You've noticed signs of nute burn, it surely will be more happy, raising EC is always possible... fixing burns is always worse...
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DWC 300W DIY LED SCROG Grow: AK47 and Mazar
- Thread starter hempfield
- Start date
You've noticed signs of nute burn, it surely will be more happy, raising EC is always possible... fixing burns is always worse...
Hi guys,
I decided to lower the EC as it turns that my plans for this grow were too optimistic (until now), so I open my eyes and I told myself to wait for the girls until they are ready.
After reading a post (quoted below) from a more experienced DWC grower I decided to lower the EC to a value which was very well accepted by the girls (another reason I am proud for keeping logs of daily measurements).
The EC is now 1.25mS on AK47 reservoir (with pH adjusted to 6.0) and 1.27 on Mazar's (ph=5.9).
Also I am very anxious to see what effect will have this adjustment, I will wait patiently at least 2-3 before taking any conclusions.
I decided to lower the EC as it turns that my plans for this grow were too optimistic (until now), so I open my eyes and I told myself to wait for the girls until they are ready.
After reading a post (quoted below) from a more experienced DWC grower I decided to lower the EC to a value which was very well accepted by the girls (another reason I am proud for keeping logs of daily measurements).
The EC is now 1.25mS on AK47 reservoir (with pH adjusted to 6.0) and 1.27 on Mazar's (ph=5.9).
Also I am very anxious to see what effect will have this adjustment, I will wait patiently at least 2-3 before taking any conclusions.
good move... have you used rhizotonic? (As it seems those roots are a little underdeveloped)
Check its literature, It has to be used, and gives better results, with low EC.
I've always used it in feeds @ EC 0.9, and max recommended EC is 1.2, it may be worth trying it... (I'd swear having read you have it)
Check its literature, It has to be used, and gives better results, with low EC.
I've always used it in feeds @ EC 0.9, and max recommended EC is 1.2, it may be worth trying it... (I'd swear having read you have it)
Yes, I use Rhizotonic ( and I don't like how it smells - like rotten fish ). The complete line of nutrients I am using is listed here : https://www.icmag.com/ic/showpost.php?p=5368323&postcount=5
I am also using RO water, so if I add another liter of pure water into the reservoirs the EC will drop to ~1mS .
I am not sure why, but in my previous DWC grows I'v seen better roots development when using Grow,Micro,Bloom from GHE, with no additives at all , just some Hygrozime in flowering.
I am also using RO water, so if I add another liter of pure water into the reservoirs the EC will drop to ~1mS .
I am not sure why, but in my previous DWC grows I'v seen better roots development when using Grow,Micro,Bloom from GHE, with no additives at all , just some Hygrozime in flowering.
Hello my friend....this is the one reason I have not been tempted to try hydro. I may be totally wrong but it just seems as though it is too sensitive and way too much can go wrong. Also, it seems as though it can go wrong very quickly if you don't watch things on a daily basis.
I really do hope you resolve your problems. I would hate for something to ruin all your hard work over there especially when you're such a good craftsman...
Good Luck
Hydro is really simple, but you must have good pH & TDS/EC/PPM meter, and understand how to read them.
One misconception is the pH of RO water. There is no standard pH. Typically it is neutral to basic (~7.0-9).
Hydro allows the grower to make quick adjustments without soaking a grow medium that would prevent quick corrections. This is HUGE, especially if nutes are mixed incorrectly, or if nute temp gets to warm, creating an environment for slime, root rot...
So if your nute pH is 5.5-6.0 and you add RO, clearly your result pH will be higher
One misconception is the pH of RO water. There is no standard pH. Typically it is neutral to basic (~7.0-9).
Hydro allows the grower to make quick adjustments without soaking a grow medium that would prevent quick corrections. This is HUGE, especially if nutes are mixed incorrectly, or if nute temp gets to warm, creating an environment for slime, root rot...
