Need help... new grower

coreywebster

coreywebster

Well-Known Member
OK, so..
Your ec been off won't wilt your plant, it will either fry it if too high or you'l be deficient if too low.

Wilting is more likely an environmental issue.

Don't use the recommended dose.
Try half to two thirds.
It's just not necessary.

Maybe get something like hydroguard and keep your water sterile.
Make sure your water temp is on point.

Environmental wise, you want to be in the 80s Fahrenheit.
A warmer the tent will improve transpiration and allow quicker the growth.

Stick with EC, ppm just confuses the issue.

Good luck.
 
Drop That Sound

Drop That Sound

Well-Known Member
You 100% positive its 5.8, and double checked against another known to be accurate meter or with a test?

...Probably 1/2 the time new DWC & hydro growers fail now days is because digital PH meters are notorious for being faulty, and sometimes off by more than a full point or more, or have trouble holding calibration settings. I don't care what brand or how much it cost, or how well you take care of the probes, etc.. Put them all together side by side after taking a reading from the same res, and they'll all have different results. Even the same exact models from the same manufacture, from the same batch. Most of them are temperature compensated to some degree, and so different water (and calibration solution!) temps can also throw the readings off. A sample of chilled solution will give a different reading than waiting for it to warm up to ambient temps with some meters, for example. GH doesn't recommend using them. They want you to buy their PH test kit products, and use an extra drop or 2 more than needed ($$) in the test tube of solution to get a visual reading. I'd have to agree with them though, and trust the drops indication more than a meter. Unless you're one of the lucky ones that won the good PH meter lottery, and got a decent one..
 
Drop That Sound

Drop That Sound

Well-Known Member
As far as all the additives they want you to use.. All you really should need is the micro and bloom (basic lucas formula), and keep the PH stable. Add back as needed by monitoring the EC and water levels. Only 2 parts out of the 10+ you're using should have everything the plant needs. Maybe a few PPM of bleach added every other day if the water temps or root pathogens continue to get outta control.. No need to go over 1.0 for veg in DWC.
 
V

VapeGod330

Member
coreywebster said:
OK, so..
Your ec been off won't wilt your plant, it will either fry it if too high or you'l be deficient if too low.

Wilting is more likely an environmental issue.

Don't use the recommended dose.
Try half to two thirds.
It's just not necessary.

Maybe get something like hydroguard and keep your water sterile.
Make sure your water temp is on point.

Environmental wise, you want to be in the 80s Fahrenheit.
A warmer the tent will improve transpiration and allow quicker the growth.

Stick with EC, ppm just confuses the issue.

Good luck.
Click to expand...
I won't get deficiencies at half rate? and in the 80's ? my Hydrogaurd came yesterday and it's in now water temp usually stays between 68 and 70 F Thank you for all the good advice!
 
V

VapeGod330

Member
Drop That Sound said:
You 100% positive its 5.8, and double checked against another known to be accurate meter or with a test?

...Probably 1/2 the time new DWC & hydro growers fail now days is because digital PH meters are notorious for being faulty, and sometimes off by more than a full point or more, or have trouble holding calibration settings. I don't care what brand or how much it cost, or how well you take care of the probes, etc.. Put them all together side by side after taking a reading from the same res, and they'll all have different results. Even the same exact models from the same manufacture, from the same batch. Most of them are temperature compensated to some degree, and so different water (and calibration solution!) temps can also throw the readings off. A sample of chilled solution will give a different reading than waiting for it to warm up to ambient temps with some meters, for example. GH doesn't recommend using them. They want you to buy their PH test kit products, and use an extra drop or 2 more than needed ($$) in the test tube of solution to get a visual reading. I'd have to agree with them though, and trust the drops indication more than a meter. Unless you're one of the lucky ones that won the good PH meter lottery, and got a decent one..
Click to expand...
Yeah I have a Milwaukee martini they are pretty close, and I just got a new cheap ec/tds/ppm meter I'll have to compare that to the Apera 60 ty!
 
T

Thurston

Well-Known Member
FYI - If your water temps regularly get above 72° F, the root rot will be an reoccurring issue no matter how much Hydro-guard you use.

Measure water temps just before lights out and again in the heat of the day.
 
V

VapeGod330

Member
Drop That Sound said:
You 100% positive its 5.8, and double checked against another known to be accurate meter or with a test?

...Probably 1/2 the time new DWC & hydro growers fail now days is because digital PH meters are notorious for being faulty, and sometimes off by more than a full point or more, or have trouble holding calibration settings. I don't care what brand or how much it cost, or how well you take care of the probes, etc.. Put them all together side by side after taking a reading from the same res, and they'll all have different results. Even the same exact models from the same manufacture, from the same batch. Most of them are temperature compensated to some degree, and so different water (and calibration solution!) temps can also throw the readings off. A sample of chilled solution will give a different reading than waiting for it to warm up to ambient temps with some meters, for example. GH doesn't recommend using them. They want you to buy their PH test kit products, and use an extra drop or 2 more than needed ($$) in the test tube of solution to get a visual reading. I'd have to agree with them though, and trust the drops indication more than a meter. Unless you're one of the lucky ones that won the good PH meter lottery, and got a decent one..
Click to expand...
I also have a LaMotte ColorQ Pro 7 I've tested with ph pens and all pretty close.
 
