# Very Simple And Very Safe Effective Fox Farm Nute Chart For Hydroponic Systems



## Pepper (Sep 30, 2009)

Many people that are new to a hydroponic system have no idea on how to feed their plants, and they get a million different answers from a million different people, then they get even more confused.

The chart below is one that I made myself and its for Fox Farm nutes only. 

I learned the hard way that the FF chart given with the nutes is no good for most strains and will burn, kill, most plants specially in their early stages, so I decided to experiment with varius levels of nute strengh, and found that this chart works the best for all the strains that it was tested on, I use tap water because my tap water has a low ppm.

This chart is a very safe chart to go by, no worries on over feeding the plants, wich can cause some serious problems either right away or long term, it has an initial ec that is low, then moderate, then high.

This chart is for a 4 wk vegge period and an 8 wk flowering period, if you were to use this chart, and vegge longer than 4 wk's all you need to to is continue following the chart as it goes into the flowering chart but continue to use the grow big, versus the tiger bloom, that's all, very simple, and dont use the solubles, the solubles are for flowering only.

If you flower for more than 8 wk's all that you need to do is continue following the chart from wk 12.

Has the ec is raised the ph will remain more and more stable, I recomend using distiled water, for the first 2 to 3 wk's of the plants life then tap water can be used IF the ppm is not to high, if the ppm in your tap water is high either cut back on the nute solution on this chart by 1,25ml per galon, or continue to use distiled water or RO water.

I also recomend using 1/2 cup of hydrogen peroxide for every 20 galons of water twice a wk ( every 4 days) I found it helps keep the roots nice and clean.



*1 Tsp = 5ml*
*1 Tbp = 14ml*

*Lights on 24/0*

Starting seed or clone:
Grow Big- 1.25ml galon
Big Bloom- 2.5ml galon

This chart starts once the seedlings are 1 wk old from seed, or clones are 1 wk old.

*Lights on 18/6*

1 wk old 
Grow Big- 2.5ml galon
Big Bloom- 5ml galon

2 wk old
Grow Big- 3.75ml galon
Big Bloom- 8ml galon

3 wk old
Grow Big- 5ml galon
Big Bloom- 10ml galon

4 wk old
Grow Big- 7.5ml galon
Big Bloom- 12ml galon

*Lights on 12/12*

5 wk old
Grow Big- 7.5ml galon
Big Bloom- 14ml galon
Open Sesame- 1/4 tsp galon

6 wk old
Grow Big- 7.5ml galon
Big Bloom- 14ml galon
Open Sesame- 1/4 tsp galon

7 wk old
Tiger Bloom- 10ml galon
Big Bloom- 14ml galon
Beastie Blooms- 1/4 tsp galon

8 wk old
Tiger Bloom- 10ml galon
Big Bloom- 14ml galom
Beastie Blooms- 1/4 tsp galon

9 wk old
Tiger Bloom- 10ml galon
Big Bloom- 14ml galon
Cha Ching- 1/4 tsp galon

10 wk old
Tiger Bloom-10ml galon
Big Bloom- 14ml galon
Cha Ching- 1/4 tsp galon

11 wk old
Tiger Bloom- 10ml galon
Big Bloom- 14ml galon
Cha Ching- 1/4 tsp galon

12 wk old
Tiger Bloom- 10ml galon
Big Bloom- 14ml galon
Cha Ching- 1/4 tsp galon






*Glossary:*

Phenotype: The phenotype of an individual plant is either its total physical appearance and constitution or a specific manifestation of a trait, such as size, color, or height that varies between individuals. Phenotype is determined to some extent by genotype, or by the identity of the alleles that an individual carries at one or more positions on the chromosomes. Many phenotypes are determined by multiple genes and influenced by environmental factors. Thus, the identity of one or a few known alleles does not always enable prediction of the phenotype.
pH: pH is a measure of the activity of hydrogen ions (H+) in a solution and, therefore, its acidity or alkalinity. Many plants require a certain pH in the substrate in order to absorb nutrients properly. For cannabis the pH in a hydroponic system should be between 5.2-6.3 but the ideal ph is 5.7 to 6.
EC level: Electrical conductivity (EC) is a measure of a material's ability to conduct an electric current. Mineral salts dissolved in solvents influence the electrical current. An EC meter can therefore measure the amount of salts in a nutrient solution.
SOG: Sea of Green; close planting in rows to maximize plants per m2/f2 from seed or clone.
SCROG: Screen of Green; growing the plants through a wire mesh for bushier and even top growth of flowering shoots. 
LST: Low stress training as defined by tying plant stems down rather than pruning them.