So if your nute pH is 5.5-6.0 and you add RO, clearly your result pH will be higher
One thing i learned long ago these companies selling ferts give you a dosage amount for this stage or that stage , Remember they want you to use it up and buy more
least i would if you were buying my product.always start 1/4 strength unless your very familiar with the product and strain , i am also not a hydro, or aero guy
But i think you are missing is how to test your water
for instance you make up a batch of 800 ppm of nutrients that is in your tote 24 hrs later test the ppm contant , and see how much it dropped , ( plants ate )
Then you know how much she is eating or not for instance @ your Stage 650 ppm should be around where you should be
Not sure on when you top up res if its every 2 days then in 2 days test prior to feeding if your ppm is 350 then plants eat 300 ppm of food lower your feed till it becomes equal or little more then my friend your being efficient
and you will know what your plants are doing
One thing i learned long ago these companies selling ferts give you a dosage amount for this stage or that stage , Remember they want you to use it up and buy more
always start 1/4 strength unless your very familiar with the product and strain , i am also not a hydro, or aero guy
I couldn't agree more. I never use full strength nutes, but start slowly raising the EC on each feeding until I like the green using minimal nute dosages, got superb tasting buds in the past this way (always used coco)
The only deficiency I've ever saw was cal/mag, water here is pretty "soft" (EC 0.3) but I'm afraid the treatment authorities use is targeted towards cal/mag removal (reducing water hardness), once I added some dolomite lime ammendment to the coco when repotting, deficiencies were gone.
hemp, you're right on the rhizotonic, it stinks of rotten fish!! but it works marvels with the roots... it's the only additive I used to get 100% cloning everytime (half strength).
I know nothing about DWC, only thing I can think of is if he AK47 root development keeps stunting maybe you could try to fill its tote just with water and rhizotonic at EC 0.9 for a couple days watching it closely.
X
xweed420
what girls doing hemp?
Hey gang... got a PM from our friend Hempfield... Gotta send some love his way... he's not feeling well...Got the flu or something so might be a day or so before he posts..
I hope you don't mind me telling people my friend...just worried about ya..that's all..:hugg:
GET BETTER SOON!!!!!!!
I hope you don't mind me telling people my friend...just worried about ya..that's all..:hugg:
GET BETTER SOON!!!!!!!
Get well hempfield !
I bet the girls will be big and healthy by the next update...
Peace and good vibes, HJ.
I bet the girls will be big and healthy by the next update...
Peace and good vibes, HJ.
crazy_eagle
Active member
Really neat diy!!
5 weeks
5 weeks
Hi guys !
As Vukman said, in the last days I was tortured by a horrible flu. Most of it's effects are gone now but my nose is still a dripping tap; at least I can read and write without feeling that my head will blow out.
Back to our journey, it's time for the official weekly update. Because of my temporary illness I did not had to much time to spend with the girls, visiting them just to measure the water parameters and to fill the humidifier reservoir.
Last week the AK47 gave me headache and I decided to change the water in both reservoirs with a mild nutrient solution. I also read a lot about Canna Aqua nutrients and this confirmed my believe that is extremely hard to keep the pH stable without the buffering capabilities of the regular tap water.
My tap water does not contain any traces of chlorine but it's EC is fair away from stable, oscillating from 500uS to 750uS. Yesterday value was 550uS, so I prepared a 'cocktail' from 10 liters of tap water and 5 liters of RO water for a 15 liters batch of 400uS (considering the EC of 0.4 as the average for tap water).
This time I used nutrients recommended for 10 liters of water for the entire batch of 15 liters :
- 25ml Epsom Salt 0.5% solution ;
- 25ml Canna Aqua A ;
- 25ml Canna Aqua B ;
- 25ml Rhizotonic ;
- 30ml Cannazym ;
- ~5ml pH Down ( from GHE) ;
The tap water pH is 7.3 and the RO 8.1. The blend stabilized it's pH around ~7.4.
After mixing the Epsom Salt solution and the Canna Aqua A and B into the water, the pH went down to 6.4 and the EC raised to 1.19mS. (I measure the pH and the EC continuous while I prepare the solution). When Rhizotonic have been introduced into the solution, the pH suddenly bumped to 7.2 and then to 7.4 after the Cannazym. To lower the pH to 5.9 I had to add ~5ml of pH Down.
The final EC was 1.27mS for the Mazar and 1.25mS for AK47 , and I noticed a slight increase of those values 30 minutes after the solution have been poured into the tubs. The pH also went up with just a fraction but have been re-adjusted with a few drops of pH Down. What I like to the pH Down from the GHE is the fact it does not affect the EC of the solution. The pH Up I use create a significant increase of the EC every time I add it.
