First ever slurry test anyone care to decipher?

[Foutwenty71]

The pH ended up being 7.2 which is a bit higher than I expected considering my other pH testers had me at 6.8 I trust this one because I can calibrate it and I've calibrated it three times just to satisfy my own self same goes with Thea TDS & EC meter which I have no clue about cuz I've never done it before... I actually cut a hole in the side of the pot for ventilation three of them if you really want to know I can reseal them anytime I need to.. so I took the dirt from the lower-middle of the pot for the slurry test... I prepared the slurry test about 24 hours ago for the most accurate reading possible because the numbers do change some the longer the water sits with the soil in the cup...I don't have any problems currently at the moment I just want to figure this out so I don't have to bother people later on in the future, when problems will arise... Murphy's law... what can go wrong will go wrong just give it time LOL

 

[mancorn]

Here is generally where you'll want to be. Your 970 is .97 EC = 485 ppm (Hannah).

edit: just noticed this post is in organic thread. Most of your organic fertilizers will not register on a EC meter. So if you're using some organics, along with a bottled fertilizer you need to take that into account. If you're 100% organic, then the TDS meter isn't going to be of much use.

 

[oldskol4evr]

this is the correct method for a slurry test,as far as your ppm or ec,after you feed your plant and just as it starts to run out of your pot collect enough of the runoff to check with your tds at that point,that meter you have if you keep clicking the cal button will come to ppm.
once you know what your ppm then you can check ph,the slurry test on this video is for checking the soil ph only you could check with a tds meter but wouldnt be acurite,checking the runoff would be acurite

 

[mancorn]

It's actually much easier just to do a pour through test if you're in a pot, as there's no need to collect the soil. (Obviously if you're in the ground, a slurry test is your only option.) Just do a search on “pour through method” and follow the instructions for the amount of water needed for your pot size.

 

[Foutwenty71]

Here is generally where you'll want to be. Your 970 is .97 EC = 485 ppm (Hannah).View attachment 984398
edit: just noticed this post is in organic thread. Most of your organic fertilizers will not register on a EC meter. So if you're using some organics, along with a bottled fertilizer you need to take that into account. If you're 100% organic, then the TDS meter isn't going to be of much use.

thanks...was looking for this and couldnt find it

 

[Foutwenty71]

this is the correct method for a slurry test,as far as your ppm or ec,after you feed your plant and just as it starts to run out of your pot collect enough of the runoff to check with your tds at that point,that meter you have if you keep clicking the cal button will come to ppm.
once you know what your ppm then you can check ph,the slurry test on this video is for checking the soil ph only you could check with a tds meter but wouldnt be acurite,checking the runoff would be acurite

thats what i did minus the magnetic stir gizmo

Here is generally where you'll want to be. Your 970 is .97 EC = 485 ppm (Hannah).View attachment 984398
edit: just noticed this post is in organic thread. Most of your organic fertilizers will not register on a EC meter. So if you're using some organics, along with a bottled fertilizer you need to take that into account. If you're 100% organic, then the TDS meter isn't going to be of much use.

I was using some bloom city cal mag early on but it was causing issues so now it's just my casting tea and that very sparingly...and if i'm reading this right it looks like i can feed it again...havent really fed her since i up potted it a few weeks ago and shes in her 1st week of flower...the stretch is on...I appreciate any advice on these #'s ...I'm far from a rookie but i'm like trying to teach an old dog new trick's...all this info on this site is a new experience for me..100% self taught....until i decided to come to this forum...whole nother world out there

 

[Aqua Man]

Just want to make sure here. A slurry test should only be done using distilled water.

@mancorn I agree I took your advice and did that also after doing a slurry. I did the pour through with my tap water because that what I'm using. And bang on 6.3. it was 0.2 higher than my slurry test. Everytime I check my runoff it matches my pour through test. So you have me as a believer

 

[Foutwenty71]

Just want to make sure here. A slurry test should only be done using distilled water.

@mancorn I agree I took your advice and did that also after doing a slurry. I did the pour through with my tap water because that what I'm using. And bang on 6.3. it was 0.2 higher than my slurry test. Everytime I check my runoff it matches my pour through test. So you have me as a believer

Just want to make sure here. A slurry test should only be done using distilled water.

@mancorn I agree I took your advice and did that also after doing a slurry. I did the pour through with my tap water because that what I'm using. And bang on 6.3. it was 0.2 higher than my slurry test. Everytime I check my runoff it matches my pour through test. So you have me as a believer

ya i used distilled water for the test and to clean my probe after...I'll have to wait another day or 2 to check run off...it's been really humid until today up here

 

[Foutwenty71]

It's actually much easier just to do a pour through test if you're in a pot, as there's no need to collect the soil. (Obviously if you're in the ground, a slurry test is your only option.) Just do a search on “pour through method” and follow the instructions for the amount of water needed for your pot size.

i also wanted to get an accurate ph test at the same time...it also tells me where my home made garden soil stands because thats what i'm using....spent about 8-900$ the past 3 years making my garden soil ...dont feel a need to buy from a store( 2 loads of quality black dirt, about 800#'s of lime and several other soil amendments have been added on a large scale) The soil her was very acidic and nutritionally poor, at least the area where my garden sits. With the river and woods in my backyard and all the diversity on my humble piece of land i should be able to create one helluva super soil for little to nothing is my thinking

 

[mancorn]

Just want to make sure here. A slurry test should only be done using distilled water.

