Soil growers, I need help with EC

Jmcsupplies

Well-Known Member
Hi guys,

I started feeding some plants about 8 weeks ago,they’re now currently huge bushy plants

I started the ec off at 0.6 then 0.8 the week after

im now at week 8ish in veg and at about 1.3ec and there’s some yellowing/brown crisping to some bottom leaves and the they’ve all gone quite light green

30L pots in soil and feeding every 48 hours

should I be going any higher than 1.3 in veg? Doesn’t leave me much room to go up to 1.8in flower is my only problem

what do you guys do?
 

Jmcsupplies

Well-Known Member
Are you watering to a good amount of runoff when you water rather than feed? It sounds like you're feeding them a little heavy and they're not clearing enough of the nutrients in the soil before you feed again, thus having the buildup.
theyre bottom fed through an auto watering system which feeds from a res every 48 hours. They suck up most of the water/feed quite quickly. I’ll take some photos and reply here
 

Jmcsupplies

Well-Known Member
Please bear in mind these are 30L pots so they’re quite some size. Would you say some of the drooping is overwatering? I’m wondering whether to keep the EC at 1.4 and feed every 72 hours instead
 

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LeastExpectedGrower

Well-Known Member
Leaf stems pointing up but leaves drooping is overwatering, and still think you're probably too heavy on the nutrients. Maybe it's time to flush the soil and return to a good base level EC once they dry?
 

myke

Well-Known Member
Are you watering to a good amount of runoff when you water rather than feed? It sounds like you're feeding them a little heavy and they're not clearing enough of the nutrients in the soil before you feed again, thus having the buildup.
This ^^.EC is ok but if your not watering from the top to some runoff your way to high.Your system isnt the greatest idea.
As said already mix up some .5ec food and give ea one a good flush, remove the imbalance.Yes youll have to remove ea plant.Next grow go with a tray thats elevated so runoff can be collected.
 

Jmcsupplies

Well-Known Member
This ^^.EC is ok but if your not watering from the top to some runoff your way to high.Your system isnt the greatest idea.
As said already mix up some .5ec food and give ea one a good flush, remove the imbalance.Yes youll have to remove ea plant.Next grow go with a tray thats elevated so runoff can be collected.
ill keep the ec at 1.3/1.4 and water less frequently?
 

myke

Well-Known Member
ill keep the ec at 1.3/1.4 and water less frequently?
Can only assume theirs build up, the nature of your system just doesn't work.It will work if you can rinse them out.They've been sitting in nutes that have dried up so pure salt.You have to figure out a way to flush that shit out.Feeding less and less often wont do shit.Good luck,if you do flush them take a ppm reading of the runoff, Ill bet its really high.
 

waterproof808

Well-Known Member
I just realized you are bottom feeding, you need to change that to a top feed ASAP...this isnt a rockwool grow in tiny cubes.

You got a top layer of soil that NEVER gets moist. That means as your nutrients wick upwards from the bottom of your pots, its drying out somewhere in the middle of your pots, creating problems. You are likely creating anaerobic conditions at the bottom of your huge pots while the top half isnt getting enough moisture and defeating the purpose of using so much soil.

you could honestly get the same size plants in half the amount of soil and top watering system.
 

Jmcsupplies

Well-Known Member
Can only assume theirs build up, the nature of your system just doesn't work.It will work if you can rinse them out.They've been sitting in nutes that have dried up so pure salt.You have to figure out a way to flush that shit out.Feeding less and less often wont do shit.Good luck,if you do flush them take a ppm reading of the runoff, Ill bet its really high.
i don’t have run off with them being bottom fed. Used this system for years so I don’t have to check on them too regularly
 

myke

Well-Known Member
i don’t have run off with them being bottom fed. Used this system for years so I don’t have to check on them too regularly
Yes I understand that,for it to work properly you'd feed about .8 EC max and never let them dry right out.Kinda like growing in coco with blue mats,it works just feed low and if trouble starts you simply feed to runoff once then back to drip.
Good luck friend, just making suggestions to help.
 

myke

Well-Known Member
A good tip would be to top water every once in a while,you want all the dirt to be moist not just the bottom 2/3rd s
 

Jmcsupplies

Well-Known Member
A good tip would be to top water every once in a while,you want all the dirt to be moist not just the bottom 2/3rd s
the autopot guys say that’s a bad idea to water from the top once you’ve started watering from the bottom as salts can get stuck in the middle section. They recommend to flush from the bottom but with just ph’d water
 

myke

Well-Known Member
the autopot guys say that’s a bad idea to water from the top once you’ve started watering from the bottom as salts can get stuck in the middle section. They recommend to flush from the bottom but with just ph’d water
Salts are getting stuck now,nature of the system going against gravity .Just needs to be elevated,remove the hose. Top water 15 gallon through it, should all drain out?
 
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