Are You Sure Switching Out Solution Is Best?

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Shawnery

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I'm super new still considering I'm only 2 months in to my first grow but I'm a little confused why.

It's pretty much the accepted norm to change out your res every 2 weeks at the least. Maybe some people go a month at the most but even they are considered REALLY pushing it. There's belief that it will cause an imbalance in your nutrient levels because of the different uptake by the plant. I've also read that it can cause algea or bacteria problems. Then there's the belief that it will cause ph fluctuations. But what if the above has nothing to do with the life cycle of your solution?

I've been reading SO MANY threads and websites concerning the swapping out of hydroponic solution that my eyes are going bad from the screen time.

I've read one growers, there are many more, account of his experiences that put this practice into question. He started out changing his solution on a weekly basis but began to question it. He then switched to once a month and saw no change. He then switched only at the flowering phase and still no ill effects. He finally said screw it and decided to try an entire grow without switching out his solution and to his surprise absolutely no ill effects AT ALL. It didn't matter in the end how often he changed it or at all. In the end his harvest had the same quality and yield independent of clean outs or no clean outs.

Besides saying, this is how it is because this is how it's always been, or, it's what I've always been told or any other subjective argument. Does anyone have any actual experience attempting to run a system with no solution changes vs. running consistent and often solution changes?

I find it hard to believe that all the stories I've read are either bullshit or purposeful misleading.
 
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Shawnery

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I was sure this would be devicive and start an I know best debate but nothing!

I guess that's what happens when a topic has been discussed to much already.

Come on someone say, you are wrong and you'll kill all your plants, are you crazy.
 
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Shawnery

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You consider trolling something much different than I! I started this thread in hopes of a heated debate. Not designed to upset people but to open them to different ideas. I like to find subjects that are mostly agreed on and find alternate answers. I create threads and respond to them for no other reason to increase my understanding and others. If you consider that trolling than yes that's why I start every thread! But I don't consider that to be trolling what so ever!

Not everyone is a negative person looking to cause strife for the sake of its self. Some people express their positivity through pushing peoples assumptions in order to find truth!
 
Mega Genesis

Mega Genesis

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Say brother, as you know I'm pretty new but I can say this:

I was changing my reservoir out every 2 weeks After the first 4 weeks, I have not changed the reservoir since and it is going to be 2 months in a couple of more weeks. Alas, there have been no signs of sickness of the plant. In my opinion, it is growing stronger.

I MUST change out the reservoir now due to it almost being dry. I hope I offered something productive to your post!
 
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Shawnery

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Thanks for taking the time!

I'm not surprised you haven't seen any I'll effects to be honest. From all the research I've done, it comes down more to ph, temp and light entering solution chamber.

I'd really hope others could come on to explain in detail the experiences they've had that enforce their weekly change outs.

I think perhaps the less water that you have in total in your system the more it opens you to problems but perhaps not?
 
Mega Genesis

Mega Genesis

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Now correct me if I'm wrong but I could've sworn I read somewhere that it is ideal to leave a gap of air within your reservoir as opposed to having it sit in water completely. I heard that it may be prone to adverse effects if you just have it sit in just water with no gap for air.

I also agree with your research. I believe the PH level, temperature of your grow space and solution and the amount of light used are HUGE factors in the overall health of your plants.
 
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Shawnery

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I'd be interested to know how much nutrients and water people who switch out weekly go through. The whole point of hydroponics is because it's better for the environment and uses less water. I have a hard time believing the hype of being a green growing system if that is true.

Nutes aren't cheap and we're talking about 10's of gallons of water. It may be the safest most clean way of growing in a hydroponic system to switch out constantly but I highly doubt it's as night and day as "they" would make us believe!
 
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Shawnery

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A couple newbs saying everything they've ever been told or believed is wrong.
 
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Shawnery

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Now correct me if I'm wrong but I could've sworn I read somewhere that it is ideal to leave a gap of air within your reservoir as opposed to having it sit in water completely. I heard that it may be prone to adverse effects if you just have it sit in just water with no gap for air.

This I have not personally come across but I plan on doing some research. At the moment I'm running no gap and so far so good. Hopefully you are mistaken, not saying you are, but either way I want to be sure.
 
Mega Genesis

Mega Genesis

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Truthfully, I'm not assured of being full-on right, myself. Just something I've thought I come across reading from some forum.
 
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Shawnery

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I've been looking into it since I read your post and it seems to as devicive as changing out your solution consistently. It's much the same as the situation we find ourselves in currently.

Everyone screaming the sky will fall if you don't do what we say. Then they're are the few who fight the tide and find the sky stayed right where it was.
 
Mega Genesis

Mega Genesis

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I've been looking into it since I read your post and it seems to as devicive as changing out your solution consistently. It's much the same as the situation we find ourselves in currently.

Everyone screaming the sky will fall if you don't do what we say. Then they're are the few who fight the tide and find the sky stayed right where it was.

Yeah, I agree entirely. For the most part, I can say that you can have your tank run as long as you can without having it dry out on you and as long as there's no lighting and temperature issues you should be golden.
 