The girls have been topped 3 or 4 days ago and they are doing very well. Lowering the EC of the AK47 helped her a lot, as the top leaves grew larger (but still curly on the edges) without any spots or other signs of nute burns.
I also removed some of the older leaves, especially from Mazar, which became very crowded, allowing more air to be moved through the branches.
When I start this grow my plan was to flip the girls on first week of December, but I don't want to push the girls so I will wait until they grow big enough to fill the screens, even this means to flip them on 2013. Probably I will be forced to lower the EC of the Mazar to keep her down to allow the AK47 to catch up.
Last week I also added 74 degrees reflectors to the 10W LEDs, and now the girls receive more focused light on their leaves.
Here are some pics :
5 weeks
Hi guys !
As Vukman said, in the last days I was tortured by a horrible flu. Most of it's effects are gone now but my nose is still a dripping tap; at least I can read and write without feeling that my head will blow out.
Back to our journey, it's time for the official weekly update. Because of my temporary illness I did not had to much time to spend with the girls, visiting them just to measure the water parameters and to fill the humidifier reservoir.
Last week the AK47 gave me headache and I decided to change the water in both reservoirs with a mild nutrient solution. I also read a lot about Canna Aqua nutrients and this confirmed my believe that is extremely hard to keep the pH stable without the buffering capabilities of the regular tap water.
My tap water does not contain any traces of chlorine but it's EC is fair away from stable, oscillating from 500uS to 750uS. Yesterday value was 550uS, so I prepared a 'cocktail' from 10 liters of tap water and 5 liters of RO water for a 15 liters batch of 400uS (considering the EC of 0.4 as the average for tap water).
This time I used nutrients recommended for 10 liters of water for the entire batch of 15 liters :
- 25ml Epsom Salt 0.5% solution ;
- 25ml Canna Aqua A ;
- 25ml Canna Aqua B ;
- 25ml Rhizotonic ;
- 30ml Cannazym ;
- ~5ml pH Down ( from GHE) ;
The tap water pH is 7.3 and the RO 8.1. The blend stabilized it's pH around ~7.4.
After mixing the Epsom Salt solution and the Canna Aqua A and B into the water, the pH went down to 6.4 and the EC raised to 1.19mS. (I measure the pH and the EC continuous while I prepare the solution). When Rhizotonic have been introduced into the solution, the pH suddenly bumped to 7.2 and then to 7.4 after the Cannazym. To lower the pH to 5.9 I had to add ~5ml of pH Down.
The final EC was 1.27mS for the Mazar and 1.25mS for AK47 , and I noticed a slight increase of those values 30 minutes after the solution have been poured into the tubs. The pH also went up with just a fraction but have been re-adjusted with a few drops of pH Down. What I like to the pH Down from the GHE is the fact it does not affect the EC of the solution. The pH Up I use create a significant increase of the EC every time I add it.
The girls have been topped 3 or 4 days ago and they are doing very well. Lowering the EC of the AK47 helped her a lot, as the top leaves grew larger (but still curly on the edges) without any spots or other signs of nute burns.
I also removed some of the older leaves, especially from Mazar, which became very crowded, allowing more air to be moved through the branches.
When I start this grow my plan was to flip the girls on first week of December, but I don't want to push the girls so I will wait until they grow big enough to fill the screens, even this means to flip them on 2013. Probably I will be forced to lower the EC of the Mazar to keep her down to allow the AK47 to catch up.
Last week I also added 74 degrees reflectors to the 10W LEDs, and now the girls receive more focused light on their leaves.
Here are some pics :
Last edited:
HEY!!!!!!!!!! I'm glad you're feeling better....
Good to see that you're back up and around and I hop you just keep getting better and better but don't over do it until you're 100% please.
As for your girls there...WOW,,,,they are nice and bushy I'll give them that. Just make sure you start giving them more height or else you'll end up with plants that are wider than they are tall!!! LOL. I had the same problem in the beginning so I had to add some 'white' light to make them stretch a bit..
I'm sure you know what you're doing and again...good to see you up and at it again...
Good to see that you're back up and around and I hop you just keep getting better and better but don't over do it until you're 100% please.
As for your girls there...WOW,,,,they are nice and bushy I'll give them that. Just make sure you start giving them more height or else you'll end up with plants that are wider than they are tall!!! LOL. I had the same problem in the beginning so I had to add some 'white' light to make them stretch a bit..
