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Lucas Formula

Dojo

Member
Ive been going 5ml micro 10ml bloom for my vegging babies but ive been noticing yellowing in the leaves...i look up remedys ans solutions and i came to the conclusion that im low on a key nute...also i found when searching that the 5/10 stated for lucas formula veg is ACTUALY for low light conditions....so imma bump up my nutes in the next watering to 8/16 micro bloom...should that cure my problem?

Also im sure the lucas formula works like a charm cause thus far i havent been having no problems till now so im pretty sure its that im not using full strength (btw my babes are about 6 weeks from seed)

One question though...what should i do with the gro nutes that im not using? is there any use of the green stuff or should i just dump it? What do you guys do? Whats your system?

This is all GH brand too
 

Sensibowl

Member
Ive been going 5ml micro 10ml bloom for my vegging babies but ive been noticing yellowing in the leaves...i look up remedys ans solutions and i came to the conclusion that im low on a key nute...also i found when searching that the 5/10 stated for lucas formula veg is ACTUALY for low light conditions....so imma bump up my nutes in the next watering to 8/16 micro bloom...should that cure my problem?

Also im sure the lucas formula works like a charm cause thus far i havent been having no problems till now so im pretty sure its that im not using full strength (btw my babes are about 6 weeks from seed)

One question though...what should i do with the gro nutes that im not using? is there any use of the green stuff or should i just dump it? What do you guys do? Whats your system?

This is all GH brand too

Does sort of sound like a deficiency of some sort, so bumping up the nutes will probably help. Nothing quite like learning that you need to do when you're already doing something else. Happened to me a million times.

And one of these days, I'll actually learn. Maybe.

About the nutes you're not using, check to see if any of your buddies can use them. Otherwise, I'd call up a grow store to see what they do with them. I tend to use all of my AN up, so I don't ever have to dump anything.

And I would never dump anything that wasn't an organic. I'm not a crazy hippie, but dumping chemicals into the ground sounds like a bad idea.

:wave:
 

FreezerBoy

Was blind but now IC Puckbunny in Training
Veteran
Veg formula is 1:1, flowering is 1:2. You could be low on N. Going 1:1 while maintaining the same EC would increase N but, I suspect bad pH is your problem if for no other reason than you said nothing about it. pH controls what the plant does and doesn't eat. Rather than overfeed to defeat lockout, prevent lockout and your plants will consider a weak formula a feast.

For Hydro... pH 5.8 ±0.2

Soil........... pH 6.4 ±0.2
 

superusa

Member
Veg formula is 1:1, flowering is 1:2. You could be low on N. Going 1:1 while maintaining the same EC would increase N but, I suspect bad pH is your problem if for no other reason than you said nothing about it. pH controls what the plant does and doesn't eat. Rather than overfeed to defeat lockout, prevent lockout and your plants will consider a weak formula a feast.

For Hydro... pH 5.8 ±0.2

Soil........... pH 6.4 ±0.2

Indeed, seems almost hard to underfeed (to the point of seeing any symptoms) when the rest of your ducks are in a row....
 

Dojo

Member
Im using distilled water so ph shouldnt be the issue...i looked it up under the infirmary and it seems like i need more N...im handwatering hempy buckets also thats why i think its a nute prob...i just want to catch it before it gets bad

I was just wondering if its the gro green stuff im not adding (because of lucas) is the cause of this...and im wondering if i should just follow GH's formula on the bottle

Thanks for the helps guys
 

ImaginaryFriend

Fuck Entropy.
Veteran
Try following the GH schedule if you already have the nutes...

According to some, the Lucas formula works as a functional formula for reservoir add-backs without reservoir change-outs; that is, it remains relatively stable without too much threat of super toxicity (a 'lazy man's' reservoir). If you are just hand watering hempies then you clearly aren't recirculating your nutrients 'cause you aren't being lazy. Try just following the labels, and see if the problem self corrects. Despite all of our reformulating cleverness, GH has been around for a while and probably has a pretty good idea about how a plant might grow.

At least, that's what I'd do in your position.

Good luck.
 
How sure are you that the water you're using is quality? Are you sure you're using good water without excessive amounts of salt, and are you checking pH and PPM? Before you start screwing with the formula, I would guarantee that the water you're using isn't a problem. When my plants are starting to yellow or look upset I always assume it's the water and change out the reservoir with fresh water and nutes. Usually works for me.

