Maximum Yield Cannabis USA March/April 2019 | Page 63

photo by nebula haze courtesy of freeimages.com
“
THE GOLDEN rule is 90 per cent
of the roots should be constantly
submerged. You should prioritize
this in the first few weeks, as
the plants are establishing and
strengthening themselves.”
Managing Electrical Conductivity
Levels in Bubblers
Electrical Conductivity (EC) and pH manage-
ment are crucial in telling you if your feed
strength is adequate for your plants. If the EC
suddenly shoots up, resolve the problem by
adding fresh water until levels are back within
range. I would check them once or twice a day to
keep conditions perfect. You can find the EC and pH
goal for bubbler systems week by week on any good
feed chart. If EC levels drop below range,
I would replace all the liquid in that pot with a fresh
batch. This is because EC only gives an indication of
the level of chemicals in the water. If the EC drops,
then all we know is the plants are taking up more nutri-
ents than water. We do not know which element a plant
is taking more of though, and so removing all the liquid
ensures we are not overfeeding the plant with any one
element. Bubbler EC levels, however, are prone to fluc-
tuation, so if you do see a change, give it an hour or so
and check again before taking any action, as it could
well return to normal levels within that time.
Replacing the solution in your bubbler becomes more
challenging as the plant gets bigger and heavier. It’s
best to prepare in advance for this situation. Prepare a
new reservoir with fresh feed solution, then gently but
firmly lift the plant out of the bubbler by the main stem
supporting the root mass with your other hand (the
lid and net should still be attached in the middle) and
then quickly place the plant into the new pot. You can
then clean out the old reservoir and repeat the process
with all your other bubblers. You should perform this
process quickly and efficiently as to cause a minimal
amount of stress to your plants and to limit the roots
exposure to the light. Speaking of roots, be sure to
check, as time goes by, that the roots are not growing
entirely around the air stone. If this happens, gently
remove the roots as they can affect the rate of oxygen
distribution in the reservoir.
It’s no surprise that bubblers are one of the most
popular systems on the market today — when
everything is going well, they are one of the easiest
systems to assemble. When used with care, the
bubbler system can be your best friend giving you
bigger, faster growing plants at a low cost.
Top: EC levels are prone to fluctuations in DWC systems so accurate
and regular measurement of levels is crucial.
Bottom: Roots descend into an oxygen-rich nutrient solution.
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