Noob questions regarding nutrients, PH, EC etc

[irishboiii]

Hey guys, im slowly figureing out what it takes to have a successful grow but the one thing that remains very confusing is everything in the topic title lol.

Im very confused regarding nutrients and even more confused regarding EC, PPM, TDS etc.

Could someone please clear some of these things up for me a bit?

 

[Seamaiden]

I won't try to answer your question about nutrients, because I don't know what it is. I can, however, explain to you what EC and the subsequent acronyms are and how they work in relation to growing.

EC is simply electrical conductivity. That is based on a measurement called microSiemens. You don't really need to know that, but what you need to know is that not everything is electrically conductive (many organic fertilizers are more or less conductive, which affects EC readings), and you DEFINITELY need to know that ppm (parts per million) and TDS (total dissolved solids) are BOTH calculated from EC, never the other way around. So all you really need to know about is EC.

Now, what's electrically conductive in relation to growing? Chemical salt-based fertilizers are always electrically conductive, and that's where you should learn how to use a good meter to keep track of EC (which means you're simultaneously tracking ppm and TDS, which are really just conversions of EC).


Has that helped clear at least the EC, etcetera, stuff up for you?

 

[irishboiii]

Yes, that has cleared it up quite a bit so thank you. So when Im doing a nutrient change (il be doing a single plant DWC), I just check the EC of the solution before I put feed it to the plant and not worry about PPM & TDS?

What should the EC be at, and how do you adjust EC levels?

Regarding nutrients, my main question would be how much of what do you add to the water at the various stages of growth?

 

[Seamaiden]

The stuff about nutrients are questions I don't feel comfortable answering too specifically, because I've never done DWC and it's been a LONG time since I've used chemical salt-based fertilizers.

Adjusting EC levels is as simple as adding more fertilizer (specifically chemical salts) to drive EC up, and adding more (0 EC) water to drive it down. Also, you need to know that the plant's needs with specific regard to EC levels changes as it grows and according to what phase of growth it's in. For example, a vigorously growing cannabis plant in vegetative phase may need an EC as high as 2.0, whereas a girl late in flower is just sipping nutrients, so an EC of around 1.5 or under may be called for. It's also very strain-dependent. And, to further complicate things, you can't go just by EC, you need to be able to respond to actual nutrient requirements, another example would be how The White really demands so much more calcium than just about any other strain I've run.

Don't worry about ppm or TDS, again, they're just conversions or calculations based on EC.

As for when you check EC, yes, you do it when you mix up the nutrients prior to feeding. That's also when you check pH first.

 

[irishboiii]

Thank you mate, great info there.

Regarding nutrients, Iv been watching a 17 part youtube series called How to grow DWC cannabis, and the guy in it always uses half the recommended doses with DWC due to the solution being so readily available. However his nutrients get more and more complex after a while and very hard to follow.

 

[Seamaiden]

When using soluble nutrients, I always start(ed) feeding around at least half the recommended rates, then watch the plants' response.

Just start with simple for now. Once you get some grows under your belt, you'll come to understand the complexity of feeding as though it's second nature. :)

 

[irishboiii]

Hopefully some day Il be as good as hygrohybrid lol

 

[Welshwizzard]

I dont much about with EC levels as I just want to keep to what I know and slowly add new techniques like LST training on maybe one or two plants of my current.

Dont over complicate yourself on your first go pal and you'll be fine

 

[budm]

I haven't sen it mentioned yet, but keep in mind as Sea has stated all PPM numbers that you see people posting come from the EC measurement then it's 'converted' to a TDS or PPM value. The only thing is that different manufacturers use different variables for the conversion. Most popular are .5 and .7 values.

Ie - on a Hanna pen an EC of 1.0 = a PPM of 500, because they use .5 when converting. On pens that use a .7 variable, an EC of 1.0 = 700 PPM.

EC is a better number to track/report but most people seem to report PPM, which is useless unless they also tell you if that PPM is on a .5 or .7 scale.

 

[irishboiii]

Thanks budm, that was very helpful mate

 

[Jalisco Kid]

Read other peoples grow logs and go to a university site. Google works great. Chow or another medium might be easier on you at first. JK

 

[ken dog]

really good info so far... I only report and record ec, and forget about ppms as well... PPMs are meaningless unless someone tells you the correct scale.


the more oxygen that you add to the water, the less nutrients you will need to put in solution... this means that if you have a well aerated deep water culture, (which you should), then you can use 1/2 the recommended EC levels that they call for with an ebb and flow grow.

It is my opinion that you will constantly need to monitor your PPM's, and pH, so you need a port hole in your bucket to take measurements and add nutrients and water solution when needed.
I would also use non organics on this grow, as you do not want any root problems that slime could cause... I would also try and keep the temperatures below 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
I use Heavy 16 for my ebb and flow grows, which is half organic and half synthetic... & I use Current Culture solutions for my deep water culture grows as they are totally synthetic, and have a root additive/exfoliator, that keeps the roots clean and healthy