Getting the right time to up the nutrients?
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WafflesIceTangerine
Germinating
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- 18287
Phosphoric Acid is great, and 85% strength will last forever. Made the mistake of using bunnings citric acid one when I didn't know any better, it is absolute dogshit
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- 7691
Only thing I noticed is the the plants are shorter and buds maybe not as denseMost my runs r autos I do photos but autos r my favourites
but I'm doing auto's under my smaller light, the photo's are under my bigger fce mars, may have something to do with the bud densityon the autos 
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- 455
Unstable as hell
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- 455
I'm with @Goonie Goat they look like they're doing fineOnly thing I noticed is the the plants are shorter and buds maybe not as dense
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- 455
What're ya runoff numbers ?
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- 291
sames mate, now use phosphoric and about 8 drops at a time in 100L
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- 7691
I never check
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- 455
Varied opinions on the matter but I live by my run off numbersI never check
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- 455
I've found measuring inputs and outputs gives a way better understanding of what's actually going on in the rootzone/rhizosphere
For example if ya inputs are 6.4ph at 1.66ec then checking runoff values afterwards can give pretty good indications on ph swings, salt buildup and how hard the girls are actually eating
If runoff EC is HIGHER then input EC then generally the medium is building salts faster then the plants are consuming them
Example:
Input 1.66ec
Runoff 2.2ec
Usually means the medium is getting a bit hot and can eventually lead to lockout, osmotic stress or nutrient issues if ya keep pushing it too hard
Whereas if runoff EC is LOWER then input values:
Input 1.66ec
Runoff 1.2ec
Usually means the girls are feeding hard and the medium isn't storing excess salts. Sometimes this can mean they could handle a stronger feed or more frequent fertigation to push growth harder
Same sorta thing with ph runoff
If runoff ph keeps drifting up or down compared to input it can tell ya alot about what's happening in the rootzone before the plants visibly complain
But medium type matters HEAPS and changes how ya interpret runoff numbers
Pure coco for example is pretty inert so runoff values usually react much quicker and more accurately to what you're feeding. In coco if runoff EC starts climbing heaps above input it's usually a good sign salts are stacking up
Living soils or heavily amended organics are almost the opposite. The microbes, organic matter and amendments buffer everything more so runoff numbers can look completely cooked while the plants still look happy
Back when I was running hybrid peat systems using Canna Terra Pro mixed with roughly 40% perlite it sorta sat somewhere in the middle
The peat still had buffering capacity and held onto nutrients/moisture longer then coco, but the heavy perlite content increased aeration and drainage heaps compared to straight soil
Because of that the runoff numbers were usually slower and more stable then coco but still responsive enough to actually read what was happening in the medium
I found in those sorta mixes drybacks and irrigation timing played a massive role too because peat changes behaviour alot depending how saturated or dry it is
Too wet and runoff EC could artificially spike from poor oxygen exchange and nutrient concentration in the medium
Too dry and salts could concentrate hard around the rootzone causing false readings or lockout issues
I don't really chase exact runoff numbers though, more the trends over time combined with plant health, leaf posture, growth rate, environmental conditions and drybacks
The runoff numbers alone don't tell the whole story but they definitely help paint the picture
For example if ya inputs are 6.4ph at 1.66ec then checking runoff values afterwards can give pretty good indications on ph swings, salt buildup and how hard the girls are actually eating
If runoff EC is HIGHER then input EC then generally the medium is building salts faster then the plants are consuming them
Example:
Input 1.66ec
Runoff 2.2ec
Usually means the medium is getting a bit hot and can eventually lead to lockout, osmotic stress or nutrient issues if ya keep pushing it too hard
Whereas if runoff EC is LOWER then input values:
Input 1.66ec
Runoff 1.2ec
Usually means the girls are feeding hard and the medium isn't storing excess salts. Sometimes this can mean they could handle a stronger feed or more frequent fertigation to push growth harder
Same sorta thing with ph runoff
If runoff ph keeps drifting up or down compared to input it can tell ya alot about what's happening in the rootzone before the plants visibly complain
But medium type matters HEAPS and changes how ya interpret runoff numbers
Pure coco for example is pretty inert so runoff values usually react much quicker and more accurately to what you're feeding. In coco if runoff EC starts climbing heaps above input it's usually a good sign salts are stacking up
Living soils or heavily amended organics are almost the opposite. The microbes, organic matter and amendments buffer everything more so runoff numbers can look completely cooked while the plants still look happy
Back when I was running hybrid peat systems using Canna Terra Pro mixed with roughly 40% perlite it sorta sat somewhere in the middle
The peat still had buffering capacity and held onto nutrients/moisture longer then coco, but the heavy perlite content increased aeration and drainage heaps compared to straight soil
Because of that the runoff numbers were usually slower and more stable then coco but still responsive enough to actually read what was happening in the medium
I found in those sorta mixes drybacks and irrigation timing played a massive role too because peat changes behaviour alot depending how saturated or dry it is
Too wet and runoff EC could artificially spike from poor oxygen exchange and nutrient concentration in the medium
Too dry and salts could concentrate hard around the rootzone causing false readings or lockout issues
I don't really chase exact runoff numbers though, more the trends over time combined with plant health, leaf posture, growth rate, environmental conditions and drybacks
The runoff numbers alone don't tell the whole story but they definitely help paint the picture
