Using GH FloraNova series nutes. Their instructions clearly say to replace absorbed water with plain PH'ed water, and after 7-days do a complete water change with fresh nutes. I'm on day 40 of veg and anticipate a 60-day veg. I have 2-gal res on my waterfarm and by day 5 have replaced 2-gals from absorption by the plant. PPM's this morning was 750, I started at 950. Clearly she's eating and drinking well. This is a heavy indica species and the plant is very bushy and about 12" high. A scrog screen is going in tonight. Question is how many of you hydo folks replace absorbed water with nute water and why? Have you done it both ways and seen more growth by keeping your nute water hot all the time? My girl is a Nirvana Chrystal and I've veged 40-days from germination. Thanks for the help!
Nute Water vs Plain Water Replacement
- Thread starter tucker99
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DukeO
Well-Known Member
If mine are feeding heavy I will add 1/4 or 1/2 nutes if the water in very low in my DWC after 2or3 days.
I never take it up as hot as a full change.
When in flower mid week water fill up is when I will give a 1/2 dose of bloom booster.
Just keep a close eye on your ppm.
I never take it up as hot as a full change.
When in flower mid week water fill up is when I will give a 1/2 dose of bloom booster.
Just keep a close eye on your ppm.
Captain Nemo
New Member
I'm growing in DWC with 5 gallon bubblers. My biggest girl will easily drink a quart/day. My goal is to maintain EC right around 2.0 (1000 to 1100 ppm with a .5 conversion) and pH between 5.2 and 5.8. I check pH twice daily at the beginning and end of lights on and adjust appropriately. Like Duke, I will add a quart or half gallon of ½ strength nut's to the bucket several times between complete changes. This is sometimes enough to get both pH and EC into the correct range, but sometimes I need to also add pH Up or Down to get the pH right.
I do think complete changes are more important when they are flowering and bulking up those buds because certain solutes will build up over time (root cells can selectively absorb or exclude solutes), particularly Cl anions. Higher concentrations of Cl will make it progressively harder to maintain pH and EC and eventually cause the plant problems/apparent nutrient deficiencies. This is probably more of a concern when using chlorinated drinking (tap) water, but will eventually become a problem even when using RO water.
I do think complete changes are more important when they are flowering and bulking up those buds because certain solutes will build up over time (root cells can selectively absorb or exclude solutes), particularly Cl anions. Higher concentrations of Cl will make it progressively harder to maintain pH and EC and eventually cause the plant problems/apparent nutrient deficiencies. This is probably more of a concern when using chlorinated drinking (tap) water, but will eventually become a problem even when using RO water.
- Thread starter
- #4
Thanks Guys. Scrog screen is filling up faster than anticipated. I'll probably flip at day 51. At day 49-she's drinking and eating well. Problem is it's not consistent. Seems like it takes a day or 2 after nute change then she really takes off eating. Water is consumed but PPM and PH increase significantly and then all of the suddenly, PH is stabilized and PPM drops 250-300 points. Looks like the only way maintain 1/2 strength nutes is to add a little at time, constantly checking PPM's. A lot more complicated than simply adding PH'd water. Do you notice a significant difference adding nutes instead of plain water? Is this more apparent during the bloom cycle? How long do you guys typically veg & bloom?
DukeO
Well-Known Member
I do not use a scrog screen with my DWC buckets anymore.
I veg for 4-6 weeks. I pinch twice most of the time and then super crop from there. What I want to end up with is a plant that is 36-48" tall(i loolliepop up 12to18") from the top of the bucket and 36"round with a dozen colas. I like to slow the middle of the plant down a little at first while I let the side growth come upward. I call it a Medusa. I have found that I can get the most grams per bucket out of it without scroging or growing tress that are hard to work with. I pull about 6to8oz most of the time per bucket. I have one like that at week 5 in flower now of Dr K's Amazing Bulk and it really is Amazing. It could be over 10z's on her.
I could grow them bigger.
But that size is the biggest I can work with ease.
I like to be able to see and get my meters into my buckets.
I do want to try scroging again sometime. But not until I can run a RDWC setup.
