Hey friends!!
I am still a rookie at this and learning as much as I can.
When I am feeding my plants I am always afraid of overdoing it. I follow the instructions on the bottle (in this case i am using schultz 10-15-10, adding 3 capfuls to 5 gal of water and 2 tablespoons of cal mag)
I feel like there is probably a better way. Should I be measuring for a specific ppm range, or ???
What do you guys have success with??
Thanks 
Yes buy a ppm/ec meter and adjust if needed : )
Trial and error is the name of the game, some strains can handle more some less bromigo
I have one…but what number am I aiming for???
You watchin for tip burn or clawing as a sign to lower
@George @Papalag have a handy chart to use as guide , but you must learn to read plants like @PhilCuisine saays , every strain and even pheno is different so you must learn to read plants
When you see chart go slightly lower and take it from there : )
With unknown fertilizer I’d start at 75% strength. That way if you’re too high you’re not super high and if you’re low you’re not super low.
It’s easy to adjust as needed as your plant will tell you what it wants. Couldn’t tell you on ppm because it’s not my way
Your plants will tell you what to do and it will range from plant to plant and strain to strain. There is no one size fits all approach. Start with what’s on the bottles and adjust as your plants tell you too. Come here with pics when you see changes and folks will help guide you. Good luck.
You are growing in soil aren’t you?
I’d suggest looking at organic soil growing. There’s a lot of up front reading but once you have it settled you. just. water.
Reworking the used soil is simple too.
Cheers
G
I have these charts just for reference, it depend also of the kind of strain you’re growing, for instance, autos and sativas are low feeders, others are hogs and tolerate pushing them hard.
I know people that force them until they see burnt tips and then step back a little, I prefer to run them low, easier to correct a hungry plant or some deficiency than a nutrient burn or accumulated salts toxicity … 
Never follow a feed chart as it has been wisely said, they want just you to buy more of their product … 
Everyone’s set up / envioment and nute make up ie npk ratio for each stage is also different , whaats good for one may not be ideal for another
Like I use halveish the strength the chart recommends but I push certain things at certain stages which make up for the difference in strength needed : )
Look at what nutrition you’re using first. What does it say? 6-6.5 for dirt and 5.5 to 5.8 in water. I run 6.3. Your nutrition should come with some kind of feeding chart. FoxFarm has a pretty good system. I think Fox Farm is somewhere around about 2k on the ppm after flowering. That’s to much.
I agree with that chart. I do push my numbers a little higher. 600 on the flip. Actually that chart is correct. I got it copied. I use advance nutrients. I have the app for it.
I live by these charts
Great info here
This chart shows ideal balance.
You want 5-7 times the amount calcium as magnesium, so bottled CalMag will cause problems as its usually 1:1 or 2:1
I recommend reading Astera’s Ideal Soil 2.0
I liked this book a lot. It was quite informative and a quick read. I actually prefer Solomon’s The Intelligent Gardener as far as recommendations for amending though.
Man, you guys always come thru with flying colors!!! Thanks for the education 
I will start making some changes and doing some more reading!
Do you have any recommended reading for organic soil?
This is the direction I would ultimately like to go.
Thanks!!
I started with TLO (True Living Organics) by The Rev. The Rev also makes extensive use of teas as supplements to keep the biota healthy and thriving. TLO was one of the early books out, there’s now a number of other good organic gardening books out there as well.
When you are working with a balanced super soil it is literally ‘just add water’.
Some folks have pointed out issues with the soil mixes he uses (and I’ve made a few adjustments as well) but I think the basis of his book is solid, not perfect, but a good starting place.
In my mind I also lump the Korean Natural Farming practices in with organic soil farming, their practices are very different but the goals are the same, well worth having a closer look. I haven’t explored that sub-set much at all but the folks that are into it swear by the results…
I up-pot three times, this allows me to adjust the mix for veg and flower and I also use larger container sizes (finishing in 5 or 7 gallon pots).
Cheers
G
