Old water
- Thread starter disratory
- Start date
firsttimeARE
Well-Known Member
Early on probably ok. But as the plants feed more you're going to want a clean slate.
These are the nutes i am using
https://www.elitegardenwholesale.com/collections/nutrients
starting to look like i will be stuck with 100% water changes.. i wonder if i would be able to stretch it out to bi-weekly changes thought since there is a massive water volume for very few grow sites.
https://www.elitegardenwholesale.com/collections/nutrients
starting to look like i will be stuck with 100% water changes.. i wonder if i would be able to stretch it out to bi-weekly changes thought since there is a massive water volume for very few grow sites.
Airwalker16
Well-Known Member
Use a mesh filter bag on your pumps in rdwc. If you start to see shit building up on it, wipe that off, and change the water. Otherwise I just top off. I've only changed my girls water one time this whole grow.
firsttimeARE
Well-Known Member
Costs me 2 dollars to do a 100gal res change.
Buy dry salts.
Buy dry salts.
Topping off with mixed water right? I have heard of people monitoring PPM as a way of determining when to change water but I would guess that would only work if you are topping off with straight water. Do these plants have a nutrient intake that doesnt involve drinking the water they are in? Can they absorb what is in the water without absorbing the water?
Flagg420
Well-Known Member
Well... i love this question... it made me go "Hmm.."
See cuz the plant is gonna drink the water, it simply must, right...
BUT...
Would one ask "Can the plant uptake nutrients from the soil without actually consuming the soil?" Sounds simply silly doesn't it? So perhaps yes, it CAN uptake nutes w/o consuming the water... technically? Or consuming very little.....
I dunno, seems like something to explore, but bottom line, if ur room temps are nice n low, it will drink less water, regardless of nute needs.... ..... ......right?
Pretty sure the plant takes the water out of the soil right? and any nutes in the soil would be absorbed into the water and then into the plant? (I dont do soil at all right now)
I would imagine the nute companies would all agree to recommend 100% water change every week, my question is why 100%?
Airwalker16
Well-Known Member
Ding ding ding .
Airwalker16
Well-Known Member
I used to change every week but this run its stayed so clear. I just keep on a addin.
Most of my experience as far as maintaining water parameters is coming from experience reef keeping (Nano reefs). Water changes take care of a lot of issues like removing nitrates, etc.. but with a water change it also will replenish calcium (used for coral growth target around ~420ppm) which will drop over time as it is used up by the coral (usually ~380 when i do water changes) but by removing 20% of the water and putting newly fresh mixed water (adds calcium back in) it will replenish the nutrients that were absorbed by the corals. at least thats my basic understanding of it... so why would this method not be used in a rdwc?
firsttimeARE
Well-Known Member
Well plants can't consume organic matter. Has to be broken down by living things in the soil. Like protozoa and microorganisms and shit like that.
That's my understanding of soil.
Plants put waste into the water as well.
Unless your ratio is spot on levels will sway into higher concentrations of the nutrients its eating less of over time.
So week 1 you have a higher concentration of a nutrient its using less of and since you're mixing to a set EC you're feeding less on the water add back.
So its getting less of the nutrients it needs. Furthermore its getting another full dose of what its needing less of. Week 2 your ratio of the nutrient its using less of vs more of is still increasing.
Go on long enough an excess of certain nutrients locks out others.
If cost is a concern buy cheaper nutrients. An idea would be the nutrients in their pure dry form. Or a hi-k (5-11-26 I use. Jacks makes one as well) with micros and calcium nitrate, monopotassium phosphate, magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts)
Ya get it?
That's my understanding of soil.
Plants put waste into the water as well.
Unless your ratio is spot on levels will sway into higher concentrations of the nutrients its eating less of over time.
So week 1 you have a higher concentration of a nutrient its using less of and since you're mixing to a set EC you're feeding less on the water add back.
So its getting less of the nutrients it needs. Furthermore its getting another full dose of what its needing less of. Week 2 your ratio of the nutrient its using less of vs more of is still increasing.
Go on long enough an excess of certain nutrients locks out others.
If cost is a concern buy cheaper nutrients. An idea would be the nutrients in their pure dry form. Or a hi-k (5-11-26 I use. Jacks makes one as well) with micros and calcium nitrate, monopotassium phosphate, magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts)
Ya get it?
firsttimeARE
Well-Known Member
$48 25lb bag of 5-11-26 with micro (5675 gal at 2g/gal)
$12 5lb bag of mkp (2270 gal at 1g/gal this will last the longest as its only used week 3-7 of flower)
$4 8lb bag mgso4 (7264 gal at .5g/gal)
$24 25lb bag cano3 (I use 3g/gal veg (2g/gal flower so lets say 2.5g/gal average. Does 4540 gal)
$0.00845/gal mix
$0.00528/gal mkp
$0.00055/gal mgso4
$0.00528/gal cano3
$0.01956/gal
$1.956/100 gal
$12 5lb bag of mkp (2270 gal at 1g/gal this will last the longest as its only used week 3-7 of flower)
$4 8lb bag mgso4 (7264 gal at .5g/gal)
$24 25lb bag cano3 (I use 3g/gal veg (2g/gal flower so lets say 2.5g/gal average. Does 4540 gal)
$0.00845/gal mix
$0.00528/gal mkp
$0.00055/gal mgso4
$0.00528/gal cano3
$0.01956/gal
$1.956/100 gal
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firsttimeARE
Well-Known Member
$27 dollars over a 14 week grow and that's full strength which you won't be all grow. So probably closer to $20. 100gal rdwc should be getting you pounds.
rkymtnman
Well-Known Member
think about it a different way:
you fill up your tank with 87 octane gas. then you do 20% fill ups of 93 octane. after the 4th top off, what is your octane level?
same with you. if your original mix was 3-1-2 NPK, after 4 top offs,, what is your NPK at now?? is it still 312? or is it 221? or xxx??