Calcium Lockout?

[Ryno_nuggs]

Anything with a reservoir of nutrients really should get daily attention to at least the PH. Both autopots or a drip system will need this attention. With autopots they bottom water so a once a week top fertigation will prevent a salt build up and with a drip system just fertigate to 10%-15% run-off every day you fertigate (unless in soil, then a more precise fertigation with little to no run-off and more precise nutrient schedule is required). Both systems can allow you to be away for a day or two. If you add a PH dosing system you can safely be away a few days to a week?

I run fairly low ppms in the autopots, I have found the sweet spot for me at 350ppms. I have noticed if you are not running too high ppms, you don't get as high of salt build up. I have settled on a good flush right before flower, and if needed one more mid flower.

I would absolutely watch the ph in the reservoir daily as mentioned above, until you have ran a cycle or two and know what your ph swings will be. I'm lucky enough I can leave my reservoir ph alone for a good week. Only after a few days after mixing. I will get a slow ph raise over the first few day, then it holds pretty steady. I do give mine a daily stir if I am home. Everyone's water IS different and will react as such.

Mañ'O'Green is definitely the expert. If you follow his instructions, you will do just fine. I know i did. Then, you figure out what you can do to fine tune your grow to your set up and environment.

Good luck growing!

 

[MassMom]

Problem: Lightening of Leaves, Hammered Veins, Small White Spotting

Medium: 70% Canna Coco Professional Plus (Brick) / 30% Perlite in a 5 Gallon pot. (3.75 'real' Gallons) [I did not wash/buffer the coco].

Feed: General Hydroponics Flora Series - 6ml Micro / 9ml Bloom + 5ml TPS CalMag OAC [Per Gallon]. Manually Feeding 2x Day @ 5.8 pH and 350ppm [.5 Scale] (5-0-1 Micro, 0-5-4 Bloom, 0-0-0 CalMag). [Tips were burning at 375 so I recently backed down to 350ppm]

Water: Distilled. Fertigating to 20~30% runoff.

Strain/Age: Mephisto - Forum Stomper @ 57 Days

Light: 400w HPS @ 15 inches. 20/4. 50,000 Lux

Climate: ~55% RH / 77° Under Lights / 74° Leaf Temp

Additional Info: I'm wondering if I locked out Calcium by using PH Up (Potassium Carbonate). I have to add approximately 8~10 drops (per Half Gallon) every time I mix up my nutes. Appears to be starting from the top down. The leaf edges are also starting to curl a little, but that might be my fault for having the light a little too close for a few days. Previously I would make up a big batch of nutes and have to fight big PH swings every time I wanted to fertigate, now I just do whats needed at the time. Doing it this way has eliminated the need for the PH Down (Phosphoric Acid).

I also didn't realize the yellowing was this bad until just now when I moved her outside the grow room to take the pictures. The HPS really covers it up.

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I might be late to the game....but 6ml Micro / 9ml Bloom / 5ml CalMag per gallon in NO WAY SHAPE OR FORM should come out to 350ppm...more like over 1K....????

 

[Kazman420]

Hey @MassMom. I appreciate you replying even if you are late to the game, hehe.

Two things contributed to that number. The first is that my EC/TDS pen was 225 points off calibration. So the 350 was actually 575. Second is that TPS's CalMag (OAC) is 0-0-0 NPK. 5ml of that stuff is only like 75 ppm.

 

[Olderfart]

That's exactly what I was looking into for my next grow! However I'm completely torn between the two. They both seem to have pro's and cons. I will say the cost of those autopots is jaw dropping, but I understand that it's an investment. Just curious but which do you prefer?

I've now done several runs with autopots, and am completing one with automated top watering. I will likely now stick with top watering due to the issues I have had with nute buildup with autovalves. Periodic top watering might fix this, but top watering with runoff will do the job more simply, and maybe more reliably (still waiting for reports on that - periodic top watering is a good idea, but IMO needs to be tested a few times before I would dive back into autopots and depend on it). Autopots/autovalves, or any other type of sub-irrigation is a great idea if you can go water only, but not for me with salt nutes. Just my 2 cents of course, other growers here love them and make them work.