The instructions I’ve read normally say to use your normal irrigation water for saturation and then use distilled for the secondary pour through. But my understanding of the mechanics involved is that the second pour is displacing the saturation water, so I don't think it actually matters. The whole point of limiting the amount of water in your 2nd pour is to ensure that you're only testing the water from the original pour and not a mixture of the 1st and 2nd pour. This illustration shows the mechanics.

And then some instructions, like this one from Purdue, say

An hour after fertigating the plants, reapply a small volume of fertilizer solution uniformly to the top... Use the same fertilizer solution that you normally use to grow plants (not pure water). You do not want to dilute the nutrient concentration in the containers by adding pure water while you are sampling.

https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/HO/HO-285-w.pdf

I normally just use the nutrient water (since I always have it on hand ).

 

[Foutwenty71]

The instructions I’ve read normally say to use your normal irrigation water for saturation and then use distilled for the secondary pour through. But my understanding of the mechanics involved is that the second pour is displacing the saturation water, so I don't think it actually matters. The whole point of limiting the amount of water in your 2nd pour is to ensure that you're only testing the water from the original pour and not a mixture of the 1st and 2nd pour. This illustration shows the mechanics.
View attachment 984494

And then some instructions, like this one from Purdue, say

https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/HO/HO-285-w.pdf

I normally just use the nutrient water (since I always have it on hand ).

I've been using a combination of my well water and pond water which is my well water that has lots of microorganisms in it.. I haven't tested my pond water yet just figured out how to use this Gizmo today but my water out of my tap has a 130 ish reading.. and the same water coming through my refrigerator filter still has a 120 ish reading... Starting to not see the value in our expensive refrigerator filter... At least at the moment while I'm trying to figure things out..

 

[Aqua Man]

I've been using a combination of my well water and pond water which is my well water that has lots of microorganisms in it.. I haven't tested my pond water yet just figured out how to use this Gizmo today but my water out of my tap has a 130 ish reading.. and the same water coming through my refrigerator filter still has a 120 ish reading... Starting to not see the value in our expensive refrigerator filter... At least at the moment while I'm trying to figure things out..

Fridge is probably on a carbon filter. It will remove VOCs. Like sulfur smell, chlorine and depending on quality of the filter chloramines.

120-130 ppm is a great starting point.

 

[Foutwenty71]

Fridge is probably on a carbon filter. It will remove VOCs. Like sulfur smell, chlorine and depending on quality of the filter chloramines.

120-130 ppm is a great starting point.

thanks that's nice to know

 

[Foutwenty71]

So I did the pour through method today. Posting photo of results my head is still scratching about the EC ... The EC chart Hannah.. doesn't match the numbers on my TDS EC

 

[Foutwenty71]

After adding a top layer of organic mix(a mixture of some worm castings good black dirt bone meal a little bit of peat moss it has been brewing in a 5 gallon bucket for a few months because bone meal take so long to break down... Did another poor through results in the pictures below with a pH of the runoff at 7.18

 

[Aqua Man]

So I did the pour through method today. Posting photo of results my head is still scratching about the EC ... The EC chart Hannah.. doesn't match the numbers on my TDS ECView attachment 984690View attachment 984691

It matches close enough to 500scale. Divide the us/cm by 1000.

0.8 EC = 400ppm

 

[Aqua Man]

Now let me throw a wrench into this. Im not so sure how accurate using ppm or ec is with organic nutrients and a discussion in another thread got me doing some reading on this because I know the availability is an issue and while ppm maybe very high I didn't feel it was nute burn or tox related.

Here is one article that leads me to rethink the way organic growers may not benefit from traditional ppm recommendations.

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[Foutwenty71]

It matches close enough to 500scale. Divide the us/cm by 1000.

0.8 EC = 400ppm

thanks...so if i'm understanding it right i'm not to far off from where i want to be in the beginning of the 2ond week of flower?

 

[Foutwenty71]

Now let me throw a wrench into this. Im not so sure how accurate using ppm or ec is with organic nutrients and a discussion in another thread got me doing some reading on this because I know the availability is an issue and while ppm maybe very high I didn't feel it was nute burn or tox related.

Here is one article that leads me to rethink the way organic growers may not benefit from traditional ppm recommendations.

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thanks going to read it

 

[Foutwenty71]

So basically what I just read is I'm going off of blind Faith just like I've always done LOL... All of a sudden hydro is sounding less complicated.. and by the way I'm in the middle of doing the coffee filter method with my slurry test that was still in the cup. Just for s**** and giggles... And boy this is going to take some time LOL