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Change-of-Format Notes:
This month I will start to include the following with every update:
1) Any applicable new ingredients/change-of-recipe
notes, or change-of-format notes such as this one.
2) The Ideal and Target Parameters for the reservoir, as well as the Target
Composition, will be included at the start of every update.
3) I plan to start measuring the pH and PPM of the reservoir before and after
adding each ingredient. I missed this during this week with the Vitamin C,
which may have made quite a difference in the pH of the reservoir, or may
have worked in conjunction with the aeration of the reservoir overnight
(dissolved gasses such as chlorine contribute to sample pH, and aeration
removes dissolved gasses from reservoirs). I didn't get to learn how much
either of these factors contributed to the pH change this week, but I will
get it for next week's watering.
I also plan to start reading the temperature of the water during certain times
such as when it is first poured, on days I add an ingredient, and right before it
is applied to the garden.
4) The abbreviated make and model number of the meter currently being
used for data gathering will now be included in the title of each update. In
this case a Hanna Instruments 9813-6N is being used. That will continue
to be our meter for quite some time to come.
The meter type is important to note because, in this case, parts per million
(PPM) is measured as a derivative of the probe's electrical conductivity (EC)
function, which measures EC is millisiemens per centimeter (mS/cm). This
tells us a couple things about this probe and its readings:
* The probe's measurement electrodes are probably one centimeter apart.
* This meter does not read the actual PPM of all non-H20 molecules
in the water sample. This meter can only accurately measure PPM
of total dissolved solids (TDS) such as salts like N, P and K, which impede
the flow of electrical charge through water.
This meter will therefore will not accurately measure the PPM of dissolved
organic materials such as organic nutrients, micronutrients and humates.
Nor will it be able to read the PPM of dissolved gases or liquids such as chlorine
and chloramine. We must therefore control the concentration of materials we
add by accurately measuring how much of each ingredient we add to the
reservoir.
The PPM reading of organic or partially organic ingredients is still a useful
measurement under the concept of reliable error. The PPM readings of
these materials are relatively weak versus chemical fertilizers, but are
nonetheless often readable and reliable as a secondary form of measurement.
The PPM or mS/cm reading (both the same EC/TDS reading; PPM is merely a magnified
view of the low end of the scale) on the meter are particularly relevant when adjusting
the pH of the reservoir. These readings help to measure the nutrient concentration level of the reservoir and can be simply referred to as the "concentration" of the water. The higher either reading, the more adjusting solution will be required to change the pH of the reservoir. Therefore, be cautious and add less pH up or down to a reservoir with a low concentration.
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Ideal Readings and Target Parameters:
PPM = 150 (125 - 175)
pH = 5.5 (5.4 - 5.5)
TEMP (C) = 17.5 (15 - 20)
Target Composition:
Amount PPM --------------Target --------------- PPM Total
* 40 gallons Tap ---------- (+45 PPM) ----------- 045
* 500 mg Vitamin C -------(+2? PPM) ----------- 047
* 30 ml Ancient Humate (+1 PPM) ------------ 048
* 15 ml Molasses --------- (+10 PPM) ---------- 058
* 20 ml Silicon ------------ (+10 PPM) ----------- 068
* 7 ml Cal-Mag ------------ (+10 PPM) ---------- 078
* 25 ml Microblast -------- (+10 PPM) ----------- 088
* 20 ml 20/20/20 ---------- (+50 PPM) ----------- 138
* 40 ml or less pH Down -- (+12 PPM) ------------ 150 or less @ pH = 5.5
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5/22 (Sunday)
* Poured 40 gal. tap. PPM = 045, pH = 8.6, TEMP = 17.7C
5/23
+ 500 mg Vitamin C
5/27
* PPM = 047, pH = 7.2-7.3
+ 15 ml Organic Molasses
* PPM = 056, pH = 7.5
+ 15 ml Ancient Humate
* PPM = 056 - 057, pH = 7.5, TEMP = 18.0C
5/29
Change of Format Note: Adding Start and End times.
* Time = 8:55 PM, PPM = 055, pH = 6.0
+ 15 ml Ancient Humate
* PPM = stable, pH = stable
+ 20 ml Silicon
* PPM = 066 (+11), pH = 6.5 (+.5)
+ 7 ml Cal-Mag
* PPM = 083 (+17), pH = 6.6 (+.1)
+ 25 ml Microblast
* PPM = 092 (+9), pH = 6.5 (-.1)
+ 15 ml 20/20/20
* PPM =131 (+39) , pH = 6.4 (-.1)
+ 25 ml pH Down
* PPM = 148, pH = 4.7
+ 10 ml pH Up
* PPM = 154, pH = 5.4
* FINAL STATS BEFORE APPLICATION:
PPM = 154, pH = 5.4, TEMP = 19.0 C, TIME = 10:00 PM
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* Fresh 40 gal. Tap poured for next watering.
Pre-Aeration Stats: PPM = 044, pH = 8.4
Notes:
I intend to start using 1000mg of Vitamin C starting next week due to the acquisition of a new Vitamin C source: TwinLab 1000mg capsules. This product will make it easier to quickly dissolve the Vitamin C into the reservoir and will also allow me to remove the capsule prior to adding the vitamin to the reservoir, lowering the amount of unintended materials that make their way into the reservoir.
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