RHINObeast

RHINObeast

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First buckets in veg go all the way to the third week in bloom, then swap nutes, then swap nutes at week 5 or 6, and then Plain water flush 1.5 weeks prior to chop. I switch twice in bloom to create pk blasts with canna pk 13/14 and liquid koolbloom in which I cut back the doses of flora bloom and micro. Helps with Frost, helps with bulking
 
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King Julien

King Julien

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I change my nutes depending on how fast my plants are drinking the water. Every 2 weeks if they're drinking it up fast. I also grow in 5 gallon bucks with no res so I have no buffer besides what's in the bucket. Sometimes a plant in mid to late flower will decide to drink 2+ gallons a day even after I've upped the nutes so rather than spend hours dialing in crap I just switch it out quick with a hose and a pump after it does that enough times. Old water out, new water in, done.

I also will change out nutes if a plant isn't drinking it's water at all which generally means it's a bit rich and needs reduced a touch to not risk burning anything but that's pretty rare for me to do.

I will mention that I have gone 2+ months in veg and half of a 9 week flowering without changing nutes. I also run calcium hypochlorite to kill off anything bad though so I don't have problems with bacteria or the like. I also don't PH unless I am planning on running nutes in a bucket longer than a couple weeks. My nute recipe scales pretty effectively as I go and I'm used to it and they're cheap so I find it pretty useless unless something starts going mysteriously wrong.
 
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Shawnery

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I would really love to have somebody come on here and debate passionately for the opposite side of this equation. Not that I desire to cause Strife or to be the bringer of arguments I just find it this is the best way to find answers.

Obviously there are many people on here that believe they have to switch out the water weekly let alone bi-weekly. I just don't understand why they're not willing to come on this thread and post factual evidence to back up your choice. Not that you have to back up your choice or defend your decisions. I would just love the chance to be able to gain knowledge that would increase my understanding on why people believe it's best to do what they do.

I'm sure it would be easy for everybody who believes they know better to sit back and watch these newbs spout off about this heresy. I'm sure there are some sitting back taking bets on when we will destroy our plants or debate on the loss of yield or quality because of our choices.

I would just like you to share these openly and honestly. Like I said nobody has to prove anything. I would just hope that you would be willing to come on here and open up the mind of those who you might believe has the incorrect view of the situation, for no other reason but to help.
 
RHINObeast

RHINObeast

805
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I change my nutes depending on how fast my plants are drinking the water. Every 2 weeks if they're drinking it up fast. I also grow in 5 gallon bucks with no res so I have no buffer besides what's in the bucket. Sometimes a plant in mid to late flower will decide to drink 2+ gallons a day even after I've upped the nutes so rather than spend hours dialing in crap I just switch it out quick with a hose and a pump after it does that enough times. Old water out, new water in, done.

I also will change out nutes if a plant isn't drinking it's water at all which generally means it's a bit rich and needs reduced a touch to not risk burning anything but that's pretty rare for me to do.

I will mention that I have gone 2+ months in veg and half of a 9 week flowering without changing nutes. I also run calcium hypochlorite to kill off anything bad though so I don't have problems with bacteria or the like. I also don't PH unless I am planning on running nutes in a bucket longer than a couple weeks. My nute recipe scales pretty effectively as I go and I'm used to it and they're cheap so I find it pretty useless unless something starts going mysteriously wrong.
Yeah like you said, when the water levels aren't going down, it means your ppms are too high, but unfortunately I don't agree with swapping nutes that much. Plants adapt to their surroundings and if you're just reaping them of fluids they're used to for a week, then you're not only losing out on money from nutes, you're losing time and energy and taking away it's happy environment. When my ppms drop down to 250 from 350 in bloom, I add nutes depending on what the plant shows me it needs. If the plant is healthy, I'll just add plain water until I see some sort of discoloration, if the ppms are still not going down after that, just plain water flush. Like if you're gonna trash a bucket of perfectly good nutes that had a great Ppm but the plant just wasn't thirsty for it I think that's stupid, huge waste of money, growing has made me a true believer in "less is more"
 
RHINObeast

RHINObeast

805
143
I change my nutes depending on how fast my plants are drinking the water. Every 2 weeks if they're drinking it up fast. I also grow in 5 gallon bucks with no res so I have no buffer besides what's in the bucket. Sometimes a plant in mid to late flower will decide to drink 2+ gallons a day even after I've upped the nutes so rather than spend hours dialing in crap I just switch it out quick with a hose and a pump after it does that enough times. Old water out, new water in, done.

I also will change out nutes if a plant isn't drinking it's water at all which generally means it's a bit rich and needs reduced a touch to not risk burning anything but that's pretty rare for me to do.

I will mention that I have gone 2+ months in veg and half of a 9 week flowering without changing nutes. I also run calcium hypochlorite to kill off anything bad though so I don't have problems with bacteria or the like. I also don't PH unless I am planning on running nutes in a bucket longer than a couple weeks. My nute recipe scales pretty effectively as I go and I'm used to it and they're cheap so I find it pretty useless unless something starts going mysteriously wrong.


That makes no sense on not phing for two weeks, by then you just slowed your plant down a week because of a ph imbalance. It takes less than five minutes to ensure quality of your water and ph. You're plants are always better off on a balanced ph scale.
 
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Shawnery

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Balanced ph has more to do with nutrient absorption than any other factor that is part of the hydroponic system.
 
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