Pure blend original bloom, enough by itself?

0p0rat0r

Member

• Oct 15, 2006

• #1

I'm using pure blend original bloom alone since about 3 weeks into flowering. Does this have everything I need for big healthy buds, or should I be supplementing it with something else? Also is that stuff really 100% organic? One more question, how do you guys go about testing the ph of your fertilizer if it's coloured? I'm using the ph liquid drops and since my water is kinda brownish after adding the pure blend it skews the colour reading of my ph tests.

 

icky420

Member

• Oct 17, 2006

• #2

0p0rat0r said:

I'm using pure blend original bloom alone since about 3 weeks into flowering. Does this have everything I need for big healthy buds, or should I be supplementing it with something else?

Click to expand...

No it does not have everything the plant needs. You need Mg and Cal supplements also.

Also is that stuff really 100% organic?

Click to expand...

YES

One more question, how do you guys go about testing the ph of your fertilizer if it's coloured?

Click to expand...

I use the $15 ph probe found at my Local Lowes. Its not perfect but it's better than nothing.

 

G

Guest

• Oct 17, 2006

• #3

yes my question is similar as im startin my 1st grow organicly. anyways is there a feeding schedule to use with botanicare's products? i dont know exactly what to use for soil... anyone update me on tihs? i plan on using foxfarm ocean forest soil with added perlite as the substrate. thanks in advacned

edit also, does their instructions work on cannabis plants? im like really new and dont really know where to get bone meals, blood meals, kelp meals and whatever.

 

Last edited: Oct 17, 2006

minds_I

Active member

Veteran

• Oct 17, 2006

• #4

Hello all,

I use color coded plastic dip stix. They are accurate to quarter of a point. No calibration, no solutions, no maintainence at all. I get 240 test stix for 20bux delivered.

You just dip and wiat 15 seconds to complete the titration process and read against a color chart. Why simple and no mess.

minds_I

 

crunkinshoe

Member

• Oct 17, 2006

• #5

I use a digital ph tester from Hanna $35 off ebay. I would say as a general rule of thumb that PB is not enough on its own but what needs to be added really depends on the strain...

 

minds_I

Active member

Veteran

• Oct 17, 2006

• #6

Hello all,

Crunk, whats up withthe meters- are tehy not a hassle- cleaning after use, calibration solution every time you use it. Are they durable as it is my understanding that the meters are delicate instruments. Will they work for murky dirty teas with shit floating around?

I mean, I am not being a dip stix snod- if it would be as good or better then teh strips I would gladly pay out he money.

I read that if you bump the probe is will not function correctly anymore. I am quite interested.

minds_I

 

crunkinshoe

Member

• Oct 17, 2006

• #7

I use the tester to check my tea, regular water, and runoff. Cleaning requires just rinsing them off after use. As far as durability, if I was doing hydro I would probably have a little more expensive one but this cheap student one works fine for me. I've used strips, solutions, and now my digital tester and as far as accuracy and ease of use, the digital works great..... my 2 cents

 

I

irie-i

• Oct 17, 2006

• #8

i have a hannah digital ph meter that quit working for no apparant reason. i use this stuff thats like a thin roll of paper. its pretty cheap and a roll lasted me years

 

crunkinshoe

Member

• Oct 17, 2006

• #9

Sometimes the electrode goes bad and you have to get a replacement.....

 

Suby

**AWD** Aficianado

Veteran

• Oct 17, 2006

• #10

No, you won't get thru flowering with PB bloom formula, it is meant for vegetable gardens where there is less need for Phosphorus than with MJ but 100% organic.

I recommend using a high P guano tea and some Liquid Seaweed as well as the PB, that was a good recipe for me but I had a good starting soil mix.

Litmus paper as my buddy MI pointed out are cheap and very very effective.
PH meters are BS unlesss your willing to spens at least 300$ IMHO.
Blood and bone meal are good to add to the soil before, available at Lowes or most home wardware stores.

To above ph pen users...
You need rinsing solution before you store ph meters, water is not enough.


S

 

G

Guest

• Oct 17, 2006

• #11

You're right. They're supposed to be stored in 7.1 solution and cleaned periodically with a Q-tip.

I like my $26 Hanna meter a lot. But I've used the roll of test strips as well as the DipStix in the past. Any of the above are just fine for organic soil growing.

 

Twist

Active member

• Oct 17, 2006

• #12

you mite look ADVANCED RECIPE FORMULATION SHEET at botanicare's web site good info
there

Twist

 

Suby

**AWD** Aficianado

Veteran

• Oct 17, 2006

• #13

canine man it's bee awhile, you been lurking?

