EC question

[elito]

my tap is at 0.5ec and i have a RO filter but i cant use it alone couse it wastes that too much water so i mix them 50/50,for veg i start at 0.5ec and move up to 0.8,now a week ago i started flowering plants on my first table at 0.7 then i moved it 0.9 then it fell to 0.8 2 days from that,today i saw that the tips of the leaves are looking a little burned but not the new growth but the middle ones and up a little bit,i try to keep the ph as close to 5.8 but it drifts to 6.1-6.2 when it gets to 6.3 i get it back i dont want to mess whit it too much,il post pics tomorow,is thios too little fert for then should i move it 1.0ec

this is a pic just to see the size of them i dont have a close up

 

[FreezerBoy]

At .5 EC you don't need RO. Tap will buffer pH much better than RO. EC down, pH up is a classic sign of under feeding. Let 6.0 be the high point in your pH swing.

 

[Hazyfontazy]

your ec is way to low ,,i clone at 1.0 lol ,,flowering should be on at least 1.5:2 and as high as 2.0 -2.2

 

[elito]

At .5 EC you don't need RO. Tap will buffer pH much better than RO. EC down, pH up is a classic sign of under feeding. Let 6.0 be the high point in your pH swing.

so if my ph gets to 6.1-6.2 i should get it down,alot of people told me 6.2-6.3 i the upper limit thats wh this gets me confused

 

[slowandeasy]

What kind of nutes you using? Usually 6.2 is highest for most nutes and plants. Sounds like you need to boost up your EC. Give more info on your set up and it would be more of help.

 

[FreezerBoy]

Soil and Hydro use different pH ranges. Hydro uses 5.6-6.0. Soil? You'll have to ask someone else.

 

[wickedpete66]

hydro ph 5-6-6.0
coco ph 5.8-6.2
soil ph 6.2-7.0(especially if using dolomite lime in soil)

I started off in soil years ago and now I am using hempy buckets(coco).

As freezer stated ph up and ec goes down means the plants are feeding. up the ec to 1.25-1.5 assuming that your meter is ec1.0=700ppm's

 

[elito]

hydro ph 5-6-6.0
coco ph 5.8-6.2
soil ph 6.2-7.0(especially if using dolomite lime in soil)

I started off in soil years ago and now I am using hempy buckets(coco).

As freezer stated ph up and ec goes down means the plants are feeding. up the ec to 1.25-1.5 assuming that your meter is ec1.0=700ppm's

whats the difference in my meters ppm's i thought the EC was universal

 

[wickedpete66]

whats the difference in my meters ppm's i thought the EC was universal

Nope some ec meters are calibrated to ec1.0=500ppm's and others are calibrated to 1.0=700ppm's. My Milwaukee meter is calibrated to the latter. If your not sure call the manufactures customer service dept.

If you use the search function there used to be a manufactures chart on here no

 

[dongle69]

whats the difference in my meters ppm's i thought the EC was universal

EC is universal.
It doesn't matter what your meter's ppm reading is.
EC 1.0 always = EC 1.0

 

[wickedpete66]

EC is universal.
It doesn't matter what your meter's ppm reading is.
EC 1.0 always = EC 1.0

yes i see what you are saying, but I am under the impression he wanted to convert that to ppms. not all nutrients have the same conductivity. i could use 3000 ppms of earth juice products that would barely read an ec of 1.0. it just doesnt have that much eleltric conductivity. Were as gh nutes is pretty much on target with 1.0=700ppms. Maybe i misunderstood, but your right that an ec of 1.0 will always be 1.0

 

[elito]

EC is universal.
It doesn't matter what your meter's ppm reading is.
EC 1.0 always = EC 1.0

thats what i thought,by the way dongle u inspired me to make a grow like this ebb and flow i just didnt have the materials neede in my shity country so i had to make it all,that alot of work

 

[elito]

yes i see what you are saying, but I am under the impression he wanted to convert that to ppms. not all nutrients have the same conductivity. i could use 3000 ppms of earth juice products that would barely read an ec of 1.0. it just doesnt have that much eleltric conductivity. Were as gh nutes is pretty much on target with 1.0=700ppms. Maybe i misunderstood, but your right that an ec of 1.0 will always be 1.0

this is confusing me,after all of this how do i mesure my nutriens

 

[dongle69]

thats what i thought,by the way dongle u inspired me to make a grow like this ebb and flow i just didnt have the materials neede in my shity country so i had to make it all,that alot of work

Sweet, thanks!
Good work ethic!

this is confusing me,after all of this how do i mesure my nutriens

Just use EC like you have been.
You only need to worry about ppm if you are trying to compare/convert with others who don't use EC.
When you use ppm, you always have to include the conversion factor, or it means nothing.
You are already using EC so you are golden.

