Thanks for that post it’s been years since I researched this topic back when I started growing and why I used EC as a baseline back when I did check things with the meter.
Growing organically with living soil mostly negates having to deal with it.
If you are reading from a book that says you should grow your crop at 1100ppm - how do you know which scale the writer is referring to? It is very important to match the scale on your meter to the scale being referred to in the book. Is the scale on your ppm meter right for the job? If the book was written in the USA, it could be the 650 or 500 scale. If the book is written in the UK, it could be the 700 scale. If it was written in Australia, well it could be any of the 3!
Because of the complications of the ppm scale(s), we highly recommend the use of EC, the international scale for conductivity.
If you must grow using ppm, you will need to know the following;
What ppm scale is the book or feeding schedule referring to? Match your meter to this!
What ppm scale is your meter using? Ensure it matches the feeding schedule or book being followed.
What ppm scale is the nutrient formula referring to? Match your meter to this!
Which ppm scale should you use? Which ever matches the rest of your system !
Ok. If I should make a new post, please say so and I will, still on topic though but y’all might be getting weary of me.
So when exactly should I be taking my samples for testing? In the attached photo you’ll see my reading over the past 5 days for 5 of my gals and what I pulled the samples from. Ie, leftover seen next day or the runoff filled the pan and I tested that and then then what came after that and then what was in the pan next day.
The readings for the same ones are wildly different. So do I sample? The very first of the runoff that comes through? The very last of the runoff? Or is it best to sample that little bit that drains out over night after the watering and is there waiting for me to see it the next day? Like some kind if giant pressing question that I can’t stop thinking about because overthinking is a very big part of my crazy… And please, idk what’s up with the pH, but I think it’s really ok because depending on the website you look at, anywhere between 550-750 is optimal. I shot for a nice middle 650 last time and was this time too, but remember that I got stuck cleaning up and using last years dirt which the pH of was great when I transplanted them all over into it, according to the slurries I did.
Ihy Dude. Hopefully we’re learning something anyway. Maybe I should make a separate post for that last? Have you seen anybody mention when to pull your runoff for testing?
@ShureGreen
Based on what I saw in the example from @Cap_Ron as he charts his grow, I’m planning to collect runoff (and test it) every time I feed or water.
That’s the easy part. The hard part is understanding when test results are normal (take no action) and when test results are telling me to make adjustments.
As soon as you can
When I did test I used saucers under pots and tested right in the saucer before dumping. I also had extra saucers to swap as I cleaned the old saucer washed it out for next run off. This way your not adding ppm etc to last run off. Start clean each time.
If i had to flush I would take plant to utility sink / bath tub and set 5 gallon bucket upside down and place pot on it. Move pot so one edge stuck out so while flushing I could catch run off with small container to check PH etc while flushing to know when I’d done enough to get into range.
When they talk about run off they are having a decent amount of water come out. If you let them sit in that run off and your medium isn’t fully saturated it will in 20-30 minutes wick some or all of that water back up into the medium.
You want to test run off when there is a decent amount that will give you a truer read. The first little bit will be stronger but will be averaged out with the following amount of run off.
If you need to just collect it all in a container and then check it.
Put a 5 gallon bucket under the pot depending on size of base of pot. I’ve seen here where someone drilled holes in a saucer that fit nicely on top of 5 gallon bucket and run off drained into bucket.
Many ways to obtain the same ends.
I ran off to just about fill my saucers when I did this process.
@OUTinMN Hey Dude, I got you covered there. Idk if we can share links in here or not, but if I can’t I drew it up in my notes and will share a pic of the page.
This guy explains it all SOOO well. Or at least I thought he did and I truly am super smart-or I used to be, lol, but if you noticed I tend to over explain my point and I really want stuff to be super explained to me too, or at least in simple layman’s terms so I don’t have to continue studying the same thing over and over until I can explain it to myself and anybody else and this cat even has illustrations.
Sometimes you get the best info about your weed from somebody that is just talking general agriculture.
But yeah, that wasn’t my question though, lol, I was looking to find out at what point, from when the water starts to come out the bottom of the pot, do I collect the sample to be tested. I finally found my answer and it’s to be collected as soon as it starts running out the bottom. The very first part of the runoff is what gets tested.
