5.5-6.2 is too low still, try 6.5
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midwest growers unite
- Thread starter Dr. G
- Start date
AB: I think you're right about the ph, although tell ya the truth, at least with the Flo, low ph didnt seem to hurt it at all. some of my best growth came when ph was in the low 5's! dont know if that's a strain specific trait, or maybe i was slightly stressing it with the low ph so that it threw off more buds and resin.
but i have been reading about how low ph will lockout nutes, so im looking to avoid that. one way is to put nutes in, wait 15 min and then take a ph reading (read that its best to wait to make sure its mixed in well). the gh flora series is ph balanced so ideally i might not have to use much if any ph correction. before i was ph correcting the tap and then putting my nutes in... after a week my ph would drop pretty fast and i would have to add ph up to correct it. im hoping to avoid that and ideally use little or no ph up or down...
but i have been reading about how low ph will lockout nutes, so im looking to avoid that. one way is to put nutes in, wait 15 min and then take a ph reading (read that its best to wait to make sure its mixed in well). the gh flora series is ph balanced so ideally i might not have to use much if any ph correction. before i was ph correcting the tap and then putting my nutes in... after a week my ph would drop pretty fast and i would have to add ph up to correct it. im hoping to avoid that and ideally use little or no ph up or down...
No offense, but...
No offense, but...
PC's Formula:
2 cups boost
1 cup veg
4.3 oz's of Red B1
2.3 oz's of Green Fuse
That's my Veg formula bro. for flower i just add 2 cups of flower nutes & awesome blossom..nothing fancy. I keep it in a 2.5 gal. container then i fill it up with regular Chicagoland tap water. It's not rocket science bro....sometimes i go a lil over or under a cup and it still seems to work. My mixture works with Chicagoland tap water, don't ask me how but it does.
Disclaimer: what works for me might not work for u...
refillin my buckets are easy...even the hard to reach ones...i get on my knees when i refill, saves me on the backstrain, trust me folks it works.
EDIT:
Warning: This batch of nutes is super strength so it needs to be watered down.
Blockhead finally gettin hang on this uploading thing.
No offense, but...
PC's Formula:
2 cups boost
1 cup veg
4.3 oz's of Red B1
2.3 oz's of Green Fuse
That's my Veg formula bro. for flower i just add 2 cups of flower nutes & awesome blossom..nothing fancy. I keep it in a 2.5 gal. container then i fill it up with regular Chicagoland tap water. It's not rocket science bro....sometimes i go a lil over or under a cup and it still seems to work. My mixture works with Chicagoland tap water, don't ask me how but it does.
Disclaimer: what works for me might not work for u...
refillin my buckets are easy...even the hard to reach ones...i get on my knees when i refill, saves me on the backstrain, trust me folks it works.
EDIT:
Warning: This batch of nutes is super strength so it needs to be watered down.
Blockhead finally gettin hang on this uploading thing.
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Yeah, there's something to be said for just following the company's recommendation. you think if anyone knows hydroponics they would.
i see that bc has a veg mixture (2:1 boost and grow) and a flowering mixture (2:2 boost to bloom). what 3rd different strength formula are you referring to? the transplanting stage or the preharvest stage?
That mix IS strong: 2 cups of nutes is 32 tablespoons! im impressed if your plants can handle a cup of that without overnuting. one cup of your flower mix is like 8 TB of nutes. you only have a 4 gallon res, right? maybe, since my res is 14-15 gallons, i could do it that strong too, but id have to feed just water in between.... eh, i guess its just the difference between how much work you wanna do. your way you dont have to feed nutes everyday.
i see that bc has a veg mixture (2:1 boost and grow) and a flowering mixture (2:2 boost to bloom). what 3rd different strength formula are you referring to? the transplanting stage or the preharvest stage?
That mix IS strong: 2 cups of nutes is 32 tablespoons! im impressed if your plants can handle a cup of that without overnuting. one cup of your flower mix is like 8 TB of nutes. you only have a 4 gallon res, right? maybe, since my res is 14-15 gallons, i could do it that strong too, but id have to feed just water in between.... eh, i guess its just the difference between how much work you wanna do. your way you dont have to feed nutes everyday.
