My runoff has EC readings around 4

[flylowgethigh]

I have a SWICK going in a tub, with a straw sticking in the side to regulate the max water height. When I water I dump onto the perlite bed, and what is in the bed gets too full and over flows. Water running from the bags when I top water in feed can go through the soil and bag into the SWICK bed.

So I tested the runoff with a truncheon and one is reading around 3 and the other tub is around 4. I have no idea what that means, and what it is doing to my plants.

Should I make a way to change out the bed water and get rid of what is making the EC so high? Is this what kills my terps?

 

[shiva82]

one is eating more than the other. and you are overfeeding i would guess

 

[flylowgethigh]

When I top water I put a lot of feed in. Maybe I better change the water in those tubs. I’ll have to clear a spot in the perlite bed and drop a little pump in the opening. This is the sativa tent, the plants are kicking azz, but the terps need to start making.

I just thought of a way to improve that tub system. I’ll plumb in a little peanut butter jar size control box to the bottom of the tubs. That will keep the tubs even and allow me to pump the water out and drain the tubs.

 

[shiva82]

you can have a hose going direct to the bottom to control , and an overflow hole where it will drain off when you add water and not interact with the media

 

[flylowgethigh]

I will use a small plastic pail at the lowest level to do just like you said. It is no problem scooping a gallon from the big tent reservoir, and pouring it on the tub to water. The control pail will also allow the two tubs to communicate.

But for now in the somewhat occupied sativa tent I stuck a pump down in a hole I dug in the perlite and pumped. Non-optimal process. I used cheesecloth to screen the perlite. A rosin squishing bag seems to be a good filter.

I flushed the tubs in the big tent. This is going to be part of my transition to flower so the nitrogen is reduced more. That tent is easy because I have the pumps set up so I can drain it into a car boy and dump that.

Live and learn. My battle against nitrogen.

 

[Creeperpark]

The EC is supposed to be high because you are using amended or super soil. Your plants are kicking ass because of the high EC. If one container has a different EC than the other it could be because of one was not milled or mixed the same as the other. The high EC are unavailable salts the will be useable nutrients in the future.

 

[Ca++]

Truncheon goes to ec4 now? They keep getting higher, but my last one was 3.6

 

[flylowgethigh]

The one I got goes to 6. I would occasionally check the reservoir, and would change that water even at 0.4.

I did the best I could swapping the water for fresh stuff. Before the next run I will have better plumbing in there, as changing the water seems like a good idea. Nitrogen this late in the run is just trouble.

The sativa tent overflow is still 1.8, so there is a good reason to be able to pump out the wick beds with minimal hassle.

 

[YellowCanaryConsulting]

Should I make a way to change out the bed water and get rid of what is making the EC so high? Is this what kills my terps?

Depends on what the EC consists of. 4 Ec is like 3000-4000ppm? Balance is pretty important at that point. I've not tested a popular soil mix yet where N didn't bully everything else out with increased light intensity. These youtuber-approved pot growin recipes are all designed for outdoors full spectrum full root clay bearing soils, not these lame 3 band leds and soilless "notill" everyone's been tricked into.

 

[FletchF.Fletch]

What was the ph of the high EC runoff?

 

[flylowgethigh]

I dunno. I like the ph meter too much to put it in that bilge waste.

I think this stale wick bed water holding nutes may be part of my trouble. For the next run in there I will make an easy way to drain down the wick.