Is EC critical?

[RUFUS HOUND]

On 11/05/2022 at 7:45 PM, greengal said:

A note to anyone who is looking to buy an EC meter… Make sure to get one that definitely measures EC, not just PPM (parts per million) as some do. There are at least three different measurements for PPM, which can be very confusing (I know this from experience!), whereas EC is EC and all meters read it the same. Also check that your meter is giving an accurate reading by calibrating it occasionally.   Sal

 

I think your referring to TDS meters as they read in ppm 

yes there are 3 different types , you just need to know which you have  (most of the cheap TDS-3 about are the "hanna type" but dont get tied up on the types

I posted this table up the other day in my diary its an EC to PPM and visa versa chart

 

 

[OddNut]

Once you know what ph range your nutrients come out at you don’t really need anything but mls per l. I’ve got a grave yard of broken ph meters and no longer use one because I know it falls in range and my plants are happy. 
musing mls per l works just fine but I prefer to use an ec wand because that’s what I’ve always done. I did my last grow without as my old one broke after ten years of use but found myself running to the shop to get a new one because I just feel more comfortable being able to check it in ec. I’ve never bothered checking run off (dtw coco) if there’s ever a problem in the pots and I’ve eliminated environmental issues I give them a flush. 99 times out of 100 this corrects any issues 

[Slippy One]

I stopped using my ec pen, it’s handy if you have a random sized reservoir instead of a 10L bucket but it won’t tell you that your cal:mag ratio is 18:1 instead of 3:1. 
 

Growers Ark say 3-5ml/l which is pretty much bang on. Read the plants though, as growing in coco will quickly indicate if you’re over doing it. Always err on the side of caution. 

[BushDoctoR]

I grew for years in coco without measuring EC. Stay light on the feed, don't let them dry out too much and give plenty of run off and you should be fine. Maybe give them a flush every few weeks as well to be safe

 

That said, measuring EC definitely helps you dial things in alot more accurately but until you understand it they're just numbers. You still have to read the plants regardless of whether or not you're measuring the EC