quick?on ppms
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hornedfrog2000
Well-Known Member
68 probablyish
Curiosity2
Active Member
It depends on the size of the plants and how far along they are in flower or how fast you want it to grow in veg, there is no quick answer to this question if you want to maximize you growing experience. The more you feed a plant without over feeding it, the better your yield will be. Here is a sort of quick answer, this is only my opinion and others my disagree but in early veg with low ppms just top off the res with new ferts mix in the top off water the same mix of ferts as your already giving, change out in 10 to 14 day with a brand new batch. Now in early flower I would change out ferts every week just topping off with plane PHed water. Since your going to increase your ferts over the first 4 weeks of flower to help build big buds, changing the ferts more often is going to insure you have cranked the ferts to the max in that first month of flower and have not did any damage getting to those high PPMs levels. Towards the end of flower 7 to 10 weeks the PPMs are going to raise in the res as the plant is going to eat less while the buds are ripping more so than growing. Because of this rise in ppms you now can add back straight PH water and it is not necessary to change the res so often, a good 14 days for the final couple res changes is no big deal. That's a very quick answer as there is a lot more to it, but for your first time growing hydro use that advice as building blocks, study the strain your growing and tweak my advice till you have a happy plant.
thanx for the rply im actually going to be switching to flower in a day or two i cant believe the explosive growth its displayed this last week its just finishing forth week of vege is about 20 in tall and just as wide thick and branchy as fuc. the other is a little more lanky but real nice side branching .
iv topped and supper cropped ill try to post up some pics soon
ive fed at 500-550 ppm grow big and some calmagic gonna work up slowly during flower i keep ph 5.5 5.9ish
change nutes every 4-5 days cause im nervous of under feeding if i just topp off with ph'd water and dont wanna add nutes not knowing witch the plant is eating and cause deficiencies
im in 5 gallon buckets and they each drink close to a gallon of water every day and a half
LadyZandra
Active Member
What nutes you using and are you using a regular or phasic feeding schedule?
Phasic you just add new nutes each week and top off with water as needed---
with weekly feeding, you dump and refill the rez before every feed and top off with water in between...
The PPM's with Weekly are not as important as with Phasic... because you are giving fresh nutes periodically-- it is going to change as you dilute it with water.. that is normal... with Phasic- you try to keep the PPM's consistant, since you only change the rez at Transition to 12/12.... and once at week 7 of 12/12 if growing a 10-12 week Sativa...
are you also checking the pH daily? as the PPM's change, so will the pH.... and often, that is the cause of issues- not the ppm's!
Phasic you just add new nutes each week and top off with water as needed---
with weekly feeding, you dump and refill the rez before every feed and top off with water in between...
The PPM's with Weekly are not as important as with Phasic... because you are giving fresh nutes periodically-- it is going to change as you dilute it with water.. that is normal... with Phasic- you try to keep the PPM's consistant, since you only change the rez at Transition to 12/12.... and once at week 7 of 12/12 if growing a 10-12 week Sativa...
are you also checking the pH daily? as the PPM's change, so will the pH.... and often, that is the cause of issues- not the ppm's!
im using fox farm grow big and some gh calmagic and superthrive
ive been changing the res every fourthday or so cause the nutes get real low bout 150 ppms by the third day of topping off with water do you think i need to up my ppms sense theyre dropping dosnt that mean its consuming more nutes than water?
ive been changing the res every fourthday or so cause the nutes get real low bout 150 ppms by the third day of topping off with water do you think i need to up my ppms sense theyre dropping dosnt that mean its consuming more nutes than water?
LadyZandra
Active Member
Grow big is not really a "Stand alone" nutrient...
here is the Fox Farms nute schedule (in full) You do not HAVE to use the "Supplements" but the 1st 3 are a must to get decent results.. they are made to work together so you get the right balance of not just N-P-K but also the different micro-nutes through the whole grow....
FOX FARMS SCHEDULE
Product list:
Grow Big--$16
Tiger Bloom--$16
Big Bloom --$16
Open Seseme--$23
ChaChing--$23
Beastie Bloom --$23
And the Optional : Bush Doctor Sledgehammer--$26
There is a 3-pack available for $65 of Open Sesame, Cha Ching and Beastie Bloom IF you can find it!
The last 4 Products are used in small quantities and only at specific times during the grow -- so if you know someone who wanted to go in on the 3-pack with ya, it would be worth it!
Here's the FoxFarms Feeding Schedule for Soil... Hydro is MUCH more complex, unless you use bubblersthen you can follow a Phasic feeding schedule (At end of weekly schedule!)