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## meds4me (Sep 30, 2009)

Pepper: Okay couple questions for ya....1 whats Ec?  the rest is basic and understandable. Props !. 2 How often do you change youree rez? I'm thinkin DWC bucket style and my main concern is ; A) cost of hydro nutes ; B)longevity of nutes in use. Seeing a DWC system of late and was impressed of the rate of growth .


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## Pepper (Oct 1, 2009)

Good question and one that not to many people know the answer to, it would be dificult for me to explain because I am not a tech type of guy, but I went one step further for you, and others that want to know the answer to your question.


I would change the rez every 2 wk's but I no longer do that, thank's to a friend of mine that came on vist from Europe, he tought me a few things  but if you are new to hydroponics by all means change your rez every 7 to 15 days.

It is good to clean/flush your rez due to salt build up in the rez and root system, I do that every 4 weeks and I use clearex with plain ph'd water I allow the system to run for 10 hr's then I empty the rez and refill with new water and new nutes.



*TDS, EC, PPM, microSiemens:*

*What do all those letters mean?* 

*What is the best way to calibrate a TDS or Ec meter?* *Answer:* Standard reference solutions are used. The bottles are marked with the conductivity (EC) value in microSiemens/cm and the corresponding ppM values for sodium chloride (NaCl) and potassium chloride (KCl) solutions, and sometimes for a "442" reference mixture. The conductivity of sodium chloride solutions is close to that of hydroponic mineral nutrients, so a "1000 ppM NaCl" standard is most frequently used when calibrating the meter for hydroponic solutions. You should follow the calibration instructions in the manual which the manufacturer of your meter provided.​*What does a TDS or EC meter measure?*
*Answer:* The electrical conductivity (EC) of your nutrient results from motion of mineral ions when the meter applies an electrical voltage. The ppM value of a sodium chloride solution happens to be very close to half of its conductivity value (in microSiemens/cm), so many meters display the conductivity as an equivalent NaCl amount.​*What does the term parts per million (ppm) mean?*
*Answer:* It is a common unit for measuring the concentration of elements in the nutrient solution. One ppm is one part by weight of the mineral in one million parts of solution.​*How do I convert between TDS and EC readings?*
*Answer:* To obtain an approximate sodium chloride TDS value, multiply the EC reading (in microSiemens/cm) by 1000 and divide by 2.

To get an EC value, multiply the ppm reading by 2 and divide by 1000.
Thus, if your EC is 1:
1*1000/2= 500 ppm.
And if your ppm is 500:
500*2/1000= 1 EC ​*Is it better to use an EC or a TDS meter?*
*Answer:* If you have plant nutrient recommendations in EC units, an EC meter is convenient. If your plant nutrient recommendations are in ppM values, a sodium chloride TDS calibration is easier to use.​*Why is conductivity of the nutrient important?*
*Answer:* Conductivity is a measure of the strength of the nutrient solution. The higher the conductivity, the more dissolved solids there are in the solution. Delicate plants, cuttings, and seedlings can experience fertilizer burn if the conductivity is too high. Once the plants begin growing, they need a stronger nutrient solution, so conductivity must be increased by adding concentrated nutrient. Some plants prefer a milder nutrient strength, while others grow better and produce better quality fruit with a higher concentration.​*How does conductivity affect plant growth?*
*Answer:* Conductivity is really a measure of the nutrients in the solution. Low conductivity implies a low nutrient concentration, which usually results in nutritional deficiencies and slow growth rates of your plants. One can look at the situation as a higher conductivity is more food for your plants. However, be careful of very high levels as this can burn and or kill the plant.​*What about water temperature?*
*Answer:* Temperature of the nutrient solution should be in the range of 65 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit (18 to 26 degrees Celsius). Before adding water to your reservoir, it is a good idea to allow it to come to the same temperature as the water in the reservoir. Plants do not like rapid temperature changes, especially in the root zone. Aquarium heaters can be used to warm the nutrient solution in the winter, and look for "chillers" to cool the solution in the summer if high temperature becomes a problem.​*What about fresh air?*
*Answer:* Ventilation is often overlooked as a problem. Plants absorb nutrients when the water molecules in the leaves respire (i.e. evaporate). Better ventilation aids a high transpiration rate, which translates into a greater rate of nutrient uptake. Remember that ventilation means changing the air, not just blowing it around the room (circulation).​


