need expert advice

[Avenger]

what's happening folks?

damn it took me 2 days to get checked in. i thought my plants were gonna phooking die on me while i waited to get into the infirmiry.

anyway, i have these four clones and one isn't looking very good. can you help me save it?

they are in an ebb and flow set up, flooded once every two days. one gallon containers filled with re-used(i'm cheap) promix bx cut with perlite.

pH is unknown and un measurable, until i get my meter in the mail, which should be anyday now.

they have been flooded once since transplant into the gallon containers on teusday.

according to the local city report i have fairly hard water, about 200 ppm total alkalinity, 30 ppm Ca. 7.1 pH

the resevour is 10 gallons and i added 75 mL botanicare power plant 3-1-4 (with 1% Ca and .5% Mg) and 10 mL CaCL2 10%.

Anyway the other three seem to be ready to take off, i was just hoping to get this one caught up to them.











thanks and peace

 

[Moppel]

probaly PH problem...

 

[Avenger]

what should i do?

it shouldn't be long, i guess beggining of nextr week probably, before i get my meter.

 

[Moppel]

transplant to bigger pot.

 

[Avenger]

its only been in this one since the 26th.


??

 

[Guest]

IMO, im no expert, especially with hydro, but i hear you need ph 5.8 and 7.1 is way too high for hydro, hope that helps you. Maybe go down to wally mart and go to the fish section and get some ph strips, test your water just for shits, maybe get some downer? just some advice. im no hydro grower.

Agro

 

[Guest]

It looks like they are too wet....

A better medium for this would have been perlite......
or lava rock or a combo....

 

[sproutco]

Your letting the clones sit in soup. Flood only when they have become pretty dry.

Here is what your feeding your plants (approximate) in ppms:
n 59
p 9
k 66
ca 20
mg 10

Then you added 10 ppm calcium with the calcuim chloride for a total of 30 ca.

You want a ratio of 4:2:1 potassium to calcium to magnesium. If you got 100 k then you want 50 ca and 25 mg.

You should increase strength to about 100 ppm nitrogen and fix the ratio.

11 ml per gallon 3-1-4 gives you...
n 87
p 13
k 97
ca 29
mg 15

you need 20 ppm calcium and 9 ppm magnesium more with this.
1 ml per gallon cacl2 10% = 10 ppm calcium
1/8 teaspoon epsom salts per gallon = 15 ppm magnesium

10 gallon rez you would use:
110 ml 3-1-4
3/4 teaspoon epsom salts
20 ml calcium chloride

Your water from the tap has 30 ppm calcium so...you don't need the calcium chloride with this particular recipe.

When plants get larger, use 1.5 x this recipe and add no calcium chloride like before. You can go up to 2x but watch for burning. The 2x rate requires 10 ml per 10 gallons calcium chloride for more calcium.

Gypsum makes a better source of calcium because too much chlorine is really not desirable.

Perlite would make a better media than promix for a hydro application.

Ph is very important. Adjust the fert water ph after mixing to about 6 using an acid or base. Things you might use are in my signature "how to make your own ph up and down".

 

[Avenger]

i know its an ebb and flow, but i am inly using it to auto mate the watering cycle because i am not always around to water them manually.

they have only been watered once since transplnted into these one gallon containers.

i'll cut the water cycle back to once ever 4 days until they get a bit larger.

Here is what your feeding your plants (approximate) in ppms:

how did youcome up with those figures?

i have tried the gypsum, but it didn't dissolve very well, so i went with the calcium chloride.

thanks for the help.

 

[sproutco]

You can use the calculator in my signature below. I did not enter the net weight or total ml of the bottle. I left the top numbers on the default of 1 and 1. If you have those numbers it makes it more accurate. I think you will find its slighly stronger than what i listed but not much. For the calcium chloride i look up atomic weights for calcium and chlorine(2 atoms). This gives you percentage of cacium. Enter that in the calc. The results you multiply by .1 (10%) because its only 10% pure. You don't even need the calcium chloride unless you use the 2x rate of the recipe i gave...and this adds not much cl so your fine. Its actually beneficial to plants.

 

[Avenger]

the power plant is 4603 net grams per 3800 mL.

so i redid the calculations.



any changes to your recomendations?

 

[kokua]

pay no attention to sproutco...he is just trying to confuse you. Wan't to know more? You can check my signiture below.

I think that you have several problems...moisture in the rootzone, pH, and possibly the nutrient you are using.

The first thing is pH...it is very difficult if not impossible to grow successfully without a way to test your pH...what type of meter did you purchase? Did you purchase calibration solution as well? Are you using the power plant that came with your system? If you are you should stop and go get yourself some fresh nutrient. Botanicare rotates their old nutrient (like everyone else)...and gives the oldest stuff away in their hydro systems. Old nutrient that has probably been subjected to hot and cold is not good for your plants.

The ebb n flow is there to automate the watering and feeding once you have figured out what that would be....You should be checking the moisture level daily and hand watering each plant as it needs it until you have dialed in your space. The first thing I would do is drain that reservoir and unplug the pump...your not there yet! YOu need to mix up the nutrient each time you want to feed, and only mix up what you need at the time. Use the weight of the pot as a guide as to when to water. Water is heavy and soil is not...a dry pot feels very light and a moist pot feels heavy. This is a learned practice...you will pick it up quickly.

 

[sproutco]

Great job!!!

Here is 106 n so its about 100 n like the first recipe needs for seedlings/small clones.

For 10 gallon rez (not to add to just 1 gallon):
110 ml 3-1-4 This has 117 ppm k
117 k/2 = 59 amount of ca needed. Need 24 more. There is 30 in your tap so add no cacl2.
117/4 = 29 amount of mg needed. Need 11 more. 1/8 teaspoon epsom gal = 15 ppm mg. 11/15 x 1/8 x 10 gallons = 11/12 teaspoon epsom salts or about a teaspoon

 

[sproutco]

The way your plants are "eating" now has calcium to magnesium 4.5:1 and needs to be 2:1. Your going to see magnesium deficiency start. Give the recipe above a try and do post what happens.

 

[kokua]

The way your plants are "eating" now has calcium to magnesium 4.5:1 and needs to be 2:1. Your going to see magnesium deficiency start. Give the recipe above a try and do post what happens.

Thats the problem MORON!!! His plants aren't eating. You never address the real problem at hand...your always searching for some fucking excuse to refer someone to your signiture.

IS Mg Def the problem this user has posted about??? NO!! Mg def is the last of his worries...

 

[sproutco]

Better to solve mg def before it occurs. It is sometimes difficult to correct and can have a serious impact on plant growth. He promised not to water so frequently and has a ph meter coming in the mail.

 

[Guest]

Seriously, he can worry about his nutrients when his nutes aren't locked out anymore.

 

[sproutco]

Woops. I made a math error. The ratio of calcium to magnesium is worse than I previously stated. I forgot you added calcium chloride. Your plants are "eating" 5.33:1 cal to mag. Definately going to get mag def. Check your plants. I bet the first symptoms are starting to show on bottom leaves.

 

[kokua]

lol

 

[ethereal]

avenger --
listen to sunnyside
and quit re-usin soiless mix
it needs proper conditioning
if youre attemptin to re-use it.

sproutco, take a hike pal