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someday u will have ur own....
someday u will have ur own....
formula Babs...BC nutes wants u to make a 3 different veg nute strength during the veg stage alone. That's messed up why would i keep 3 different veg nutes strengths, I just make 1 super duper strength and just water it down or use less than a cup. I mean think about that, i'm right on this. Same thing for the flowering stage 3 different strengths. btw, everytime u use them different strength they tell u to do res. changes, that's 3 res. changes per stage, to hell with that too. IMHO, I just think they want u to use/buy more of the products, I'm one of them less is more and it seems to work for me. But sometimes i do push the envelope when it comes to feeding time, just to see how a certain strain can handle higher ppm's. I've used David's Grow and Advanced Nutes etc. but i seem to like BC nutes the best.
Ms.O'wreck 2
Ms.O'wreck 1
someday u will have ur own....
formula Babs...BC nutes wants u to make a 3 different veg nute strength during the veg stage alone. That's messed up why would i keep 3 different veg nutes strengths, I just make 1 super duper strength and just water it down or use less than a cup. I mean think about that, i'm right on this. Same thing for the flowering stage 3 different strengths. btw, everytime u use them different strength they tell u to do res. changes, that's 3 res. changes per stage, to hell with that too. IMHO, I just think they want u to use/buy more of the products, I'm one of them less is more and it seems to work for me. But sometimes i do push the envelope when it comes to feeding time, just to see how a certain strain can handle higher ppm's. I've used David's Grow and Advanced Nutes etc. but i seem to like BC nutes the best.
Ms.O'wreck 2
Ms.O'wreck 1
PC: Alright, ive learned a lot of useful info from you and CD. The more i think about it, the more i think having a gallon of an extra strong nute mix that i can use by the cup is much much easier than measuring spoons every time...
I've been working on a new nute regimen, been tweaking it the past few days as i read more and more, i should have done this a year ago, im almost certain that ill have my grows dialed in with this regimen. ill be sure to post the results, which might take a bit because lately my clones have been taking a while to root.
it's weird, only a quarter of the clones i take get rooted in 7-8 days, the rest take 2-3 weeks or longer. is that normal?
i had the light leak so some of these clones are slightly flowering, but i just discovered that i was letting my peat pucks dry out too quick: i was supposed to pour some water in the humidome tray when putting clones in, keeping them wet.
i now plan on straightening out my mom and clone process: make new bonsai moms and make sure im doing cloning right. i plan on going to rockwool; when i first started cloning i used rockwool but it wouldnt work so i switched to peat but ive tried a few rockwool cubes lately and when they worked they worked well, roots within a week. i want to go back to rockwool because it would make transplanting to a netpot much easier.
how do you guys clone? i want to get 95% clones rooted within 10 days consistently. ive done it before, once when i added a layer of moist perlite to the bottom of the humidome.
with my setup, to maximize my yield i have to have 8-10 clones ready to go in a tub at one time. because some clones can take up to 2 weeks longer to root than others, they're coming in staggered. i could just take like twice as many clones and take the first 10 that root, but i believe i should be able to take 12 clones and have 11/12 show roots within 10 days, with most showing by day 7 or 8.
so, thats another thing thats been on my mind lately. heres the things i think i could add to my cloning procedure:
make sure a knuckle or joint is inserted into the cube. they contain growth hormone and roots often grow from there.
scrape end of the stem thats going to be buried in the rockwool with a razor blade. this induces root growth.
mist the cuttings for only the first day or two, then mist the dome daily thereafter until roots show. if you mist the cuttings themselves too much that will delay rooting.
I've been working on a new nute regimen, been tweaking it the past few days as i read more and more, i should have done this a year ago, im almost certain that ill have my grows dialed in with this regimen. ill be sure to post the results, which might take a bit because lately my clones have been taking a while to root.
it's weird, only a quarter of the clones i take get rooted in 7-8 days, the rest take 2-3 weeks or longer. is that normal?
i had the light leak so some of these clones are slightly flowering, but i just discovered that i was letting my peat pucks dry out too quick: i was supposed to pour some water in the humidome tray when putting clones in, keeping them wet.
i now plan on straightening out my mom and clone process: make new bonsai moms and make sure im doing cloning right. i plan on going to rockwool; when i first started cloning i used rockwool but it wouldnt work so i switched to peat but ive tried a few rockwool cubes lately and when they worked they worked well, roots within a week. i want to go back to rockwool because it would make transplanting to a netpot much easier.
how do you guys clone? i want to get 95% clones rooted within 10 days consistently. ive done it before, once when i added a layer of moist perlite to the bottom of the humidome.
with my setup, to maximize my yield i have to have 8-10 clones ready to go in a tub at one time. because some clones can take up to 2 weeks longer to root than others, they're coming in staggered. i could just take like twice as many clones and take the first 10 that root, but i believe i should be able to take 12 clones and have 11/12 show roots within 10 days, with most showing by day 7 or 8.
so, thats another thing thats been on my mind lately. heres the things i think i could add to my cloning procedure:
make sure a knuckle or joint is inserted into the cube. they contain growth hormone and roots often grow from there.
scrape end of the stem thats going to be buried in the rockwool with a razor blade. this induces root growth.
mist the cuttings for only the first day or two, then mist the dome daily thereafter until roots show. if you mist the cuttings themselves too much that will delay rooting.
