[Bluntpower]

Hello again,

I've ran into a new problem, the runoff of certain pots is coming out lower than what's going in since the last 2 feedings.
I always test the runoff PH, and now also tested the EC of it.
This has started happening since the switch to flowering nuts.

Setup:
15L pots in 50/50 Coco/Perlite
Feeding every 2 days with nuts as recommended.

Feeding:
Plagron products
Water 50/50 Tapwater/RO water which ends up @ 0.5EC
Cocos A&B + Green Sensation both half strength (autoflowers)
Sugar Royal 1x/week also half strength.
1.3EC, 5.7PH, 24°C

Runoff:
Plant 1 >> 4.9PH, 23°C, 2.0EC
Plant 2 >> 5.6PH, 23°C, 2.1EC
Plant 3 >> 6.0PH, 23°C, 1.4EC
Plant 4 >> 6.0PH, 23°C, 2.1EC

The only plant that looks amazing is nr3, followed by nr1, 2&4 both look droopy, top of the plants lighter than the others, buds way smaller.
All tests ran with bluelab pens, properly calibrated or should i say re-calibrated just to be sure that's not the issue.

I don't have the necessary experience to know what to do right now since i have no clue what causes the problem :(
I've searched the net but as usual find multiple possible causes so any help would be much appreciated.

Thx in advance
Blunt

[BakedBandit]

Seems like the good one is eating much more than the other 3 to me. Maybe feed the other 3 less for a little bit?

[OG_NoMan]

Lower your feed EC and make sure the feed is between 5.8-6.2 P.H. always run nutes none of this feed one day not the next. I think you are screwing up the cat ion exchange by running plain water and this is causing lock out. Just my .02 good luck.

[HqFarms]

If ph rises or lowers less than .5 your girls are doing good. There is a relationship between run off ph and ec. A ph drop of .7 can indicate your girls are getting over fed and there is more nutrients i.e. salts built up in your medium which would also show a higher ec because of the excess salts built up and getting washed out. Excess salts lower ph.

Are some plants getting more run off than others? If you're experiencing deficiencies it's because of lock out/ nutrient toxicity.

From looking at your pictures everything looks happy feeding every two days seems like not enough and your coco is drying out causing salt build up. Get yourself a moisture meter and keep them moist, not wet. The 4-6 range is perfect.

[Bluntpower]

Originally Posted by BakedBandit

Seems like the good one is eating much more than the other 3 to me. Maybe feed the other 3 less for a little bit?

Yeah one is hungrier than the rest good point

[Bluntpower]

Originally Posted by OG_NoMan

Lower your feed EC and make sure the feed is between 5.8-6.2 P.H. always run nutes none of this feed one day not the next. I think you are screwing up the cat ion exchange by running plain water and this is causing lock out. Just my .02 good luck.

I've never given plain water, the nuts say with every watering and that is what i've done so far, not sure why you think i did that

Thx for your input anyway m8 cheers.

[Bluntpower]

Originally Posted by HqFarms

If ph rises or lowers less than .5 your girls are doing good. There is a relationship between run off ph and ec. A ph drop of .7 can indicate your girls are getting over fed and there is more nutrients i.e. salts built up in your medium which would also show a higher ec because of the excess salts built up and getting washed out. Excess salts lower ph.

This helped me understand the problem much better, everything is exactly what happens, i even noted everything down, cheers for that

For the entire veg period i had nothing like this, it started happening after the switch to flowering nutes.
Water always went in @ 5.5ph (as recommended) and always came out between 6.0 and 6.2ph which seemed perfect to me.
Never checked the EC of the runoff before tho, didn't know that was a thing :(

Are some plants getting more run off than others? If you're experiencing deficiencies it's because of lock out/ nutrient toxicity.

Yes that happens a lot, they all get exact same amount of water, but runoffs that are supposed to be 10-30% are more around 0-20%
Is that also a sign of something maybe..?

From looking at your pictures everything looks happy feeding every two days seems like not enough and your coco is drying out causing salt build up. Get yourself a moisture meter and keep them moist, not wet. The 4-6 range is perfect.

They are not looking happy trust me, only nr3 is doing great, that plant has side colas that are bigger than the main cola of 2 other plants (2&4) just to give you an idea..

Upping the water frequency i'll do that starting tomorrow as they've already been fed today.
I'm not letting them dry out completely tho, they are 15L pots after all (3 and 3/4 Gallon)
The medium has never shrunken and pots still have some weight in them.

And for the moisture meter i didn't even know they existed so cheers
I just took a look at my store and they have this one, that's what you meant..?
17€ a piece so i prefer to be sure before ordering 4..

[OG_NoMan]

Originally Posted by Bluntpower

I've never given plain water, the nuts say with every watering and that is what i've done so far, not sure why you think i did that

Thx for your input anyway m8 cheers.

My bad I read it like that. So your problem is definitely salt building up. You need to be watering till run off or close to it at least twice a day your ec should be about 1.0 give or take depending on strain ph should drift between what I said earlier. By the end of flowering I am feed ing 5-6 times a day during lights on. Good luck brother

Also I wouldn't follow any directions by manufacturers or hydro stores as they want to sell stuff. This site has been the biggest wealth of info and the only place I trust.

[HqFarms]

Yes that's the meter. They also make one that is just moisture. The ph part of that meter is very inaccurate.

10% -30% is all you need for runoff. You can also do no runoff but that means you have to run even lower ec.

I person ph my water for coco from 5.8-6.4. It also depends on which cycle they are in. For veg I stay better 5.8-6.0, early flower 5.9-6.1, mid flower 6.0-6.2, late flower 6.2-6.4. I change ph because at different ranges nutrients are absorbed differently. Also because as nutrients build up some ph lowers in you media.

Please keep in mind there is more than one way to skin a cat and there are so many variables to account for. What works for me might not work for you. Good luck brotha.

[OG_NoMan]

Originally Posted by HqFarms

Yes that's the meter. They also make one that is just moisture. The ph part of that meter is very inaccurate.

10% -30% is all you need for runoff. You can also do no runoff but that means you have to run even lower ec.

I person ph my water for coco from 5.8-6.4. It also depends on which cycle they are in. For veg I stay better 5.8-6.0, early flower 5.9-6.1, mid flower 6.0-6.2, late flower 6.2-6.4. I change ph because at different ranges nutrients are absorbed differently. Also because as nutrients build up some ph lowers in you media.

Please keep in mind there is more than one way to skin a cat and there are so many variables to account for. What works for me might not work for you. Good luck brotha.

I do almost identical to what you do and have great results. I am putting in RO this fall so I can try to run with no run off.