Grow Room Micro Grow à la Spaghetti Sauce

[SpaghettiSauce]

this is what im going by ppm wise. I have a batch aerating at 350ppm now and will feed after the lights come on.

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[SpaghettiSauce]

this is what im going by ppm wise. I have a batch aerating at 350ppm now and will feed after the lights come on.

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Decided 350 could be too much brought the ppm down to 180.

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[Yeatster]

To be honest, I know nothing about ppm's.

 

[Mr.Sparkle]

To be honest, I know nothing about ppm's.

Some of the reason why i asked the question to SpagettiSauce, but to jump in PPM there is actually two ways to measure it, the first is the actual Parts Per Million of dissolved or suspend materials or elements that are present in a solution of water, which is usually calculated by having a pure or a already measured source of water and calculating how much has gone into it on a weight vs molecule, volume calculation.

The second and most commonly used for us is PPM based upon the Electrical Conductivity of water also know as EC, with that most meters we use also have a conversion factor built into them of 0.5 or 0.7, so if your solution reads 1.0 EC on a 0.5 meter it would be 500ppm and on a 0.7 meter its 700ppm, now saying that you can start to scratch your head at how easy it is to mix up the actual readings, which brings up the base question of how is one measuring their nutrient solution.

Also and a BIG point here, not all materials that are dissolved or suspended in a water solution are electrically conductive, or some are more or less so than others. So as an example say my ideal concentration of some General Hydroponics MaxiBloom is in the 800ppm range on my 0.5 meter or a 1.6 EC, with another very similar NPK ratio fertilizer in the same concentration calculated out by weight vs volume gave off a reading of 350ppm on my meter, but that solution has damn near the exactly the same actual NPK ratio as the Maxibloom, but read differently because the materials used in that fertilizer is not as electrically conductive as the other.

So input that error factor and say you're trying to feed a plant "800ppm" of said fertilizer because some other user is doing that with another fertilizer and its working for them, but you are using a 0.7 meter and using a lower electrically conductive fertilizer like my above example, and you're measuring "800ppm" with your fertilizer on a 0.5 meter, in comparison you actually have a solution that's 3 times as strong even though your meter reads the exactly the same reading. Also the main reason most people burn their plants with general all purpose style fertilizers, because they mix them too hot and don't know otherwise, count me in on that group of been there done that.

So back to elaborate on the original question.

Spagetti Sauce if you're following med-mans feed ratio, first make sure you're using exactly the same nutrients, and using the same conversion factor meter, and also using the same starting point for water such as RO water or tap water with the same starting PPM, or are calculating the difference and going from that.

With stating that feed guides are really just a starting guide for you to tune to your own situation as not everyone's conditions are the same, like a plant under a 1k hps is probably gonna consume more ratio wise than a plant under a single 13w CFL

 

[SpaghettiSauce]

Sauce Day! Sautéed some garlic about 6 cloves. 2 28oz cans of canned San Marzano plum tomatoes. 4 6oz cans of paste. 48oz water. Basil oregano salt pepper and crushed red pepper to taste. One stick of pepperoni. And 1 lb of sautéed boneless pork loin. Cook on medium until boil then simmer for 4-5 hours. Pics to follow!

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[SpaghettiSauce]

Some of the reason why i asked the question to SpagettiSauce, but to jump in PPM there is actually two ways to measure it, the first is the actual Parts Per Million of dissolved or suspend materials or elements that are present in a solution of water, which is usually calculated by having a pure or a already measured source of water and calculating how much has gone into it on a weight vs molecule, volume calculation.

The second and most commonly used for us is PPM based upon the Electrical Conductivity of water also know as EC, with that most meters we use also have a conversion factor built into them of 0.5 or 0.7, so if your solution reads 1.0 EC on a 0.5 meter it would be 500ppm and on a 0.7 meter its 700ppm, now saying that you can start to scratch your head at how easy it is to mix up the actual readings, which brings up the base question of how is one measuring their nutrient solution.

Also and a BIG point here, not all materials that are dissolved or suspended in a water solution are electrically conductive, or some are more or less so than others. So as an example say my ideal concentration of some General Hydroponics MaxiBloom is in the 800ppm range on my 0.5 meter or a 1.6 EC, with another very similar NPK ratio fertilizer in the same concentration calculated out by weight vs volume gave off a reading of 350ppm on my meter, but that solution has damn near the exactly the same actual NPK ratio as the Maxibloom, but read differently because the materials used in that fertilizer is not as electrically conductive as the other.

So input that error factor and say you're trying to feed a plant "800ppm" of said fertilizer because some other user is doing that with another fertilizer and its working for them, but you are using a 0.7 meter and using a lower electrically conductive fertilizer like my above example, and you're measuring "800ppm" with your fertilizer on a 0.5 meter, in comparison you actually have a solution that's 3 times as strong even though your meter reads the exactly the same reading. Also the main reason most people burn their plants with general all purpose style fertilizers, because they mix them too hot and don't know otherwise, count me in on that group of been there done that.

So back to elaborate on the original question.

Spagetti Sauce if you're following med-mans feed ratio, first make sure you're using exactly the same nutrients, and using the same conversion factor meter, and also using the same starting point for water such as RO water or tap water with the same starting PPM, or are calculating the difference and going from that.

With stating that feed guides are really just a starting guide for you to tune to your own situation as not everyone's conditions are the same, like a plant under a 1k hps is probably gonna consume more ratio wise than a plant under a single 13w CFL

I appreciate the feedback Mr. Sparkle! I am measuring with ppms not ec although I can do both. I am using med mans chart as a guideline not verbatim as I know plants will respond differently to lighting and other conditions. I decided to dial back the ppms to avoid any more burn and take a more slow and steady pace. I am using RO water that is about 14ppms compared to my tap water that is around 300. So im adding feed in as directed at 1/4 the dose to mimic a full dose of equal nutes at a lower concentrate. I value your opinion so please chime in whenever you feel like it bro. Thanks!

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[Mr.Sparkle]

You got it covered, looking forward to the updates

 

[SpaghettiSauce]

day 15.

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[SpaghettiSauce]

Day 16

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[Yeatster]

Looking good SpagSauce. Nice job on that pan, underneath pots too.