FOX FARMS FEEDING SCHEDULES
WEEKLY FEEDING- per Gallon
Sprouting and week 1--BigBloom 2TBS
week 2-- 2tsp Grow Big + 2TBS Big Bloom
Week 3--3tsp Grow Big + 2TBS Big Bloom
Week 4--JUST 3 tspGrow Big + 1/4 tsp Open Sesame
Week 5 same as week 4 unless going 12/12--
Week 5- OR--day 1 of 12/12-- 2 tsp Tiger Bloom +1TBS Big Bloom + 1/2 tsp Open Sesame
Week 6--same as above
Week 7-- 2 Tsp Grow Big + 2 tsp Tiger Bloom +1TBS Big Bloom + 1/4 tsp Beastie Bloom
Week 8-- 2Tsp Grow Big + 2 tsp Tiger Bloom +1TBS Big Bloom + 1/2 tsp Beastie Bloom
Week 9-- 2 tsp Tiger Bloom +1TBS Big Bloom + 1/4 tsp Cha Ching
week 10-- Same as above
Week 11--2 tsp Tiger Bloom +1TBS Big Bloom + 1/2 tsp Cha Ching
At beginning of week 11--Check Trichomes-- Flush if ready.. otherwise, continue as with week 11 every week until you flush!
Also recomended--but not a nessesity--
Bush Doctor Sledgehammer (prevents lock-out)
use 2 drops per gallon of water between feedings starting in week 4 of 12/12
PHASIC SHEDULE: (per gallon)
(follow this for bubblers, OR you can use these amounts when watering in soilbut is not as good as the weekly schedule for soil!)
New Clones, or when seedlings get 3 sets of leaves- 1tsp Grow Big + 2tsp Big Bloom
Week 3 of veg (unless going 12/12) ADD 1tsp Grow big + 2 tsp Big Bloom
4 Days Before going 12/12- Add ¼ tsp Open Sesame
Day 1 of 12/12 Drain Reservoir & refill. Add 2 tsp Tiger Bloom + 1TBS Big Bloom + ½ tsp Open Sesame
Week 3 of 12/12Add ¼ tsp Beastie Bloom
Week 5 of 12/12Drain and refill reservoir Add 2 tsp Grow Big + 1 tsp Tiger bloom + 1 TBS Big Bloom + ¼ tsp Cha ching
3-5 Days Before harvest-- Drain and refill reservoir add 2 drops Sledgehammer
keep the res filled in between feedings with ph adjusted water--
The reasonFox Farms doesn't list nutes for weeks 2 & 4 is that it ASSUMES your res won't go down, so you won't NEED any additional nutes (if your res stays full- great!)..
but if the plants are pretty big, or the room is warm/dry-- they can need refilling up to 3-4x a week!!! The chart doesn't take that into account--
Remember-- feed AT MOST 1x each week-- only water in-between!
Use additional nutes from week one at 1/2 rate until in flower (between recomended feeds) then in flower-- for additional feeds, use the nutes from the 1st week of flower at 1/2 rate in between...again--NEVER feed more than 1x a week!
Bubblers MAY use the weekly Schedules-- BUT ONLY if you use an ec/ppm meter to keep the levels where they should be....
an ec around 1.2-1.5 in veg.. then 1.5 -1.7 in flower unlitt the last 2-3 weeks... then can go as high as 2.0. Watch yor plants! they'll tell you if you are over/under feeding
here is the Fox Farms nute schedule (in full) You do not HAVE to use the "Supplements" but the 1st 3 are a must to get decent results.. they are made to work together so you get the right balance of not just N-P-K but also the different micro-nutes through the whole grow....
FOX FARMS SCHEDULE
Product list:
Grow Big--$16
Tiger Bloom--$16
Big Bloom --$16
Open Seseme--$23
ChaChing--$23
Beastie Bloom --$23
And the Optional : Bush Doctor Sledgehammer--$26
There is a 3-pack available for $65 of Open Sesame, Cha Ching and Beastie Bloom IF you can find it!
The last 4 Products are used in small quantities and only at specific times during the grow -- so if you know someone who wanted to go in on the 3-pack with ya, it would be worth it!
Here's the FoxFarms Feeding Schedule for Soil... Hydro is MUCH more complex, unless you use bubblersthen you can follow a Phasic feeding schedule (At end of weekly schedule!)
FOX FARMS FEEDING SCHEDULES
WEEKLY FEEDING- per Gallon
Sprouting and week 1--BigBloom 2TBS
week 2-- 2tsp Grow Big + 2TBS Big Bloom
Week 3--3tsp Grow Big + 2TBS Big Bloom
Week 4--JUST 3 tspGrow Big + 1/4 tsp Open Sesame
Week 5 same as week 4 unless going 12/12--
Week 5- OR--day 1 of 12/12-- 2 tsp Tiger Bloom +1TBS Big Bloom + 1/2 tsp Open Sesame
Week 6--same as above
Week 7-- 2 Tsp Grow Big + 2 tsp Tiger Bloom +1TBS Big Bloom + 1/4 tsp Beastie Bloom
Week 8-- 2Tsp Grow Big + 2 tsp Tiger Bloom +1TBS Big Bloom + 1/2 tsp Beastie Bloom
Week 9-- 2 tsp Tiger Bloom +1TBS Big Bloom + 1/4 tsp Cha Ching
week 10-- Same as above
Week 11--2 tsp Tiger Bloom +1TBS Big Bloom + 1/2 tsp Cha Ching
At beginning of week 11--Check Trichomes-- Flush if ready.. otherwise, continue as with week 11 every week until you flush!
