Hyrdoponics system, do i need to....

MI5

MI5

Member
hey...
i have a hydro system,, i put15ml of nutrients per gallon... when do i need to put more?? how would i know when it needs more?

thanks
 
sickstoner

sickstoner

Well-Known Member
get a ppm meter to measure the nute levels, and also it should tell you on the bottle when to change it every, week or week and a half or so it should be changed.
 
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PeaceLuvPot

Member
Once your res is full and you have nutes in there, take a ppm reading. Record this number. As the days go by, take readings every day. If your ppm number stays relatively the same, you are dialed in and your plants are drinking and eating nutes at an equal level. If your ppm goes up, they are drinking and not eating as much, and if your PPM numbers go down they are eating more then they are drinking, so you will adjust your nutes accordingly.

Good Luck.
 
MI5

MI5

Member
PeaceLuvPot said:
Once your res is full and you have nutes in there, take a ppm reading. Record this number. As the days go by, take readings every day. If your ppm number stays relatively the same, you are dialed in and your plants are drinking and eating nutes at an equal level. If your ppm goes up, they are drinking and not eating as much, and if your PPM numbers go down they are eating more then they are drinking, so you will adjust your nutes accordingly.

Good Luck.
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thanks.. i heard about that.. why does the ppm go higher? why dont they want nutes? is there a way to prevent or solve this issue when the ppm goes up?
 
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PeaceLuvPot

Member
MI5 said:
thanks.. i heard about that.. why does the ppm go higher? why dont they want nutes? is there a way to prevent or solve this issue when the ppm goes up?
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For me personally, the way I prevent both my ph issues and ppm issues is to use RO water and the Lucas Formula with GH Flora micro and bloom. My grow is almost a month old and my readings everyday are spot on. I am also using the add back with nutes formula so I do not have to do any flushes for my entire grow.

So yesterday I check my res and I am a gallon low on water. I add a gal of ph adjusted RO water to the res. I give it time to mix in. I take my ppm readings and I plug the #'s into the add back formula. The final result was to add 8ml of micro and 16 ml of bloom, which is EXACTLY the numbers you add for the lucas form, 0-8-16.

So I am find that using this formula, with the GH Flora nutes, at least for my White Widow plant, and my Northern Lights plant, is so freaking spot on, that I do not know why more people don't use it. My plants are thriving, and my readings are always right where they need to be.

But I am not experienced enough with other nute systems to tell you how to correct/adjust/prevent your issues from happening. I am sure more experienced people will chime in to help you out.
 
MI5

MI5

Member
PeaceLuvPot said:
For me personally, the way I prevent both my ph issues and ppm issues is to use RO water and the Lucas Formula with GH Flora micro and bloom. My grow is almost a month old and my readings everyday are spot on. I am also using the add back with nutes formula so I do not have to do any flushes for my entire grow.

So yesterday I check my res and I am a gallon low on water. I add a gal of ph adjusted RO water to the res. I give it time to mix in. I take my ppm readings and I plug the #'s into the add back formula. The final result was to add 8ml of micro and 16 ml of bloom, which is EXACTLY the numbers you add for the lucas form, 0-8-16.

So I am find that using this formula, with the GH Flora nutes, at least for my White Widow plant, and my Northern Lights plant, is so freaking spot on, that I do not know why more people don't use it. My plants are thriving, and my readings are always right where they need to be.

But I am not experienced enough with other nute systems to tell you how to correct/adjust/prevent your issues from happening. I am sure more experienced people will chime in to help you out.
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where do you buy these items? are you in the US or UK?
 
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PeaceLuvPot

Member
I am in the US. I bought my nutes online (General Hydroponics Flora series. its a 3 part system, Micro, Grow, and Bloom, but you only need the Micro and the Bloom to run the Lucas formula. Cheaper. :) I also can buy them at my local hydro store, but I know everyone does not have access to them locally. But it can be purchased online at plenty of places.

If you want to learn the Lucas Formula (Its really easy, and works like a charm) read it from the man himself. The link below is to Lucas' question and answer thread. The first couple of pages explains everything you need to know. Its an awesome read. Check it out.

http://www.cannabis-world.org/cw/showthread.php?t=892
 
MI5

MI5

Member
PeaceLuvPot said:
I am in the US. I bought my nutes online (General Hydroponics Flora series. its a 3 part system, Micro, Grow, and Bloom, but you only need the Micro and the Bloom to run the Lucas formula. Cheaper. :) I also can buy them at my local hydro store, but I know everyone does not have access to them locally. But it can be purchased online at plenty of places.