When I started with autopots, automatic irrigation without electricity was one of the selling points. That is a nice thing with a summer outdoor grow, but indoors, lack of automatic irrigation will be the least of your problems in a power outage, lights being the worst, fans being the next, and heat/humidification/dehumidification last. No power = you gotta be there, and it better not last long. Manual watering for a while is no biggie, supplying power to the lights, and dealing with RH off the scale are a whole nother problem.

If I were setting up for indoor cannabis from scratch right now, I would go with coco in smallish pots, using automated top watering more or less as described by Cocoforcannabis.com. If I do salt nutes other than solos next grow, that is precisely what I will be doing, likely with 2 part Megacrop or Jack's 321.

Good luck with your decision, but don't sweat it, you will with help from AFN be able to make any of the main options work just fine.

 

[MassMom]

Hey @MassMom. I appreciate you replying even if you are late to the game, hehe.

Two things contributed to that number. The first is that my EC/TDS pen was 225 points off calibration. So the 350 was actually 575. Second is that TPS's CalMag (OAC) is 0-0-0 NPK. 5ml of that stuff is only like 75 ppm.

Gotcha!! I was thinking your pen was prob. off. Figuring out what is going on with our ladies can be maddening, eh?
I am going through it now.

XOXO
Mom

 

[Mañ'O'Green]

Hey @MassMom. I appreciate you replying even if you are late to the game, hehe.

Two things contributed to that number. The first is that my EC/TDS pen was 225 points off calibration. So the 350 was actually 575. Second is that TPS's CalMag (OAC) is 0-0-0 NPK. 5ml of that stuff is only like 75 ppm.

I have measured the IONs of 2ml of TPS organic Cal - Mag OAC dissolved in 1 gallon of distilled water then divided by 2 to get the values for 1ml per gallon of water:

in PPM - EC or 35.5 total x 5 would = 177.5 ppm

 

[Kazman420]

Good luck with your decision, but don't sweat it, you will with help from AFN be able to make any of the main options work just fine.

Thanks for the feedback! I've more or less committed to building some kind of drip system at this point and I've bought myself some rain science bags. They are awesome! I really need to look at some designs. Sadly it's probably already too late on this current grow.

Figuring out what is going on with our ladies can be maddening, eh?

Especially when your meters are lying to you! Lesson learned, always buy the calibration fluid with your new TDS pen. Even if they say it's factory calibrated.

I have measured the IONs of 2ml of TPS organic Cal - Mag OAC dissolved in 1 gallon of distilled water then divided by 2 to get the values for 1ml per gallon of water:

View attachment 1417332in PPM - EC or 35.5 total x 5 would = 177.5 ppm

I'm sure your numbers are correct. I just remember it was really really low. It's night and day compared to the stuff I have now.

I actually decided against using the TPS CalMag for this grow and switched to GH CaliMagic since it's part of their 6-part series. It also seems to be more stable when mixed up. The TPS stuff would turn my res cloudy within 2 days. (I can't blame them though, I was mixing two different brands of nutes together)

 

[CannabisMingus]

I was thinking your pen was prob. off.

This bites me in the butt more than anything. I calibrate weekly, but occasionally (for whatever reason) my Bluelab will drift off considerably even mid-week. They are supposed to last 18 months but this one is looks like it's about done at 12.

 

[Kazman420]

This bites me in the butt more than anything. I calibrate weekly, but occasionally (for whatever reason) my Bluelab will drift off considerably even mid-week. They are supposed to last 18 months but this one is looks like it's about done at 12.

I was curious about how the sensor on PH and TDS/EC meters fail, (or start to fail) and I guess based on your response it's safe to assume they start drifting and can no longer hold their calibration?

 

[CannabisMingus]

I was curious about how the sensor on PH and TDS/EC meters fail, (or start to fail) and I guess based on your response it's safe to assume they start drifting and can no longer hold their calibration?

I think that's right. Once I see drifts of more than .2- .3 in less than a week, I start thinking seriously about replacement. I see this with all manufacturers BTW (Bluelab, Aspera, Hanna, HM). Probably the worst (in terms of drift) IME was Aspera but they all drift and have limited lifespans.