Eff me...

[420Grower420]

So, after a while of hoping my problem will get better, I have come to the conclusion that it will only get worse unless I do something now.

I have 4 bubble buckets and I am using rubber mulch as a medium ( dunno the effects this is having on my ph levels). I use vinegar to lower the ph and my ph stick is pretty messed up right now.

My PH stick is only a few days old and it wont work unless i take the batteries out and then put them in again over and over again until I get lucky and it kicks on (I have tried new batteries too, thats not it). I think spending 50 dollars on a PH stick is about as good as taking that 50 and tossing it out with last harvest's soil.

So every day my ph goes from 5.5 to 8.0... not once , but twice. After adding almost a gallon of vinegar to my bucket, I now have smelly, yellow water and even better, I have a thick foam gushing out of the top and spewing all over my floor when I add vinegar.

I tried to go to the hydro store today, but after 1.5 hours driving there, I couldnt find the place and they were closed by the time I decided I better go home...

So now I have no ph up/down, no hydroton, no vents or fans for my lights and room, and some dying plants.

I can already tel that my plants are suffereing because they are about a week old (in the buckets) and only have a tiny tiny set of true leaves. Also, my damn temps in my 15x3x8 closet are in the mid 90's and the other night they were at 100.

I will try my luck again tomorrow at a closer yet pricier hydro store and see if I can get what I need.

I am wondering if anyone knows what the foam could be, could it be the vinegar, or possibly a light leak causing algae growth?

And why oh why is my ph soaring so fast? Might this be the vinegar again???

Thanks so much for any help.

[Help_Needed]

Well, my first reaction was that you've got a bad case of root rot. But your plant is so small it's hard to imagine that it has enough of a root system to cause that strong of a problem in your reservoir. It's still possible of course.

Whatever the case, it sounds like your reservoir is completely messed up. You need to plan on draining it, cleaning it completely with a bleach solution, and refilling it. This will have the added benefit of automatically correcting your pH problems. I strongly recommend you look into using the Lucas Formula when you refill. It will work wonders.

I also think I'd get rid of the rubber mulch. I honestly haven't heard of anyone using anything like that. To the best of my knowledge, most rubber is NOT inert, and it could easily be reacting with one or more of the chemicals in your tank. A bag of hydrotron isn't too expensive and will probably work much better for you.

The bottom line is, you're in crisis mode right now. If you're going to save this plant you're going to have to take some pretty drastic action.

[420Grower420]

Thanks again man. Today I will try my luck at the hydro store again and I think Ill get there before it closes today. Gonna drop some big cash on equipment this time, if things go awry again I will probably just put this grow to soil until I can master a simple hydro setup : (

Also, I drove forever to a friggin home depot and then I get there and search the whole place for some an inline duct fan... they say they dont sell them. Fuck that, post stuff on their website, for that specific store, and then they dont have it? Assholes.

Well today realy needs to go well or my plants may not make it. The foam that bubbles over out of my buckets is realy grossing me out. I feel that it may be some type of growth as it bubbles out realy thick and then hits the light and crusts over.

I will definitely be doing the Lucas method on this grow, heard nothign but good things from it : )

Thanks again.

[Help_Needed]

Originally Posted by 420Grower420

Thanks again man. Today I will try my luck at the hydro store again and I think Ill get there before it closes today. Gonna drop some big cash on equipment this time,

Here's a quick list of what you most likely need to pick up -

A pH meter.
A TDS meter (if you don't already have one)
A bag of hydrotron
A bottle of pH Up
A bottle of pH Down

If you're going with the Lucas Formula and you're not already using GH nutes, you might want to pick up a couple of bottles of those too. It'll make your life easier and you won't have to figure out his monster spreadsheet lol. Get a bottle of GH Flora Micro and GH Flora Bloom. Do NOT get the Flora Grow - you don't need it with the Lucas Formula. You can also use their Flora Nova line too.

Last, not sure how many plants you have, or if you have a R/O system at home, but if you don't you might want to pick up some distilled water at your local grocery or Walmart. Get the store brand - it's pretty cheap. Just make sure you check the label and get the stuff that has 0 sodium.

Also, I drove forever to a friggin home depot and then I get there and search the whole place for some an inline duct fan... they say they dont sell them.

Yes they do. They're in with all the ducts and heater registers. At my store, for some reason the aisle is labeled "plumbing" lol. But, the biggest fan they have is only 80cfm, which probably isn't big enough for a grow room. It wasn't for mine, and I only have 9 sq feet.