runoff

[bk_getrich]

hey guys, why should we allow runoff water every time we water plants ? what problems it causes if we dont ?

[OzBud]

fertiliser will build up in the medium and EC will climb

[RosettaStoned]

It's what ppms are based off of

https://www.maximumyield.com/understanding-ec-tds-and-ppm/2/1343

[KingKush]

I thought the plants used the fertilizer? And if not plants then surely the microbes would break it down?

[DoctorJohnson]

KingKush: Your plant and the soil microbes can only handle so much. It's very easy to overfertilize (which is why measuring and recording the concentrations of what's going in and running off is such a big help.)

[DoctorJohnson]

> What is EC ?
> My plants are 1 month old , Ive never let runoff water, and im starting to see some nutrients problems (like curling tips) so it might be because of not allowing runoff water ?
The link Rosetta Stoned posted is a good intro to the science of nutrient measurments. Here's one here at GWE: http://www.growweedeasy.com/ppm
If you want to get really good results, you should probably buy a PPM meter, a pH meter, and a bottle of pH calibration fluid, and learn how to use them. You can get cheap ones at Amazon for about $60 total, and with some instrumentation you won't be flying blind but know how much you're putting in and how much is running off.

But to answer your question, yes, you should probably always water to runoff. That way you know you wetted all your media (soil, coco, whatever) and that some is washing through (which you can test and monitor. Keep a notebook!).

If you're getting curling tips you're simply overfertilizing. Stop now and flush some water through the pots to help rinse away the excess.

Have read through all of the growing information here at the GWE website? This is the best cannabis growing site on the web, so read up! Here's a good place to start: http://www.growweedeasy.com/cannabis...tarted-growing

Happy growing!

PS Photos of your plants always help when you post a question.

[bk_getrich]

DoctorJohnson tnx for ur help, i have ph meter and calibration liquid, and ive always watered adjusting ph,
ive been using general hydroponics, always set ph at 6.3,
heres photo of my single plant, i really hope its gonna be a female
check out tips of some leaves
Soil.five 40 watt cfls, a water air cooler taking in fresh cool air with humadity

[DoctorJohnson]

Your plant looks beautiful!
Looking at it very closely, I see just the tiniest bit of hooking ("clawing"), which combined with the nice green color suggests that you are just over the limit for how much nitrogen it can take. But I take back what I said about giving it a flush. I would suggest just not fertilizing for a while and letting it use up what it's got.

Hitting the high nutrient limit is actually a good thing because it tells you both that your plant is getting enough to eat and also what its limits are (though of course those limits change as it grows). Again, keeping good notes is a big help for your current grow and a great resource to refer back to for subsequent grows. "Faded ink is better than the best memory." I use a spreadsheet in which I track pH & PPM in and out (runoff), tent and room temp and humidity, and water usage.

BTW I also see just the slightest "taco-ing" of the top leaves that suggests that they are getting a tiny bit too much heat and/or light.

200 actual watts of CFLs should give a good result if you don't let the plant get too big. In my experience that will adequately illuminate about three square feet of plant assuming you keep the bulbs as close as you can and give even illumination, and about four square feet with smaller flowers, but your mileage may vary...

Looking good!

[bk_getrich]

DoctorJohnson
thank you,
Yeah ill stop fertilizing however I been feeding half amont of the feeding chart , and i hardly think there could be too much heat,my environment is pretty cool and ive made a system taking out heat (check out the pic)
But i just checked and realized they were too close maybe (2inches distance) i just set it to 4 inches
anyway i really hated cfls in my first experience, "distance ,heat, lack of light etc.. issues"
i plant some led for next stages

[DoctorJohnson]

Nice.

It's not just heat, though. I'll bet the leaves right under those bulbs are getting 90,000 lux, which accounts for that very dense growth you're getting but can also stress the leaves. (BTW, that very intense light is exactly what you want when you get to flowering. That's what gives you really big, really sticky buds. With less light you get pretty greenery but a lot less of the sticky.) Anyway, if it were my grow, I'd pull that light up an inch or three (which is exactly the opposite advice that I usually give to people using CFLs in which they need to move the bulbs a lot closer).

http://www.growweedeasy.com/lux-meter

> I been feeding half amont of the feeding chart
Which feeding chart? You always want to start with half of what's on the manufacturer's chart. I think Nebula's advice on this is good: http://www.growweedeasy.com/nutrients

Just as a point of comparison, I feed my coco every day but with 60% strength of Nebula's already diluted GH chart. I learned from the orchid growers that it's best to feed lightly often rather than heavily less often. But again, your plant looks great so keep doing what you're doing!

And now it is time for me to go change the nutes in my reservoir!

[bk_getrich]

Thank you, good luck