Blue Dreamin' 1200w RDWC
- Thread starter Giant
- Start date
so you think it was high ppm that was causing the curling?? i have my ppm at about 650 and my PH is hanging out around 5.8 think i should bump it up soon?
Giant
Member
I have no idea, haha. All I know is I lowered it and it went away. One thing I promised myself at the beginning of this grow was that I am always going to do what the plants tell me. If they arent hungry, I dont see any reason to bump up the nutes. If you see your TDS falling over a 24 hour period then they are probably asking for more food. If you see your water level drop and your TDS spike, like mine, they are probably asking for less food and more water. Mine still seem to be happy with around 800ppm, but they were doing just fine at 600ppm 2 weeks ago.
ok ok,yeah its been hangon out between 640-650 for a couple days now but also the roots havent started really developing yet just a root or 2 in the water. thinkin i'll just keep topping off with plain RO til i see a significant drop in ppm? im hopin that works for now also low maintainence for now
hahaha.
hahaha.
IamNug
Member
great lookin bushes giant, some real big fan leaves on that one.
dwc uses nutrients very efficiently. I'm starting mine off at about 150ppm.
Check out my new grow thread giant, I took some cuts and stuck them straight into the hydroton in about half the buckets. So you can see what that's like, if interested.
Have a great day buddy!
dwc uses nutrients very efficiently. I'm starting mine off at about 150ppm.
Check out my new grow thread giant, I took some cuts and stuck them straight into the hydroton in about half the buckets. So you can see what that's like, if interested.
Have a great day buddy!
Hey Giant, nice grow! I'm growing some Blue Dream myself and I've encountered the "dopey" clones before. I've gotten a couple of them with the batch I'm running right now. What worked for me was plucking the small little buds that are all over the center of the plant and vegging them but as you said, it costs a few weeks. My bad clones cleared up a couple weeks after I transplanted them+pinched/pruned and they are now throwing out healthy normal foliage. One's lagging behind a bit, but its got a lot of budsites.
Are you using Bushmaster? I see a lot of people using it with BD.
Looking forward to more updates, keep it going smooth!
Are you using Bushmaster? I see a lot of people using it with BD.
Looking forward to more updates, keep it going smooth!
wow man nice set up and pics 
good luck with it all!
darwin
good luck with it all!darwin
Giant
Member
Hey man, where were you 3 weeks ago?!?!?
I probably should have tried during veg, but I just left them alone. I guess we'll see what happens. At least its still kicking for now. 
Nope, no bushmaster.. Right now Im just using GH nutes (micro and bloom), liquid kool bloom, cal-mg+, and epsom salts. Ive been shooting for a 3-1-2 NPK ratio and about 800ppm. I guess it seems to be working.
Well, yesterday things went less than smooth. I had a slight power issue, and my lights and water chiller both failed. The plants were dark for about 36 hours and the water temp went up to 72*. They are only 1 week in to flower, so hopefully it wont cause any serious problems..
Giant
Member
Good morning! I think I am going to change it up.. In an effort to reduce the amount of Ca in my mix, I reduced the cal-mg. This required me to up the amount of bloom and micro in relation to the Kool Bloom as well.
Here are my numbers from this morning:
190ml Micro
80ml Bloom
10ml Cal-Mg
30ml Kool Bloom
30gr Epsom Salts
N 256.2
P 80.6
K 177.6
Mg 73.2
S 71.6
Ca 259.4
Its still alot of calcium, but it is less and the rest of the nutrients remain mostly the same..
Here are my numbers from this morning:
190ml Micro
80ml Bloom
10ml Cal-Mg
30ml Kool Bloom
30gr Epsom Salts
N 256.2
P 80.6
K 177.6
Mg 73.2
S 71.6
Ca 259.4
Its still alot of calcium, but it is less and the rest of the nutrients remain mostly the same..
