How to properly use tds meter to measure nutes

Iv just switched to Jacks... i got a water filter that has me around 20ppm starting out. Ive never used tds before.

I want, from what i read 370ppm of jacks and 230ppm of cal nitrate. I got the jacks to about 400 gross was aiming for 390 to factor in the 20 i start with. Got both part in to 625ish, left in mix bucket. Went to dinner came back and it was at 575ish...

Should i mix first part to desired level, let rest for hour, do the next one the same?

Why would it drop sitting in the bucket?

Or mix it it, use it...

How well was it mixed when you first took the reading? It's going to change some as everything gets dispersed. Do you have something to circulate the solution? I use a small pond pump on the bottom of the container I'm mixing in. But you were aiming for 600 and are at 575. Pretty close. I'd just use it.

If it dropped just sitting in the bucket it's likely that some of the dissolved solids precipitated out of solution so a good mixing before testing might get them back into sol'n so the pen can read them. They may have formed a solid precipitate and no longer register which means they would no longer be available to the plants either.

I'd just use it as is. 50ppm either side of your target won't make any difference. Even a 100 is no big deal.

Are you using straight calcium nitrate or calmag made with calcium nitrate like most are?

xtsho said:

How well was it mixed when you first took the reading? It's going to change some as everything gets dispersed. Do you have something to circulate the solution? I use a small pond pump on the bottom of the container I'm mixing in. But you were aiming for 600 and are at 575. Pretty close. I'd just use it.

Click to expand...

Once in res will be moved w small pond pump, im trying the passive plant killer set up. It was mixed well visually just a few stubborn grains at bottom that werent, so honestly i expected it a bit higher after dinner. I guess thats what lead me to ask, as i expected it to sneak up not down. But yea i figured close enough and dumped her in, just seemed opposite swing of what i intuitively figured.

OldMedUser said:

If it dropped just sitting in the bucket it's likely that some of the dissolved solids precipitated out of solution so a good mixing before testing might get them back into sol'n so the pen can read them. They may have formed a solid precipitate and no longer register which means they would no longer be available to the plants either.

I'd just use it as is. 50ppm either side of your target won't make any difference. Even a 100 is no big deal.

Are you using straight calcium nitrate or calmag made with calcium nitrate like most are?

Click to expand...

Good to know about the 50 to 100 leway. Im using straight cal nitrate, not jacks brand but Southern Ag or something like that 15.5-0-0...

Thank you for the help!

Huckster79 said:

Good to know about the 50 to 100 leway. Im using straight cal nitrate, not jacks brand but Southern Ag or something like that 15.5-0-0...

Click to expand...

I'd go easy on that with such a high N level. The CalMag I got, GrowTek, is 2-0-0 and I only use 1/4 - 1/2 the max. Has iron as well.

I was making my own calcium nitrate from conc. nitric acid and pure marble chips. Easier just to buy a $16 liter of calmag that will last me 5 years. 20ml acid to 20g marble chips and it was neutral so it balanced out nicely. Used Epsom salts for teh Mg and some extra sulfur. You might want to do the same or the imbalance of Ca may interfere with the Mg, K, Mn and Fe.

The Jacks should have some Ca in it doesn't it? Hopefully chelated.

I meant the AG. lol

OldMedUser said:

I'd go easy on that with such a high N level. The CalMag I got, GrowTek, is 2-0-0 and I only use 1/4 - 1/2 the max. Has iron as well.

I was making my own calcium nitrate from conc. nitric acid and pure marble chips. Easier just to buy a $16 liter of calmag that will last me 5 years. 20ml acid to 20g marble chips and it was neutral so it balanced out nicely. Used Epsom salts for teh Mg and some extra sulfur. You might want to do the same or the imbalance of Ca may interfere with the Mg, K, Mn and Fe.

The Jacks should have some Ca in it doesn't it? Hopefully chelated.

Click to expand...

Jacks is a 2 part system basically. Jacks hydro 5-12-26, then the calnit of 15.5-0-0. Im new to it, gunna give it a whirl... basic recipe is 3 part jacks 2 parts calnit and some do 1 part epsom. Crazy cheap but has a dedicated following. Shit come out to about a nickle a gallon.

OldMedUser said:

I meant the AG. lol

Click to expand...

Yea AG had same numbers jacks did and was a better buy, so i rolled w that i seen on another forum various jacks users do same as long as its true straight calnit so formula isnt altered

I don't know much about those nutes so it sounds like you know more about it than me so good luck with it!

OldMedUser said:

I don't know much about those nutes so it sounds like you know more about it than me so good luck with it!

Click to expand...

Thanks! I need it! I’m nervous as I’ve not had a lick of nutrient issues with H16...

Like everything some love it some say it’s shit... the concept of dry nutes makes sense to me with cost and environmental factors of shipping of all that water in nutes... plus the factor of not paying for the hype... dedicated Jacks users consider all the brands we buy at hydro shops “hobbyist nutes”. I see their angle so figured it was worthy of a try. I think we do often pay for a “Nike swoosh” with our cannabis nutes and the endless supplements most lines call for.

The base is supposedly as complete as one needs without a bunch of pricey supplements. I’m going to use some epsom for the sulfer as it does lack sulfer. But that’s it for supplements- seems like guys that use supplements with it run into issues. Jacks users use same nutes start to finish which seems odd to most of us! Though many back down or cut off the calnit to cut N mid flower on.

