PPMs IN FLOWER LOWER THAN VEG?

giantcola

Well-Known Member
Greetings everyone, I just wanted to ask a quick question about something that's happening to my garden..
I'm growing 3 plants in RDWC, they are on day 25 of flower (i'll post more data and pics below), looking really healty by the way..

I've been using GHE flora triparts with R/O (I did adjust the formula myself to balance ratios, since veg, now I'm around ppms 200N, 60P, 230 K, 120 Ca, 60 Mg)

Here's the deal: The formula ratio has been pretty much the same, gradually rising ppms during veg, but after two rounds of mild leaf stripping between the start and the third week of flower, the plants are demanding less total ppms than in late veg..

Before flowering I was around 750-770 ppms, slightly dropping with pH rising, after the defoliation and currently in week 3, the res ppms are going up overnight if left above 715-720.. Plants had several days to recover and grow back after the stripping and lollipopping but plant mass is kinda lower in total. :roll:

What does it say to you? Should I listen to what the plants are saying and feed them less? I hope that the ppms demand will rise as soon as the buds start bulking!
Here's pics of plants number 1 and 2 before the second stripping (week 2) and after couple days from defoliation. (Week 3) (My phone camera makes the color a bit more yellow than real, they do not look deficient like it might seem in the pic)
29 Nov
Screenshot_2021-12-07-13-04-49-895_com.miui.gallery.jpg
5 Dec


IMG_20211207_130533.jpg
A bit more info: total res size around 70 liters, stable ph between 5.5 and 6. (Formula x4.5 Micro Soft water - x6 Micro Hardwater - x9 Bloom - x6 Grow - x5 AN Big Bud, all together giving off perfect ratios for transition and early bloom) + Great White bennies, also adding 1,5 ml/gal of AN Nirvana and Hesi Flowering Boost (they only add a bit of elemental potassium to the total ppms)
I res change every 2 weeks and top off with nutrients and water every day
Res and room temp between 65 -70 F
Growing in a 4 x 4 tent with 500 watt cob light.
During transition I also lowered the R/H from 50% to around 40%
No tip burn at all, no deficiency shown.
Thank you for every response!
 
Last edited:

hotrodharley

Well-Known Member
Greetings everyone, I just wanted to ask a quick question about something that's happening to my garden..
I'm growing 3 plants in RDWC, they are on day 25 of flower (i'll post more data and pics below), looking really healty by the way..

I've been using GHE flora triparts with R/O (I did adjust the formula myself to balance ratios, since veg, now I'm around ppms 200N, 60P, 230 K, 120 Ca, 60 Mg)

Here's the deal: The formula ratio has been pretty much the same, gradually rising ppms during veg, but after two rounds of mild leaf stripping between the start and the third week of flower, the plants are demanding less total ppms than in late veg..

Before flowering I was around 750-770 ppms, slightly dropping with pH rising, after the defoliation and currently in week 3, the res ppms are going up overnight if left above 715-720.. Plants had several days to recover and grow back after the stripping and lollipopping but plant mass is kinda lower in total. :roll:

What does it say to you? Should I listen to what the plants are saying and feed them less? I hope that the ppms demand will rise as soon as the buds start bulking!
Here's pics of plants number 1 and 2 before the second stripping (week 2) and after couple days from defoliation. (Week 3) (My phone camera makes the color a bit more yellow than real, they do not look deficient like it might seem in the pic)
29 Nov
View attachment 5042210
5 Dec


View attachment 5042211
A bit more info: total res size around 70 liters, stable ph between 5.5 and 6. (Formula x4.5 Micro Soft water - x6 Micro Hardwater - x9 Bloom - x6 Grow - x5 AN Big Bud, all together giving off perfect ratios for transition and early bloom) + Great White bennies, also adding 1,5 ml/gal of AN Nirvana and Hesi Flowering Boost (they only add a bit of elemental potassium to the total ppms)
I res change every 2 weeks and top off with nutrients and water every day
Res and room temp between 65 -70 F
Growing in a 4 x 4 tent with 500 watt cob light.
During transition I also lowered the R/H from 50% to around 40%
No tip burn at all, no deficiency shown.
Thank you for every response!
You're using Micros for both hard and soft water together? Why?
 

xtsho

Well-Known Member
Of course they'll eat less after you strip off a large number of leaves, the plants are in shock and they have less physical mass- you'll notice them eating more as they grow back.
Less leaves = less transpiration = less uptake by the plant.
 

giantcola

Well-Known Member
Sounds about right, thank you for your time!
I wanted to give all the details so that if there was something off you should have been able to tell..
:rolleyes:
For the question about the nutrients: I've calculated this formula over a lot of researching and experimenting, and I use the two micro bottles to balance the calcium amount with the rest of the formula.. Using only the soft water resulted in too much calcium if compared to N, Mg e K.
I know people have been using Luca's formula or other classical ones without problems for a lifetime, but I felt better to create my own one comparing the ratios to what internet and agricultural papers say
 

giantcola

Well-Known Member
Adding calmag to the Hardwater bottle btw resulted in too much magnesium together with the Bloom, and if I lowered the Bloom amount I came out with lack of Sulphur and Phosphorus.
That's just what has been working better for me lately with the bottles I had!
Ratios seems pretty on target: 200 N, 60 P, 230 K, 120Ca, 60 Mg, 50 S.
I also using the Big Bud in that proportion to add a bit more sulphur to the formula!

Getting a bit off topic now, thanks again! :mrgreen:
 
Top