bigbagofbuds
- 306
- 93
Hey growers!
I have been growing organically for a few years now and have decent success but not many perfect runs. I am looking to improve my consistency and so I purchased a soil EC meter to get another data point.
My main problem tends to be calcium and magnesium deficiencies, growing under LED.
I believe I may be under feeding them because I take a half assed approach to fertilizing so sometimes plants get a bit more, sometimes a bit less, and sometimes Im late to the party and top dress half the plants but forget to do the other half (due to offset watering days).
My idea here was that having a soil EC meter I could check medium EC to better inform me on fertilzer applications.
I grow in a peat based soilless mix, usually ProMix BX with added perlite or Sunshine mix #4. I top dress approximately a half cup per 3 gallon pot every 3 to 4 weeks of 4-4-4 and 2-8-4 mixed.
My question is that after recieving the new meter I went to testing. What I found was the readings were significant lower than I expected ranging from 0.3 to 0.65 EC. I understand that with organics the nutrients are more gradually released via microorganisms so I know that I shouldn't expect 1 to 2 EC. However these numbers are so low I wonder if I am still underfeeding?
What are typical EC readings for organic soil (not run off but the medium itself via direct measure or slurry test)?
How should I improve the conversion of organic matter to nutrient salts? I am currently using fulvic acid, amino acids, carbohydrates, and recharge to try and get the medium working.
I know pot sizes can affect things too, are 3 gallon pots too small for organic growing plants ~ 3 to 4' tall?
I have been growing organically for a few years now and have decent success but not many perfect runs. I am looking to improve my consistency and so I purchased a soil EC meter to get another data point.
My main problem tends to be calcium and magnesium deficiencies, growing under LED.
I believe I may be under feeding them because I take a half assed approach to fertilizing so sometimes plants get a bit more, sometimes a bit less, and sometimes Im late to the party and top dress half the plants but forget to do the other half (due to offset watering days).
My idea here was that having a soil EC meter I could check medium EC to better inform me on fertilzer applications.
I grow in a peat based soilless mix, usually ProMix BX with added perlite or Sunshine mix #4. I top dress approximately a half cup per 3 gallon pot every 3 to 4 weeks of 4-4-4 and 2-8-4 mixed.
My question is that after recieving the new meter I went to testing. What I found was the readings were significant lower than I expected ranging from 0.3 to 0.65 EC. I understand that with organics the nutrients are more gradually released via microorganisms so I know that I shouldn't expect 1 to 2 EC. However these numbers are so low I wonder if I am still underfeeding?
What are typical EC readings for organic soil (not run off but the medium itself via direct measure or slurry test)?
How should I improve the conversion of organic matter to nutrient salts? I am currently using fulvic acid, amino acids, carbohydrates, and recharge to try and get the medium working.
I know pot sizes can affect things too, are 3 gallon pots too small for organic growing plants ~ 3 to 4' tall?