V

VapeGod330

Member
Drop That Sound said:
As far as all the additives they want you to use.. All you really should need is the micro and bloom (basic lucas formula), and keep the PH stable. Add back as needed by monitoring the EC and water levels. Only 2 parts out of the 10+ you're using should have everything the plant needs. Maybe a few PPM of bleach added every other day if the water temps or root pathogens continue to get outta control.. No need to go over 1.0 for veg in DWC.
Click to expand...
I wanted to use bleach but didn't find really good details online and didn't want to kill them.
 
V

VapeGod330

Member
Thurston said:
FYI - If your water temps regularly get above 72° F, the root rot will be an reoccurring issue no matter how much Hydro-guard you use.

Measure water temps just before lights out and again in the heat of the day.
Click to expand...
I'm not normally above 72 F I didn't get a chiller as It's starting to get cold in Ohio and figured I'd get one before spring.
 
V

VapeGod330

Member
I think I got deficient in cal/mag either one locked out the other from being unbalanced or they just caused other deficiencies and that led to root rot because I couldn't figure out what was wrong. So I cloned them but now still have same issues because I found rot under the knuckle of the branch that didn't root during the clone. I cut it out now waiting to see what it does because she is perking back up.
 
V

VapeGod330

Member
Thurston said:
FYI - If your water temps regularly get above 72° F, the root rot will be an reoccurring issue no matter how much Hydro-guard you use.

Measure water temps just before lights out and again in the heat of the day.
Click to expand...
Oh I didn't think about that pic with ph pen might say 72 F but that's in a jug in my closet to top up fert if needed.
 
Drop That Sound

Drop That Sound

Well-Known Member
I would hit the bad roots with 10ppm of regular disinfecting bleach in the solution for a few days first, and go from there. Then after you see improvement, however long that takes... start using your hydroguard, since you already got some. You can't use both together, but the HG won't be as effective against an already established root rot infection. It's better as a preventative if anything. Along with cooler water temps, which holds more DO that also helps keep the pythium and other anaerobic nasties at bay..

Look for a chlorine calculator online. There's a bunch of them that let you input whatever concentration of liquid bleach you are using, and figure out exactly how much you need to add to get the desired strength per unit of choice. Gallons or litres, etc.. 3-5PPM is good as a general maintenance dose, but you can go higher when treating infections, up to 10PPM or more. It dissipates pretty rapidly in aerated DWC systems, so you should expect to add another dose every few days.
 
V

VapeGod330

Member
Ok ? when you guys add cal/mag do you add what the chart says or do you add 5ml a gallon? or do you add what chart says plus 5ml a gallon.
 
V

VapeGod330

Member
Drop That Sound said:
I would hit the bad roots with 10ppm of regular disinfecting bleach in the solution for a few days first, and go from there. Then after you see improvement, however long that takes... start using your hydroguard, since you already got some. You can't use both together, but the HG won't be as effective against an already established root rot infection. It's better as a preventative if anything. Along with cooler water temps, which holds more DO that also helps keep the pythium and other anaerobic nasties at bay..

Look for a chlorine calculator online. There's a bunch of them that let you input whatever concentration of liquid bleach you are using, and figure out exactly how much you need to add to get the desired strength per unit of choice. Gallons or litres, etc.. 3-5PPM is good as a general maintenance dose, but you can go higher when treating infections, up to 10PPM or more. It dissipates pretty rapidly in aerated DWC systems, so you should expect to add another dose every few days.
Click to expand...
10 ppm? isn't that high? 10 ppm shocks a pool
 
Drop That Sound

Drop That Sound

Well-Known Member
It won't stay at 10PPM very long after you add the dose, and isn't really all that high enough to burn roots. Especially in 4 gallons or however much is in your 5 gallon pails, because it will gas off to lower levels in a day. Yep, it will shock the root pathogens alright.. I mean, what else can you do? It will become systemic if you don't wipe it out and get new healthy roots asap. HG doesn't work when its already too late IME. There's also hypochlorous acid products you could use...
 
V

VapeGod330

Member
Drop That Sound said:
It won't stay at 10PPM very long after you add the dose, and isn't really all that high enough to burn roots. Especially in 4 gallons or however much is in your 5 gallon pails, because it will gas off to lower levels in a day. Yep, it will shock the root pathogens alright.. I mean, what else can you do? It will become systemic if you don't wipe it out and get new healthy roots asap. HG doesn't work when its already too late IME. There's also hypochlorous acid products you could use...
Click to expand...
Yeah definitely give me something to think about if it comes back ty
 
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