I have to say I am impressed so far. 1 day later and the smells have all increased. Before you couldnt smell much with my carbon filter running in the room, but now you can and its lovely. Also fun to stand in the way of the air flow from the plants to the carbon filter now and catch the smells! One plant I think could still use a little more, its a mango tango OG. Also some red petioles on some others but totally perfect otherwise, so I boosted the calcium a little more this morning. I went up to 6ml/gallon. Will check them later to see how they're doing and re-evaluate their needs.
Calcium for Blumat Reservoir
- Thread starter sourgummy
- Start date
MistaRasta
Well-Known Member
Max solubility of Calcium Sulfate is around 7.5 g/gal. If you were only mixing 1/4 tsp/gal you definitely weren't putting enough gypsum in to make a noticeable difference.
If youd ever like to take the gypsum route again, just weigh it and use more. I guarantee you'll see results with it fairly quick.
Thanks for the advice. I will run a little test in a 5gal bucket I finally got for some compost tea brewing. Will weigh out and check the solubility. I believe the problem is with it falling out of solution/suspension. This would make sense why my blumats have gotten clogged a couple times. I massaged the line near some drippers and could feel some powder in there. But I will try this out and see if it stays in solution or falls out.
ShLUbY
Well-Known Member
it's not that it doesn't stay dissolved, it's that not all of it dissolves. gypsum is like silt or clay in water, looks like its dissolved but it's actually just very very very fine particulate that clouds the water. but yeah, no doubt that shit will clog up the blumats! you'd be better off just top watering it from a shower head can. the blumats will sense the extra moisture in the soil and they'll just stop dripping until it dries out again.
Ya I agree and thats what I would and have done, just getting used to the blumats. I really like them when they are dialed in and your soil is full of nutes. I just transplanted 3 girls for the next round and got 2 or 3 more. Another Mendocino Purple, a Cackleberry, a Las Vegas Triangle Kush, a super silver haze, and possibly a copper chem but may save for next round Really pushing the nutes on these ones and so far the plants I put in this morning already showing growth, so thats all good. I am very excited to see the soil perform in the CO2 room. Last plants I put in these containers were similar but smaller and they took the heck off. One colombian gold x acapulco gold went from 15'' tall to a five foot super cropped mains plant lol. It takes up about 3-4 feet wide cause the side branches grew under the next light haha.
Throwing the next round in the room. A few extras made it. Going to be mendocino purple, 2 cackleberry, super silver haze, cowboy kush, Las vegas Triangle Kush, and a pineapple trainwreck. They all are about 2 ft tall going in. This 4x4 is going to get really filled out.
I need to make some more liquid calcium again. I am going to try the oyster shells this time. I went with 2 cups of fish bone meal in this new round for added P. I was going to make some calphos from chicken bones, but I would ideally have a single nutrient solution for each nute. So like only n, only p, only K, only calcium, only mag, etc. I like being able to just add what is needed to diagnose without adding something possibly not needed.
I need to make some more liquid calcium again. I am going to try the oyster shells this time. I went with 2 cups of fish bone meal in this new round for added P. I was going to make some calphos from chicken bones, but I would ideally have a single nutrient solution for each nute. So like only n, only p, only K, only calcium, only mag, etc. I like being able to just add what is needed to diagnose without adding something possibly not needed.
Michael Huntherz
Well-Known Member
Any sort of macroparticulates will clog your blumats. I speak from sxperience. Pure nutrient salts and water work great. Use more dolomite lime, since you are running organic soil you should just use plain water, in my opinion. A lot of times with LED they seem to consume a lot of magnesium, maybe just add 100ppm or so of Epsom salt to your water and see if that helps. Is that organic? I have no idea how that gets measured. Organic has a very specific chemical definition, and the organic agriculture movement has long since disregarded it. Most of the good reasoning behind organics seems to have been lost behind a sort pseudoscientific mythology, in my opinion. So maybe I am not the best person to help you, I don’t understand all the rules and rituals of the “organic” cult.
Do you use tap water, or RO or what? How much calcium is in your municipal water? Are the nutrients in your water OMRI certified? Sorry, I am about to slip into trolling the organics board, I better shut up.
Do you use tap water, or RO or what? How much calcium is in your municipal water? Are the nutrients in your water OMRI certified? Sorry, I am about to slip into trolling the organics board, I better shut up.
