New ph tools for the nute room

[Smoklahoma]

Finally pulled the trigger on a couple of Milwaukee ph dosing systems. They have been in use for three days now and seems to be working good. Mixed up a new batch of nutes, turned them on they got to pumping. Started out at 7.5, kept running until it got to 5.8 then stopped, slowly drifted to 5.5 and stabilized there. The knob is kinda sensitive, still tweaking on it to find that sweet spot. Been checking the res. with the bluelab combo meter just to make sure they both are reading the same. So far so good.

[MeEasy]

Damn that's impressive I didn't even know they made something like that. I'm still a caveman growing in soil technology is passing me by. Pretty soon you'll be able to drop a seed in one side and get cured bud out the other end a month later SMH crazy but gotta love it 😀

[Smoklahoma]

Thanks, they are pretty cool. All this reading on here made me so paranoid about having a ph issue, I was dosing about twice a day to keep it at 5.5 . Started to think I was hurting things by only using the lower range. Got these so the ph could get all the way to 6.1 before dropping. Hoping to get all the kinks worked out of this grow room on this first grow. Now I'm stressing I don't have enough light!!🤯

[MeEasy]

Hahaha oh the love we have for these little bitches. I've been growing for a long time and only found out that people were online openly talking about it about 3 or so years ago. Oh the amount of information available is felony crazy. If I didn't get sick I would probably still be out in the mountains sticking seeds in any wet spot i could find. I didn't even know they made weed specific nutrients before I was literally bed riden for a few years and picked up a tablet for entertainment. Now you blew my mind with this machine. This spring will be 3 years that I started growing indoors because I can't hike like before this is it, don't get me wrong I'm thankful to be able to be here and I love this new way of growing it's definitely fun as hell. I have and have pretty much decided to grow in soil so I don't have any recommendations for you in the water. I switched to a living soil now and have literally not checked the ph of anything in probably 6 months

What are you using for light and in what space? Maybe I can throw some ideas at you

[Smoklahoma]

Right now we have 2 nextlight core led panels. 1 over each of the 4x4 grow areas. Was looking at the Mars 3000, but the wife would skin me if dropped another grand on more lights right now. I was trying to make the grow as automated as possible for the 90% blind wife to give her a hobby. She just wants to know when it's ready to smoke!

[MeEasy]

Nice I haven't talked to anyone with a nextlight. How do you like em? And what makes you want to go from top quality light to a mid grade? I know you're not switching light but adding, if it's $ I get that. You definitely have some healthy looking plants whatever you are doing don't change it
I keep thinking if I just grow a couple more z every time my ol lady would have plenty to make it to the next harvest but she somehow runs out about a month from harvest SMH. I've gone from a quarter pound to 1.5 pounds last round and she runs out at the same time. I don't take longer lol

[Smoklahoma]

I actually really like them so far, plants seam to like them. Just gotta get out of my own head worrying about is this right or that right. Keep hearing about watts,watts, watts, makes me wish I had more. This first grow is all about learning what's what with everything. I am going to let these lights roll all the way through and see what happens. Hopefully we'll get enough to smoke till grow #2.

[RetiredGuy]

Based on my reading it’s not watts that matters it is PPFD. It is recommended to have an average of 700 micro moles/m2.sec. The max should be 1000. Most light companies will provide a PPFD map.

[MeEasy]

Problem is there's not a standard for the tests they do to get there numbers and you have to watch their words they use words that are damn near lies to convince you to buy. They are worse than used car salesmen lol

[gbauto]

PPFD is just a spot intensity measurement at a given distance. It varies greatly depending on that distance as well as the fixture's ability to evenly distribute its photon output. I agree with your recommendations on running 700-1000 ppfd over the canopy.
Nextlight specs that fixture at 190 watts and the system efficacy is 2.0umole/watt.
A 4x4 is 1.5 meters square. To achieve a spot ppfd of 800, it will require a total ppf output of 800x1.5=1200 umole ppf.
1200 umole ppf output-evenly distributed- is what it'll take for each 4x4 to achieve a spot ppfd of 800 across that canopy.
Each of those fixtures can generate 380 umole ppf.
You need considerably more output to illuminate a 4x8

[MeEasy]

I didn't realize this was your first grow. Can't tell by looking at your plants they look good. I don't know how your system works but if it's possible to put the shorter ones on something in an attempt to make everything the same height. This will definitely increase your harvest light is the most important part in growing. How many watts are you running? They're looking like it's close to starting flower I don't know how much head space you have.