@Skydiver Thanks for that info, guy. Sorry I had already found my answer. Although not positive I totally agree with taking from the very first drips like the guy said.
I say that because I use pillow cases inside milk crates to grow in and they are porous, so any water I put around the outside edges starts coming out and down the sides fairly quickly and that water is essentially clear. It doesn’t start to look yellowish or brownish until it starts coming out the bottom. See my dilemma?
When I first realized how wildly different the numbers were from that first runoff to the 'ending’brown runoff, and then finding the little bit of-honestly a beautiful shade of Copper-runoff the next evening and testing it also, I was at a loss. I mean, as an example; Monday for my Agent Orange #3, that 1st runoff was 1686/0809. The colored was 1128/0572. The next day that little bit was 1306/0675. The pH remained the same. The temperature’s were give or take 4°F different. Idk how that effects it? But I agree with you that the middle run is what I should be testing.
And I am nuts and germs and cleanliness are 2 very big parts of my crazy, so believe that I sanitize my little pans after each one and each plants has her own pan so if I were to miss a speck of debris at least I’m not cross contaminating. Lol! Yep, crazy is me. -Karen
You don’t need to sanitize them just rinse them out with water and a scrubby or dish rag.
Yea you might want to invest in some grow bags at some point.
The pillow cases will work…I think lol but grow bags work better and not that expensive when growing something so valuable to you.
The other thing to keep in mind is you can have dry pockets in the soil where regardless of what type of container they are in some of the water will channel down that hydrophobic area of soil and run through quickly.
You might want to use a sprayer and spray down the sides of the pillow case as once wet it won’t run out as much.
I did a lot of run off testing in the beginning until I realized that growing organically with living soil it wasn’t necessary and a waste of time and nutrients I was flushing out.
Only do a full flush if I run into problems that I feel dictate that is needed.
All those PPM and Ph and run off and such are in my rear view mirror but again I’m glad I learned how to do it if an issue dictates doing it. I’m not even sure my PH meters even work as haven’t used them for 4-5 years.
I do use the PPM meter but for water going into humidifier making sure there 30 or so ppm so it can work as I use RO for that and it’s about 5-10 ppm
Pretty sure you want middle run off before very first or all and that’s the average but with those pillow cases that’s a tough one
Different strokes for different folks
Yeah, my crazy just won’t ket me not super clean those pans. Lol! I clean the whole inside of my tent at least 3x a week. It’s a 5x5x8. Lol!
I do like the pillow cases pretty well. I started out with the black bags and the 3# I got were too small and then the 20# too big and I was broke so grabbed the cases 2 for 3 bucks and used them. It worked out pretty well, and they get extra air type vitamins or whatever, atmospheric stuff. Your thought if wetting the outsides is a phenomenal idea. Definitely will start doing that for sure.
I can’t do bug, Dude. I was gonna go to Natures Living Soil. Had done all kinds of research and was super excited. Then I got 8 of the giants bags of potting soil and each bag had a different type of worm infestation. So nope! Don’t want living soil anymore. I’ll stick with the GH products for now. Lol!
Thanks for all your input and to all of you guys on this thread for putting up with me. -Karen
Wow nice explinations @Skydiver Happy cake day by the way, and thank you Karen for Asking these ?'s to start, I know I have learned from this thread, now if I can find it in the mental cardfile when needed.
I am guilty of conserving paper and writing many notes on the same pieces of scrap, then yes, throwing them away. You seem to be paying more attention than most would. Lol!
Y’all know what? I still can’t figure why that 1 plant out of the 7 went so bad. They are all in the same dirt with all the same everything and all 6 others are finally starting to really thrive. Heck, the fan even fell on top of one and it’s my 2nd biggest now! Lol! I wonder if it was the seed that was just bad or something wrong with it? I had 2 to not germinate this time, so maybe that wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibilities? I don’t mean that I’d want a refund or anything, gish knows they really took care of me on the 2 that didn’t germinate so I’m good on that tip. But I just wonder if it was a ‘Bad Seed’.
So if the pH in my soil is too high, I make up some lower pH water and water it, right? I wish there was a way to get right now answers. Lol! Say the pH is 750. I want it to be 650. So would I water at 550 or 650? The EC and PPM are good.