Giant
Member
It looks like my pH meter took a shit on me this morning. It read my res at 7.5 this morning, which I thought was waay too high.. I stuck it in 7.0 cal solution and it read it was 10.0. It wont even calibrate itself! Now what am I supposed to do? I will try to contact HANNA, but that doesnt really help me in the interim..
B
bipotato
Run to the hydro store and get a dropper tester for under $10. I hate those $20 Hanna/whatever pH meters so much. The only pH tester I've been able to rely on lately is the Oakton EcoTestr's. Still nice to have the liquid around for confirmation every once in a while.
Your numbers seem quite high especially in N and Ca, perhaps consider cutting back the micro a bit. I also have a feeling that, at least for this round, you will be better off not using any additives like Kool Bloom.
Any particular reason you're looking for a 3-1-2 ratio?
Your numbers seem quite high especially in N and Ca, perhaps consider cutting back the micro a bit. I also have a feeling that, at least for this round, you will be better off not using any additives like Kool Bloom.
Any particular reason you're looking for a 3-1-2 ratio?
my ph pen is shitty too. i have yet to find a good ph pen that doesn't fuck up.
B
bipotato
Try the Oakton EcoTestr pH2. Only pen I've come to trust, and I've owned so many. Milwaukee's, Hanna's, HMS's, noname's... all stored properly in solution, but eventually they all just decide to suddenly take a shit one day.
Never had a problem with TDS meters, though... except losing 'em. (The waterproof Oakton TDS tester is nice, too.)
yeah i'm using a Milwaukee right now, and i've had it a grand total of 4 weeks. i don't trust it one bit.
i trust my dropper tester more, and it makes me feel like a scientist.
i trust my dropper tester more, and it makes me feel like a scientist.
Giant
Member
This was supposed to be a nice HANNA unit, it was certainly more expensive than $20..Run to the hydro store and get a dropper tester for under $10. I hate those $20 Hanna/whatever pH meters so much. The only pH tester I've been able to rely on lately is the Oakton EcoTestr's. Still nice to have the liquid around for confirmation every once in a while.
Your numbers seem quite high especially in N and Ca, perhaps consider cutting back the micro a bit. I also have a feeling that, at least for this round, you will be better off not using any additives like Kool Bloom.
Any particular reason you're looking for a 3-1-2 ratio?
I have the old dropper kit, but I cant read the difference between 5.6 and 6.0 to tell you the truth. It all looks green to me. Those numbers are actually diluted about 50%, so they arent quite that high (except the mg and sulfur). Man, If I could explain this 3-1-2 ratio in one post, I would.. I first read about it on another forum I frequent, and its really starting to pick up steam as more growers try it. The basic premise goes back to the tests done by the US govt in the 40s. They showed that hemp (MJs closest relative) grew best with an NPK ratio of 3-1-2. That is the golden number. Most people run 3-1-2 from seedling to late flower, then switch to 2-1-2 in final ripening. The only reason I'm using Kool Bloom is because its 0-10-10 makes it very easy to adjust my PK levels in relation to everything else.
Most hydro nute mfrs blend and recommend mixes with less than the optimal amount of nitrogen. Why? Because when you feed the plants with the optimal amount of nitrogen, you will see significant PH swings in the nute solution from day to day, even hour to hour. All that means is - the plants are pigging out. If the ratio of the elements is correct, the plants consume food and water at an amazing rate. Nutes removed from the mix cause the PH to swing. If your pH is stable, the plants arent eating (at least as much as they could be).
So why the deception? Nute mfrs don't want to get into the business of trying to school their customers. If you bought their product, and the PH was dropping like a stone or soaring a whole point from day to day, you'd be inclined to think there was something wrong with the product, yes? So they take the "safe" route, and mix it the way they do. Plants grow, people are happy. But as my eyes have been opened, I see you can do a whole lot better.
So far, I have found this to be true. I lose about 25% of my water every 4 days, and I usually adjust my pH 2-3 times a day for the first 2 days after a res change. After that, things begin to stabilize and growth slows down. If I could do a res change every 2 days I probably would.
