This board is for feeding questions that do not belong to one brand. Each nutrient brand has its own sub-board under Fertilizers. Here you can ask about feeding schedules, reading leaf symptoms, and checking pH and EC. pH tells you how acidic the water is. EC (electrical conductivity), sometimes shown as PPM (parts per million), tells you how much fertiliser salt is dissolved in it. Most problem-solving works the same whatever brand is in your tank, so it lives here.
For the full guide to source water, pH, EC, mixing order and biostimulants, read the board’s overview topic: General Nutrients: Source Water, pH, EC, Mixing Order and Biostimulants, and What to Post So Your Feeding Question Can Be Answered
What to post here
- Feeding questions about a brand that has no sub-board of its own.
- Questions about a feeding schedule that mixes products from several brands.
- Leaf problems you want help diagnosing, such as yellowing, spots or burnt tips.
- pH and EC readings you are not sure how to read.
Put the numbers in your first post
A nutrient can be in the tank and still be out of reach for the roots, because the pH is wrong. This is called nutrient lockout. On the leaf it looks exactly like a nutrient that is missing. Without numbers, nobody can tell the two apart, and the wrong fix makes the plant worse.
So give three pairs of pH and EC readings:
- Source water – the water before you add anything. This shows what your water already carries.
- Input solution – the mix you feed after adjusting pH. This shows what the plant actually receives.
- Runoff or reservoir – the water that drains out of the pot after watering, or the water in the tank of a recirculating system (one where the solution flows back to the tank and is reused). This shows what is building up around the roots.
Also say which growing medium you use. Peat, coco coir and a recirculating system each react badly to a different mistake. The same reading can therefore point to a different cause in each one.
Translator’s note: In Thailand, tap water, well water and rainwater can differ a lot in EC and pH, and well water often varies by area. Measure your own source water once before you trust any feed chart. A tank that sits at 30–35 °C also changes quickly, so measure the reservoir at the same time each day and write down its temperature as well. A clear photo of the affected leaves in daylight, with the plant’s age or week of flower, also helps others answer faster.