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what to set PPM in RDWC system

F

faintfuzzies

Member
I have done soil less grow before but never RDWC system

I have heard i should use half strength nute solution in a 6 -4gal bucket RDWC system( drip on top dwc in bucket. but what do i set the PPms at

seedling stage PPM ?

veg stage PPM ?

flower stage PPM ?

I am going to be using nute formula made by Green leaf nutrients. They gave me free samples enough for most or all of my grow, all i had to do it buy the grow formula( basicly to cover shipping and they gave me the flower and boost formula for free) all it cost me was $8.31 and it only took 2 days for shipping.

But i am worried about the proper PPM range for each stage seedling, Veg, and flower stages.

Please some advise please

Faint
 
olddirtybastard

olddirtybastard

Member
i run RDWC and in general i run seeedlings at 1-200ppm, then i bump it up to 3-400 for small medium plants.

during flowering plants get about 6-700ppm and never above that for my strain (white widow)

its better to underfeed a little bit than to nutrient burn if you are unsure what concentration your plants like. Ive figured out my numbers by repeatedly overfertilizing. it will depend on what nutes you use and what genetics you have.
 
socialist

socialist

Seed Killer No More
ICMag Donor
Push your PPM up a little at a time till you see the first signs of nute burn and then you will know what your limit is.
 
H

Hydrolized

Member
.2-.4 ec for seedlings, Veg and bloom, if you are running clones of the same strain, set it at a number, lets say 1.4EC, and watch the number for a week. If it goes up, at the next res change, mix it at 1.2EC, and vise versa if it goes down. Obviously keep an eye on the plants too. You eventually will get to know your plants and what they want at the various stages and will be able to keep the EC pretty constant.
 
F

faintfuzzies

Member
Hydrolized said:
.2-.4 ec for seedlings, Veg and bloom, if you are running clones of the same strain, set it at a number, lets say 1.4EC, and watch the number for a week. If it goes up, at the next res change, mix it at 1.2EC, and vise versa if it goes down. Obviously keep an eye on the plants too. You eventually will get to know your plants and what they want at the various stages and will be able to keep the EC pretty constant.
Click to expand...
Thank you very much for the tips , but i have no idea how to convert e.c to ppm, My cheap meter does not do e.c only ppm. any idea how to convert it ?
 
Snook

Snook

Still Learning
Veteran
I run 600-700ppm from veg thru bloom. (EC1.2 - 1.4) (<simple conversion from EC to PPM - double 600 is 1200 = 1.2ec) and keep in mind that the more nutes you give them, the lower the PH will go. so if 600 ppms gives ph - 5.5PH, then 700 will give a lower PH and 800ppm, even lower.. the lower th ph, the more you'll have to add PH up to stay in your 5.4-6.0PH range. PH up stays in the juice and will 'build up'.. plants do not use it, it will mess with the nutrient stability after a while.. GL. I went form RDWC to passive plant killer ( in my sig) a little more set up but very little maintenance after set up. Yield is as good as any other method (or better). WAY cheaper to run in the long run.. and like it says, "No drama, no trauma" ..
 
F

faintfuzzies

Member
Snook said:
I run 600-700ppm from veg thru bloom. (EC1.2 - 1.4) (<simple conversion from EC to PPM - double 600 is 1200 = 1.2ec) and keep in mind that the more nutes you give them, the lower the PH will go. so if 600 ppms gives ph - 5.5PH, then 700 will give a lower PH and 800ppm, even lower.. the lower th ph, the more you'll have to add PH up to stay in your 5.4-6.0PH range. PH up stays in the juice and will 'build up'.. plants do not use it, it will mess with the nutrient stability after a while.. GL. I went form RDWC to passive plant killer ( in my sig) a little more set up but very little maintenance after set up. Yield is as good as any other method (or better). WAY cheaper to run in the long run.. and like it says, "No drama, no trauma" ..
Click to expand...

ok so double he ppm to get e.c so

500+500+1000 or 1.0 ec

600+600 = 1200 or 1.2 ec

700+700 =1400 or 1.4ec

800+800 =1600 or 1.6ec

Thanks for info
 
H

Hydrolized

Member
That is only if your meter uses a .5 Conversion. For comparisons sake it matters, but for you alone, it doesn't...just watch the number on the meter, if it goes up daily, it's too strong, if it goes down, it's too weak. Note, if it's only going down a few PPM a day, it's probably best to leave it there.
 
U

Ultra Current

faintfuzzies said:
Thank you very much for the tips , but i have no idea how to convert e.c to ppm, My cheap meter does not do e.c only ppm. any idea how to convert it ?
Click to expand...

