Homemade Under Current
- Thread starter Hobgoblit
- Start date
Yeah, I hope the parachute jams, and they come ALL the way in Hot...
I had been @ 1400, but kept getting a rise in my PPM's. I seem to be having much better growth @ 1100. No rise or fall. During flowering, my girls are drinking about 3 gallons a day, and 200 ppm, and thats all happening in 12 gallons. Now, at that rate, in 4-5 days I will have replaced all the water in the system by topping up. This is where I start having problems. My thinking, the nute mix is off by this point. So, instead of changing the water that often, every 4 days I dilute it down to about 500, and top the nutes back up. If you top feed, and use Nova, It WILL build up in the media, so I flush alot, and the more you flush, the better.
So to answer your Q, no, I personally don't think the type of system allows you to go lower. As long as my meter says 1100, I'm good. Now if it rises from here, I know my mix is getting off bad, and it's res change time. Hope that helps, sorry about the rambling.
mr.bond
Well-Known Member
Sounds like you are "dialed in" at 1100ppm then. I think one reason why people might think UCs can handle half the nutes and be ok probably has a lot to do with oxygenation. If you have more DO in your water, then technically your roots will be able to absorb more nutrients or do it quicker. I think thats why people who might have done like 1600ppm in D2W or NFT are now seeing that only 800ppm is necessary in a UC to achieve similar results.
cheers and cant wait to see the next round of pix!
mr.bond
I think most people forget that there are a couple of conversion rates in EC. And hearing that someone is @ 1750, doesn't mean you should be too. Look @ the chart I attached. My HM Digital meter uses 0.5 so 1100 PPM is 2.2 EC. Move over to a meter that uses 0.7 and it says 1540 is 2.2. I think this confuses alot of people. None of us openly post what conversion we use, or at least I haven't seen any. And different strains can handle higher nute levels. Plus we have to remember that each brand of nutes will have levels that will differ slightly too. I looked for people using my brands when I did the research on levels, helped alot.
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mr.bond
Well-Known Member
Yes exactly. Many people don't even know what conversion factor their TDS meter uses... I have a Hanna (0.5) that I use now, but I did have a 0.7 meter in the past. I know EC is supposed to be the standard but I look at the 0.5 as pretty much being the standard. That statement probably pissed somebody off, but screw it. LOL
Plus I've seen people on here saying 'oh my plants flower awesome at 2200PPM+!' Yeah well, thats probably @ 0.7, but even then that EC is ridiculous!!! Still over 1500PPM @ 0.5... just seems wasteful. and a hell of a way to fry up those leaves! lol My favorite though is people thinking their meter is messed up because they didn't account for the PPM of their tap water. Hehee... good stuff
mr.bond
Plus I've seen people on here saying 'oh my plants flower awesome at 2200PPM+!' Yeah well, thats probably @ 0.7, but even then that EC is ridiculous!!! Still over 1500PPM @ 0.5... just seems wasteful. and a hell of a way to fry up those leaves! lol My favorite though is people thinking their meter is messed up because they didn't account for the PPM of their tap water. Hehee... good stuff
mr.bond
kriznarf
Active Member
I'm so super pissed at that statement!!! JK, man. Yeah, just starting to learn about nutrient profiles myself. Seems like that's going to be the way to go in the future as I get more serious about growing well.
Watching those buds blow up will get you interested. Think of buds the size of 20oz coke bottles on top, how did you say it somewhere? Dat fucking plant? ha ha
researchkitty
Well-Known Member
I think the UnderCurrents use a lower ppm because they are drinking so much continuously, that if the nutrient levels were higher then they would be overfed.... Your plants are looking very nice, thanks for keeping us updated.....
You're probably right, and it makes total sense, sitting in a large nutrient mix allows the plant to consume at a constant level for longer. I'm not pushing mine any more, learned that lesson at 1400 about a week ago. Thanks for popping in with that info, always appreciate the help.
lordjin
Well-Known Member
I think a lot of people get fixated on the buds in bud shots (for good reason). But the grower with a trained eye (like myself) will notice other things... like the thickness of your branches. A sign of super strong, vigorous hydro plant. Never get tired of seeing that.
This picture reminds me of exactly what I did to my Platinum OG plant that stretched too tall. I def need to rep you for this one. I thought I was the only one this brutal. Right angle pinching. Hardcore. Love it.
This picture reminds me of exactly what I did to my Platinum OG plant that stretched too tall. I def need to rep you for this one. I thought I was the only one this brutal. Right angle pinching. Hardcore. Love it.
Only way to go when you're running out of space, pinch and twist my friend...
researchkitty
Well-Known Member
I dont understand the pinch and twist.................. Do what and why?
Research Kitty, here is a video that should explain...
[video=youtube;2FmXHhKFA5U]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FmXHhKFA5U&feature=player_embedded[/video]