@Lornakins In the picture you posted of your meter, you are showing a ppm reading. Technically PPM is different from EC; however, there is a formula you can use to convert ppm to EC and vice versa. Most meters will actually do this for you.
PPM which stands for parts per million, is a measurement of the total dissolved solids (TDS) of a solution. Once you add the nutrients to your water, you now have a solution (some growers may refer to this as the soup). Nutrients or fertilizers are made up of salts. So ppm is a measurement of the tds (total dissolved solids or salts) in your solution in terms of parts per million.
The salts or nutrient ions also conduct electrical currents. This means one can estimate the tds of a solution by measuring the electric conductivity of all the charges in the solution. This gives you your EC reading which is typically expressed in terms of microsiemens per centimeter (uS/cm), which when divided by 1000 gives you a reading in terms of milisiemens per centimeter (mS/cm). So a reading of 210 (uS/cm) x10 = 2100 (uS/cm) = 2.1 (mS/cm). and convert that to ppm using a conversion factor (CF). In the US the conversion factor conversion factor = ppm / (ms/cm * 1000)
.50 = 500ppm / (1000us/cm).
@Lornakins how old are your plants? Imo I think 24/7 is fine until you have to do a switch for flower. I personally do 18/6 because my grow space is small n will have heat issues so the 6 hrs off r during mid day when it is hottest. But to answer the question more directly I would 24/7 em until they’re some what grown then switch to 18/6 when they aren’t considered seedlings anymore. You’re going to have em outdoors though right? So I’d just 24/7 em until they’re ready to be outside all day everyday, I think that would prevent them from heat stress the sun can give em.
Well, I love it when a member basically answer his own quesitons.
You buried the plants too deep. It is not a Tomato.
You over watered the crap out of them because you were attempting to add the wrong PH water. Coco is a pain in the butt to use, and I never recommend anyone short of an expert grower to try and start with coco.
I do not see where you added nutes but you have some plants in FFOF and that is an ongoing debate. I would never start or place sprouts into FFOF. It is too hot. (Debate will follow)
So Issues;
Too much water
Coco
planting too deep
Light is too far away. Should have used the T5 1-2" above seedlings
Yes. Placed seedlings into Sun, prematurely
Live and learn. Tht is what we are here to do; Teach you better grow methods. For all future readers. Make a solid plan that using a proven and easy method to implement as a beginner.
LED (courtesy of @Niala and based on equivalent wattage not true wattage)
120W to 180W ~1.5 feet
180W to 300W ~2.0 feet
300W to 600W ~2.5 feet
600W to 1200W ~3.0 feet
1200W to 2000W ~3.5 feet
In short, 36" is too far away for a 600w MH. I would drop that light to 24" then let the plants grow up to it until they are about 16"-18" away. Then I would recommend maintaining that distance for the rest of the grow.
Thanks for the explanation of what went wrong, latewood… yeah, live and learn, is right… lol!! There is so much to learn, I had no idea when I started this project just how entailed it can get. In my defense, on the too much water issue, I wasn’t attempting to add the wrong PH water, I was trying to correct the PH issue, which had gone way too high for the coco because I had been watering with water that had a high PH. I didn’t have my PH meter adjusted yet, so I had no idea how high it was until I got that done and by that time, the damage had been done. So I was trying to lower the runoff by giving them a PH of 5.4-5.5. It only took a couple of times for 3 of them, but I never did get it down to an acceptable PH in one of them and had to stop trying. It turned out that they had no nutes in the coco and the water had very little ppm and I didn’t have anything to give them yet, so at the suggestion of @Majiktoker I gave them some epsom water till I can get the cal mag and Big Grow. So, yeah, they were probably overwatered yesterday, which amounted to a flush. I was told by a friend who has been growing outside for 40 years to bury them up to just below the feeder leaves when I transplanted them from the peat pods to their present containers. He told me that makes for a stronger root system and stem. So I guess that was the wrong thing to do. I didn’t bury any of the leaves, just the long stem that had grown in the peat pods. You are so right about the coco, and I wish now, I hadn’t used that. I have 1 plant in the FFOF and it was started in a peat pod and put in the container at about a week old. So far, it looks great. It is the one in back on the left. On the lighting, they are no longer under the T-5 light. When they were under the T-5 they were only a couple of inches from it. They are now under the 600 watt MH light as of Wednesday. @GrowManFitz just now posted how far they should be from that light. Thanks for that chart and how to do it, GMF! I really appreciate that!