Uncle Remus
Member
Wassup peeps
Posted a little hello a while back, so I think its time for an introduction...Uncle Remus is my name, DWC is my game hehe
A little backround:
Some years back I got tired of paying out the ass for so-so smoke and decided to give home growing a shot...A year of soil failures and basically growing blind brought me around to try the hydro method...After doing some research I figured out that bubblers or DWC is pretty much the simplest hydro method there is and gave it a shot...Not to mention I live on the top floor of an apartment building and needed the method with the least possible chance of leak issues...2 years later, and countless cabinet rebuilds/recongiures I find myself here where I actually LEARNED how to grow...Never looked back since
A quick equipment rundown:
Veg/clone cabinet: Approx 29"w x 48"t x 15"d (a bit tight, new rebuild in planning)
4 20w 24" Phillips Alto 6400k flouros (Home Depot $10 for 2)
1 120mm HD case fan with Radio Shack adjustable power thingy
Assorted bubblers, tubs, ect
Bubbler cloner w/seedling heating mat
Ona block thingy
Flower closet: Approx 21"d x 46"w x 96"t
400w CMH (DIY wired)
Sunlight Supply Super Sun 6 a/c hood
modded Stanley
Can 2600 scrubber
assorted small fans
Well thats about it for now...I'll start poppin' here more often and see how well we represent hehe
A few pics of my killer C99:
Posted a little hello a while back, so I think its time for an introduction...Uncle Remus is my name, DWC is my game hehe
A little backround:
Some years back I got tired of paying out the ass for so-so smoke and decided to give home growing a shot...A year of soil failures and basically growing blind brought me around to try the hydro method...After doing some research I figured out that bubblers or DWC is pretty much the simplest hydro method there is and gave it a shot...Not to mention I live on the top floor of an apartment building and needed the method with the least possible chance of leak issues...2 years later, and countless cabinet rebuilds/recongiures I find myself here where I actually LEARNED how to grow...Never looked back since
A quick equipment rundown:
Veg/clone cabinet: Approx 29"w x 48"t x 15"d (a bit tight, new rebuild in planning)
4 20w 24" Phillips Alto 6400k flouros (Home Depot $10 for 2)
1 120mm HD case fan with Radio Shack adjustable power thingy
Assorted bubblers, tubs, ect
Bubbler cloner w/seedling heating mat
Ona block thingy
Flower closet: Approx 21"d x 46"w x 96"t
400w CMH (DIY wired)
Sunlight Supply Super Sun 6 a/c hood
modded Stanley
Can 2600 scrubber
assorted small fans
Well thats about it for now...I'll start poppin' here more often and see how well we represent hehe
A few pics of my killer C99:
I have a cloning shelf...
I have a cloning shelf...
make ur self a cheapo bubble cloner which can accomodate roolwool too. u wont need a dome or have to water..just my thoughts...Hope this helps.
Ps, some strains take longer to root than others
I have a cloning shelf...
make ur self a cheapo bubble cloner which can accomodate roolwool too. u wont need a dome or have to water..just my thoughts...Hope this helps.
Ps, some strains take longer to root than others
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Out of the last ten clones i took, 2 showed roots within a week, 1 didnt root at all (tugged at the cutting, it came right out of the peat pellet) and the other 7 are rooted but not showing yet (tugged at those too and they held firm in the pellets). It's been almost two weeks since i took them.
ive had trays where most showed roots within 7-8 days, and im trying to get back to that point by learning and adjusting.
PC: impressive looking bubble cloner. the bubble cloner thing has been hit or miss for me, mostly miss. i think i have them under too much light when i try the bubbler; thats just a single 20w flouro tube for both tubs? i think with cloning, less light is better.
UR: Took a look at your thread and im impressed by that simple rubbermaid shoebox cloner and the size of the roots you get. takes 3 weeks but if i can get all those tap roots like you do then my clones will be 12/12 ready.
