What are your nute PPM levels everyone?

DailyBlastin

Well-Known Member
I recently installed a bluelab gaurdian monitor for this purpose and its a good thing i did, my first res fill with it i did my nutes as i always have, it turned out being 1670ppm (just under 150 of that from the tap) what i never knew before was that i was dosing too much and my ph was dropping every couple days because of it, i just filled the res again yesterday and only dosed to 1230ppm and so far ph has stayed right at 5.6, i dont expect to see it dropping at this level but will update if it does. I do 4 plants perpetual in a 2x2 so theyre always at different stages of flower but i use the same feed for them all, when a plant gets to its final week i will shut off the feed line to that plant and just give water manually until its chopped.
so i wanted to come back to update that my 1230ppm solution did infact continue to have a downward ph swing. Can anyone give some suggestions as to why this may be? it made sense when it was doing it at almost 1700ppm as overdosing nutrients is known to do that but 1200ppm is not an overdose.. i did a test sample with just my tap water and over 24 hours the ph stayed at 6.2 over 48 hours it went up to 6.4 so logically that tels me it must be the nutrients themselves dropping the ph, i use all dyna-gro products- pro-tekt (which actually raises p.h. upon application) mag-pro, and bloom are the only 3 nutes used in that rez.

edit: also it may be worth noting that my rez is an entirely sealed setup, its connected to a chiller so there is constant circulation and stays between 66-70 degrees but everything is connected using proper bulkhead fittings and pvc so perhaps the lack of fresh oxygen is a factor here?
 

SuperiorBuds

Well-Known Member
so i wanted to come back to update that my 1230ppm solution did infact continue to have a downward ph swing. Can anyone give some suggestions as to why this may be? it made sense when it was doing it at almost 1700ppm as overdosing nutrients is known to do that but 1200ppm is not an overdose..
First, which ppm scale are you using? (Why don't people just use EC already?) If it's a 500 scale then that's 2.46 EC. If it's 700 (which I assume it has to be) then it's 1.75 EC. 1.75 could still be considered high, depending on the system.

edit: also it may be worth noting that my rez is an entirely sealed setup, its connected to a chiller so there is constant circulation and stays between 66-70 degrees but everything is connected using proper bulkhead fittings and pvc so perhaps the lack of fresh oxygen is a factor here?
No waterfalls or airstones at all? I don't know enough about your system to know if this is a problem, but even with the talk of waterfalls and DO not mattering much, I still use big airstones in my reservoirs to keep the solution mixing and bubbling -- no stagnant water zones allowed. I've seen what happens in my system when the pump dies, even with the bypass providing a waterfall + waterfalls into the grow beds. I won't run without air ever again...
 

TintEastwood

Well-Known Member
so i wanted to come back to update that my 1230ppm solution did infact continue to have a downward ph swing. Can anyone give some suggestions as to why this may be? it made sense when it was doing it at almost 1700ppm as overdosing nutrients is known to do that but 1200ppm is not an overdose.. i did a test sample with just my tap water and over 24 hours the ph stayed at 6.2 over 48 hours it went up to 6.4 so logically that tels me it must be the nutrients themselves dropping the ph, i use all dyna-gro products- pro-tekt (which actually raises p.h. upon application) mag-pro, and bloom are the only 3 nutes used in that rez.

edit: also it may be worth noting that my rez is an entirely sealed setup, its connected to a chiller so there is constant circulation and stays between 66-70 degrees but everything is connected using proper bulkhead fittings and pvc so perhaps the lack of fresh oxygen is a factor here?
Found this....hope its of some help.
 

DailyBlastin

Well-Known Member
First, which ppm scale are you using? (Why don't people just use EC already?) If it's a 500 scale then that's 2.46 EC. If it's 700 (which I assume it has to be) then it's 1.75 EC. 1.75 could still be considered high, depending on the system.