To feed the plants right, you need to know what you're giving them. A lot of people over the years have been kind enough to do the research and tests, and the info is out there for free. One generous soul has posted a nutrient calculator, so you can actually play with mix values and instantly see the results. It already has the GH 3 part nutes listed in there, with all the numbers. I downloaded the spreadsheet, then I added Cal Mag Plus, and Liquid Kool Bloom - the numbers you need are right there on the label. Look for "Guaranteed Analysis" values.
First, you can grab the calculator here, in the form of a spreadsheet (near the bottom of the page) --> CannaStats - Nutrient Profiles for Cannabis .
Credit for most of this information goes to someone else from another forum.
B
bipotato
I only asked because it seemed your plants appeared to have a bit of N overfert from the pictures. I'm not so sure that's optimal, but my again.
I'm pretty sure you have a fairly weak grasp of understanding on the pH swings.
Are you sure it's not the excess Ca that's causing Mg deficiencies, and/or causing other issues?
Not trying to "hate", just responding.
again.I'm pretty sure you have a fairly weak grasp of understanding on the pH swings.
Are you sure it's not the excess Ca that's causing Mg deficiencies, and/or causing other issues?
Not trying to "hate", just responding.
Giant
Member
I thought high levels nitrogen would cause a dark green or waxy appearance. My plants dont look like that.I only asked because it seemed your plants appeared to have a bit of N overfert from the pictures. I'm not so sure that's optimal, but my
I'm pretty sure you have a fairly weak grasp of understanding on the pH swings.
Are you sure it's not the excess Ca that's causing Mg deficiencies, and/or causing other issues?
Not trying to "hate", just responding.
If I am misunderstanding something, please help me out. From what I understand a nutrient reservoirs pH is going to be controlled by the uptake of nitrate and ammonium. Therefore, if a plant is uptaking large amounts of nitrate the end result would be a change in pH.
According to what I have read: Any plant that has a large demand for nitrogen that is supplied with that nitrogen will cause a rise or decline in pH unless the dynamics of that system and the strain that is being grown just happens to be satisfied by your average nutrient formulas nitrate to ammonium ratio. That is seldom the case. Most allegedly successful growers are nearly always bordering on underfeeding their plants as far as nitrogen so of course the effect is less pH wise
I am not sure of anything. I am still very new at this and trying to learn as much as possible. Nothing I do is set in stone, and I am will to make changes as my ladies ask for them. On my last res change I dropped the amount of Ca by almost 25%, and I am still trying to get it down. The problem is the micro contains as much N as it does Ca.. I am looking in to the HW Micro which only has 1% Ca and 5% N. From what I have been told, it's ok for calcium to approach the values of N because Ca gets absorbed slowly no matter how much is available. I dont know how true this is..
B
bipotato
IME, excess nitrogen is most easily spotted as a "claw" or under-curling/cupping of the leaves. I'm not sure why you're trying to target such a high level of Ca. Did you see deficiencies or other problems at lower levels? I see at least an N overfert & Mg lockout.
Also IMHO/IME, bordering on underfeeding on nitrogen seems to produce better results than overdosing on N (lower yields & leafier buds).
Seems to me you've got the case of "trying to do too much" for your level of experience. I'm not saying you shouldn't experiment, if that's your priority and you're willing to sacrifice results in your immediate future for your the sake of learning. If not, there are "proven" formulas out there.
Love your strong enthusiasm, though.
Also IMHO/IME, bordering on underfeeding on nitrogen seems to produce better results than overdosing on N (lower yields & leafier buds).
Seems to me you've got the case of "trying to do too much" for your level of experience. I'm not saying you shouldn't experiment, if that's your priority and you're willing to sacrifice results in your immediate future for your the sake of learning. If not, there are "proven" formulas out there.
Love your strong enthusiasm, though.
