nutes
your nutes are measured with ppm or EC
you can somewhat accurately estimate how much you are putting in, and in some cases, importantly, how much is coming out
in my case, i monitor my tap water as well, which is hard, coming in at around 150-200 ppm depending on the day
which reminds me, i need to request a water analysis from the local water agency. thanks for the reminder, folks!
I know I have hard water but all this ppm & stuff is unclear. What exactly is the point? I donāt mean that disrespectfully, Iām just wondering if Iām in over my head; lol, I guess I AM. Thanks for the help
you are most likely growing in soil
it does play a factor in soil for the more advanced grower, as far as i can tell, but i am on my first grow
i am using coco coir. it is essentially hydroponics that looks like soil, so it has no nutrients whatsoever, unlike soil
so i have to add nutrients. otherwise, there would be NONE
a ph meter allows me to make sure the water is in a state that my plants can absorb the nutrients. there are charts for availability of different nutrients for each PH level (for both hydro AND soil, actually)
soil tends to act as a natural buffer, so most who grow in soil dont need to worry too much about this.
hydro is different. we have to make sure what we feed the plant can be absorbed by the plant
as far as ppm, that measures the nutrient levels
again, soil tends to have nutrients, and slightly buffers when you add in the end stage
coco, in my case, or hydro more generally, does not
so we have to use ppms to measure to make sure we are giving enough, and not to much. when to feed. ppms give us an idea of what is going in, and what is coming out
ph makes sure the plant is able to take up the nutrients
i nope that helps
It measures the solids in what your water contains and more importantly the nutrients that your didnāt to soil. In another way of speaking itās PPM ā¦ Parts per millionā¦ Most nutrient companies will give a nutrient schedule and show what the ppm isā¦ This is too avoid nutrient burn or any toxicity due to over dose of nutrientsā¦ Thatās why most folks will mix nutrients with water, then adjust ph and then check the TDS or PPM to see that itās not above manufacturer recommend dose for that weekā¦ Hope I explained that adequately for you @
Thanks, that helps, someā¦ what i know ph of 7 is optimal but how do I determine ppm? I am sprouting 3 in Coco in small pot & 3 in AquaPods so the solution for those three was a certain amount & then once a week until transplant. Then I guess Iād better get serious about this monkey business, 
. I like the idea of coco especially in the house may cut down on critters. Iām wondering when I transplant, hopefully to cloth buckets & coco, how will I know how much of what nutrient to give how often?
You need to have a tds meter as well as. Ph meterā¦ Just tools of the trade @PHammā¦ Look at it as measuring the dosage of medicine you would take, you take an antibiotic of say 100 mgās every 4 hrsā¦ The tds measures whatās going into soul for your plant to absorb and benefit
if you are using coco, your target ph is around 5.8 (i personally shoot closer to 5.7, but i am not militant)
you WILL need a tds meter (i prefer EC and recommend EC over TDS any day of the week) and a GOOD PH meter, no strips, no solutions. You need a PH meter with calibration liquids and solution for the glass ph meter to sit in. it will cost you over $50. mine was like $85, and it was money well spent, imho ($30 extra to have extra solutions on hand, some did come with the meter itself, but it is a consumable you want to have on hand)
if you want to do coco
and i love my choice using coco. but you gotta be a scientist about it. there are no shortcuts in coco. but its well worth it, imho
this needs its own thread, and you have to make a decision on which nutes you are going to use. tag me in it!
I havenāt tested it. I just added what the directions on the AeroGarden said.
Whatās the best bang for my buck? Bought this some months ago for another use. Havenāt used it yet; doesnāt mention storage solution.
i dunno. do you have an online link for the product, like on amazon, to make sure i am commenting on the correct item?
That is calibration powder, you need to mix 1 powder (4.00) whit 250ml distilled water and I suggest to mix another one (separately) to calibrated in 2 pointsā¦ Hope you understand
also, be advised. i talk alot but am new myself, in the early flower stage of my first grow. take my advice with a grain of salt
i did a lot of research but my actual real life experience is kind of limited to date. that WILL be changing, but full disclosure and all
I appreciate any comments positive or negative āexperienceā is the best teacher.
Pamela
Heir to the Throne
On ebay, lol And my TDS the same but $2.49 Also probably wont be here until October
