Recommended Tools
pH up and pH down: These are the acidic (down), and alkaline (up) solutions that you will add to your nutrient solution to raise or lower the pH of your nutrient solution. Only use products designed for growing, any others may harm or kill your plants.
pH Pen/Chemical pH Test Kit: Chemical test kits are a slower but more affordable method of testing your nutrient solutions pH level but can be affected by temperature and only tell you a range. The benefit of these kits is that they often come with both the pH up and down solutions included (see #2 above). A pH pen is a tool used to measure the exact pH level of the nutrient solution you are working with and is faster and more accurate than chemical test kits. The downside is they require regular cleaning and calibration to maintain its accuracy. For new growers, we recommend the pH test kit.
EC Meter (optional): This is a device used to measure the electrical conductivity or “total salts” in your nutrient solution giving you an accurate view of how strong your nutrient solution is. This tool will require regular cleaning and calibration to maintain its accuracy.
Mixing container: This can be any container large enough to hold at least 13 litres and will be used to mix and prepare your nutrient solution before adding it to your tank to feed your plant. Adding raw nutrients directly into your feeding tank can harm your plants roots stunting your plants growth.
How to Prepare your Nutrient Solution
Start by filling your Mixing container with the 13 Litres of cool (but not cold) water for your tank size.
Optional step for interested growers: After filling your container, take out your EC meter, and check the current value of your water. If it is above 0.4EC with no additives you should not use it as the minerals in your water may affect the nutrient ratios harming your plants. If this is the case we recommend you use distilled water instead.
Next, add the nutrients according to the table below. For quick reference you can find this guide here.
General Hydroponics Flora Trio Mixing Chart
Note: the measurements are meant for ease of use for our beta growers until we get our pre-measured rip packages.
Be sure to mix thoroughly after each Nutrient is added.
Optional step for interested growers: After mixing the nutrients, you can double check the EC values using an EC meter. Use the organic nutrient mixing chart (above) as a reference for optimal EC values in each stage of life. This chart follows a standard 8 week flowering time, but different strains might prefer higher or lower values.
pH Balancing
Now it is time to pH balance your nutrient solution. Please refer to the pH balancing guide for more information.
Once you have completely mixed up and reached the desired pH level you can now add your nutrient solution to your tank. When changing out your tank at the start of a new week it is a good idea to prepare your fresh nutrient solution before you drain the old solution from your tank in order to minimize your plants time without water. Always drain as much of the old solution out of your tank as possible to minimize cross contamination of solutions as well as to help keep your tank clean.
If you end up with extra nutrients in your bucket after filling your tank don't worry. This can be used to top up your tank throughout the week if the water level goes down just be sure to mix thoroughly and pH the solution again before adding it to the tank.
When it comes to maintaining the pH level of the solution already in your tank it is best to check it daily to maintain the 5.5-6.5 range. Start by checking the current pH level of your tank so you know if you need to adjust up, down, or not at all. If the solution has drifted out of our desired range we will start by adding 1-2 drops being careful not to drip directly onto the roots and give it about 15-30 seconds to let the bubbler mix the solution, Recheck the pH levels and repeat as needed. Remember to take it slow, adding too much pH up or down can affect the absorption of nutrients weakening the plant.
If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to us online and we will get back to you as soon as we can!