What kind of nute regimen are you on for your dwc?
from looking at both your setups, i might have to buy a rubbermaid shoebox now...
ive had trays where most showed roots within 7-8 days, and im trying to get back to that point by learning and adjusting.
PC: impressive looking bubble cloner. the bubble cloner thing has been hit or miss for me, mostly miss. i think i have them under too much light when i try the bubbler; thats just a single 20w flouro tube for both tubs? i think with cloning, less light is better.
UR: Took a look at your thread and im impressed by that simple rubbermaid shoebox cloner and the size of the roots you get. takes 3 weeks but if i can get all those tap roots like you do then my clones will be 12/12 ready.
What kind of nute regimen are you on for your dwc?
from looking at both your setups, i might have to buy a rubbermaid shoebox now...
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Uncle Remus
Member
Baba: Yes you want less light/farther away when cloning...I keep the cloner 24" or so from the lights in my veg box on 18/6 and get good results...I have actually had slower rooting times since the weather got cold...Added a heating pad (CVS pharmacy) and that seemed to help alot...Another cloning glitch I've figured out is to take "soft" cuts for your clones...I find that using lower, harder stemmed shoots slows down rooting times...I've been bubble cloning for quite a while and I have NEVER lost a clone...Some might take 3-4 weeks, but if you change the water every so often, eventually the cuts will push out roots
A rebuild of a better bigger veg box is forthcoming this spring...No mommas here, just clone runs, but the new box is gonna have seperate chambers for mommas, clones, and veg area...I'm gonna run a few more strains in the spring and I want to keep 3-4 mommas (in hydro no less) so I need to work on Bonsai-ing
I'm currently using a modified Rez' recipe...My C99 is a breeze to grow, but my DSD pheno is a cal/mag whore and I also recently added Silica to strengthen the stems on her...She will stretch quite a bit and once the buds start fattening up she'll droop like a bitch...I simply add back pH6.0 water to my res each day...On the 4th day (mid week) I'll check pH, if its above 6.0 I add nutes, lower than 6.0 add water
A little advise to the newer growers here...K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple, Stupid...The more you overthink, over analize, the more your gonna screw things up...Plants looking a little sick? Check your pH FIRST, then start throwing nutes and additives around...Having trouble rooting clones? GO BUBBLE CLONER!!! See first paragraph
Sometimes the answers are super simple and right in front of your nose, but by overcomplicating and overthinking, we have trouble finding the solution
A rebuild of a better bigger veg box is forthcoming this spring...No mommas here, just clone runs, but the new box is gonna have seperate chambers for mommas, clones, and veg area...I'm gonna run a few more strains in the spring and I want to keep 3-4 mommas (in hydro no less) so I need to work on Bonsai-ing
I'm currently using a modified Rez' recipe...My C99 is a breeze to grow, but my DSD pheno is a cal/mag whore and I also recently added Silica to strengthen the stems on her...She will stretch quite a bit and once the buds start fattening up she'll droop like a bitch...I simply add back pH6.0 water to my res each day...On the 4th day (mid week) I'll check pH, if its above 6.0 I add nutes, lower than 6.0 add water
A little advise to the newer growers here...K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple, Stupid...The more you overthink, over analize, the more your gonna screw things up...Plants looking a little sick? Check your pH FIRST, then start throwing nutes and additives around...Having trouble rooting clones? GO BUBBLE CLONER!!! See first paragraph
Sometimes the answers are super simple and right in front of your nose, but by overcomplicating and overthinking, we have trouble finding the solution
house
Member
MN Chiming in!
MN Chiming in!
This is my 3rd attempt at growing and first using a new e&f system. 1kw, 3 part lucas formula. 33 days into flower. Temps average 55-70F (I would get it warmer if I could but it is -10F outside today)
This is a Blackberry Kush cut I picked up from a friend in San Francisco. It has a stretchy growth pattern but it makes up for it in flavor and potency. I should have fully matured buds at 50 days.
The rest are going slower and I got their names mixed up and could either be (master kush, bubba kush, og kush, slyder) I'll have to get an expert in to ID them by aroma later into flower.
MN Chiming in!
This is my 3rd attempt at growing and first using a new e&f system. 1kw, 3 part lucas formula. 33 days into flower. Temps average 55-70F (I would get it warmer if I could but it is -10F outside today)
This is a Blackberry Kush cut I picked up from a friend in San Francisco. It has a stretchy growth pattern but it makes up for it in flavor and potency. I should have fully matured buds at 50 days.