I had seen on other threads where you need to really be careful with the 600 watt MH because you can burn them easily and when they are that young, they should be 36" from the light, so that’s where I had them.
And yes, you are right, I put them in sun too soon, but I rationalized that a lot of growers plant them outside in the ground to start with, so I assumed that they needed sun and they would be fine. WRONG!! That was my second mistake. The first was the coco and I just went downhill from there. I thank you so much for your help and I sure hope it isn’t too late for my girls and that they will recover. @Tonyb They are 23 days today, from sprouting. The one that is in FFOF is about a week younger than that. It is the one in the back on the left and is looking good so far. I am going to have the 4 on the right outside permanently when they are big enough to do that, so thanks for that lighting tip. So I have been fine with the 24 hours. @GrowManFitz thanks, that explained the ppm and EC perfectly. I didn’t know about the conversion and how to do that. It’s starting to make more sense to me now.
Thanks again, to all you guys for your help and thanks @bob31 for making me feel a little less stupid than what I think I am… lol! I guess everyone has to go through it and make a lot of dumb mistakes to start with.
I hate to say it, but this has got to be the most frustrating project I have ever taken on, in all my 72 years. This morning, they all needed watering, so for the ones in coco I adjusted the PH to 5.4 after adding 1/4 tsp. epsom salt to the gallon of spring water because the PH on all of them was so high last time. The first one I watered was the one that the PH was very high on that I couldn’t get down last time. This time it came out just right at 5.8 with 254 ppm. The next one came out the same as it went in, 5.4 which is too low and 383 ppm. The next one came out the same, at 5.4 with a ppm of 322. So I upped the PH to 5.6 for next one and it still came out at 5.4 with a ppm of 289. For the next one, I upped it again to 6.0 and it came out at 5.6 and ppm of 288. The PH is too low on all of them but the first one. I just can’t seem to get it right. I will not get the nutes until Wednesday and I know they are needing them. Here are the pics of them today and all that are in coco are worse except one that seems to be a little better. It is the one that I got the PH correct on today.
These are the other 2 GLs and they are looking worse.
They are all 25 days old today except the WW in FFOF, it is 18 days old. The light is 24" above them as per the chart that @GrowManFitz posted above. I am just at a loss as to getting the PH right. Do I need to make 6 separate gallons of water for each plant? And will the sickest ones make till I get the nutes on Wednesday? I’m just about ready to cry.
Any suggestions will be much appreciated. @bob31@Majiktoker@BIGE@Tonyb@latewood or anyone else who can help.
I feel like your over watering those bad boys lol. Let em chill n drink what they got. The pH will get fixed over time. Don’t gotta do it in one morning
They were quite dry this morning and I only watered them enough to get runoff to test. I did do it more last time to get the PH down, but only once this morning. Since they are in coco it only takes a couple of days for them to dry out. Thanks, Tony.
First I go by sight, and if the coco is very light in color, I stick my finger down in to see if it is moist. Usually down a little over an inch. If I feel no moisture, I know it’s time to water.
Since you already watered them I would say to wait until the nutes get there. Otherwise 1 full bladder of urine, from someone who takes a daily vitamin and does not take prescription medications, mixed with a full gallon of water could be used in a pinch. It has saved my peppers and tomatoes more than once!
Wow, I’ve never heard of that one, BG, that’s cool to know! But you’re right since I watered them today they won’t need watered again till I get the nutes of Wed. I’m on prescription meds, so I wouldn’t be able to do that, and my son is the only one I know who I could ask to do that, and he doesn’t take a daily vitamin. Maybe that’s a way to get him to do so… lol!! This grow is for him too, if I ever get it going. Thanks, man!
lw
~10"
I thank you so much for your help and I sure hope it isn’t too late for my girls and that they will recover.