Medusa's are working just fine for me till then.
I have found(or I think so anyways) that if you run just a little lower water level in flower at water fills they are less likely to get that little slow down that can happen.
( Water is consumed but PPM and PH increase significantly) I would try backing down a little on your nutes to see if that slows down the swing.
I have found that less = more a lot of the time...
I veg for 4-6 weeks. I pinch twice most of the time and then super crop from there. What I want to end up with is a plant that is 36-48" tall(i loolliepop up 12to18") from the top of the bucket and 36"round with a dozen colas. I like to slow the middle of the plant down a little at first while I let the side growth come upward. I call it a Medusa. I have found that I can get the most grams per bucket out of it without scroging or growing tress that are hard to work with. I pull about 6to8oz most of the time per bucket. I have one like that at week 5 in flower now of Dr K's Amazing Bulk and it really is Amazing. It could be over 10z's on her.
I could grow them bigger.
But that size is the biggest I can work with ease.
I like to be able to see and get my meters into my buckets.
I do want to try scroging again sometime. But not until I can run a RDWC setup.
Medusa's are working just fine for me till then.
I have found(or I think so anyways) that if you run just a little lower water level in flower at water fills they are less likely to get that little slow down that can happen.
( Water is consumed but PPM and PH increase significantly) I would try backing down a little on your nutes to see if that slows down the swing.
I have found that less = more a lot of the time...
The plant might be using more water at first because of the ph swings and then more nutrients after when the ph stablized. Try making up nutrient and checking/adjusting ph a few times a day for couple of days till it stablizes then do nutrient change out!! Let us know how you go?
- Thread starter
- #7
That's exactly what is happening Carlo. Just got back from 3-days out of town and hooked up my 2-gal away res, so total 4-gal res. Water make up after that was exactly 1-1/2 gal, PH stabilized at 5.8 and PPM's dropped from 1150 to 850. So you're saying heat up the make up water to original PPM level correct?
Less is better in most cases. If the water is down and the ppm are down all is good.. If the ppm's creep up use less nutrients if the ppm's dip add a little more. So I would make my top up tank1/4 strength max!! Probably use 1 ml per litre, if full strength is 5 ml per litre. I run RO water and massive Rez but I have an undercurrent system more water/nutes makes the ph swings better same with RO. Hope it helps I'm still a little green with my new set up. Trial and error!! Lots of Google and U tube!!
- Thread starter
- #9
Bringing this to the top with follow-up. I'm on week 6 bloom of my second grow. The PH problem was the hydroton. The new stuff needs to be cleaned with vinegar and rinsed really good. I reused my old hydroton and had no PH problems. In fact after about week 3 veg of my second grow, I stopped checking PH. The Floranova series has PH buffers in it.
After spending hours reading different forums about how folks mix nutes and add make up water; I decided to do something novel and follow the Floranova Series instructions from GH. I used nutes per their schedule beginning with seed sprout. I maintain PPM's with nute make up water and have added supplements Koolbloom wet & dry at their recommended amounts on the Floranova schedule. It's important to note that when on the Floranova series, the supplement amounts are reduced from what is written on the nute bottle. In addition I am flushing with AV Flawless Finish. The only reason I'm using this is because it got better reviews than GH's flushing supplement.
Fortunately I kept a journal of my first grow and documented progress with notes and pics. Kind of hard to tell but I believe I'm doing better this time than my first. I learned a lot...
After spending hours reading different forums about how folks mix nutes and add make up water; I decided to do something novel and follow the Floranova Series instructions from GH. I used nutes per their schedule beginning with seed sprout. I maintain PPM's with nute make up water and have added supplements Koolbloom wet & dry at their recommended amounts on the Floranova schedule. It's important to note that when on the Floranova series, the supplement amounts are reduced from what is written on the nute bottle. In addition I am flushing with AV Flawless Finish. The only reason I'm using this is because it got better reviews than GH's flushing supplement.
Fortunately I kept a journal of my first grow and documented progress with notes and pics. Kind of hard to tell but I believe I'm doing better this time than my first. I learned a lot...