No waterfalls or airstones at all? I don't know enough about your system to know if this is a problem, but even with the talk of waterfalls and DO not mattering much, I still use big airstones in my reservoirs to keep the solution mixing and bubbling -- no stagnant water zones allowed. I've seen what happens in my system when the pump dies, even with the bypass providing a waterfall + waterfalls into the grow beds. I won't run without air ever again...
I use the ppm (700 scale) on my bluelab gaurdian, i just understand the number better than ec.
the return line from the chiller creates a small waterfall but thats it, airstones never did anything for me except pump pathogens into the mixture.
 

TrippleDip

Well-Known Member
GH Three part, 600ppm in veg to 1100 in flower. (500 conversion)

Use EC because it's independent of the calibration of the meter and prevents having to state two things as above. Also just because the meter reads 600ppm, the solution certainly isn't 600ppm unless it's salt water.
 

Keesje

Well-Known Member
A ppm-meter does not measure ppm's in the liquid. If that would be the case, then it would be the best standard.
It is measuring Electrical Conductivity (=EC)
And this gets 'translated' to PPM.
So it in itself it does not matter too much, but why use terminology that is not right anyway?
In the 'real' agricultural world hardly anyone uses it. (At least, that is my impression. Perhaps in Northern America they do)

Another, more practical thing is: There are not 2 scales in which EC gets translated.
There are 3: The 500 scale and the 700 scale, but there is also the 640 scale.
 

icetech

Well-Known Member
A ppm-meter does not measure ppm's in the liquid. If that would be the case, then it would be the best standard.
It is measuring Electrical Conductivity (=EC)
And this gets 'translated' to PPM.
So it in itself it does not matter too much, but why use terminology that is not right anyway?
In the 'real' agricultural world hardly anyone uses it. (At least, that is my impression. Perhaps in Northern America they do)

Another, more practical thing is: There are not 2 scales in which EC gets translated.
There are 3: The 500 scale and the 700 scale, but there is also the 640 scale.
Well that makes sense, thank you :) will have to learn to EC
 

rkymtnman

Well-Known Member
Well that makes sense, thank you :) will have to learn to EC
all in all, either way is fine. but if I tell you, Hey @icetech , those skunk clones i just gave you love a max of 1.4 EC during flower, there is no mistaking what to run them at. instead of wondering if my ppm is the hanna scale or the truncheon scale
 

rkymtnman

Well-Known Member
Okay so the 500 scale is the “TDS” scale technically, thanks for not a lot lol.

I’d much rather use PPM than EC. No chance of hitting 420 on your EC scale ;)
wasn't trying to be a smartass. but it should state it in the owner's manual.

my EC meter read 420 perfectly. 0.42EC also reads 1420 too. lol. or 2420.
 

Hust17

Well-Known Member
wasn't trying to be a smartass. but it should state it in the owner's manual.

my EC meter read 420 perfectly. 0.42EC also reads 1420 too. lol. or 2420.
Haha it’s all good buddy, let’s get lit!

I imagine we will have these 3 or 4 systems for EC/PPM/TDS as long as we have the debate about HPS/LED haha!
 

rkymtnman

Well-Known Member
Haha it’s all good buddy, let’s get lit!

I imagine we will have these 3 or 4 systems for EC/PPM/TDS as long as we have the debate about HPS/LED haha!
jsut like my car goes 120 MPH sounds much cooler than yours that goes 120kph.
 

Hust17

Well-Known Member
jsut like my car goes 120 MPH sounds much cooler than yours that goes 120kph.
It’s -28 here without wind chill factor, my car is moving zero km/h for the foreseeable future :(

Really wish I still had a garage!!

edit: It’s warming up, I guess it’s only -23 now!
 

rkymtnman

Well-Known Member
It’s -28 here without wind chill factor, my car is moving zero km/h for the foreseeable future :(

Really wish I still had a garage!!

edit: It’s warming up, I guess it’s only -23 now!
canada? its chilly and windy here but only close to freezing. sunny too.
 
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