PPM spike when i water with runoff, have not applied any additional fertz yet.

High, So when you water with runoff you are probably measuring the runoff for ppm right? This is not the right way to do it because you will measure the build up salts and nutritions that RUN OFF the soil. That is why you water till runoff because you want the build up salts and nutrients out of your pot. And replace them by new fresh nutrients. When you want to measure the pH or ppm from your soil just follow these steps: 1. Place soil sample about ¾ full in sample jar and add distilled water to cover soil. 2. Cap the jar and shake the soil vigorously a few times. 3. Let mixture stand 10 minutes to dissolve the salts in the soil. 4. Place the pH or ppm tester into the wet soil slurry. 5. Measure pH or ppm and record measurement. Happy Growing! 😋