The rest are going slower and I got their names mixed up and could either be (master kush, bubba kush, og kush, slyder) I'll have to get an expert in to ID them by aroma later into flower.
UR: Soft stems instead of hard ones, k, that makes sense, i never noticed a difference between top cuts rooting quicker than bottom cuts but then again i wasnt exactly looking.
yeah, im redoing my moms bonsai style. thats what you have to do when you dont have the luxury of keeping moms under hids. bonsai moms in hydro will yield a lot clones, you ever thought of a no veg sog?
are you totally redoing your flouro cab then? or are you getting a bigger cab?
didnt know silica strengthened stems. knew it was a supp, never bothered to read what it did. good to know, always distressing to see a branch flop over, cant be getting good light that way.
when do you cut your micro out? Rezdog has said he stops using micro between 21-32 days into flower, to make sure the N is completely flushed by harvest. guess with a 40 day flowering time, you must cut yours pretty early.
ive heard of people adding nutes by how their ph changes, but i think one grower said he does the reverse of you, adds nutes when ph drops! i havent really noticed a pattern in my ph changes, i always thought when ph drops i should add nutes.
HO: Nice pics. how'd you get them so big? i can only upload 150k pics with the new website changes...
what kind of macro lens do you have? i bet you could photoshop those pics to show closeups of individual trichs. im thinking they're half cloudy, half clear, but that could be the lighting.
so you're using the gh micro/bloom too? how many ml of micro/bloom do you use per gallon? gotta love those colorful liquids, huh? nothing organic or natural about it, but at least it doesnt smell like $hit and plants love it! truly like growing in a lab...
My thai hermied so i chopped it a week ago.
got some barely there buds that still have some resin/stickiness to them, so these are going into the next butter batch.
see those ballsacks hanging from the stem? those are seed pods.
seeds in the seed pods.
the 12L rubbermaid bin im going to use for my... i guess 3rd attempt at bubble cloning. Volcano (easy valve version) in the background.
yeah, im redoing my moms bonsai style. thats what you have to do when you dont have the luxury of keeping moms under hids. bonsai moms in hydro will yield a lot clones, you ever thought of a no veg sog?
are you totally redoing your flouro cab then? or are you getting a bigger cab?
didnt know silica strengthened stems. knew it was a supp, never bothered to read what it did. good to know, always distressing to see a branch flop over, cant be getting good light that way.
when do you cut your micro out? Rezdog has said he stops using micro between 21-32 days into flower, to make sure the N is completely flushed by harvest. guess with a 40 day flowering time, you must cut yours pretty early.
ive heard of people adding nutes by how their ph changes, but i think one grower said he does the reverse of you, adds nutes when ph drops! i havent really noticed a pattern in my ph changes, i always thought when ph drops i should add nutes.
HO: Nice pics. how'd you get them so big? i can only upload 150k pics with the new website changes...
what kind of macro lens do you have? i bet you could photoshop those pics to show closeups of individual trichs. im thinking they're half cloudy, half clear, but that could be the lighting.
so you're using the gh micro/bloom too? how many ml of micro/bloom do you use per gallon? gotta love those colorful liquids, huh? nothing organic or natural about it, but at least it doesnt smell like $hit and plants love it! truly like growing in a lab...
My thai hermied so i chopped it a week ago.
got some barely there buds that still have some resin/stickiness to them, so these are going into the next butter batch.
see those ballsacks hanging from the stem? those are seed pods.
seeds in the seed pods.
the 12L rubbermaid bin im going to use for my... i guess 3rd attempt at bubble cloning. Volcano (easy valve version) in the background.
house
Member
Actually the pics are bigger than I wanted 
, damn imageshack. The camera is a cheap point and shoot Nikon (they usually have great macro modes) with lots of light. I'm actually using the AN 3 part nutes with the old lucas formula. I plan on using FNB for the next round but wanted to use my old AN's up. Not sure on ml/gal, I just keep it at ~1500ppm during flower. The smell fantastic so far.
, damn imageshack. The camera is a cheap point and shoot Nikon (they usually have great macro modes) with lots of light. I'm actually using the AN 3 part nutes with the old lucas formula. I plan on using FNB for the next round but wanted to use my old AN's up. Not sure on ml/gal, I just keep it at ~1500ppm during flower. The smell fantastic so far.
