I read it at 7.4 yesterday with my new, calibrated Milwaukee ph meter. Added 2.5ml/gallon of phosphoric acid which made it perfect 5.8. Today i read it at 6.8. I store my meter in tap water is that bad? Did i fuck up buying that meter? How long after adding ph down do i take another reading? Is it normal for ph to go back up like that? I didn't soak the hydroton so its pretty acidic could that be the issue? I just don't understand how this could happen save for the fact my meter is bad. Whats a good way to test a ph meter for accuracy? What solutions have known ph values that i can compare against Sent from my SPH-L710 using Grasscity Forum mobile app
PH will fluctuate. I dont bother soaking or rinsing my hydroton. I found using tap water where I live required constant adjusting of ph. When I switched to ro, I found I rarely have to adjust ph. Use calibration solution to check your meter. You can recheck ph a couple of minutes after adjusting (stir it up first).
Ok so i need ro water whats an economical way to get that? How feasible is it and how well does collecting rainwater work? I have a house with a small yard Sent from my SPH-L710 using Grasscity Forum mobile app
yeah I would say try recalibrating and testing again, I usually keep my ph between 6.1 and 6.3 but my girl is eating a gallon a day already and she just finished her transition into flower,when she starts putting on weight it will prob go closer to 2 gallons a day, is your plant looking healthy? once she starts drinking up more and more daily the ph is gonna basically change every day anyway with your fresh re up...as long as the plants healthy and you can keep your ph close you should be ok.....good luck with your grow ..keep us updated
I'm not saying that you need ro water, just that I found it to be much more ph stable than tap when used with a good line of nutes. The only way to get ro is to buy a filter and make your own, buying distilled h2o is also an option. Try collecting some rain water and mix up a batch of soup in a 5g bucket and check to see how stable it is. And as I said, the ro was a great investment for me. I very rarely have to adjust ph, which makes my life much easier.
Not all pH adjusters are created equally. Some are extremely effective and others are not. What are you using? 1000 watt Scrog Journal
Whacha got in there for nutes/amendments? Are you using anything like Plantacillan, Silicone, or Amino acids? How much water are they using up between readings? Do you have a ppm meter, if so, what is the shift between readings?
I think I'm realizing this as we speak. Has anyone ever used this? I never had a problem with algae and my ph was stable when I was using GH brand of ph down. Now every day I'm adjusting it back down. I keep it at 5.5 and let it rise to 6.0 before adjusting again. I know they are drinking more but if I don't fill back up why must I add more unless it is a shitty product.
I've never seen or used that one. I use the generic orange and blue pH adjusters. 1000 watt Scrog Journal
I was using GH ph down but I ran out and decided to get a bigger bottle for less the price. Well I think that's my problem. I put a bucket of tap up with ph down to 5.5 in the morning it was 6.3 I ph-ed it back down to 5.5 and in two hours it is 6.0. I use a LOT. Switching back asap
When I mess with the pH I take the reading twice. Once immediately. Then again about 15 minutes later. Are you checking your ec or ppms? Shifts in these values can affect the pH. 1000 watt Scrog Journal
Of course I'm checking my ppms. There isn't a real big change adding ph down. I'm using tap water so it starts out at 310. I've tried to figure out what my pen is set at (.5 - .7) but the guy on ebay doesn't know and I can't find a manufacture webpage. I'm assuming .7. I check my ph 3 times in an hour. I stir the water really good and let it sit and then test it. My theory is it's bad ph down or shitty product
I changed back to GH's ph down and the only problem I have is putting too much. Stuff works like a charm.
I really like GH products, I've been using them for years and they've been consistently reliable. pH is going to fluctuate. There are a LOT of variable that affect this. Tap water is going to contain calcium, which causes your pH to swing upwards. (base, as a buffer) If you filter it out first (using an RO system - a basic unit off eBay will do) this should help. Next Keep in mind that your plants are using water and nutrients, at different rates. If your pH is going up, that indicates that your plants are using the nutrient at a faster rate than the water. I would suggest dropping your pH by increasing your PPMs! Add about 100-200 PPM of nutrient to your solution, and see how the pH stabilizes after that (or not). Only adjust your PPM by 100-200 per day. It might take a couple days to get it where you want it. If you start to notice the tips of your leaves turning yellow, (a day or two after the adjustment) back the PPM down a bit, and start using your adjustment fluid at the new PPM level. If your pH is swinging downward, it could be indicative of the plant losing too much water (too hot?) Then you would want to add more water to bring your pH up. It could also mean the presence of organics in your nutrients, decaying (requiring a changeout). Always add nutrients or water to your solution, to help adjust your pH first... then only use a minimal amount of the adjustment solutions. Eventually, you may be able to find a happy balance were you won't need any adjusting solution at all.
I have a blue pen which is calibrated. My pH has wildly fluctuated like yours. I've used two water with a constant TDs of 160 Sent from my SPH-L710 using Grasscity Forum mobile app