 

G

Guest

• Oct 18, 2006

• #14

Suby said:

canine man it's bee awhile, you been lurking?

Click to expand...

Not so much *lurking* as just reading and learning. Particularly from you, my brother. If I had more to offer, I would certainly chime in.

Incidentally, I think I'll be trying Pure Blend Pro Bloom (soil version) this grow and came in here to check for PBP pointers. I'm thinking PBP and Liquid Karma sounds about right.

Peace.

 

minds_I

Active member

Veteran

• Oct 18, 2006

• #15

Hello all,

Sorry operator, I did not mean to sidetrack your thread.

Thanks all for the info on the meters- I like what I am doing now anyway, I just pull a test strip dip, wiat 15 seconds and read-done.

On the down side is that some of the strips inadvertantly end up on the floor somehow.

minds_I

 

dwtc

Active member

• Oct 18, 2006

• #16

how are you guys getting an accurate reading from your ph meters in an ORGANIC solution? i thought that ph meters read the salt content(non-organic) of the solution.
also i thought the pb line being organic, that it would not burn the plants(well not as fast) like non-organic ferts. plus if you put dolimite lime in youre soil it should be all the buffer you need. please school me if i'm wrong, shit you learn somethin new everyday, but i think knowing the ppm would be better.

 

Suby

**AWD** Aficianado

Veteran

• Oct 18, 2006

• #17

I think your confused as to what ppm and ph measure...
Ph mesured the acidity or alkalinity of a solution, depending on what goes in a tea in can be either organic or otherwise.
PPm's is a measure of solution concentration in parts per million, it is measured by electroconductivity, the more ions are in suspension the more a solution is electroconductive, this is only good for measuring the amount of ionic compounds in suspension, organic ferts are mostly complex organic molecules which don't read accurately through the PPM/EC method.

Canine man I love a humble grower, it speaks volumes about one's character....

You could have a completely successfull grow with just PBpro veg formula and the Pro soil formula plus Liquid Karma, the best organic -ish ferts in 3 bottles.
I've done that with great results, make sure to start with a rich soil to begin with with dolomite lime.

S

 

0p0rat0r

Member

• Oct 18, 2006

• #18

Hi everyone, and thanks for the replies.

minds_I, no need for apologies. The ph testing stuff was one of my questions anyhow. In fact I'm glad you prodded a little more, got some useful info out of it.

What are those ph dip stick thingies called? I wonder if my hydro store would carry them...

Suby,

So guano tea and liquid seaweed hmmm... How do you know how much guano and liquid seaweed to mix in?

Someone else mentioned calcium and magnesium, does anyone disagree with these additions? What could I use (that's organic) to get calcium and magnesium?

I'm a total organic newb. I just thought I'd give pure blend a shot to see if I can notice any difference between organic and chem ferts. Here's a couple shots of my ladies @ 5 weeks. They don't look deficient in anything to me, but I hope I'm not stunting their growth by only feeding them pure blend alone to this point.

 

Last edited: Oct 18, 2006

minds_I

Active member

Veteran

• Oct 18, 2006

• #19

Hello Operator,

The pH sticks I use are these:

http://www.ph-ion.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=205

They work just great and are accurate to a quarter point from 5.5 to 7.5 and range from 4.5 to 9.0- well over our needs.

I find them just great. As I said no muss no fuss to use.

Your girls look lovely.

minds_I

 

G

Guest

• Oct 19, 2006

• #20

minds_I said:

Hello Operator,

The pH sticks I use are these:

http://www.ph-ion.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=205

They work just great and are accurate to a quarter point from 5.5 to 7.5 and range from 4.5 to 9.0- well over our needs.

I find them just great. As I said no muss no fuss to use.

Your girls look lovely.

minds_I

Click to expand...

minds_I: I broke out my test strips last night to water and decided I liked using them better than my Hanna checker... went to eBay and ordered the Alkalive strips, which seem to be more accurate and have a wider pH range than the aquarium strips I was using... 80 stix for $9.95 shipped.

Thanks for the tip.

Suby: Question.... I'm not only trying to grow organic as in "sans synthetic ferts" but organic as in "living organics, living soil." As you do.

Do you find that Liquid Karma runs contrary to true living organics? If so, I'll skip and stick with my guano teas.

Thanks.

 

Last edited: Oct 19, 2006