Uncle Remus
Member
Baba: Veg cabinet is getting a replacement...Going with a 48"wide cab so I can fit everything I need veg/mom/clone wise into one...I cut all micro after the 2nd week for all my grows, and I start flushing my C99 at around 32-35 days (5th week cut short a few days) depending on when i plan on chopping her...She's excellent anywhere from 40-55 days so I have a wide window on when I want to chop...Earlier chop is more fruity and a skyrocket almost paranoid inducing high, later chop get's me unmaskable skunk-a-funk and a slightly "lower" high...Yeild is fairly close so I usually go for the early chop DUH
To add nutes when your pH is low makes no sense IMO...In hydro, your nutes also have pH buffers which are supposed to keep the pH steady as the plant uses up nutes and H2O...The main goal is to have the plant uptake nutes and H2O equally (symbiotic balance or something like that)...From what I have learned when your pH drops this means the plant is using more H2O than nutes, leaving excess nutes and buffers bringing the pH lower...So basically the res is "telling" me the plant is taking up more H20 than nutes so I add back H2O
The reverse goes for a hi pH...Since the pH is hi, this is telling me the plant is using more nutes than water...The nutes and pH buffers are being depleted, leaving an excess of H2O causing a rise in pH...So I mix up a jug of nutes and add back with that
I like shit easy and idiot-proof...I check my pH in the middle of the week and do whatever the res "tells" me it wants...Rest of the week gets pH 6.0 adjusted H2O...How much easier is it than having your plants "tell" you what they want/need?...Using this add back method i rarely if ever run into nute deficiencies...If I notice anything odd looking with my plants, I IMMEDIATELY check my pH...If its off I correct it, wait a few days then see how the plant is reacting...Now I know my pH is OK and if I see the plant getting worse NOW I go after diagnosing the nute deficiency...Otherwise you could end up throwing all kindsa expensive additives and this and that trying to correct what could have simply been traced to your pH being whacked...Been there, done that
Done for now...CYA's
To add nutes when your pH is low makes no sense IMO...In hydro, your nutes also have pH buffers which are supposed to keep the pH steady as the plant uses up nutes and H2O...The main goal is to have the plant uptake nutes and H2O equally (symbiotic balance or something like that)...From what I have learned when your pH drops this means the plant is using more H2O than nutes, leaving excess nutes and buffers bringing the pH lower...So basically the res is "telling" me the plant is taking up more H20 than nutes so I add back H2O
The reverse goes for a hi pH...Since the pH is hi, this is telling me the plant is using more nutes than water...The nutes and pH buffers are being depleted, leaving an excess of H2O causing a rise in pH...So I mix up a jug of nutes and add back with that
I like shit easy and idiot-proof...I check my pH in the middle of the week and do whatever the res "tells" me it wants...Rest of the week gets pH 6.0 adjusted H2O...How much easier is it than having your plants "tell" you what they want/need?...Using this add back method i rarely if ever run into nute deficiencies...If I notice anything odd looking with my plants, I IMMEDIATELY check my pH...If its off I correct it, wait a few days then see how the plant is reacting...Now I know my pH is OK and if I see the plant getting worse NOW I go after diagnosing the nute deficiency...Otherwise you could end up throwing all kindsa expensive additives and this and that trying to correct what could have simply been traced to your pH being whacked...Been there, done that
Done for now...CYA's
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HO: my canon has a crappy macro mode. when i have budding plants (in another month or so) ill try taking macro shots and using photoshop to further zoom in. i love trich shots.
What's FNB? Floranova bloom?
TK: another windy city resident! Hi.
UR: your explanation on ph/nute levels makes sense. i tried to find the post where a grower said he did the opposite of you but there were like 5 pages of EC threads and i gave up.
so do you rarely if ever use ph up/down? i always ph corrected before adding nutes but next tub im going to add nutes, wait then measure ph before correcting. its nice that GH nutes are ph balanced...
that 48" cab sounds like a monster. i live in a walkup so unless i buy a cab new in the box there's no way im dragging a 48" cab up my stairs. ive been looking at the grow tents; the fact that they're easily broken down appeals to me. Not as stealth as your setup though. I dont think im going to buy a growtent until i move into a bigger place but i like to think about what my future setup will be like. im not looking forward to shelling out the $$ for a growtent either but if i can avoid cutting holes in my walls it's worth it.
What's FNB? Floranova bloom?
TK: another windy city resident! Hi.