 

[Outportgrower]

You really have to love the Ph debate. One group will state one set of numbers while the other will provide documentation for another. Really it comes down to what is working best for each grow.

Here is my example.

Last grow White Russian Ph started at 5.3 and ended at 6.0

New grow (Yoho Parks Canada Strain) started out at 5.0 and now sits at 6.2 - 6.3 in third week of flowering.

These are nothing more than numbers, and if you know where your uptake points are you are able to adjust as required for optimal growth in all phases. This comes with time. The recommended set points should be taken with a grain of salt, and not as gods given truth and fact. Work within you boundaries, and you will be able to see by what is working best. In Hydro these changes can be detected quite quickly.

You can also use the chart below as a base line, it can be of some help in creating a pattern for what will work best for you.

 

[wickedpete66]

this is confusing me,after all of this how do i mesure my nutriens

Sorry about the confusion. Dongle is correct, in that you are using ec which ultimately tells you how much salt is in the nutes. some nutes have more salts than others that was basically what i was getting at.

 

[FreezerBoy]

Nope some ec meters are calibrated to ec1.0=500ppm's and others are calibrated to 1.0=700ppm's.

Other conversions include 640, 650, 768 and a couple numbers so stupid I can't remember them anymore. "PPM" is NOT parts per million. That requires chemical analysis. "PPM" is EC converted to nonsense using various scales no one agrees on. EC is EC. Period.

While more commonly noted in mS/cm (millisiemens per centimeter) it is occasionally noted in µS/cm (microsiemens per centimeter) 1mS/cm=1000µs/cm. Just like 1 kilometer= 1000 meters.

 

[sirripalot]

personally i have found most sources to base off 700. what EC reader you have?

my truncheon gives me both 500 and 700 readings. i always go back the 700.

honestly, as long as you're consistent with your numbers i think you're okay.

i too agree that it's funny to see the PH/PPM/EC debates over and over.

 

[FreezerBoy]

I've the Truncheon also. Along with "PPM" it also displays CF or Conductivity Factor, 10x(mS/cm), which is almost bearable.

Again, any numbers you can chart will do the job. I just don't see how something 500, 640, 650, 700, 768 times removed from the truth could be viewed as easier, more accurate, or desirable.

 

[ogatec]

At .5 EC you don't need RO. Tap will buffer pH much better than RO. EC down, pH up is a classic sign of under feeding. Let 6.0 be the high point in your pH swing.

i see you bashing RO allot, & i wanted to take this chance to disagree with you. you are a respected member of the board & seem very knowledgeable but on this issue we stand @ opposite ends of the spectrum.

i think .5 ec is very bad. my h20 reads about .45 EC or 350-450 ppm depending on what type of ppm meter you are using, making my water very hard. before i started using a ro filter my plants grew fine (over 1 gram per watt) but i had to chase the ph ALL THE TIME. it took loads of ph down to take the water from its 7.5-8ph to an acceptable ph of 5.5-5.8. then a few hours later it was back up to 6.5-7.5, this was a constant battle.

when i started usuing my filter i noticed my plants were greener, and didn't have as many "funny spots" as before. i now have to use ph up instead of ph down, in MUCH smaller amounts. i just dont see how using a filter makes ph less stable when it was such a constant battle to keep the ph down without one.

what made me decide to get ro was reading my yearly water quality report from the water ultil. not only was the usual suspects of high calcium & other metals present but in my water was an average of 30-33ppm of sodium. salt is said to be toxic to plants @ levels above 36ppm! all it takes is some of the rez water to evaporate to get to that level.

and that brings me to my main point. if you dont start with ro water you really dont know what is in your water, good or bad. sure it may be mostly (somewhat) harmless calcium, but in that 400-500 ppm there could be other things lurking like chlorine,sodium, heavy metals, nitrates & such that can cause lockout,nutrient imbalance, or even sickly plants.