I do have TDS and pH meters, in fact I recently replaced my pH meter with a floating water-proof one. I am really happy with the new one.

My veg light is 125 cfl and my flowering light is a 400 hps. I do have a 400 W MH bulb that I can switch out of the ballast for a veg color spectrum.

You were right on the timing they have been flowering for about two weeks. I don't care how long it takes them I am sticking it all the way out. A lot of my buddies get too impatient and cut way too early.

I am using Advanced Nutrients and when I switched the light cycle I started them on a flowering nute program. I am now at the highest nute level in that program. The schedule says I should start backing off but I have been holding at that level for two weeks now.

Note that I started the flowering nute schedule when I changed to the 12/12 schedule, not when the first flowers appeared. Is this correct or should I have stayed with a veg nute until the flowering started?

Another point about my light, from the top of the hydro container (you can see in the pic) to the light is only 32 inches. This is for both veg and the flower chambers. My veg side has a shelf to hold a clone dome/seed propagation chamber. The shelf is only 12 inches from the 125 cfl.

Here are a couple of pics with a different perspective.

This shows a better view of the interior top.

It is funny how the exposure works with so much bright light. You can see in the two pics how different the same plant looks.

By the way, this is only one plant. Wait til I get my clones going and I will fill this space up.

This is just gratuitous porn.

I do not know the chemiacal analysis of Advanced Mutrients Bloom Formula, but I think it would be a safe bet to say it likely contains none of the recommended/needed micronutrients. While I do not recommend that people adjust nutrient ppm after using the nutrients as does Lucas I have to give him credit in mixing Bloom and the Micro Flora into his used nutrient solutions/formulas. He uses micronutrients in all the grow and budding nutrient mixes he uses.

I have seen some very strangely colored buds come from growers using bloom formulas that contain no micronutrients and too little magnesium as is common to many bloom formulas. Strange colors are nearly always caused by nutrient deficiencies.

The advanced nutrients along with the Vitaboost and Big Bud supplements contain all of the recommended micronutrients in the correct concentrations. Of course, this is what they claim on the label.

They lie. A lot. Some of their products have some micro nutrients and some do not. Some have no micro nutrients what so ever. Some have no magnesium and some have no calcium. Unless you know someone in Florida that is buying Advanced Nutrients offthe shelves it is impossible to tell just what they contain from time to time. Florida is the only stae that presently requires all manafcturers to place a label or tag on all fertilizers sold in that stae the at list all fertilizerss both macro amd micro.

I can only assume when they say all the "recommended micronutrients in the correct concentrations." There are only 5 widely recognized nutrient formulas. They are: Hoagland's, Johnson's, Jensen's, Larsen's, and Cooper's. They all list 12 nutrients. They all list the same nutrients and micronutrients but in diffferent concentrations. Most nutrients sold only contain 9 or 10 of those nutrients. Very, very, very few ever contain all 12. The chief reason that nutrients do not contain all twelve is that to make the forn mula up in a concentrate you need to make a two part formula of you will have slats precipitate out of solution ib n the concentare. Once they are precipitated they remain as precpitates and will not dissolve in water. It takes acids to dissolve them. So like I said before witout addinf=]g something to the b nutrients after diluting hthem in water or until you mix several nutrients together in you nutrient reservoir with you water you will not have a nutrinet solution with a proper balance of all the nutrients unless you choose to sya there are less than 12 recommended nutrients. Many manafacturers say they use all the nutrients recommended when the leave out calcium and magnesium as the insist they are not nutrients. Many leave out sulfur, or chlorine as they say they are not nutrients. Are they liers? I believe so as horticulturalists around the world are wanting to add to the present list of 12 not shorten it. For example nearly all horticuluralisy ts will say that silisitic acid (silica bound to phosphate or sodium) shpuld be listed as a micro nutrient.

Advanced Nutrient products are just Marketing Hype like the p others. If you want a good nutrient solutoon w you need to mix several formulas, add a few things toa retailed formula or mix your own nutrinet concentrate formulas. You can only get so many concentrates to stay in suspension in a concentarted formula. If any manafacturerselling a lo iquid formula says it contains everything recommended in one bottle they are just flat out scamming you.

Here is a chart that will help you decide where to place your light.

If you can get your light closer,
you will grow denser nuggs.



I recommend tapering down the nute load.

Discontinue the vita boost during flower.

With AN nutes
I also recommend using 50% nute loads max,
and then tapering that down to 000
after the buds are mature.

If you want connoisseur smoke,
use low nute loads,
or a longer RO flush.

Using lower nute loads will produce the best smoke.

The density of your buds
is dependent upon the quality of the light,
not by feeding large amount of nutes.


.

Actually my nutes for flowering are in four separate bottles for exactly the reason you suggest, to prevent the formation of salts that precipitate and remove themselves from the solution.

You are also right in saying that I can't really know that what the label tells me is absolutely correct, or even close. So without taking this to a lab, (and I actually know how to do exactly that), I will never know what any of these bottles actually contain.

However, I, like most growers, use an indicator. In my case, the plant itself. Now if I am missing a vital micronutrient but my plant is perfectly healthy and growing at an astonishing rate then I am probably going to continue to do without. My plants have never had any nutrient issues other than a slight nute burn, and that was all my fault for pushing too hard. So what I am saying is, while I don't know exactly what is in the bottles I am feeding doesn't the plants picture perfect health indicate that something is going pretty fucking well?

Thanks Earl!!!

So after taking some measurements, my plants hit the optimal distance range once they are 10 inches, which I don't even move them to this chamber until they are 12 inches or so. Anyway, it is encouraging to know that I am hitting that optimal range, just starting out on the high end. Right now my plant is at the perfect height, according to the chart!!! Sweet!

So with the AN you think I should half the nute load from beginning to end, veg and flower?

So I will change nutes out again on Thursday, I will start stepping down the levels and step those down for three weeks to just pH balanced water? Then just watch the plant for correct harvest time?

I have some trichomes that are getting the bulbous heads on them on the topmost buds, but further down they are all still just little clear fingers sticking out. I am ready to start on that home stretch to harvest.

High nute loads cause tip burn.

The reason the tips burn is because
the high tds causes reverse osmosis of the fluid in the plant,
and this is indicated by the burned tips
where the moisture in the tip has been sucked out of the plant through the roots.

When you are burning your tips
you are migrating fluids in the plant backwards.

Your trichs will not get better
unless you lower the nute load.

During this phase of the grow
you do not need much, if any, Nitrogen,
there is already plenty stored in the leaves and roots.

I would run the Big Bud Powder alone,
keep it about 150 total tds.

When the tds falls to 100ppm
then bring it back to 150ppm
with your high PK nutes
such as the big bud powder

You will find the plant will need to be fed more often,
because the lower nute load
will reverse the backward osmosis
and now that the plant has fluid again,
it will eat like crazy.

Hammerhead(AN) or Potash Plus(DM) or Big Bud powder(AN)
will furnish the plant with all the nutes it needs at this phase,
and it should produce sticky buds.

Do not go over 200 total tds with any of these products,
or you may get tip burn again, 150ppm should be max.
.