DSC-BRAIN USER GUIDE · HOW IT WORKS
Runoff trend and grow alert sensitivity
How runoff minus input is charted per plant, when it raises an alert, and the one setting that sets the grow tools' alert thresholds together.
● verified for 9.0.0 · firmware train 8.2.0.0
● last verified 2026-09-17 · written on the site
What is charted
Every Feed, Water or Flush entry that carries both halves of a pair — EC and runoff EC, or pH and runoff pH — becomes one point: runoff minus input. Nothing is interpolated. The chart is under Logs › Trends for the plant (card Runoff vs input), and each Root probe card shows the plant's latest shift as a RUNOFF EC +0.6 chip that opens it.
Read the trend, not one reading: runoff EC creeping above the feed over a week means salts are building in the medium; a steady +0.3 does not. Take runoff the same way every time (a Runoff sample procedure walks you through it).
When it alerts
Two alerts, both off until a threshold is set: Runoff EC above feed (binary_sensor.dsc_runoff_ec_shift_high) fires when a plant's latest paired entry shows runoff EC at least the threshold above the input; Runoff pH swinging (binary_sensor.dsc_runoff_ph_shift_high) when runoff pH differs by at least the threshold either way. Only the latest pair counts — a flush that brings runoff back into line clears it — and only if it is newer than the look-back (14 days by default; Runoff alert look-back under Settings › Root). Both are warnings.
Grow alert sensitivity
The Runoff alerts card under Settings › Root (and the Dry and cure card under Settings › Climate) has one row, Grow alert sensitivity, that sets the runoff EC, runoff pH and dry-room RH thresholds together. Each choice says what it means before you pick it:
| Choice | Runoff EC rise | Runoff pH swing | Dry room RH | Use it when |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off | — | — | — | Learning what your medium and room normally do. Everything is still charted. |
| Relaxed | +1.0 mS/cm | ±1.0 | 70 % | Coco or soil that buffers well; only clear problems alert. |
| Moderate | +0.8 mS/cm | ±0.5 | 65 % | The common rule of thumb: early enough to act, quiet on normal swing. |
| Strict | +0.5 mS/cm | ±0.3 | 62 % | Inert media or touchy cultivars; expect alerts after a strong feed or a humid evening. |
The individual threshold rows stay editable underneath. Change one by hand and the choice reads Custom — pick a preset again to replace all three. There is no universal right number (published guidance runs from +0.3 to +1.0 mS/cm), which is why nothing alerts until you choose.
DSC-Brain user guide · Runoff trend and grow alert sensitivity · edited on this site