Also recomended--but not a nessesity--
Bush Doctor Sledgehammer (prevents lock-out)
use 2 drops per gallon of water between feedings starting in week 4 of 12/12
PHASIC SHEDULE: (per gallon)
(follow this for bubblers, OR you can use these amounts when watering in soilbut is not as good as the weekly schedule for soil!)
New Clones, or when seedlings get 3 sets of leaves- 1tsp Grow Big + 2tsp Big Bloom
Week 3 of veg (unless going 12/12) ADD 1tsp Grow big + 2 tsp Big Bloom
4 Days Before going 12/12- Add ¼ tsp Open Sesame
Day 1 of 12/12 Drain Reservoir & refill. Add 2 tsp Tiger Bloom + 1TBS Big Bloom + ½ tsp Open Sesame
Week 3 of 12/12Add ¼ tsp Beastie Bloom
Week 5 of 12/12Drain and refill reservoir Add 2 tsp Grow Big + 1 tsp Tiger bloom + 1 TBS Big Bloom + ¼ tsp Cha ching
3-5 Days Before harvest-- Drain and refill reservoir add 2 drops Sledgehammer
keep the res filled in between feedings with ph adjusted water--
The reasonFox Farms doesn't list nutes for weeks 2 & 4 is that it ASSUMES your res won't go down, so you won't NEED any additional nutes (if your res stays full- great!)..
but if the plants are pretty big, or the room is warm/dry-- they can need refilling up to 3-4x a week!!! The chart doesn't take that into account--
Remember-- feed AT MOST 1x each week-- only water in-between!
Use additional nutes from week one at 1/2 rate until in flower (between recomended feeds) then in flower-- for additional feeds, use the nutes from the 1st week of flower at 1/2 rate in between...again--NEVER feed more than 1x a week!
Bubblers MAY use the weekly Schedules-- BUT ONLY if you use an ec/ppm meter to keep the levels where they should be....
an ec around 1.2-1.5 in veg.. then 1.5 -1.7 in flower unlitt the last 2-3 weeks... then can go as high as 2.0. Watch yor plants! they'll tell you if you are over/under feeding
Curiosity2
Active Member
Sorry I never really answered you question. There is no definite answer but in veg you could let the PPMs be diluted to low levels like 25% remaining from the starting PPMs and no damage will accrue just slower less aggressive growth. But in early flower I would only let a drop of 25% because during the transitions the plants are growing buds and require more food than the veg state. I should have pointed out in my earlier post that the advice given was based on a 30 gal res and I’m sure a 5 gal res will behave much different, what I mean, nutes get diluted or depleted sooner that a larger res so changing out res with new may be required more frequent but still I would follow the %’es listed above.
LadyZandra gave you good advice on Fox farm nutes, but my advice would be to keep it simple, as she said at least use the basic first 3 products. Extra mixes added to the res is going to cause buildups and or growth of gunk and maybe even some nutrients falling out of suspension, leaving bits not totally dissolved in the res water, less additives in res is less work for the grower and less expense also.
I use only General Hydroponics FloraGro, Micro, Bloom, Liquid and Powered KoolBloom that’s it, and for even simpler Google Lucas Formula. Here’s a link using said formula and a really good explanation.
https://www.rollitup.org/hydroponics-aeroponics/4387-lucas-formula.html
No matter what brand of ferts you plan on using, here are some guidelines for the next couple of weeks. So your about to switch to flower and your using 500 ppms of veg nutes right now so in the first week of flower veg nutes are fine, in the second & third week I would use half and half, veg and flower nuters, The second week raise PPMs to 650 or 700 then on the third week raise to 700 to 900 hundred and for the fourth week try 900 to 1100 hundred, 5th week 1100 to 1300 hundred. My opinion of the numbers given above are a little low but I don’t know your strain that you are going and I didn’t want to tell you something that was going to harm you plant. During the first bit of flower watch for deficiencies and adjust accordingly.
well i switched them over sunday night and did a clean out and res change also.
upped the ppm to 600 like curiosity2 said next week will go 1/2 and 1/2 grow big /tiger bloom big bloom
week after that dumpin vege nutes to complete bloom nutes upping thee ppms steadily till im round1200-1300.
so far all looks to be right on plants are looking real healthy cant wait to see what these next weeks will hold
any suggestions on what ive posted are appreciated thanx for the replys
upped the ppm to 600 like curiosity2 said next week will go 1/2 and 1/2 grow big /tiger bloom big bloom
week after that dumpin vege nutes to complete bloom nutes upping thee ppms steadily till im round1200-1300.
so far all looks to be right on plants are looking real healthy cant wait to see what these next weeks will hold
any suggestions on what ive posted are appreciated thanx for the replys
