Nute strength?.

[Paranoid]

Hi all,

I just want to get the safest tds reading.

I'm ready to add my flower nutes and was wondering what the best range to start off would be. I try to keep my ph around the 6-7 mark(cant be exact with the liquid measure). I have read to keep ppm around 1000, Would this be a safe starting point.

With my last few grows i was using what the bottle said and what the instructions to my system said, When i got my tds meter i realized my ppm was around the 1800 mark. Everything grew well but was all unknown bagseed. Now that i am growing strains which i know, I dont want to risk overfert.

Any help here much appreciated, Thanks heaps,

Paranoid.

[nouseforaname]

hey paranoid,

That is the norm for most growers when they get a tds. Many people think that the higher the nutes the better the smoke which is not the way. A plant grown on 200 ppm for veg and 400-600 ppm for flower will be better smoke than something grown 1600+ ppm. I usually keep my standard a+b (800-900ppm)levels up until the first 4-5 weeks of flower, then add flowering additive (pk13-14) at 1ml per litre. Adds about 3-400 ppm run this for two weeks then either A+B for one week then two week flush or just flush from then. Its alot easier to keep the mums lean and work your way up on your clones than to keep high ferted mums ...hope that helps stonedas

[Lindsay]

Hey Stondedas, A quick question, do you keep your mums in hydro or soil? I'm looking for a relatively low maintainence hydro system that I can use to keep my mums under a couple of dual 36w fluros. I was thinking of just using perlite and feeding by hand but then soil would be even easier yet.

 

Do you have any advice on procedure for finding a mother from seeds?

 

Thanks!

[DrGreen]

STONEDAS GIVES THE BEST ADVICE FOR NUTE STRENGTH,IF YOU DONT HAVE A HANNA OR TRUGEON JUST DROP THE NUTES TO HALF OF WHATS ON PACKAGING.

[Brainstorm]

hi paranoid, I'm going with stonedas on the nute strengths, also some strains prefer a weaker nute solution, I always mix my nutes at half strength and keep an eye on them with my meter.

 

I noticed in your post that you are holding your ph at 6-7, generally if you are growing in hydro you should have a ph of around 5.5 - 6.1

 

I've seen a couple of charts on PH levels and nute availability and will see if I can find them and post for you.

[nouseforaname]

hey,

I run all my mums in coco fibre or perlite. I have seen people use plastic/cloth with holes in it at different stages thru the pot to hold more moisture. This may be an option as is adding granulated rockwool to the coco/perlite mix. Always run nutrients at half bottle strength if no testers are used. They will handle full strength but clones will be harder to take due to nutrient levels. If clones wont strike flush mums for two weeks with plain water, if they still wont take flush for two more weeks.

 

Easiest way to pick a mum from seed is to grow them until there is about 6 internodes and then clone the main growing top of each plant. Label A1,A2,B1B2C1C2 etc so you know which is which. Within two weeks all clones should start to take, the seedlings that looked grim, now have two/four branches about 5 cm long on the top of each plant. Your choice is now whether to flower the seedling or the top clone depending on which looks more desirable to keep as a mother. The tester for flower doesnt need to be anything super special just to sex and rough taste test.

 

After flowering out the seedlings or clones you have to choose which to keep and then you will have A1 A3 B2C4D7E1E2E3 for example. Get rid of everything else and start from the best looking mums. Take the biggest clones possible from now on for mums and you should be on the right track. Ill try to upload a pic of a sweet tooth clone i took thats almost 50 cm tall.

[Brainstorm]

Hi guys, just further to finding those PH charts, I've posted them in the general sections as there were charts for both Hydro and Soil.