I’ll report back as I get a handle on them... if they work as many say, man cud we all save a boatload and simplify our lives...

I'm old, lazy and hurt all the time so I just go with basic AN nutes for that "plug and play" feel to my growing. No pH worries saves a lot of dicking around, RO water does the same. If I could teach the plants to harvest and cure themselves I'd be in hog heaven.

I don't waste my nutes and only do one nute change for a whole DWC grow. Power is 23.5¢/kwh hour here so nutes are probably less than10% of my cost per grow. $40/gal for the 3-part isn't expensive and will last me 3 years or so. Not enough to worry about saving a bit on the nutes. After you've been growing for 40 years you'll be looking for the easiest way to do it too but by then you'll all have little robots to take care of everything. lol

Everybody who uses something thinks everything else is shite even if they've never tried it or really know anyone who has tried them. As long as someone is happy with the results then fine but no reason to hate on what others use. Not that I'm saying you are but I run into a lot of haters when I mention what I use but only hate GH and other companies like Scott's who now owns GH, Botanicare and Gavita. I just inform people that they are supporting companies that have fought to keep us down for decades and denied that they made nutes to grow pot with while slagging AN who has proudly declared they make their nutes specifically for pot.

Supporting hypocrisy seems pretty hypocritical to me.

I agree on all! I doubt many lines are shit or they wouldn’t be around. I do think a lot of supplements are snake oil and many products geared for us overpriced.

You are by far more experienced than I, but what I tell complete newbies looking for advice is avoid advice from anyone that says there’s only one way to properly do this and are as you say haters of other methods. So no I’m not one of those guys at all, if I ever get that way I sure as hell hope someone dots my eye!

I want to do it because H16 is all I’ve ever used, from day number one, and I don’t think that’s wise to only get experience with one way of doing things with one product line... so gunna venture out a bit so I can make some new mistakes to learn from.

That’s fantastic you have such a system down, I still have a while of building wisdom before I cement my practices in place.

If you ever need advice about growing in real dirt . . . Don't ask me! I suck as a dirt farmer. DWC is my area of expertise and I manage not bad using hydro nutes with soillless like ProMix HP which works great right out of the bag with lots of perlite already in it. Certified organic too for those that care about that.

AN is making certified organically derived hydro nutes now. Can't get them in Canada yet or I'd be trying them out in DWC. against the regular ones. Big Bud too.

No place around here to get a lot of hydro stuff and I'm boycotting the closest hydro store that's 2 hours away because he ripped off a buddy that worked for store equity for 5 years. Now he's got almost no business and should be ready to sell pretty soon and my buddy and I might just join forces and grab it up cheap. I'd have to move out there and I'd sleep in the back room no problem. Good cafes etc just across the street. Lots of nice ladies there too.

I've tried a few different nutes over the years but AN gives me what I want the easiest so I'll stick with them until Monsanto buys them out. As if.

OldMedUser said:

Can't get them in Canada yet

Click to expand...

Thought they were Canadian?!

AN is waaaaaaaay over-hyped amd overpriced to the max, I use Canna Base nutrients A +B, they have all you need and more like aminos and pH neutral Silica, AN can't (or more like wont) do that

budman111 said:

Thought they were Canadian?!

AN is waaaaaaaay over-hyped amd overpriced to the max, I use Canna Base nutrients A +B, they have all you need and more like aminos and pH neutral Silica, AN can't (or more like wont) do that

Click to expand...

Their base nutes don't cost any more than other base nutes and I don't buy, or recommend to others that they buy, all the overpriced supplements they have to offer. "Hyping" your products is common practice with any company and tho AN did get it's start just down the road from where I used to live in Abbotsford, BC and still makes nutes there they, like lots of companies, have 10x the market in the US and what company doesn't want to be big there. As I understand it from the owner of a hydro store in Kelowna they just haven't managed to get approval from Canadian authorities yet to sell the organic line in Canada but it's in the works.

You obviously don't read everything that people post so I cut out this snippet of what I posted 4 posts back for your reference.

OldMedUser said:

Everybody who uses something thinks everything else is shite even if they've never tried it or really know anyone who has tried them. As long as someone is happy with the results then fine but no reason to hate on what others use.

Click to expand...

OldMedUser said:

You obviously don't read everything that people post

Click to expand...

Not got much interest in AN users to be frank.

budman111 said:

Not got much interest in AN users to be frank.

Click to expand...

Then why spout off at all then?

My dear old dad used to say, If you got nothing good to say then say nothing at all.

OldMedUser said:

Then why spout off at all then?

My dear old dad used to say, If you got nothing good to say then say nothing at all.

Click to expand...

If you enjoy buying from a 'company' that has shyster levels off the scale that tells its customers that Kush strain has different nutrient needs from any other cannabis plant and so sells Kushie Kush at silly prices and who peddle utter shit about Connoisseur nutrients and get candy buds with bud candy lol, there is NO secret ingredient mate, infact, a plant needs simply 16 nutrient elements, yip 16 and I get a plants FULL potential, not 18 bottles from AN but feel free to get mugged but I pity AN users more than I 'spout off' about them.