[Smoklahoma]

The system is ebb and flow but using it as a RDWC I think. It changes water every 6 hours. Can't really raise one without the rest because of the control bucket. I screwed up early on, overdosed them in week2 , tried to fim a couple of them which didn't work so well. I let them veg to long trying to recover. Lights are 185 watts each. I have 2 400 watt hps on the shelf but I dont have enough head space for the heat they put out. Lights are 12 inches above plants, one side only has about 10 inches to go. They are on their 4th week of flower, was hoping they would stop stretching. Only built room to flower 6 plants, so I'm one heavy. Guess I could kick out the big one to even the height more? Next grow, they will all be trimmed and trained the same.

[MeEasy]

Well you have done something right they're beautiful. I use cardboard boxes, milk crates, other pots to put under a plant to make it even with the others. I don't care how hard I try there's always at least one that isn't corporating 🙃 . I'm not as backwoods as before but I grow in soil and water by hand which since I started in this new tent is a super pain in the ass. I bought a pump sprayer 2 gallon with a hose so it's a little easier to reach the back plants, there's side doors they're up kinda high so you're reaching through the canopy to water. Younger years I wouldn't even complain but this old body is worn out. I say that being funny but my body is failing me lately. I almost got 2 2x4 tents instead of the 4x4 but talked myself out of it. Two or three weeks later I was told my damn cancer was back SMH. Enough crying 😭 I'm sure once I'm done with this second surgery since Thanksgiving I'll heal up and it won't be a problem at all.

I hate to say but I agree with you about you needing more light. Your two lights are perfect for one of the 4x4 spaces. The old way of measuring lights by watts is outdated because with the improvements in LEDs they're so efficient that for example I have 2 600w blurple lights 113w each and under the two I was averaging a quarter pound per grow I added a sf2000 204w and I added a pound per round, only two rounds so far. I'm on my first grow in this tent with now 2 sf2000 I'm aiming for 2 pounds but aiming can be just a wish, we'll see 🤞

Sorry for the book

[Smoklahoma]

Hate to hear about your health, but with that positive attitude you have already kicked its ass! Well I thought at first these lights would work but from what I'm hearing now I'm screwed. Didn't realize they are barely enough for one plant each , if that, so now I think the nextlight sucks real bad. Guess I'll try to fit those hps fixtures in the room also and try to burn these bitches up.

[MeEasy]

The next light people are overly proud of their selves 4sure I looked em up. They have some really good commercials on their lights maybe they should save that money so they can lower the price. I'd only seen their commercials on YouTube until now. You can probably get away with the 2 in one of your spaces for now but you'll need some more light in there to get good results, whatever is right under them will do good the ppfd is good but small footprint. I don't know shit about hps lighting I've only used LEDs and the sun. What do you have? As in watts and footprint in your hps maybe you can mix n match with the nexts to get you to harvest

[Smoklahoma]

The hps fixtures have quad ray hoods about 28 inches square I believe. Only 400 watts each but they sure put off the heat. Guess I'll try to hang them in some kind of arrangement that might work, better than leaving it the way it is. I'll head out to the shed in the snow and get to work. But definitely need to try and find a real light for my space.

[MeEasy]

I'm not familiar with the bulb lights and their footprint but 2 4x4 areas is 16'² each with bulbs you can still use 30-50 watts per ft² so 500-800w is best. I would off set the buld and led in each space and you'll have plenty. I don't know what mixing it up like that will do but I can't think of anything bad about it but I know nothing about bulb lights

[Smoklahoma]

Well this is what I wound up with. We'll see what happens? Gotta find the right light for the next grow? It's going to have to work till then.

[MeEasy]

I'm in a 4x4 to I'm running 2 sf2000 from spider farmer. They are about as small as I would go with I would have rather have the sf4000 but these will do until I decide to expand again. I've only run 2 grows with the sf2000 and I only had one of them in my closet it is a definite big step up from the cheap blurple lights I had before.

[Shamrock928]

Thanks for the post on the Milwaukee pH Controller. I found them on sale and I'd teally like to have one! Are you using a dilute of pH down? Does the controller pump pH down until the pH reaches the set point or does it run for a set interval? What keeps the system pH from yo-yoing from high to low pH? Thanks

[Smoklahoma]

I am using gh ph down a full strength. You can only use one chemical for each control. Set the switch for either above or below. I have mine set to kick on at when it gets above 6.0. It turns the pump on and continues running until it reaches 5.8 then shuts off, preset parameter. After it shuts off the ph drifts down to 5.5, takes about 2 min.then stabilizes. Unit does nothing until it reaches 6.0 , then does it again. I am using two 55 gal barrels for res running 25 gal in each with 8 inch air stones right now. Might react differently with another set up but you should be able to dial it in with probe placement and strength of chemical.