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## Tater (Oct 1, 2009)

> How do I convert between TDS and EC readings?
> Answer: To obtain an approximate sodium chloride TDS value, multiply the EC reading (in microSiemens/cm) by 1000 and divide by 2.
> 
> To get an EC value, multiply the ppm reading by 2 and divide by 1000.
> ...



Thats kinda right, in actuality you need to check the manual that came with your meter for the conversion they use.  Some makers use a .7 conversion while others use a .5 conversion (the one you listed) while others use a .64.  This is a HUGE difference and can cause many a headache to new growers.  Personally I find a PPM measurement to be useless and EC is the way to go, I just with meter makers would get on board and display the EC rather than using their own conversion and adding to the confusion.

Same goes for nute makers, some list ppm levels for their product usage using a .5 EC conversion and others, like advanced nutrients, list theirs as a .7 EC conversion.

hxxp://www.cannaversity.com/cannaversity/idx.php/22/041/article/Charts-to-convert-ppmECCF.html

Thats a good chart showing the difference in meters.

Also your formula does not work for other conversions.  So a better formula would be

(conversionrate)=0.7 or 0.5 or 0.64 depending on your meter

ec*1000*(conversionrate)=ppm
and
ppm/(conversionrate)=ec

Hope that helps.

Oh and one more thing you need to be aware of is how temperature can GREATLY effect your readings, you need to measure your solution at the temperature your rez will be maintained at in order to get a reading with any real meaning.


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## Pepper (Oct 1, 2009)

Good info.


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## meds4me (Oct 1, 2009)

Solid Thanks Peeps ~


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## daf (Oct 24, 2009)

do u add hydroge n peroxide with nutes every 4 days 1/2 cup


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## Pepper (Oct 24, 2009)

daf said:
			
		

> do u add hydroge n peroxide with nutes every 4 days 1/2 cup


 
Hydrogen peroxide 1/2 cup for every 20 galons every 4 days. The nutes have their own chart.


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## bigbabyjesus (Mar 30, 2020)

I realize this is a 10 year old post, but it’s the only FoxFarm feeding schedule for cannabis that I could find.  It has gone really well in veg for me.  The plants look amazing and are doing well thanks to this schedule.   The one week I deviated from it, I used 50% of the FF schedule THEY recommend, including Microbe Brew and Root Drench.  This was in week 3 I think and I ended up burning the plants or locking them out due to root rot (not sure - it could be both) from high reservoir temps (even with Great White).

Due to the root rot issues, I decided to veg another week because I felt like I was behind while they healed.  By the way, it’s not mentioned on posts much here, but I may have had brown algae instead of root rot and I got rid of it by using Sledgehammer and afterwards rinsing the roots off under a sink until most of the brown came off.  It was so bad I can’t believe they rebounded so well.

I’m currently in week 6 overall and ending the first week of flowering (So, using week 5’s feeding schedule above).  The schedule above gets the PPM to about 670.  I’m seeing this drop into the 400’s with most of the plants by day 3, and with a few of them, the ph is also dropping down to 5.0 or even below.  I figured they were hungry so I started giving them a nutrient mix when topping off, but the Ph drop issues continue with the larger plants.  I am not sure what’s going on.  Any ideas?  Also if you use the FF line in hydro, what’s your feeding schedule?


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