Question regarding using and chelating gypsum

Junior Capsula said:

No not at all. The hempys were dwc style feeding off a huge res with a strong pump and lots of oxygen in the water. I don’t think blumats would work in perlite, and I’ve never seen it done. Won’t know till you try, but I’d go with the dripper route, wouldn’t be any different than rock wool just a different substrate.

My blumats run off a Shurflo pump with even pressure which you adjust on it with an Allen key. Each line going to every plant that has a blumat has a shut off valve. After a solid watering with runoff with the blumats already in the coco I shut off all the lines and run the pump. I adjust the pressure with the bleed valve on at the end of the manifold/lines. Once it sets I open the lines to each plant and dial individually. I’ve got a manifold going into two tents off this one pump/manifold.

I ran drippers for years and their solid once dialed in. It’s just more tedious to get even pressure to every plant if you’re running more than a dozen, and I never found a timer I fully trusted. With the blumat system I have an alarm for water spills which will cut the pump. Never had spills that I couldn’t clean with a shopvac fortunately.

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ButterflyEffect said:

So, are you saying that people have run blumats in perlite/vermiculite hempys?? I was of the understanding that they do not work. Am I wrong?

I mean, I could do drippers, but frankly I'd rather not go down the hole of a pressurized system at the moment, hence the desire to drop in the blumats as a passive setup.

Are yours pressurized in the coco?

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f-e said:

If you are chasing Ca with a high pH then the pH may be the problem in a low cec media. Free Ca will bond with P and fall out at pH 7 and above.

It appears K raises my pH. Putting in the form I use means doubling my acid usage. That satisfies the tank. However my runoff goes high. Easily 8. Chemistry suggests N use is the main contributor to rising pH but I see it directly follow my use of K. Who's consumption should lower pH. I'm not thinking it gets consumed though. More along the lines of it being the outstanding remainder.

Just some thoughts really. I fixed it though.

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Outcold said:

I think it would work, but you couldn't have perlite next to the sensor. I'd suggest 1-2" of thickness of vermiculite around the sensor.

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f-e said:

If you are chasing Ca with a high pH then the pH may be the problem in a low cec media. Free Ca will bond with P and fall out at pH 7 and above.

It appears K raises my pH. Putting in the form I use means doubling my acid usage. That satisfies the tank. However my runoff goes high. Easily 8. Chemistry suggests N use is the main contributor to rising pH but I see it directly follow my use of K. Who's consumption should lower pH. I'm not thinking it gets consumed though. More along the lines of it being the outstanding remainder.

Just some thoughts really. I fixed it though.

Click to expand...