Just another MPB 1st timer

[Gray Beard]

Mr Diz, thanks for the input and for following this thread. I get the feeling I am moving into the critical phase and I may need input from you and all the other knowledgeable growers here. I'll be bending branches in the morning.

 

[mcattak]

magic green spray is the shit for some extra N

Thats the supernatural stuff right...Love it...
mc

 

[chrometrichs]

Thats the supernatural stuff right...Love it...
mc

The magic green is H&G's foliar spray, I think supernaturals foliar spray is called green stay...

 

[Lost]

I use Insta Green. I think its all the same stuff. A 2-0-0 or 3-0-0.. Great for that yellowing that happens in the first 2 weeks of flower. Its a great solution because for some reason the first 2 weeks of flower, the plants eat so much N they then to yellow then green back up. Im trying to eliminate the yellowing, but so far have only been kinda sucessful :)

 

[Gray Beard]

4 weeks in

Things are going reasonable smoothly. Having meter trouble but that is a whole dif. story.
pH is dropping overnight for the past week or so. I am trying to keep it around 5.5 - 6 but is around 5 when I test in the morning. Anyone else experience this? It seems to me the girls have stalled. I may just be expecting too much.
I included a pic of the veg set up I came up with. Next week I will go from the the tray w/6 babies to individual 5 gal buckets for 4 of them. I will t-plant into the 10" net pots that will eventually go straight into the tubs. If all goes according to plan. Pics next week.

 

[easypleasie]

Gray, what are your nute ppms and day/night temps right now? Your chiller keeping things cool enough for ya? Roots looking ok? Also curious how your smaller MF girls are doing. Have they filled in much?

Get a spare meter and calibrate often! I measure with two different meters each time just to be on the safe side.

Also, you might wanna cover up that clear veg tub so light/heat isn't getting through. I highly recommend a chiller for veg if you don't already have one.

Be happy bro, your girls are still alive and kicking!

 

[Gray Beard]

PPMs and pH are in question at the moment hence the meter story. Meter giving off inconsistant readings. I think it is reading ppms ok which have been in the 1200 range but the pH reads very alkline when the old fashioned 4 drops in the test tube reads it pretty acidic, there can be as much as 3 pts between them. I have been trusting the old fashioned method. Temps have been great 76-68 day night.

The veg set up sort of evolved before I could find a black tray and lid. They will be going into black buckets with new tubing in 2-3 days. Buckets are made and net pots are ready. I am actually going to take my 1/3 hp chiller and use it on this veg and upgrade to the 1/2hp for my tubs. But at this moment the veg is w/o a chiller. So much money to spend!

 

[jack the reaper]

watch the temps closely, do you have a thermometer that tells you the max/min temp/hum.?
your 3rd 4th and 5th fotos on 4-24 remind me of the way my plants looked before they tanked, mine got very yellow after a long period of stunted growth.
the downward shift in your ph could be from a bacterial issue, i had the same thing and lowering my chiller temp by reducing the flow rate of my pump helped alot.

 

[Gray Beard]

The max. day time temp is 76 and the min night temp is 68. Checked the roots today and they look great. Lots of pretty white roots, I was actually surprised by the amount of roots. If the portion above the water line was doing as well as the portion below I would be golden.
Rez @ 65 and tubs @ 66-67. I think it is a pH issue. Did a rez change today and will watch it as close as possible. I will be tackling meter and nute issues with grow store mgr. Sunday. He is telling me that Gen Hydro is pH buffered and there should be little or no variation within a 24 hr period. He also told me the meters I borrowed from him work.

Hey Easy, the little ones you asked about never really took off. they will end up being one really nice big bud. Pic below.

 

[easypleasie]

The little ones didn't stretch at all from the pics. Gives me an idea on flowering some rooted clones in my room to fill in some space and have some variety :)

How tall are your biggest girls now? What height do you think you're gonna flip them next time?

Keep an eye on everything, bro. Things can go sour quick so stays on top of it! Calibrate your meter!

 

[largepoppa]

The pH/TDS meter issue is something that I had a problem with too. I severely stunted some babies since the meter I had was off. I ended up getting a second meter and compare the readings from the two. Since then, I check the pH/TDS with both and am calibrating the meters weekly. I know some have said that they only calibrate every month or so but I'd rather be safe than sorry. IMO, I'd rather spend a few more minutes taking readings from 2 meters and calibrating than losing time with pH lockout. eseasongear.com has a bunch of meters at reasonable prices and shipping was pretty quick.

 

[mcattak]

I had PH issues the last week of bloom...Ph dropped off the cliff for no apparent reason...

mc

 

[JoE_AnTiX77]

good job...

 

[Gray Beard]

Girls look pretty much the same this week as last. Some bud growth but not much. Spent hours with my hydro store buddy on Sunday in regards to the meter issue with no resolution. Not going into it here but it was very frustrating. pH and ppm are very important parts of this process but getting a "reliable" reading is the most difficult part of all this to date!

I am putting my new babies on the rack for the next run, stretch'em out now. On the next run I will also get as much light as possible to the interior by tucking leaves and bending branches.

Could my problem be associated with the General Hydro nutes?

 

[Gray Beard]

pH and ppm in MPBs

A debate has begun at my hydro shop with regards to DWC/MPB. The issues are
-what is the proper pH for a system like this?
-with drop in pH as I had (5.5 down to 4.3 during night cycle) do I add "pH up" or do a complete rez chg?
-how much "pH up" can be used without damage to girls.
-ppm's, during the days between rez changes do I add nutes to keep ppm's at desired levels, do a rez change when ppm is below certain level or wait for regular rez change day?

I have read but can't seem to find these answers.

Only one place for me to turn to - The Farm. Thanks in advance for taking the time to respond.

 

[easypleasie]

GB, do you have digital ballasts? My Lumateks cause issues with both my nutradip trimeter and my hanna grocheck. Both plug into standard 120v outlets and are supposed to be used for 24/7 monitoring. They both go haywire when lights are on. I've had to use standard battery operated pen meters that aren't affected by the RF interference from my ballasts. Just something to look into if you have digital.

 

[Gray Beard]

Both the meters I was using were Hanna Grochek battery driven. I had borrowed them from grow store mgr. ,hadn't been used in about a decade and he wasn't surprised that they no longer worked properly. I used them for a month before discovering that.
I'll keep the digital ballast thing in mind cause I do have digital Lumateks.

 

[noone88]

re: pH swings.

I use lucas 8/15 and pH always swung either up or down after every res change and then for the next 2-3 days. It would settle from day 4 to 7.

Best way for me is to add in all your nutes, walk away and come back in about 2 hours and then adjust your pH. Don't adjust it immediately.

Seems like with RDWC, I use way more pH up than pH down compared to E&F. Whenever I finish the last few weeks with Overdrive or Dry Koolbloom, my pH loves to go from 5.7 to 5.0 overnight. Watch it diligently after the res change.

 

[Gray Beard]

Thanks for the help 88. pH is still swinging but I have pH meter issue solved for the moment. The girls are actually coming to life a bit. They have started to but on a bit of weight. Am finishing with Koolbloom and Diamond Nectar. Some hairs are turning amber. Pics in a day or two.

 

[noone88]

Last week or two with nutes like Koolbloom, seems like pH loves to drop down very quickly. I've had swings of 5.8 to 5.0 within 12 hours after res change and lights on.

You're almost finished!