phxazcraig
- 543
- 93
Could be. I've seen all kinds of backward interpretation of numbers here so maybe I'm jaded lol.I though we were talking EC? I've seen some people give EC readings in microsiemens instead of the usual millisiemens.
Based on my one grow so far, I'm associating flowering with an EC spike. As long as it goes down. I'm closely following a GH feed chart, except typically been diluting it by about 200 points on whatever scale I'm on. Which is either 1.4 or 1400 instead of rhe 1.6 or 1600 on the chart. Is it typical for it to drop back down?Could be. I've seen all kinds of backward interpretation of numbers here so maybe I'm jaded lol.
If it's 1.4, I'd still say that's a bit high. In early flower you often get a runoff spike, it happens.
Yes, there is a 2am feeding. Lights are on 10am to 10pm. Using schedule from cocoforcannabis. Plants look good.Increase watering frequency? or maybe they're just light feeders.
Try resetting/flushing your media to 1 EC with just your base nutrients and run at 1 EC for a few days and see if it's any better. If that helps, then maybe add liquid koolbloom to the mix at 1/2 strength on top of your base feed.
are you giving them a watering when the lights are out?
Yep absolutely, by week 4 or 5 it's starts slowing down, just keep up with either lower ec feeds or more runoff to keep the ppm in check and you'll be fine.Based on my one grow so far, I'm associating flowering with an EC spike. As long as it goes down. I'm closely following a GH feed chart, except typically been diluting it by about 200 points on whatever scale I'm on. Which is either 1.4 or 1400 instead of rhe 1.6 or 1600 on the chart. Is it typical for it to drop back down?
Flipped to 12/12 Feb 15, so just finished week 4. I've read a few times that Sour Diesel may take an extra three weeks (11 total) in flower. I'm treating that like an extended middle flower, per a GH chart.Yep absolutely, by week 4 or 5 it's starts slowing down, just keep up with either lower ec feeds or more runoff to keep the ppm in check and you'll be fine.
My take out of this is that I should try rotating or moving my halo drippers so the input isn't always in the exact same spot.If you are getting an increase in your run off EC and you have 5x a day watering frequency I would recommend verifying your pots water content. Crop steering and water content are great topics to look into.
It sounds to me like your getting to large a dry-back during irrigation’s creating channels and increasing EC.
Some best irrigation strategies are to start with your deried EC and flush your root zone till EC in = EC out. This could also be considered “field capacity”. Meaning the maximum amount of solution your medium can hold. In coco filled 1 gal pot it’s like 54% before you start getting runoff. That’s a good start for within 2 hours of lights turning on.
From that point you want to manage your dry backs between irrigation events. Let’s call “field capacity” 100%. If your plant uses 20% of that water in the pot in 1 hour you would call that a 20% dry back. If you have a 20% dry back, because there is less water in your medium your EC increases. It may only be by .1 or less but it does increase as EC is a measure of total dissolved solids within the water content.
OK so now we know how the EC goes up. So let’s talk about the irrigation strategy. If after that hour you were at the 20% dry back and you irrigate but don’t replenish the entire amount of the dry back (never reaching field capacity) your medium EC will be higher than the input EC. Maybe by a little or maybe a lot. It just depends on the amount of dry backs and how frequent the irrigation‘s and how long those irrigations are. If you’re never getting back to field capacity after the first irrigation then every irrigation there after your EC is technically just going up and up and up. Even if you get some run off at the end of that day let’s say unless you were completely flushing your medium to bring it back to the input EC value you would never get back to that value ultimately ending in a nutrient toxicity.
So with that being said let’s say after your first hour you dry back 20%, if you were to irrigate long enough to get to total field capacity (100%) with no run off or very little your EC for your medium should now be back to roughly your input EC. ( until this is dialed I recommend a tiny bit of runoff every irrigation). Dry back 20% and irrigate again getting some runoff. It doesn’t have to be a lot but it lets you know you’ve hit field capacity with getting some runoff.
This is called crop steering. By managing the dry back percentage, the frequency of irrigation and the length of those irrigation‘s one can manage a plants production focusing either on more vegetative or more flowering aspect of growth.
And just one other note technically a plant doesn’t require a dry back as is shown in the DWC or flood and drain style of growing. However in coco the dry backs can be extremely important in a plants initial root growth and exploration as well as the more aggressive vegetative and flowering phase.
OK.If you are getting an increase in your run off EC and you have 5x a day watering frequency I would recommend verifying your pots water content. Crop steering and water content are great topics to look into.
It sounds to me like your getting to large a dry-back during irrigation’s creating channels and increasing EC.
Understood.Some best irrigation strategies are to start with your deried EC and flush your root zone till EC in = EC out. This could also be considered “field capacity”. Meaning the maximum amount of solution your medium can hold. In coco filled 1 gal pot it’s like 54% before you start getting runoff. That’s a good start for within 2 hours of lights turning on.
From that point you want to manage your dry backs between irrigation events. Let’s call “field capacity” 100%. If your plant uses 20% of that water in the pot in 1 hour you would call that a 20% dry back. If you have a 20% dry back, because there is less water in your medium your EC increases. It may only be by .1 or less but it does increase as EC is a measure of total dissolved solids within the water content.
But basically, you should have 100%/field capacity if you are getting runoff, correct?OK so now we know how the EC goes up. So let’s talk about the irrigation strategy. If after that hour you were at the 20% dry back and you irrigate but don’t replenish the entire amount of the dry back (never reaching field capacity) your medium EC will be higher than the input EC. Maybe by a little or maybe a lot. It just depends on the amount of dry backs and how frequent the irrigation‘s and how long those irrigations are. If you’re never getting back to field capacity after the first irrigation then every irrigation there after your EC is technically just going up and up and up. Even if you get some run off at the end of that day let’s say unless you were completely flushing your medium to bring it back to the input EC value you would never get back to that value ultimately ending in a nutrient toxicity.
I'm pretty sure I'm over 30% runoff on most feedings. The first one in the morning is a little short of that because the only feeding between 8:30 and 10am is at 2am. Otherwise there is a watering at 10am, then every 3.5 hours after that until lights out. (I actually start the first watering 5 minutes after the lights come on).So with that being said let’s say after your first hour you dry back 20%, if you were to irrigate long enough to get to total field capacity (100%) with no run off or very little your EC for your medium should now be back to roughly your input EC. ( until this is dialed I recommend a tiny bit of runoff every irrigation). Dry back 20% and irrigate again getting some runoff. It doesn’t have to be a lot but it lets you know you’ve hit field capacity with getting some runoff.
That's what I'm attempting, I think.This is called crop steering. By managing the dry back percentage, the frequency of irrigation and the length of those irrigation‘s one can manage a plants production focusing either on more vegetative or more flowering aspect of growth.
I guess one variable I haven't really measured is how much water is used between feedings, runoff+evap+plant use. I don't really know how wet/dry the coco is. I've just assumed it was wet throughout. My feedings are 35 seconds, by the way. I say about a gallon per feeding/split over 4 plants. Somewhere around 5+ gallons a day going in, and about 4 gallons a day in runoff. It's a lot.And just one other note technically a plant doesn’t require a dry back as is shown in the DWC or flood and drain style of growing. However in coco the dry backs can be extremely important in a plants initial root growth and exploration as well as the more aggressive vegetative and flowering phase.
I think the takeaway is that if you are feeding too fast, even though you're getting runoff it may cause channeling in the coco by not letting it fully saturate causing an EC spike.But basically, you should have 100%/field capacity if you are getting runoff, correct?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?