I've been using the Lucas Formula for over year and once you get it dialed in, it really is the lazy man's way to grow. I don't even check pH in anymore. :D I've never used GH Grow before. I've also done grows on nothing but Micro and Bloom (although now I add Superthrive and molasses in flowering) Don't start thinking you need to add a bunch of shit to your nute mix, that's usually a road to disaster.
 

FreezerBoy

Was blind but now IC Puckbunny in Training
Veteran
Im using distilled water so ph shouldnt be the issue...

Tap water is more pH stable than distilled. Further, nute makers leave several secondary and trace elements out of their formulas as you are expected to add them with tap water. Plants NEED these elements to survive. Not only do your nutes lack these elements, you've stripped them out of the water as well. Now, you're double extra lacking. Be on the lookout for deficiencies of calcium, magnesium and keep checking pH, now more than ever.
 

Dojo

Member
crap man i thought using distilled was the way to go...damn im screwed cause i was using vinager to combat my ph from tap...found out that was bad of me...now this

Is spring water better? I need somthing i dont have to ph because my lack of proper ph down
 
1st off before you try and short-cut pH anymore, do yourself a favor and get some kind of pH test and some pH down. pH tests can be very cheep like the liquid or even paper testers. these can be bought for under $10. pH down will run you $6-20 depending on volume. These should be bought at a garden/grow store, however you might find items like this in the aquarium section in a larger petstore chain. If you do go the petstore route, make sure the pH down is designed to be use with live plants. this is the key, if it doesnt say it can be used with plants then dont use it.
without a way to test pH, trying to fix/maintain proper pH is impossible. Dont use short cuts like vinegar or lemon juice as pH down. These are weak/unstable acids that will, to put it short, cause you to have pH swings.
like FB said, control pH and you control how the plant eats
 

BigBudBill

Member
100% agree with HA. I recommend getting a cheap TDS meter and a ph kit if not a ph meter. Makes hydro so much easier to learn. Once you get it dialed in, they wont be near as important.
 

FreezerBoy

Was blind but now IC Puckbunny in Training
Veteran
crap man i thought using distilled was the way to go...damn im screwed cause i was using vinager to combat my ph from tap...found out that was bad of me...now this

Is spring water better? I need somthing i dont have to ph because my lack of proper ph down

And the hits just keep coming. Avoid vinegar for anything other than emergencies as it will last just long enough to go to the store and come back with legitimate pH Down. Not only is pH down infinitely superior it's hundreds of times cheaper too. Go one night without pizza and there's the money for years worth of pH down.

One of the first things the inventors of hydro learned is, distilled water is dead water. It's not bad per se, just devoid of anything the plants need to survive other than moisture.

Any reason you can't use the faucet?
 

Dojo

Member
ok ok ill get the proper ph down cause its too much trouble doing it the poormans way...thanks FB
 

superusa

Member
FB is right, tap is better for sure. And if you are set on running you distilled water you might as well pick up some cal-mag cause you're gonna need it. Save yourself the trouble and just use tap water. GH Flora is specifically designed to be used with municipal water.

Lol @ the vinegar...

PH up/down last so long because you only need to use them the first time you fill a res typically. After that, adding back nutrients to the target ppm usually brings your pH back to the same level as well....
 

Dojo

Member
the word is i could of been using tap all along....see when i tested my tap it was at a ph about 7.5....then i add my nutes mix wait a few minutes and some how my ph drops to 6.0....so all along i didnt even NEED ph down ...and i test the run off and its still 6.0

So now im using lucas formula with tap water that i didnt even need to ph down...but i still got the ph down on stand by just in case

Problem solved
 

ImaginaryFriend

Fuck Entropy.
Veteran
How do the girls like it?

Does Lucas with tap seem to be the solution for the early growth problems you though you were seeing?

Pics?

Good luck.
 

Dojo

Member
well the bubblelicious and lemon skunk loves 8/16 micro/bloom.... i have to say out my babies the ones i spent money on (lemon skunk and bubblelicious) look the most lush green no yellowing...my bag seeds though are moslty indica and are kinda touchy....as in ill use lucas on them but it seems like they need more N...cause they yellow a little...so for those im using GH nute formula 2-2-2 (im almost ready to flip to 12/12)

One bag seed is sativa...i can tell cause it has the skinny long leaves and its getting tall faster then all my other babes...for that one im using lucas and it likes it....for some reason though it HATES folar feeding and low temps 70-78...

Pics ill update in a few weeks on my ARGH!!! first grow thread ;p
 
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