UR: your explanation on ph/nute levels makes sense. i tried to find the post where a grower said he did the opposite of you but there were like 5 pages of EC threads and i gave up.
so do you rarely if ever use ph up/down? i always ph corrected before adding nutes but next tub im going to add nutes, wait then measure ph before correcting. its nice that GH nutes are ph balanced...
that 48" cab sounds like a monster. i live in a walkup so unless i buy a cab new in the box there's no way im dragging a 48" cab up my stairs. ive been looking at the grow tents; the fact that they're easily broken down appeals to me. Not as stealth as your setup though. I dont think im going to buy a growtent until i move into a bigger place but i like to think about what my future setup will be like. im not looking forward to shelling out the $$ for a growtent either but if i can avoid cutting holes in my walls it's worth it.
Uncle Remus
Member
Windy city area here also 
Baba: I always mix nutes first, then adjust pH...And ALWAYS mix your micro first then add the other stuff...Veg cabinet is going to be brand new in the box, and I usually move things like that at night...No biggie but the less peeps know/see the better...I rarely use pH down by itself except in my veg barrels, and that only the day after I mix fresh nutes...Smaller containers means smaller amount of nutes and buffers, which most times cause fast rises in pH within the next day or 2...Ill adjust pH with pHdown only on the 2 dyas immediately after I mix nutes
Total stealth is not necessary in my situation, so my light proofing isn't too good on my veg cab...The flower closet on the otherhand is total lightproofed...Thats where its most important
Anymore questions? Fire away
Baba: I always mix nutes first, then adjust pH...And ALWAYS mix your micro first then add the other stuff...Veg cabinet is going to be brand new in the box, and I usually move things like that at night...No biggie but the less peeps know/see the better...I rarely use pH down by itself except in my veg barrels, and that only the day after I mix fresh nutes...Smaller containers means smaller amount of nutes and buffers, which most times cause fast rises in pH within the next day or 2...Ill adjust pH with pHdown only on the 2 dyas immediately after I mix nutes
Total stealth is not necessary in my situation, so my light proofing isn't too good on my veg cab...The flower closet on the otherhand is total lightproofed...Thats where its most important
Anymore questions? Fire away
Baba ---
UR is speaking a lot of truth. The basic deal is that nutes are acidic compared to both tap water (slightly basic) and R/O (neutral). Let's say you start at pH 5.8 and 1000 ppm. After a few days the rez is at 5.6 and 1200 ppm. The plant is taking up more basic/neutral water thus increasing the concentration of acidic nutes which drops the pH down and increases the ppm.
If you do go and use R/O water, add about 10-15% tap water. The trace minerals in the tap will go a long way in holding pH steady while only contributing 30-50 ppm rather than the full 300 it normally would in my case.
If you're going to be using the rez combo for nutes, I'll give you my two cents. First add the 6 mls of micro to the plain water. Then add the 9 of bloom, then pH to 5.8-6.0. Make sure to add the micro only to plain water as anything else can cause the calcium in there to bind to another element. I believe it says this somewhere on the bottle, actually...
astartes
UR is speaking a lot of truth. The basic deal is that nutes are acidic compared to both tap water (slightly basic) and R/O (neutral). Let's say you start at pH 5.8 and 1000 ppm. After a few days the rez is at 5.6 and 1200 ppm. The plant is taking up more basic/neutral water thus increasing the concentration of acidic nutes which drops the pH down and increases the ppm.
If you do go and use R/O water, add about 10-15% tap water. The trace minerals in the tap will go a long way in holding pH steady while only contributing 30-50 ppm rather than the full 300 it normally would in my case.
If you're going to be using the rez combo for nutes, I'll give you my two cents. First add the 6 mls of micro to the plain water. Then add the 9 of bloom, then pH to 5.8-6.0. Make sure to add the micro only to plain water as anything else can cause the calcium in there to bind to another element. I believe it says this somewhere on the bottle, actually...
astartes
which way did he go george which way did he go? 
UR: you ever consider a growtent like http://www.plantlightinghydroponics.com/sun-hut-silver-2x4x7-indoor-greenhouse-p-2415.html?
I would think a new cab would cost that much or close to it. plus a cab couldnt really be broken down once put together (from my experience putting together ikea stuff).
i suppose if youre not worried about portability then the cab is the way to go.
its really hard to get total stealth with a setup; even if you have light and odor in check, fan noise is hard to silence. so long as i keep my spare bedroom door closed, it's stealth. once inside the bedroom, well...
i always added the micro first before the bloom, did that just because the regimen i was using listed micro first then bloom, i recently read the label and found out thats how youre supposed to do it. well, thats one thing i WASNT messing up at least.
right now in my one remaining tub ph has been pretty constant, right around 5.9-6, so im happy. just adding back nutes and tap water right now.
do u dont have a ppm or ec meter at all, huh?
how much nutes do you give when you add nutes? 6 and 9 ml per gallon? i would think more because you dont give nutes with every topoff...
