My next grow

[Ozzy420]

Hey all, well i put my babys under my 400w sun-t today (very berry 2) thay are about 2 inchers tall. am growing in 70/30 perl/vernic and nutes i am useing Amsterdam indoors A+B for veg and AI A+B for bud and Evolution Solution Extra Yield as a bud additive, my feeding system is a 30 res into a drip system witch i will setting (hand feeding at the moment) to feed 15 mins every two hours (run to waste) i am going to veg for about a week or two and then sex them, once i know who are my girls i will reveg for two weeks and then turn them to 12/12, i will post some pics as soon as i get my camera back from my lil sister

 

Now 1 question with ph what is the best all round avarge as i have read so many diffrent things on what ph should be, so what do u all thaink the best avarge is

[Guest Wilderbud]

Everything sounds good but the feed times. A PH which is slightly acidic [5.5-6.5] is good for marijuana.

 

I was flooding every 3 hours in perlite + expanded clay so youd probably only need it 4 times a day with peat + vermiculture.

[pipeman]

5.2 to 6.1 is the correct range for MJ as far as I know.

 

so there ya go ozmade, two different answers in two responses ::

 

put my answer and Wilderbud's answer together and you get 5.5 to 6.1, so thats a good target range I reckon.

[Guest weekprik]

once i know who are my girls i will reveg for two weeks and then turn them to 12/12

 

WHY? why not just let them all grow through veg and then turn them all at the same time, then check check check for male flowers and if any show rip the whole plant out??

 

just a thought because would turing them and sexing then revegging take its toll on the plant and also stress it enough to go hermie?

 

as far as Ph goes.....................

 

pH - the Acidity/Alkalinity of your solution.

 

(Sweet and Sour)

 

 

The pH is read either by a colour test such as liquid dropper test kits, litmus paper test or an electronic pH tester. The pH of a solution is the acidity or alkalinity of the nutrient. When a Solution is too acid or sweet, plants have difficulty taking up most elements. When a Solution is too Alkaline or sour, similar problems develop.

 

pH is read on a scale of 0 to 14. In soil pH can vary and can be difficult to adjust. However, in Hydroponics, adjusting the solution is easy, using pH raise or pH lower to adjust the nutrient to read between 6.0 to 6.5 (optimum 6.3 pH). This will allow all the minerals and micronutrients to be more available to the plant.

 

The availability of nutrient elements are related to pH. Organic materials can vary the availability by increasing the availability in acidic solutions, and more advanced solutions contain these organic additives.

 

You can see by this chart that between 6 and 7 is good and hydroponic growers have found 6.3 to be around optimal. It is always good to allow the pH to wander a little between 6 and 7 as our pH adjusters are made from potassium and phosphorus. Using lots of pH solution to get it "just right" may add too much potassium and phosphorus to the mix. Keep it simple.

 

A simple lesson on meters

If price is a stumbling block, then don't buy any.

For instance, a meter might tell you the pH is 7.0 You adjust it down to pH 6.0. However, the cheap meter made an error, and it was actually 6.1 pH. Now you've adjusted it too far. The plants are sick, so you bring a sample to our store and have it tested. Its actually 5.1 ph. Aha you think and try to get a warranty on you cheap meter, which goes off and comes back again a week later, with the test saying, Calibrated OK. But you don't want to have that meter back, and you yell and scream that it made your plants sick! In the end, you have to buy a good one, or use none at all.

First lesson: buy cheap, buy twice.

Second lesson: If the plants look alright, they probably are. If they look sick, don't trust the meter automatically. Look for a reason and ask for advice. That's how to learn.

 

WP

[Ozzy420]

I am useing liquid dropper test kits and going off the color chart on i have been doing mine around 6.0, so if i keep it around this i should be ok, what would be a good around price for an good digital tester

[pipeman]

they're around $100.

[Luke Skywalker]

Hey weekprik, was that a quote? Who'd it come from...

 

pH levels in hydoponic systems is all about maintaining a good level of dissolved nutes, in the correct forms. Most modern nutes in hydro shops should have a good mix, and be soluble to a good extent between the 5 and 6.5 or so range, outside this and you start to get serious drop off in nutrient availability, because the chemistry of the solution is changing. Sometimes if ph fluctuation is a problem, precipitates and scum can be left in the reservoir, this is a serious problem, particularly in dripper systems. I've found my best results in hydroponics adjusting the pH to 5.5 or so, maybe on the slightly lower side if I'm not going to be able to maintain the system as well as I should be. The ph should slowly drift upwards, as the plants take out nutrients from the solution and change it's basic balance.

 

For semi-hydroponic or soil based systems, the 6.0 - 7.0 range is the best, this is where the soil biota are most active and able to consume and produce plant-usable nutrients in the soil. Once you get out of this range, you tend to find the plants have trouble absorbing micro nutes, and sometimes even macro ones too, if the problem is bad enough. Badly draining, stagnant soil quickly loses balance, and will go "sweet" or "sour" as they decompose, depending on the composition. Most of the biota, (not all mind) are aerobic in nature, and need oxygen, as well as the plants basic need for this substance as well, so having a well draining media can also make a lot of difference to ph. The low side of 6 is better, although these biota can survive (and feed your plants well without inorganic fertilisers) moderately well slightly out of that range.

 

The digital pH meters are good yeah, easy for those with larger systems... but I agree with whomever weekprik quoted, the better ones are usually more expensive. But the universal indicator based liquid types are very accurate, you may have some problems if you're colour blind, but after a while you get the hang of it. Just take it easy with the ph down... that stuff's usually quite potent, so you can dilute it to 1:4 or 1:10 to reduce it's effects and make it a little easier to manage. Much better to use distilled water for this, and make sure the container is lightproof.

 

Hope that helps, there are lots of opinions on pH and what's the optimum levels, but honestly, it's got so many variables involved, (the chemistry of your local water comes into it as well) that you are just going to have to find what works for you. I've found what works for me, and I do okay with it.

[Ozzy420]

I have to usein ph down as when i test the water it is allways over 8 and when i mix up my nutes i need to add 5-7 drops in a 30 lt res to bring it down to about 6.0 but i my strat trying it at 5.5 and see what happen. Edited October 11, 2003 by ozmade

[Ozzy420]

Hey all againe, been doing some reading on the temp of your grow room and seem to find a lot of diffrent info on this, some say between 24-27 and some other info i have seen say up to 35 is ok,but was just thinking if 24-27 or up to 35 is the go for plants in doors, how do out doors handle those bloody hot temps, because some countrys get very hot summers and still grew good pot as we can get blood hot summers here in oz as well, so y dose indoor grow need to be in a certern temp range when all the pot came from outdoors in the 1st place, so as long as u keep good air flow through the grow chamber y dose the temp have matter so much, this is some thing i have been wondering for a wile now and would like to know a bit more Edited October 11, 2003 by ozmade

[pipeman]

hey mate as far as I know 24-27 is ideal. I reckon it might vary strain to strain though, who knows. you can still grow OK in low 30's but much above that and your plant stretches and you're buds aren't as big. also the hotter you go the slower your plants grow.