What is EC
Electrical Conductivity is a measure of how easily an electrical current passes through a solution. This is the way to measure the nutrient concentration of a solution. Remember is science class where you learnt about current and what metals and Martials help it flow better? Well it’s the same in your plants. The nutrients and water mix you are adding to your plants is the “electricity” and how much it gets from your water and nutrient mix directly affects the yield of you plants.
What you need to understand
There are many things you need to consider when considering the EC of your plant. For instance if you think all water has the same EC your mistaken. Distilled water does not effectively move through your plants compared to your everyday tap water. Why? You may ask.. Well it’s all chemistry based. Distilled water does not contain enough substances with H1 + C1 -ions. Why is this important??? Well if your EC is not right your nutrients can’t efficiently move through your plant.
Most plant nutrients are available as soluble ionic compounds. Ions act as an electrolyte in water and they increase the conductivity of the solution when they are dissolved into that solution. When adding nutrients to your solution, you are effectively adding ions, which in increasing or decreasing the electrical conductivity, the more nutrients added, the higher the EC will become. EC is consistently measurable, which makes it an easy system to use.
We measure EC by measuring the level of ionic salts in the soil. So basically nutrients contain ionic salts, too much salt for anyone or anything is bad. Things that increase ionic salts are, lack of water, over feeding, climate.. Controlling this is essential if you wish to grow potent marijuana.
Plant cells lose water when there is too much ionic salt in the soil. This will cause the EC to increase, so your plants will be absorbing more nutrients than water over feeding them. One of the signs of this is weltering leaves or some discolour.
How do we measure EC
When measuring EC, you are measuring a unit known as the Siemen and millisiemens, which is a measurement of conductivity through a solution.
There are also electrical conductivity (EC) scales, and the parts per million (ppm) scale also known as total dissolved solids or TDC scale. But the most commonly used measuring scale is ppm.
In order to measure your Electrical Conductivity you need an EC Meter, often these meters are made in conjunction with your pH meter. You can get a handheld unit.
Why all the fuss?
A balanced nutrient mix is an essential part of growing. This goes hand in hand with how often you give your plants water. If you are serious about growing it’s important that your monitor your plants EC and pH levels to ensure you’re feeding them properly.
To adjust your EC upwards, if too low, you will use a nutrient solution, if your EC is high you dilute with plain water. If your water source has very high EC (Total Dissolved Solids) you will need to flush your plant to get a lower EC starting point. In other words if your EC is too low it means your plant is absorbing nutrients faster than water. When EC is up it means your plant is absorbing water faster than nutrients.
Different stages of growing require different EC levels. For instance a young plant is unable to absorb the same levels of ionic salt as a plant that’s flowering.
Nailing your nutrient mix and feeding schedule is what every grower aims to achieve. By consistently monitoring your plants you’re able to distinguish what mixes are working best for your setup and nutrient brand of choice. Make use of the “feeding chart” on the back of your nutrient bottles to get a starting point on amounts to use. Remember this is not an exact science and you should feel free to experiment provided you have done the research and understand the various elements you need to consider. One of the ways to discover if your nutrient mix is working at various stages of growing is by measuring your EC.
What EC tips do you have to share with us….
Comments