Have just purchased one after never monitoring EC levels before just using my eye/bottle instructions

Have no idea what EC i should be feeding my plants right now my res 4 weeks into flower is reading 2.1 ec and it has creeped up from 1.8 a couple of days ago

Any guidance would be appreciated.

Need more Info pal
How are you growing them soil coco hydro etc

What reading do you get from the tap with no nutes

[StoneyK]

Make sure you go buy the storage solution for that bluelab pen.
Personally I think they are overpriced.
Get a meter that has a replaceable diode or you will be sorry in 6 months to a year.
Ive been thru 4 blue lab pens in less than 2 years.
Never dried out but afyer a while they just refuse to calibrate.

Sounds like water evaporation in your res. If you have a pump heating the water that will also make it climb.
A lil drift is fairly normal. Its far from set it an forget it.

[Miraculous Meds]

Generally speaking u can grow perfectly healthy plants to full term with no more than 1.2 ec. But u can use more and the basic idea here is if u were at 1.8 and went up to 2.1. Either u have to strong a solution or u have use water and need to replace it. So always have a starting point to measure ur ec at a certain water volume.

Say u start by adding 20 gallons to a reservoir, add ur nutrients, and measure ur 1.8ec.

When u go to measure it again top up ur system with water only, to the 20 gallon level u started with, then measure. If ur ec has gone down, ur plants are eating and should be good. If ur ec raises, then the nutrient strength is too much. Reduce ur ec by changing out at least some of the reservoir water with just water, till ur plants are using the nutrients and the ec is dropping again, like stated above.

[Miraculous Meds]

Originally Posted by StoneyK

Make sure you go buy the storage solution for that bluelab pen.
Personally I think they are overpriced.
Get a meter that has a replaceable diode or you will be sorry in 6 months to a year.
Ive been thru 4 blue lab pens in less than 2 years.
Never dried out but afyer a while they just refuse to calibrate.

Sounds like water evaporation in your res. If you have a pump heating the water that will also make it climb.
A lil drift is fairly normal. Its far from set it an forget it.

I think ur thinking of the ph pen stoney, they need to keep moist with ph4 or there solution or tap water. If u keep them clean, and in solution, u can get a couple years out of them. Ur water or nutrients might be hard to be causing that loss that often.

The ec pen doesn't need any solution or calibration. But I do check against calibration solution once in a while to make sure.

[Hundred Gram Oz]

Which medium are you growing with. Are you recirculating?

Peace,
HGO

Originally Posted by Miraculous Meds

I think ur thinking of the ph pen stoney, they need to keep moist with ph4 or there solution or tap water. If u keep them clean, and in solution, u can get a couple years out of them. Ur water or nutrients might be hard to be causing that loss that often.

The ec pen doesn't need any solution or calibration. But I do check against calibration solution once in a while to make sure.

Yes i have both I make sure I keep the PH probe moist in kcl solution at all times. I think the PH pen is pretty good despite some bad reviews. I would buy a guardian if I had just one res to look after so pens are more convenient right now

Originally Posted by Hundred Gram Oz

Which medium are you growing with. Are you recirculating?

Peace,
HGO

Growing in rockwool currently because I started from seed but usually there is no medium when I grow from clone just roots suspended in the air and yes recirculating(amazon aero system). Also I use vitalink nutes with pk booster buddahs tree 9/18 along with calmag

From what i've researched if EC stays constant with no rising / dropping the girls are happy and it's a bit of a trial and error thing. but i'm just a bit confused to how I should balance the ec ratios between the nutes, booster & calmag

[Cloneman]

Originally Posted by Fields~of~Green

What reading do you get from the tap with no nutes

Like FOG says, we need to know what your tap water reads.

My water is shit, reads 0.7, so at 1.2 its only 0.5 of nutes/additives.

So I use a RO unit and its 1.2 of nutes/additives, I never go above 1.2.

This is an example, might not suit your water, but gives you an idea.

Oh yeah I use a BL Truncheon > bloody good STIRRER

hey can i ask about EC i have a blue lab truncheon but i dont get any reading from my tap water which i no is soft water..ph is around 7ish if left over night any ideas thanks in advance...Cheesefiend

[Cloneman]

Originally Posted by zooty

From what i've researched if EC stays constant with no rising / dropping the girls are happy and it's a bit of a trial and error thing. but i'm just a bit confused to how I should balance the ec ratios between the nutes, booster & calmag

Say you put in 100 ltrs of water in your rez, put in your additives at the prescribed rates, then put in the nutes gradually to bring it up to the desired end EC. Low at first for veg then ramp it up as you get further in to flowering...of course adjust your PH as well

Good luck
C