Awesome thanks! 
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Iām very lucky I have a local hydroponic shop, even tho I live in a state where it is very illegal to grow, but I have had good luck with this one. Comes with calibration solution
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I wish we had a shop where I live! They just legalized medical marijuana in smoke form on 1/1/2022 so it wonāt be long hopefully.
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Apera is my brand for sure. Wonāt get more information/bang for buck from any other brand. With some they arenāt as popular because of the very reasons I love them. A base Apera like that Iām sure works phenomenal and probably also doesnāt do the things that annoy some growers. Granted the only reason the higher end pens do change their reading bracket is because of screen space. I also find, with experience, that having a salinity only measurement helps me maintain/balance my feed many times over more than a tds (total dissolved solids, so Iām saying I donāt use TDS I use SAL). As with my feed system and ro waterā¦ and crazy dogā¦ sometimes extra contaminants, that would have absolutely zero effect on anythingā¦ random floating pubes. Who knowsā¦ all of these things will effect tds. Not salinity.
This is what I use.
https://www.amazon.com/Apera-Instruments-Conductivity-Multi-Parameter-Replaceable/dp/B01ENFOIKA?tag=greenrel-20
As you can see salinity is measured in ppt. Not ppm. Meaning its less diverse measurement on less precise scale. So itās basically the same. But it doesnāt take irrelevant crap into account when trying to maintain a measured level of nutrients in a 0ppm base water. I know it probably doesnāt make much sense now. But itās how I dialed in my feed to be 100% ro water, jacks 321 and extra silica with no needed pH adjustment needed. Before that I used tap water instead of acid. Before that I used the general hydroponics pH up and down. Of which are both still basically full. I was pretty determined from the start to not add extra crap to my water to adjust pH. If the pH isnāt landing right, adjust feed before force altering the pH. Plants will thank you for it. The balance exists. Not saying you canāt grow plants force altering pH. But the best grows Iāve ever had used no pH adjustments. In both soil and Coco. My water lands on pH with feed alone. In soil I didnāt even check. Some days Iād just give them tap water. Had a strong rhizo. My tap water is like 450ppm of crap and pH 7.8ā¦ rhizo power donāt care.
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Thanks for the advice!
@MH47 @1HappyPappy @Budz @TheVirginiaLawyer @ThatsNotMineOfficer @Kingkupa
Should I trim a bit of the undergrowth?? Also I lst about two days ago should I take the clips off and reposition them now or add more clips?
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Yes I would but 2 things never take more then 20% at a time, and also try to wait tell you feed your plants to trim, reason is it can cause stress, so feeding them after wards will help them bounce back quicker, keep up the good work
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Thanks 
Iāve never used the clips but I imagine you need to leave them on. It will try to go up I think.
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Iāve noticed browning tips on a few of girlsā leaves. I have pistils forming and the beginning of buds - Iām new here so Iām just jumping on to get some advice and see what other people have to say since I canāt seem to post yet. Trying to gain badges. 
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Yes! In the beginning of my grow I was pHing my water and Iāve had HELL with pH meters been through three anyway I had to use paper pH strips and over did it once, and as well as a bit of nitrogen toxicity I think we decided because a couple of my plants ppm is up in the 1800 levels and 1600 lvls Iāve already done a minor flush and Still getting a couple spots here and there, trying not to have to flush again until at least until right before next feeding in about another week unless some of the experts here tell me other wise.
@Lorenda_x
I had to eventually take the first ones off I put on because the stalks were growing into/around them!!! 
thatās why I was wondering.
I never used clips $ to much went to dollar store got some fuzzy pipe wire things. What you used in school when you where little. I use them to LST there soft and will bend with your plant, but Iām still a newbie. And there cheap. Try to have fun with it, this should be fun, not more work
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I use pipe cleaners some also, they are great. Iāve learned not to put them in places that may actually touch a bud, if it grows around it or to close the little colored fuzzy bits get all in the bud 
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@1HappyPappy @Kingkupa i would Lst with pipe cleaners or garden wire but Iām just to OCD for it lol already having a hard time not trimming these plants to be symmetrical! 
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Yeah completely understandable Im a little crazy too, but I think it helps me keep my sanity lol
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So welcome and if you spend a little time reading around on the forum things start opening up to you rather quickly. If you can upload a picture of the leafs and the plant/s in question we can take a look.
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Thank you so much for responding! I will try my hardest to upload pictures I was trying to the other evening and having troubles.
I have pistils forming and am also wondering about how long it takes to form actual buds- plants are autoflower Girl Scout cookies and in their third month. The plant on the right was transplanted (honestly donāt know how I managed to do that successfully) so I know those buds will likely be much less dense. There are just a few leaves with brown tips I tried to get clear pictures. I did add some fox farm nitrogen concentrate earlier in the grow- not sure if that harmed or helped, but have since stopped and have been watering on a cycle with distilled water.
I have no fancy set up as you can see. And the lights are certainly not at the top of the market.
I also know that these plants are not as pretty as some other Iāve seen on here - so any advice is so much appreciated!! I am trying to learn and this has become something Iāve really enjoyed reading and learning about, and investing time in!
@1HappyPappy
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Thank you both for responding! I did post a response to the end of the thread- I got a pH meter on Amazon and it was garbage so I returned it
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Yeah, I got a few pH meters on Amazon and returned them because they were also garbage! You have to get the expensive ones from what Iām gathering next month Iāll be ordering one thatās almost 100$ but if you want to grow good quality bud with large yields Iām figuring out you canāt go the cheap route hardly anywhere! Okay so Iām a newbie here too welcome to the club. Are you using fox farm soil as well? And you say your in your third month with these girls??? Wow! So when did you start feeding them? How often and how much? And exactly what are you feeding them? I know you said Fox Farm nitrogen concentrate but is that the only fertilizer you are using for this entire grow? And donāt worry too too much about a couple of spots here and there when itās your first grow I have a few spots and burnt tips as well that look exactly like that Iām using fox farm soil but Iām using big blooms& buds fertilizerā¦ā¦ letās learn together! Happy to help you where I can. Plants look great to be honest you didnāt train them at all I see they are very tall but beautiful plants!
@Lorenda_x