If you want to learn the Lucas Formula (Its really easy, and works like a charm) read it from the man himself. The link below is to Lucas' question and answer thread. The first couple of pages explains everything you need to know. Its an awesome read. Check it out.

http://www.cannabis-world.org/cw/showthread.php?t=892
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what am i suppose to look for? because all i am getting is nutrients for soil... what is the term used for water use... i found IONIC GROW 5L COCO

or this one....

http://www.grow-hydro.co.uk/canna-hydro-vega-12-p.asp

is this good for growth?
 
tea tree

tea tree

Well-Known Member
hey, nice answers. what formula are you using? For the addbacks. I just go by ppm. I read the 33% theory and it looked off for me. Can you elaborate for a + rep. I love this subjecy. I use tapwater and regular micro and bloom and am having awesome results with ph finally after initial adjustment. Go figure. Works tho.

Also what are anyones thoughts on what amount of ml it takes to get 5-0-1 of micro. I read over and over that it is 1 tsp. I am sure it is. But is anyone as dumb as I am and not quite happy with that. However I tried to work it at 2 tsp to get that and it burned my plants so 8/16 is good enough for me.
 
P

PeaceLuvPot

Member
Yep, thats it. Now just read and get familiar with the Lucas thread so you have a good understanding how this simple yet oh so effective system works.
 
P

PeaceLuvPot

Member
tea tree said:
hey, nice answers. what formula are you using? For the addbacks. I just go by ppm. I read the 33% theory and it looked off for me. Can you elaborate for a + rep. I love this subjecy. I use tapwater and regular micro and bloom and am having awesome results with ph finally after initial adjustment. Go figure. Works tho.

Also what are anyones thoughts on what amount of ml it takes to get 5-0-1 of micro. I read over and over that it is 1 tsp. I am sure it is. But is anyone as dumb as I am and not quite happy with that. However I tried to work it at 2 tsp to get that and it burned my plants so 8/16 is good enough for me.
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I don't use the 33%. I use the addback formula Lucas recommends.

Here is how it works. You add back however many gallons of water you need to fill your res (ph adjusted water). Do this before you do anything, including taking a ppm reading. Fill your res first.

Next, take a ppm reading and record it. (Also have your initial starting ppm handy as well. The other # you need is the amount in gallons that you have your res filled to. (The formula states res size, but if you have an 18 gallon res but only fill it to 12 gallons, you use the 12 as the res size, not 18).

With those 3 numbers, plug them into this formula:
((target ppm - current ppm) / target) * 8 ml per gallon * res gallons = Flora Micro (ml) double this figure to get Flora Bloom (ml)

ANd it works perfectly. The other night I was a gallon short in my res. I filled it up, took a reading, did the formula, and came out with 8 ml of micro and 16 ml of bloom needed to reach my target ppm, which is exactly what the Lucas formula uses per gallon. So that means my plants are eating and drinking at the exact same rate under the Lucas formula. I will say if my numbers stay steady through my whole grow, and I indeed never need to flush, I will always grow using this system. Why do anything else? lol.
 
MI5

MI5

Member
PeaceLuvPot said:
I don't use the 33%. I use the addback formula Lucas recommends.

Here is how it works. You add back however many gallons of water you need to fill your res (ph adjusted water). Do this before you do anything, including taking a ppm reading. Fill your res first.

Next, take a ppm reading and record it. (Also have your initial starting ppm handy as well. The other # you need is the amount in gallons that you have your res filled to. (The formula states res size, but if you have an 18 gallon res but only fill it to 12 gallons, you use the 12 as the res size, not 18).

With those 3 numbers, plug them into this formula:
((target ppm - current ppm) / target) * 8 ml per gallon * res gallons = Flora Micro (ml) double this figure to get Flora Bloom (ml)

ANd it works perfectly. The other night I was a gallon short in my res. I filled it up, took a reading, did the formula, and came out with 8 ml of micro and 16 ml of bloom needed to reach my target ppm, which is exactly what the Lucas formula uses per gallon. So that means my plants are eating and drinking at the exact same rate under the Lucas formula. I will say if my numbers stay steady through my whole grow, and I indeed never need to flush, I will always grow using this system. Why do anything else? lol.
Click to expand...