I'm sure you know what you're doing and again...good to see you up and at it again...
6 weeks
6 weeks
Hi guys !
It's time for the official weekly update of the AK47 and Mazar journey.
In the last week I had to adjust the pH of the AK47 and Mazar daily , as it constantly drops from 5.9 to 5.4~5.3 and just 8 drops of pH UP raise it back to the normal value.
Last DWC grow (based on GHE three component nutes) was much stable, with minor pH fluctuations.
The low EC of the nutrient solution helped both plants.
AK47 have exploded 3-4 days after topping and started to grow as it should. No more new signs of nute burns on her leaves, also in two of the highest branches I noticed leaves with small holes , but now sign of burn, pests or any external pathogens. This might be a sign of a kind of deficiency I never seen , I will search for more information related.
The Mazar is a dormant monster. I am quite afraid of what will happen when I will flip her. She already has 25cm wide leaves and she started to drink almost 1 liter of water a day. Her roots are white and long, with a lot of white hairs, tangled into a massive root ball which can be the sign of a decent yield. Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures with the roots and yesterday was the last day I could do that .
I might touch the magic spots regarding nutrient solution concentration , as I noticed that in the 24 hours interval the EC of the AK47 slightly dropped from 1.17 to 1.13 and Mazar's from 1.26 to 1.24 in two consecutive days. I will try to increase the EC a little to see how the girl respond (in terms of EC and pH variation ) and also to change my pH UP solution (from KOH - which is more suitable for flowering , to LIQUID SILICON from Growth).
This is the last time we see the girls with a 'natural' look :
6 weeks
Hi guys !
It's time for the official weekly update of the AK47 and Mazar journey.
In the last week I had to adjust the pH of the AK47 and Mazar daily , as it constantly drops from 5.9 to 5.4~5.3 and just 8 drops of pH UP raise it back to the normal value.
Last DWC grow (based on GHE three component nutes) was much stable, with minor pH fluctuations.
The low EC of the nutrient solution helped both plants.
AK47 have exploded 3-4 days after topping and started to grow as it should. No more new signs of nute burns on her leaves, also in two of the highest branches I noticed leaves with small holes , but now sign of burn, pests or any external pathogens. This might be a sign of a kind of deficiency I never seen , I will search for more information related.
The Mazar is a dormant monster. I am quite afraid of what will happen when I will flip her. She already has 25cm wide leaves and she started to drink almost 1 liter of water a day. Her roots are white and long, with a lot of white hairs, tangled into a massive root ball which can be the sign of a decent yield. Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures with the roots and yesterday was the last day I could do that .
I might touch the magic spots regarding nutrient solution concentration , as I noticed that in the 24 hours interval the EC of the AK47 slightly dropped from 1.17 to 1.13 and Mazar's from 1.26 to 1.24 in two consecutive days. I will try to increase the EC a little to see how the girl respond (in terms of EC and pH variation ) and also to change my pH UP solution (from KOH - which is more suitable for flowering , to LIQUID SILICON from Growth).
This is the last time we see the girls with a 'natural' look :
Training started
Training started
The girls are to tall now for my setup so I decided I should not wait anymore and I have installed the screens in place, mastering the first session of intense training (but low stress).
Both AK47 and Mazar were very easy to bend and train, as the stems seems to be made from a strange type of rubber (hard at the beginning and very soft after a few touches).
The main stem was taller than the level of the screens, so I was forced to push the girls down and to bend them also, while trying to avoid breaking the top pair of branches. Hopefully this will force them to swollen next to the bend and to throw many secondary branches.
I tried to arrange the branches in such a way that the younger leaves are always on top of the older ones. Tonight we will see how the girls respond to the training.
Training started
The girls are to tall now for my setup so I decided I should not wait anymore and I have installed the screens in place, mastering the first session of intense training (but low stress).
Both AK47 and Mazar were very easy to bend and train, as the stems seems to be made from a strange type of rubber (hard at the beginning and very soft after a few touches).
The main stem was taller than the level of the screens, so I was forced to push the girls down and to bend them also, while trying to avoid breaking the top pair of branches. Hopefully this will force them to swollen next to the bend and to throw many secondary branches.
I tried to arrange the branches in such a way that the younger leaves are always on top of the older ones. Tonight we will see how the girls respond to the training.
