PPM keeps rising

[spyralout]

Plants look really healthy but numbers are going weird.
- UC RDWC
- switched from GH3 to megacrop over a week ago
- PPM was a bit high at 1000 and rising after a few days, so did a flush with RO and benny tea for over 24 hrs (about 30-50 PPM)
- refilled system with 730 PPM megacrop and a bit of their bloom booster (1/8 scoop)
- ran 2 days, water usage about 2 gal/day, but PPM climbed to 760
- diluted system down to 650 with RO
- PPM climbed back up to 720 this morning, ph dropped from 5.7 to 5.4
- drained 80% of system this morning, and filled up with RO. Now 260/5.8.

This is all to see if flushing will work to get things back on track from possible nute lock - or do I need to flush longer? Entering week 4 of flower soon. Before all of this, PPM was low to mid 800s, dropping 20-30 ppm a day with steady 5.8 ph and 2 gal per day water consumption.

 

[Heisen]

Rising ppm means theres a lockout. You need to find the sweetspot

 

[Coffeeholic]

This might help.

 

[spyralout]

Rising ppm means theres a lockout. You need to find the sweetspot

Thanks. Yes that's why I've been trying the flush in case to wash out anything that might be stuck, then lowering the PPM with new nutes but even with lower PPM it's still rising. Wasn't like that just a couple weeks ago. Trying to figure it out on my own with what I've been reading but decided to post because I thought I was making the right moves but I guess not.

 

[spyralout]

View attachment 13562
This might help.

Thanks yes that's the exact chart I've been using. Smooth sailing until a couple weeks ago.

 

[Coffeeholic]

How're your roots? Root issues can mess uo the numbers?

 

[SoLowDoughLow]

I think hold off on the bloom boosters until last few weeks of flower. Might be a cause of your lockout

 

[spyralout]

How're your roots? Root issues can mess uo the numbers?

Hard to get to now because the plants are through 2 nets. I wish I could see them. Using benny tea so hopefully they should be fine.

 

[spyralout]

I think hold off on the bloom boosters until last few weeks of flower. Might be a cause of your lockout

Similar thinking, it was my next move. I was using liquid koolbloom in small amounts before the switch then small amount of the bud explosion in place of koolbloom. Drain again tonight, good thing the megacrop bags are free samples

 

[Coffeeholic]

I found the same thing just bubbling overnight.

 

[Turpman]

That's about the time I get root issues, 1/2 way through flower. Wish I could help but there isn't much you can do at this point. I'm running a couple different tests all the time. Im shocking with pool shock at 1ppm every 3 days and it is defiantly helping unfortunatly the plants were on worm tea and bennies so there is probly something still lingering.
My Heisen Geenpoint grow I'm using straight up hydroguard. I was stepping it up with tea but I think my water has nasties in it and I was stepping them up too.

Are you making tea or using hydroguard straight up?
I'm guessing you are using calmag?

 

[spyralout]

That's about the time I get root issues, 1/2 way through flower. Wish I could help but there isn't much you can do at this point. I'm running a couple different tests all the time. Im shocking with pool shock at 1ppm every 3 days and it is defiantly helping unfortunatly the plants were on worm tea and bennies so there is probly something still lingering.
My Heisen Geenpoint grow I'm using straight up hydroguard. I was stepping it up with tea but I think my water has nasties in it and I was stepping them up too.

Are you making tea or using hydroguard straight up?
I'm guessing you are using calmag?

Calmag yes. Heisen tea - hydroguard + great white + molasses. Plus I put some hydroguard in the RO collection can every few days.

 

[Greenthumbskunk]

Don't know if I would worry too much with it if your plants are looking ok.

Your plants are gonna eat a lot during stretch which will keep the ppm steady if you have it tuned in. Or drop if they are eating more nutes than water uptake. Ppm will rise if the plants were up taking more water than nutes.
All you have to do is just not put as much nutes in your water.

My ppm always climbs during mid cycle. I just add water to my holding tank. After 3 days it's used up 60 gal of water and ppm will fall down by 100 ppm.
Low humidity, high temps etc will cause your plants to uptake more water than nutes. I've noticed with my plants that ppm will rise just after stretch is over with and the last couple weeks when the plants are about finished.
If your mix your putting in is 650 ppm then just add 550 ppm .

I got a couple plants out of 25 showing some odd paterns which I think it's because of early bloom booster. I'll put a new thread up on it.

 

[spyralout]

Don't know if I would worry too much with it if your plants are looking ok.

Your plants are gonna eat a lot during stretch which will keep the ppm steady if you have it tuned in. Or drop if they are eating more nutes than water uptake. Ppm will rise if the plants were up taking more water than nutes.
All you have to do is just not put as much nutes in your water.

My ppm always climbs during mid cycle. I just add water to my holding tank. After 3 days it's used up 60 gal of water and ppm will fall down by 100 ppm.
Low humidity, high temps etc will cause your plants to uptake more water than nutes. I've noticed with my plants that ppm will rise just after stretch is over with and the last couple weeks when the plants are about finished.
If your mix your putting in is 650 ppm then just add 550 ppm .

I got a couple plants out of 25 showing some odd paterns which I think it's because of early bloom booster. I'll put a new thread up on it.

Thank you for the insight. Some leaves are dark green claw but only at the top. Nitrogen toxicity? 90% of it all looks ok though. When I was checking the epi bucket it looked darker than when it went in, so I ran some in a bucket and compared to the res water. Epi water was still clear but noticeably darker, so I'm thinking what the rising ppm is indicating, more water uptake than nute uptake, like you mentioned. Flushing now, changing out to really low PPM tonight then working up from there. Interesting about the odd patterns I'll check that out.

 

[Greenthumbskunk]

Thank you for the insight. Some leaves are dark green claw but only at the top. Nitrogen toxicity? 90% of it all looks ok though. When I was checking the epi bucket it looked darker than when it went in, so I ran some in a bucket and compared to the res water. Epi water was still clear but noticeably darker, so I'm thinking what the rising ppm is indicating, more water uptake than nute uptake, like you mentioned. Flushing now, changing out to really low PPM tonight then working up from there. Interesting about the odd patterns I'll check that out.

Could be getting too much nitrogen or if the fan is blowing on em a little too strong and is getting leaf burn.