"he other night I was a gallon short in my res. I filled it up, took a reading, did the formula, and came out with 8 ml of micro and 16 ml of bloom needed to reach my target ppm, "

i am understanding the formula but little confused on one part... you said the formula calculated to 8ml micro / 16ml of bloom, needed for targeted ppm. are you adding it both? because the micro is for the growth and bloom for the flowering... why add both? sorry for sounding dumb but that bit confused me... the whole formula works perfect...

i had the following in mind:

((target ppm - current ppm) / target) * 8 ml per gallon * res gallons = Flora Micro (ml)


(finding the target ppm)
i USE a 12 gallon res. in the growth stage, i need (according to the flora app guide) 3.5ml per gallon. once filled, i would make a note of the ppm reading, as this will give me a static target ppm to use whilst adding more gallons later..

(finding the current ppm) - easy, just measure the ppm of the current state of res.

the other thing i am confused about is the last part of the formula, "... *8 ml per gallon".. why 8? or is this part of the formula which will never change no matter if you're on the growth or bloom stage?
 
P

PeaceLuvPot

Member
MI5 said:
"he other night I was a gallon short in my res. I filled it up, took a reading, did the formula, and came out with 8 ml of micro and 16 ml of bloom needed to reach my target ppm, "

i am understanding the formula but little confused on one part... you said the formula calculated to 8ml micro / 16ml of bloom, needed for targeted ppm. are you adding it both? because the micro is for the growth and bloom for the flowering... why add both? sorry for sounding dumb but that bit confused me... the whole formula works perfect...

i had the following in mind:

((target ppm - current ppm) / target) * 8 ml per gallon * res gallons = Flora Micro (ml)


(finding the target ppm)
i USE a 12 gallon res. in the growth stage, i need (according to the flora app guide) 3.5ml per gallon. once filled, i would make a note of the ppm reading, as this will give me a static target ppm to use whilst adding more gallons later..

(finding the current ppm) - easy, just measure the ppm of the current state of res.

the other thing i am confused about is the last part of the formula, "... *8 ml per gallon".. why 8? or is this part of the formula which will never change no matter if you're on the growth or bloom stage?
Click to expand...
You run both, for the entire grow. Combined, they have everything the plant needs for its entire life. For every gallon of water, you add 8 ml of micro, and 16 ml of bloom. You take your ppm reading, and that is your target ppm from there on out.
 
tea tree

tea tree

Well-Known Member
thanks + rep. I cant wait to try. I read the whole lucas thread at cannabis worls as lucas. But I was doing organic soil and read it for academic interest. Now I am back to hydro I am to lazy to read that again. I hit a money wall and went with the two part lucas formula.

Two the above dude. We are talking about the three part gh nute system. You use micro for the micro nutes and grow and bloom in diferent combinations for the veg and flower phase. However we are using a nice trick that lets you get away with using only micro and bloom the whole way thru. The micro has most of the nitrogen! That is the reason it works. If you use 16 ml bloom instead of 15 you get more magnesium too. I use tapwater so i got some there. But anyway it is called the lucas formula. It is about keeping your plants healthy and letting them to do the rest. More on a good environ than special pk boosters and other add ons. It is for people who want easy clean mineral hydro as opposed to mess and hype. Gh is the shit. I assume you use flora nova. That is a two part. Lots of people like it. But my ph pen does want to get dirty and mineral hydro works better than organic hydro.
 
MI5

MI5

Member
PeaceLuvPot said:
You run both, for the entire grow. Combined, they have everything the plant needs for its entire life. For every gallon of water, you add 8 ml of micro, and 16 ml of bloom. You take your ppm reading, and that is your target ppm from there on out.
Click to expand...
oh i see... also, use the same water or do i have to drain every 2 weeks or so?
 
P

PeaceLuvPot

Member
If you use the addback with nutes formula that I posted above, you do not have to flush for the entire grow, assuming your readings stay where they should be. As long as your PH and PPM numbers remain where they should be, no flushes needed.

if you use the addback water only formula then you will need to flush.
 
MI5

MI5

Member
PeaceLuvPot said:
If you use the addback with nutes formula that I posted above, you do not have to flush for the entire grow, assuming your readings stay where they should be. As long as your PH and PPM numbers remain where they should be, no flushes needed.

if you use the addback water only formula then you will need to flush.
Click to expand...
na, i will use the this formula... ((target ppm - current ppm) / target) * 8 ml per gallon * res gallons = Flora Micro (ml)
i got what you told me to get and i know it should be fine...
 
P

PeaceLuvPot

Member
If you follow that, according to Lucas, there are no flushes necessary, and I am finding that to be true so far as my PH and PPM remain steady as a rock.
 
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