EDIT
AS: I didnt see your post before. Thats good info, makes a lot of sense now.
i dont know that ill ever get an RO filter. chicago tapwater is pretty clean, about .4 EC according to my pen (equivalent to 200 ppm, im pretty sure my pen is .5 conversion) and lots of growers (Philcuisine is one) have had lots of success with it.
I do like the idea of having near pure water in my rez. Doesnt some of my rez water evaporate and leave behind mineral residue? Arent there some minerals in tap water that arent taken up by the roots? Doesnt that add to the ppms in the rez somewhat? Or maybe it doesnt add enough ppms to matter, in comparison to the ppm changes occuring when the plant drinks water...
These are the clones i had in peat pellets. Transplanted the rest of them today; 2-3 didnt root at all, even though I thought they had.
My mom and veg area. Shabby. Moms need to be redone. The little fried one on the ground is my last little Super Star, who never got out of runt stage in 2 months and died when I forgot to water it. I never got to try the Star, didn't even find out whether it was male or female. Sad to lose a child so young.
What eases my pain are the six new little ones vegging on top of the tub: 6 Sourdogs (sour diesel x og kush) from JLP. They can't grow fast enough for me. I figure it will be 3 weeks before I can take a clone, then 6 more weeks till I find out whether they're male or female.
The only tub in my flower closet, under a 400w MH. After a couple weeks 12/12, when most of them didn't take off like i hoped (due to a combination of already flowered clones and undernuting) I decided to reveg it in hopes of a better yield.
I culled the smaller, non revegging ones today; they're going into a bubble run. That leaves me 4-5 revegging plants. They're growing pretty well since I added more nutes, showing visible growth daily. EC is about 1.7 (That's about 850 ppms, right?).
I would think a new cab would cost that much or close to it. plus a cab couldnt really be broken down once put together (from my experience putting together ikea stuff).
i suppose if youre not worried about portability then the cab is the way to go.
its really hard to get total stealth with a setup; even if you have light and odor in check, fan noise is hard to silence. so long as i keep my spare bedroom door closed, it's stealth. once inside the bedroom, well...
i always added the micro first before the bloom, did that just because the regimen i was using listed micro first then bloom, i recently read the label and found out thats how youre supposed to do it. well, thats one thing i WASNT messing up at least.
right now in my one remaining tub ph has been pretty constant, right around 5.9-6, so im happy. just adding back nutes and tap water right now.
do u dont have a ppm or ec meter at all, huh?
how much nutes do you give when you add nutes? 6 and 9 ml per gallon? i would think more because you dont give nutes with every topoff...
EDIT
AS: I didnt see your post before. Thats good info, makes a lot of sense now.
i dont know that ill ever get an RO filter. chicago tapwater is pretty clean, about .4 EC according to my pen (equivalent to 200 ppm, im pretty sure my pen is .5 conversion) and lots of growers (Philcuisine is one) have had lots of success with it.
I do like the idea of having near pure water in my rez. Doesnt some of my rez water evaporate and leave behind mineral residue? Arent there some minerals in tap water that arent taken up by the roots? Doesnt that add to the ppms in the rez somewhat? Or maybe it doesnt add enough ppms to matter, in comparison to the ppm changes occuring when the plant drinks water...
These are the clones i had in peat pellets. Transplanted the rest of them today; 2-3 didnt root at all, even though I thought they had.
My mom and veg area. Shabby. Moms need to be redone. The little fried one on the ground is my last little Super Star, who never got out of runt stage in 2 months and died when I forgot to water it. I never got to try the Star, didn't even find out whether it was male or female. Sad to lose a child so young.
What eases my pain are the six new little ones vegging on top of the tub: 6 Sourdogs (sour diesel x og kush) from JLP. They can't grow fast enough for me. I figure it will be 3 weeks before I can take a clone, then 6 more weeks till I find out whether they're male or female.
The only tub in my flower closet, under a 400w MH. After a couple weeks 12/12, when most of them didn't take off like i hoped (due to a combination of already flowered clones and undernuting) I decided to reveg it in hopes of a better yield.
I culled the smaller, non revegging ones today; they're going into a bubble run. That leaves me 4-5 revegging plants. They're growing pretty well since I added more nutes, showing visible growth daily. EC is about 1.7 (That's about 850 ppms, right?).
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