#################WEEK TWO ################## WATER CHEMISTRY##################
The seeds have germinated and are now in their final homes inside the net cups with a weak highly aerated nutrient
solution awiting those thirsty young roots.
So now you have seen how I made the buckets, This week I will try to explain some basic water chemistry
so that you will know how to care for your plants.
I am far from an expert at this just someone with a strong passion for growing and sharing knowledge
1. First of all is PH - when growing with hydroponics , Cannabis prefers a ph range of 5.5-6.5 however a lot of experienced
growers tend to keep their ph at around 5.8 . It is important to keep your ph within this range as important nutrients will
be locked out if ph gets too low or too high.
It is more important to keep your plant within the 5.5-6.5 range than it is trying to keep your ph at a certain number as
plants will dictate the ph they prefer according to their nutritional needs.
2. Next is TDS or total dissolved solids . This is the way in which the nutrient solution strength is determined.
TDS can be measured in either PPM (parts per million) or EC which is electrical conductivity .
I use PPM so all my measurements during the grow will be in those units.
3. The optimum temperature for your hydroponic nutrient solution is 68-72 f or 20-22 c
but you can either way a couple of degrees , but keep in mind at 25 c dissolved oxygen levels are very low and you run the risk of developing root rot or similiar problems.
4. Dissolved oxygen is imperative when using hydroponics otherwise your plants would drown.
The easiest way to add dissolved oxygen is with the aquarium air pump mentioned last week. this pumps air thru
tubing that is attached to an airstone inside your DWC Bucket. The air stone diffuses the oxygen thruout the nutrient solution much easier and quicker than having the air just bubble out the end of the tube.
5. The quality of the water you are using is very imortant If you find that your water supply already has a high ppm reading
You should really consider using filtration such as Distillation or Reverse osmosis .
Or you could purchase pre filtered water but if it is available.
Chlorinated tap water should be left to stand for 24 hours until the chlorine has dissipated .
6. During the vegetative stage you can get away with changing out your nutrient solution every 2 weeks but once flowering
starts this should be done weekly and ph/ppm levels checked daily.
#### That's it for this week ## Next week is ph and tds meters and how to use them / maintain calibrate etc ##
*******************👌👌👈👉👌👌 Update 3rd july Plants got new leaves coming thru and has quite a long tap root
that has extended well into the bucket.
Nice info! This will help a lot of people starting out. That exhaust out the window like that on the ac is false advertising I think lol. There is a water hose that drains condensation from the cooling coil and it can't go up like that. It has to go down or it will leak.
Looking good man. So does silica in general help keep that PH where you want it, or just the brand your using. Also silica helps plants handle higher temperatures if I'm correct?
@jollychap, I think it acts as a buffer in all the brands of silica and yes it makes the plants cell walls stronger
so they can handle more stress like heat etc
I'm very interested to learn if you can manage your humidity issues with your new dehumidifier. I personally gave up on this. It will increase the temperature to unacceptable levels. Of course the humidity will decrease with the higher temperatures, but for me it is not worth it. Also the unit I have draws more power than all my lamps combined. Probably it is better to do an indoor grow in winter when it is so much easier to control the environment.
