I just don't get what I am doing wrong with the ppm

Hi all-- I have read and reread so much, yet help me figure this out. Yes I am new to hydro, (but old time soil man) but this just doesn't make sense to me. Using the Botanicare caculator http://www.botanicare.com/Nutrients/Nutrient-Calculator.aspx I used Pure blend Grow as per 1 tablespoon to gallon which is suppose to be 900 PPM. Now my plain water has a PPM of 200 (using 2 meters to check everything). So the total read 634 PPM. HUH? This should add up to 900 + 200= 1100. OK- so I added another tbls and now the ppm is 1100. This is using double the recommended amount. Now my res is 35 gallons (which started this whole mess) So I used the recommend amount 2 1/4 cup. Guess what- the total PPM is 761. So what am I suppose to do (since the 2 plants are very sickly now) I need help. Just use the recommend measurements and stay low or double to get the PPM up to what I understand should read 1100? Now I also use cal-mag and Karma, but I have yet gone any farther with adding them until I get your help and also I wonder what the hell to do then. Karma should add 120 and cal 434. Now I tried to get my res balance a few days ago (been going 2 weeks total with this new hydro) with all of these and now I got sickly plants and the PPM read this AM 2000. This is the reason why I am writing to u guys. I am draining AGAIN caz I know this is to HIGH. And starting from scratch again. I have wasted 70 gallons so far and another 35 to come. Please get my mind right LOL

ppm measure the amount of nutrients in the water. Closer to Zero the less nutes in water, higher the number the more nutes there is. ordinary water would roughly have between 0-400 ( depends on your city standard) Unless you use bottle water or another system). PPM doesn't add up.

a general guide is that you use no nutes(just plain water ) from 0 to 2-3 weeks. 3-4 weeks you use 1/4 strength(200-400ppm), then 3-4 weeks 1/2 strength(500 to 700ppm) and 4-5 weeks full strength(800-1100ppm).

to mix nutes you start with plain water + add nutes, then check ppm. if its to high then take out some of the solution and add water to lower it. if the ppm is to low then add more nutres until you reach the proper ppm level.

Also keep in mind some nutrients will get absorb at different ph levels so check your nutes to see what they prefer. but most people use 5.5 to 5.7 in early grow. They usually absorb the most nutes then.

I would say drop to 3/4 if what you did but give it a week and see how plant like it. Every plant is different. We can only give basic info on what we do. And there are plants that like higher ph while others like lower. So everything you read is basic. Don't take onlyones program to heart.

Id be taking it where i got it and showed em there calculations.



BEECH

i have the perfect pure blend pro recipe. i have used it for years with great success and with many, many different strains. check my thread in hydro section, my 3 stages of flower, i think it is on page 3 or 5(somewhere near). dont worry about ppm as much as reading the plants.

I can think of two other factors:
1) conversion. Ppm meters measure EC, and there are at least two conventions. For Hanna, EC = 1 means 500 ppm. For Bluelab, EC = 1 is set at 700 ppm.
2) Your TDS meter might be off.
3) (I lied.) Pureblend contains organics which may not be present in ionic form. Nonionics won't read.

Conclusion: stick with the chart even if your solution reads low. Jmo. cn

I mix my nutes to achieve the proper ppm I need, that is to say if the recomended dose is not high enough I ignore it and mix to my liking. To me the directions are just a starting point.