Super high runoff PPM!

[greenfingered_guerilla]

Hi Guys
My plants are in their 4th week and looking super healthy. I'm growing organically in 12L fabric pots with BIobizz light-mix and feeding Biobizz nutes that I'm feeding @ 1/4 strength every 2nd watering.
My pre-feed ph is 6.5 and ppm 644 however my run-off ppm is reading 1058 for one plant and 2233 for the other with a ph of 6.1.
I'm not sure what going on, should I totally flush both plants with ph'd water, let them dry out, and start again?

 

[Arthur]

Runoff is for coco. Slurry tests are for soil. Flushing also is for coco, it is a last resort in a soil run.
In coco your reading what went thru the bag... in soil, there's a ton of other things besides nutes that will be measured.
Your plants look just fine.

Go grab some leftover soil, run plain (0 ppm distilled or RO) water thru it and measure the ppm. This is why runoff doesn't work with soil.

 

[greenfingered_guerilla]

Thanks for the heads up! It makes sense to me but, I've had so-called "grow masters" & "next-level veterans" on here telling me I need to check my ppm even after stating that I'm growing in soil. Perhaps the old eyesights going lol. I'm starting to doubt the validity of the level 'expertise" on here. I generally only grow Photoperiods outdoors in the summer, none of this fiddly autoflower business. It's taken me almost 6 months and I can't tell you how many seeds and failures to "crack the code "and reach a point where they look healthy and stay so. I'm really looking forward to summer and the honesty of growing photos again.

 

[Proph]

Runoff is for coco. Slurry tests are for soil. Flushing also is for coco, it is a last resort in a soil run.
In coco your reading what went thru the bag... in soil, there's a ton of other things besides nutes that will be measured.
Your plants look just fine.

Go grab some leftover soil, run plain (0 ppm distilled or RO) water thru it and measure the ppm. This is why runoff doesn't work with soil.

Ehhh... Ppms are ppms.. They are super important in soil or coco.. Especially for new growers that don't know that 2000 ppms is an issue... Ppms should always be considered, and checked when using bottled nutrients.. Slurry tests are a last resort for checking the soil PH, not ppms..

If the ppms going in are 645, and the run off is 1050, there is nutrient build up and or the plant is not feeding. This is when you use plain water feeds until the ppm run off is matching at 650 as well.. Then start back with 650 ppm feeds. If your starting ppm is 650 and run off is 2000+ you're on the verge of, or start of a nutrient lock out. Ppm run of should be LESS than the starting ppms if the plant is using what you're putting in.. Ppms/Ec is the only way to know this info.

 

[low_and_slow]

You're just adding nutes before the plant needs them. Don't fertilize until you have to!


It'll save you money and your plants will thank you. Keep feeding plain pH adjusted water until you see the slightest hint of yellowish tinge on your bottom row of leaves, then begin adding additional fertilizer.

You can transition to a bloom nutrient after vertical growth stops and the plant transitions to reproductive growth.

 

[Arthur]

Ehhh... Ppms are ppms.. They are super important in soil or coco.. Especially for new growers that don't know that 2000 ppms is an issue... Ppms should always be considered, and checked when using bottled nutrients.. Slurry tests are a last resort for checking the soil PH, not ppms..

If the ppms going in are 645, and the run off is 1050, there is nutrient build up and or the plant is not feeding. This is when you use plain water feeds until the ppm run off is matching at 650 as well.. Then start back with 650 ppm feeds. If your starting ppm is 650 and run off is 2000+ you're on the verge of, or start of a nutrient lock out. Ppm run of should be LESS than the starting ppms if the plant is using what you're putting in.. Ppms/Ec is the only way to know this info.

My understanding was that there is no way to know the ppms being flushed out of the soil itself (not coming from our inputs) with the runoff, therefore 500 in could easily be 1800 out due to ppms being coming from the soil.

I stand corrected.

 

[Proph]

My understanding was that there is no way to know the ppms being flushed out of the soil itself (not coming from our inputs) with the runoff, therefore 500 in could easily be 1800 out due to ppms being coming from the soil.

I stand corrected.

That would be the case with organic living soils that don't require bottled nutes. Most bagged soils like OF, Roots, etc have enough nutrients immediately available to get an auto through its first few weeks.. After that, the soil is pretty much inherent. That's when people either start using bottled nutes or top dresses.. So unless the soil is alive and recycling nutrients on its own, it will run out of available nutrients after the first couple of weeks. For example.. Using ocean forest with water only for the 1st three weeks.. If you check the ppms each week you will see them decreasing by a good amount as the plant feeds. After that food source is gone, it's up to the grower to either feed the plant, or feed the soil.

In living soil, you are correct, there would be no way to tell the difference.. But there would also be no need to feed with bottled nutes. Ppm, ph, water temps, etc all have to do with liquid/bottled nutes and feeding the plant directly.. Living soils don't require ppm checks or ph checks because you shouldn't be watering/feeding with anything that has an npk value.. If it has an npk value, and you're adding it into water, I would ph it and check the poms

 

[low_and_slow]

As far as the plant is concerned, too hot is too hot. Bat guano or Nitrate Salts, don't matter...