Frank - Thanks for the positive comments on the plants.
I do have an observation/question regarding the liquid pH test kits. Was wondering how prevalent the issue I’m about to describe might be with these test kits. Especially in our market where there is a lot of rebranding going on from other manufacturers items, from other industries, that may also have pH test kits. They slap a new, not always high quality, label on the package and the colors may or may not be right.
My experience with the color charts, although fleeting, was not a good one. That’s why I went and bought a digital meter. I bought one of those liquid test kits when I first started this grow and had a real problem with it. The main issue being this: There was a color chart on the bottle and a printed piece of paper that came with the test kit that also had a color chart for pH range. Turned out the printing colors on both the bottle and paper chart were slightly off and I was never able to get an accurate test. I was able to verify the inaccuracies after purchasing the pH meter and then using the Blue Lab standards to calibrate and test against the liquid test kit and it’s label and printed color chart. I also validated my days beings with the test results for the city water provided by the city of
Bend, OR. This could happen at home and on computer monitors too if you try to reproduce your own test strips to match against online patterns. If your printers not calibrated correctly the colors will be off and you can not accurately match a liquid test against it. Just my two cents. B8KD
Yea, the paper charts are shit. You can perserve them by taping over them with translucent tape, but the best color indicators your going to find are mostly online. Once you get what bright yellow, yellow/green and yellow/orange look like, your be fine. But you've also got to figure out what they look like with a bunch of dissolved amendments sometimes make it a bit more tricky, as you've got to take the "off" color that they present..
That said, I still take chemical markers over digital anyday, and I've worked professionally, went to college in laboratory environments, both microbiology and organice/bio chemistry, chemical markers are rock solid, they simply don't change. I trust them far more. I do use the ppm meters a lot, and i use a digital scale over a manual one, but lot of the meters from china out there are shit, and short of having quality lab equipment, with appropriate, well established calibraiton protocols in place, I would not personally trust them. That's just my .02
Download the pics I gave you, I think I've got one more I usually use, lemme find. Here they are. Look closely at 5.5 and 6.0 Oh so, slighly yellow/green
Once you got good pH range, good sunlight, temps, root's are going to be loving it, sucking that fluid, big transpiration, big photosynthesis equals massive decarboxylation and alkaloyd production. So keep close eye your pH.
Again, they look fantastic, just keep them happy down under them roots. If your concerned about bugs, I would hit them again soon, as you've still got a little time, by the looks of it, but not much more. Once those buds get more developed your limited in what you can do. Also, I didn't read though it all, but I'm assuming your already flushed and started your flowering regime, just try to make early flower trouble free, (don't push too hard) because it will make a big difference on the back end. I've got a habit of pushing them too hard sometimes, so playing it safe is a good strategy.
This can be the time where trouble starts sometimes, so pay attention.
