Relationship Between Reservoir Size And Nutrient Concentration

[diogodasilva]

Relationship between Reservoir size and nutrient concentration

Hello growers.

I'm on my first hydroponic (rDWC) journey and still have many questions and problems arising, learning every step of the way.

Lets picture the following scenario to better understand this questioning:
Imagine two systems
One that holds 40 gallons in total with only 4 plants.
One that holds 20 gallons in total with only 4 plants.

Now lets say you run your nutrients with 500ppm on each, same dilution.

Is it possible to assume that the 40 gallon system will potentially burn your plants when the 20 gallon system doesn't ?

Ok, you have the same concentration on both, but on the 40 gallon the plant has more available due to the larger volume, and even though it drinks at the same concentration, it drinks more and more without ever bringing the EC/ppm down due to the higher availability.

Do you see where I am going? Does it make sense?

 

[FooDoo]

No. 500 ppm in 10000000 gallons of water is the same as 500 ppm in a cup of water.

Nothing is more available in volume , only in concentration.

 

[diogodasilva]

So if you grow a single plant on a 1.000 gallon DWC tote and keep nutrient concentration low, the plant will not burn despite having more volume available ?

 

[FooDoo]

So if you grow a single plant on a 1.000 gallon DWC tote and keep nutrient concentration low, the plant will not burn despite having more volume available ?

Correct.

Look at it this way.:

Recommended dose is 1 Advil per person.

Volume is 300 people taking 300 Advil. It's still only 1 Advil per person. Wether the volume is 1000 people or 2 people. No matter what they only get 1 Advil per person. (Aka 500ppm no matter how many gallons you are in)

Concentration is 1 person taking all 300 Advil. (That's the difference between 1 ppm and 50000 ppm) and that is where burn happens (or death in the scenario of Advil lol)

Volume has absolutely zero concern to a hydro grow. Doesn't matter if it's shallow water culture in very little water or deep water culture in more water. Only thing that matters is concentration.