Well honestly I think it’s best to use what one believes in. Just because their is a certification doesn’t mean much always. For example usda organic is by definition only needed to be 95% organic. A lot of the industry you need to look at who is certifying it and what are the requirements. For that reason I choose to use naturally occurring nutrients if possible. So far that is possible, I am just trying to fine tune the nutrients and also the cost of them, sources, etc.
right now I have some sea shells on the way to make more liquid calcium. I already supplement with plenty of Epsom salts. Mag isn’t the issue right now at least.
right now I have some sea shells on the way to make more liquid calcium. I already supplement with plenty of Epsom salts. Mag isn’t the issue right now at least.
Does anybody have experience with making water soluble calcium and it works very well for you? I got some sea shells in today and I am going to use these. I wasn’t totally committed to blasting my plants with the egg shell calcium I made. The plants are taking a good amount so I bought some general organic calmag and I think it’s doing a better job. It was worth the money to use something people have already used with good luck. It’s got to be the calcium in there doing a better job since I’ve used Epsom salts the entire time and a good amount, over a tap per gallon. That was slowly ramped up. I’m wondering what those do and how exactly they make it who have success doing this. Or know a tried and proven enough way. I am also adding potassium in the res in the form of potassium sulfate. From the great salt lake. That was slowly ramped up too I should include. It’s working very well, I am getting Bigger buds than before no doubt, but it’s funny how they look more deficient than before sometimes. I need to dial the food. I just need to make my own calcium and then I will have about everything I need to combat any deficiency that I should/could be facing. I am thinking 2 cups per 7 gallons of fish bone meal to soil, will eliminate any phosphorous deficiencies. And with Blumats not watering to runoff it will hopefully conserve all the soil amendment nutrients.
Advice is appreciated!
Advice is appreciated!
DreamCatcher from Greenpoint 1st and 2nd photo has the total blueberry smell mixed with maybe some fermented booze similar to fermenting fruit but very sweet smelling
Super Silver Haze this one smells like a Hawaiian flower. Not super potent on the smell but if you get it on your nose and rub it, it reminds me of sticking my nose in a Hawaiian flower. Hopefully getting it more dialed in with the nutrients will increase the smell potency.
California Cannon, has a Pine OG smell with some lemons possibly trying to come through. Going from straight Pine needle to now Pine/OG smell.
All these are on the pheno hunt to just see what they were like. I have the ones I want cloned and these have been very deficient.
These are starting week 8 tomorrow.
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ShLUbY
Well-Known Member
I think 2 cups is a bit strong. what other amendments are you running... what's your mix like?
I do think 2 cups is pushing it pretty hard as well. My strategy was since I have water soluble and much much less expensive potassium source with the k2so4, I went lighter on the langbeneite at 3/4 cup per 7 gallons (I grow in an fabricpot measuring 13x13x12 So I think its a touch over a true 7 gallons, but I always leave around a 1/2 inch to an inch for a top dressing.) So with not having a water soluble phosphorus or nitrogen source, I went heavy and added more phosphorus with the fish bone meal. So far those plants are responding well. But the last ones were crushing it too and then around beginning of week 6 they started showing signs of just sitting there and then some nute deficiencies. I really believe it was calmag to start and then potassium later. They were looking so good for the longest I have gotten so far, so that is promising that I have improved. I was really surprised to see the acapulco gold x colombian gold get so big with just that pot of food. Also this run I have had buds with perfect hair growth and no premature hair death like I normally get. I think that was me smelling all them with my nose haha. but definitely not all, some were nute burns/deficiencies.
Ok back to the mix. So the current run was as described above. I went with 1.5 cups dolomite lime in that one, and this new one I went 2 full cups dolomite lime and one of them was a heaping cup full. then also 1/2 cup gypsum, the same 1 cup nitrogen guano at like 12 value of npk for nitrogen. I have not ever had nitrogen deficiencies unless on these huge ones that grew 4-5 feet or the pheno hunt ones where I only have them in like a true 1.5 gallons of soil. But I stay open minded incase that does happen like on those 5 footers. I expect these ones to be good though since fish bone meal has a some nitrogen too and I loaded that up. Ok then in the new soil mix I also put 1 heaping cup, so like 1 and 1/3 cup of azomite. I am very excited for these next plants in the tray to get deep into flower. They are responding well so far and The canopy is moving nicely. temps are 80-90 in there. I think one of the big keys for me will be figuring out how much potassium to add to the reservoir to feed them. Eventually they will become dependent on that source as I want, since it will save a boatload of cash over using langbeinite. having liquid calcium and magnesium are really super nice along with the liquid potassium. My beneficial mites are thriving very well in the soil there too. See some pretty big dudes in there lol. Nice to see the ones I released about a month ago have populated well.
