Indor Climate Automation

I think the EC tables only serve as an initial guide and depend on the type of fertilizer. With your levels of EC, chemical synthesis fertilizers that are highly soluble can quickly burn the plants due to salt buildup in the substrate, depending a lot on the composition of that substrate. My current EC levels are comparable to those in your table and could be much higher, as I use my own fertilizers, soluble and slow-release (both solid and liquid), 100% organic and mineral. I keep the substrate alive with microorganisms, which greatly increases the buffering power against blockages compared to synthetic fertilizers. When the plant can't absorb all the nutrients from an organic watering, the leftovers are incorporated into the substrate as organic matter, further enriching the soil and providing a constant food source for the microorganisms. At the beginning of my organic grows, I was very worried to see that the EC levels in the runoff water in the tray didn't drop below EC 3.0 and blah, blah, blah. Despite that, the plants didn't show any blockages. Today, the EC levels of the leftover water in the tray reach measurements between 3.0 and 6.0, and the crops are progressing without issues because that high EC value just means that the soil is mainly mineralized and has decomposing organic matter. What happens is that in organic farming, the slow release of nutrients and minerals working together with the plant's ability to select nutrients for each moment means that the EC levels in this case need to be treated differently. With synthetic fertilizers, we force the plant to immediately absorb highly soluble nutrients, which are mainly salt compounds. When the plant can't take in any more, the leftovers remain as salts and start collapsing the substrate and the plant's absorption capacity. The pH levels are important to me, and I never get a pH in the runoff water higher than 6.8. I like to water with more acidic pH values between 6 and 6.4 for all growth stages. Purely organic crops with microorganisms prefer acidic soils, and a healthy soil regulates the pH according to its needs. And the EC levels will also depend on the quality of the water. In my case, I collect rainwater that I mix (25%) with highly mineralized spring water. This way, I ensure the supply of calcium (this water is alkaline with a pH of 9.2, a lot of calcium carbonate) and other minerals, achieving EC levels in the water of 0.2. I keep a detailed follow-up of my crops and all related actions: lights, watering, nutrients, recipes, electricity consumption, etc., etc. I keep that information updated in an Excel sheet that I have in Google Docs. If anyone is honestly interested in homemade organic crops and substrate preparation, hydrolysates, humates, biol, etc., made with waste, I can give them reader access to consult my Excel sheet and share experiences. I don't know what the best way will be to exchange emails so I can give access to the Excel. Cheers 😜