think about .

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Yes, I have thought and realized this also. Thanks. My current tap water measures around 210ppm. Not great, not the worst either. It would be prudent to invest into R/O in the future; but for now it must do. I will, of course, when adding nutrients will used the 210 as based, not zero. So yes, I will have reduce the feed by the 210.

My water is around 200 ppm aa well, no issues really. I just add water for the first week and a half then run 500 ans slowly raise to 650 ish for the length of the grow, plants tell me what they need.I Don't pay much attention to the actual number just watch the fluctuations and adjust.

Daithy said:

Why ? He is a very experienced grower. He's been growing for over 14 years, so he says. I have used the paper towel method as well; it works.

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He's also a nice guy so I will refrain from commenting on that. Read my posts about germination here: http://rollitup.org/t/100-germination.835291/#post-10647474

And:

Sativied said:

Well then let me clear that up for you: it's because teachers in school show kids how seeds germinate, by putting them in paper towels they don't have to mess with "dirt" in classrooms... Somehow that stuck with (too) many people as some sort of clever way to germinate... which it is not.

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As you surely noticed you're getting quite the different ppm values as advice. Leaving aside that most growers here use unnecessary high amounts thinking more nutes is more bud, it differs per strain, per plant, per veg duration and rate (larger plant/more root space = more roots to take up water and nutes = lower ppm), nutes (quality and ratio differs per brand) and per system. That chart above isn't suitable for your system, way too high. That's roughly what nutrient manufacturers like Canna and H&G recommend and is more suitable for hydroculture than an efficient hydroponics setup.

waterdawg's values and comments are a much better starting point than using any chart.

I start feeding a total of 300ppm using 110ppm tap water on 0.5x scale. never had issues with it..

waterdawg said:

My water is around 200 ppm aa well, no issues really. I just add water for the first week and a half then run 500 ans slowly raise to 650 ish for the length of the grow, plants tell me what they need.I Don't pay much attention to the actual number just watch the fluctuations and adjust.

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Thanks a lot.

I don't feed any nutes -- just plain tap water -- until the plant is 3 weeks old.

Then I shoot for 200 for a week or so including the natural ppm of my water (40ppm), then 300 for a week or so. I slowly ease up to about 500ppm by the end of veg (5.5 weeks, as I flip for height restrictions) and move up to 600ppm for flowering. I hold there for the rest of the grow. I have amazing growth, super healthy plants, no worries about burning the roots and great yields. And it's wallet-friendly.

I'm growing a god's gift right now that's a very light feeder. During veg, anything over 450 caused a little burn, but in flowering has been doing great at 600.

I think people WAY over nute their plants. If I ran ppms as high as people say they do, I'd have dead plants.

I tend to max out abt 800ppm's, tho I have gone to 900ppm's, but I seem to have good growth and flowering at 800 with no problems.

When I look at the schedule for my nutes there is never a time they recommended over 1050 ppm. They said their clone mix is at 550, I started mine lower at about 350 got the smallest of brown tips and probably should have started around 200-250.

I'm taking that less is more into veg, Going to start lower maybe at 500 and work up to 1k if the plant needs it, If she's happy at lower I'll keep her there. I find it's always easier to feed a hungry plant than it is to fix one that's been overfed (that's my non cannabis experience).

kryptoniteglo said:

I don't feed any nutes -- just plain tap water -- until the plant is 3 weeks old.

Then I shoot for 200 for a week or so including the natural ppm of my water (40ppm), then 300 for a week or so. I slowly ease up to about 500ppm by the end of veg (5.5 weeks, as I flip for height restrictions) and move up to 600ppm for flowering. I hold there for the rest of the grow. I have amazing growth, super healthy plants, no worries about burning the roots and great yields. And it's wallet-friendly.

I'm growing a god's gift right now that's a very light feeder. During veg, anything over 450 caused a little burn, but in flowering has been doing great at 600.

I think people WAY over nute their plants. If I ran ppms as high as people say they do, I'd have dead plants.

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Pretty much same here. Less is more. My cap for bloom nutes is 600ppm. Sometimes a bit more in late veg.
If you follow bottle instructions with some brands u get 1500ppm and black-green plants. Not my thing