Ok back to the mix. So the current run was as described above. I went with 1.5 cups dolomite lime in that one, and this new one I went 2 full cups dolomite lime and one of them was a heaping cup full. then also 1/2 cup gypsum, the same 1 cup nitrogen guano at like 12 value of npk for nitrogen. I have not ever had nitrogen deficiencies unless on these huge ones that grew 4-5 feet or the pheno hunt ones where I only have them in like a true 1.5 gallons of soil. But I stay open minded incase that does happen like on those 5 footers. I expect these ones to be good though since fish bone meal has a some nitrogen too and I loaded that up. Ok then in the new soil mix I also put 1 heaping cup, so like 1 and 1/3 cup of azomite. I am very excited for these next plants in the tray to get deep into flower. They are responding well so far and The canopy is moving nicely. temps are 80-90 in there. I think one of the big keys for me will be figuring out how much potassium to add to the reservoir to feed them. Eventually they will become dependent on that source as I want, since it will save a boatload of cash over using langbeinite. having liquid calcium and magnesium are really super nice along with the liquid potassium. My beneficial mites are thriving very well in the soil there too. See some pretty big dudes in there lol. Nice to see the ones I released about a month ago have populated well.
I should note that most recently the leaf petioles on a good number started going back to green. That is calmag right? I was beliving it was since at the time that was all going on the potassium was quite high, but no calcium really being supplemented in the reservoir.
ShLUbY
Well-Known Member
nope, that would be phosphorus from my understanding. cal def will show rust spots on the leaves in the most recent growth, and mag will be inter veinal chlorosis on the oldest leaves first. but some strains just have purple petioles and are not a symptom of a deficiency.
ShLUbY
Well-Known Member
that seems like a lot of lime... 2 cups per how much soil?
I have read the same thing. It has been pretty difficult for me to figure out the exact issue with the pheno hunt plants. I top dressed 2-3 tbsp of fish bone meal on them about 3 full weeks into flower. So I was surprised to see those petioles turn red if due to phosphorus. But could be I guess. Weird how they are just now greening up and I haven't given them any more phosphorus.
For the lime I am using 2 cups per 7 gallons. 1.5 cups was not enough before. I can't see myself putting more in the soil, unless I increase the gallons of soil. Probably what I need to do is get another form of calmag that will break down slower in the soil, like say oyster shell meal/flour. I see lots of people really like the oyster shell that have switched to that from lime.
Thanks for the advice guys.
color of the leaves looking the best healthy green so far in a little while this morning. Could still green up some more on some strains though. I gotta believe its calcium related mainly, then secondly getting the potassium to a more correct level. Going to add some more calmag once this res is closer to empty and clean it out today. I think I will look what % people are using in hydro for calcium and mag per gallon and cross check it with what I am doing. I gotta believe I added too much magnesium at some point. But the plants were responding well until a point, thats when I am guessing I caused calcium lockout plus the deficiency by adding too much epsom salt and/or potassium. Making slower and single adjustments right now at a time so I can tell what is causing what.
ShLUbY
Well-Known Member
two cups is a lot... like a lot a lot. that's a lot of buffering... and i'm wondering if your soil is slightly alkaline or barely acidic at all and that is what is causing your "problems". what makes you think 1.5 was not enough? lets see some pictures of your "problems"... because honestly, 1.5 is still a lot... and from your pics that you recently posted, you can't tell these plants have any issues...
and really 2-3 tbsp is really not that much nutrient for a decent size plant... I'm finding that my 1/4c to 1/3c of amendment topdressing for medium to large plants just isn't enough and i'm gonna be bumping it up to 1/2 a cup on this next run (this is per 5-7 gal worth of soil). Also, you topdressed 3 weeks in, which means it took a week to start becoming bioavailable... and most of the petioles had grown to maturity by that point... so that could have been it as well.
but yeah i'd like to see some more detailed pics of your plants...