You must check your companies conversion scale. Nutradip uses 500 conversion scale and Blue Lab uses 700 conversion scale. There is a big difference between companies so you must know which scale your company uses.

EC x conversion scale = ppm

Ultra Current's Guide To Feeding
Variety of strains requires different amounts of nutrient levels. This is why you wouldn’t want to grow multiple types of strains in the same system at the same time. If you have some heavy feeding strains mixed with underfeeding strains, it would be impossible to meet the needs of both types at once. For this purpose, it is always best to have all your plants in each system from the same mom in clone form. Of course you can grow similar feeding strains together but you would not maximize the yield of the grow and this book is about maximizing your grow.

Overfeeding can cause lack of flavor in your final product and usually does. I will explain how to learn what your plants want by using your EC/TDS/PPM meter. Having one of these meters is a necessity when growing hydroponically and if you don’t have one you are flying blind. Always make sure that your meter is calibrated and that you check re-calibrate the meter every 2 weeks and when you see potential problems going on. Most grow shop meters are made with cheap components and are not lab grade so reading can be off frequently throughout your grow.

I believe in growing in sterile growing systems at all times. This doesn’t mean that growers who do use live nutrients or suppliments are wrong but this isn’t what this manual is about. Things can go wrong real fast in hydroponics and potentially kill your whole crop within days. Because of this I use refined nutrients and the brand that I like to use is General Hydroponic Flora Series. I enjoy the results that I get with this product buy I mainly use it because I can keep my pH more stable with it compared to some other brands. Whatever brand you choose you will notice how the pH acts and if it swings too much you can try another brand and see what works for you. When I use GH Flora, I only use the Micro and the Bloom. The Micro has all the nitrogen that you need in your grow. In my grows it doesn’t matter if I’m in Veg or Flower, I use the Flora series in the exact same rates but if you choose to use another brand then you will have to experiment until you find the right rates that work for you. The rates that I use for GH flora series is 1 part micro to 1.5 parts bloom. You will first have to test all your clones in the same system to see how these plants eat so you can maximize the yield without burning them and ruining your flavor. The way that I do this with my nutrients is once I have roots, I start with a low PPM around 300. I keep data and write down what the PPM is every day once I top off the rez to the same point that it was when I first put the nutes in when it was 300. What I want to see is the PPM come down but not real fast. If your meter is reading 240 in 3 days then I would raise the solution to 360 and continue to record this data. I know that I am where I want to be when the meter is only going down 010 ppm per day. I like to look over a 3 day period cause it is hard to see 10-20 PPm per day as opposed to 60 ppm over a 3 day period. If the PPM is not going down then you are too high so when you raise it you don’t want to go too high or you’ll have to change our your system and nute at a lower level. As your plants are growing, you are recording the data that you get and when it reaches the levels of 10-20ppm of a decrees per day, then you know how much to use on your future grows with that pheno.
 
Snook

Snook

Still Learning
Veteran
Hydrolized said:
That is only if your meter uses a .5 Conversion. For comparisons sake it matters, but for you alone, it doesn't...just watch the number on the meter, if it goes up daily, it's too strong, if it goes down, it's too weak. Note, if it's only going down a few PPM a day, it's probably best to leave it there.
Click to expand...

Sorry bout that FF.. hydrolized is right.. I forgt the .5 conversion.. thanks for reminding me 'hlzed'.
 
F

faintfuzzies

Member
I cant seem to find the paper work for my meter. maybe someof you out there know the conversion for my meter,

i have a H/M digital ppm meter the model is TDS-3

Thanks

Faint
 
Snook

Snook

Still Learning
Veteran
faintfuzzies said:
snook ,

Thanks for the link and info so teh way we did it a day or so ago is right for my metter

600 + 600 = 1200 or 1.2 ec

700+700 = 1400 or 1.4 ec

so on and so forth

Thanks

faint
Click to expand...

but you cant take that 'double it' idea over, i forget, 1200ppm, maybe less, it starts squing ??? higher or lower but not double the ppm figure any more. tat is, 1200ppm x 2 might be 2.6ec, not 2.4.. I dont use it any longer and am forgetting rapidly..
 
Hack

Hack

Member
The last five strains that I have grown in rdwc using the method ultra listed in this thread were dialed in somewhere between 300-500 ppm's this includes a chemdawg hybrid called mobboss which has been reported to almost have no limit in other mediums, it will eat what ever you feed it. I also want to add this is with a starting water ppm of 180ppm's. I am also a proponent that 75 percent of people that grow and use high ppm's do so cuz they read it somewhere or were taught that that was the way to do it, even in rockwool i have yet to feed any strain more than 700 ppm's. will be posting some results soon to show what can be done in rdwc with 300ppm's. Peace.
 
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