Hey im using a DWC system and my Ph always changes back to near what it was originally. Iv changed the water multiple times with city and distilled water Iv phed it at 5.8 a couple times, 5.7, and 5.5 and it always changes to 6.4 after checking it a few hours later. Any advice? Should i try getting different pH brand? im using general hydroponics up and down. anyway if anyone could drop me some advice it would be appreciated. Im about to pick up some of this http://www.bghydro.com/BGH/itemdesc....PHDD01&eq=&Tp=
what is your ppm? How old are your plants??? generally when we see ph swings the ppm needs adjusting.. answer these questions and ill try and help..
Don't have a ppm meter ill pick one up today. Plants are about 6 days old no signs of trouble yet. Link: http://forum.grasscity.com/indoor-marijuana-growing/684549-scrog-dwc-nypd-blueberry-skunk.html Im going to pick up some different pH up/down anyway. What is the normal ppm range? How do you adjust ppm? Thanks for your help.
do you have any nutrients in the water?? no need to pick up other ph up and down, I use the same ones.. for years now....
Alright, yes I do im using a seedling dose of FloraNova Grow. Any advice on what the ppm should be and how to adjust it? Thanks.
I had this problem at the start coz the water lvl was pretty high up on the hydrocoton. Are u using hydrocoton? Did u soak the balls in 5.5 water before use?
Never herd of hydrocoton nether can i find anything on the internet about it, anyway i used rockwool to start the seedlings and im using hydroton medium. I flushed them with 5.6 pH nutrient dose last water change, Still went back to 6.4.
I had the exact same issues with Hydroton. Hydroton needs to be soaked in PH adjusted water for 24 hrs. I skippped this step on my first grow and ecountered the same problems. What i did was remove the hydroton and soak it over night in ph adjusted water and replaced it into my pots the next day, stuck with using bottled water and never had any more issues.you don't have to use bottled water but i found myself that it was alot easier to keep tabs on the ppm readings if you are starting with water that is close to 0 ppm's at the begginging then you know that the nutrients you are adding are giving you the reading that you are seeing, easier to control It seems that if you don't presoak the hydroton first, it is a real nightmare to stabilize the PH Hope this helps
It's all over the net on forums regarding the hydroton ph swings. Trust me I had this issue I did the same thing as u didn't soak the first batch and my ph was all over the place the sec bucket I did rinse and let sit for 24 hrs and never had the ph rise at all
ppm is the measurement of solids in the water (nutrients) You must measure this... To adjust ppm's you add or dilute the nutrients in the mix, Hydroton (clay balls) need to be rinsed, i have never soaked mine over night... adding ph down daily isnt so bad, the plants actually like it.. But it does get old quick.. If your plants are 6 days old, you shouldnt be adjusting ph or adding nutes yet.. its not needed, just water will get them to 10-14 days then add nutrients and stabalize the ph.. The seed carries all the nutrients they need until that point... And ph means nothing unless your mix has nutes... Slinger
This part of water chemistry is totally new to me (thank y'all for info) but the alkalinity of water is a separate measurement than the pH is. If the total alkalinity of your tap water is oh 500ppm then you can have pH bounce. You adjust, it rises an hr. or so later. Repeated additions of a lowering agent eventually fix the problem. My knowledge is based on water quality for drinking. You all are teaching me a totally different direction than what I have learned. I would suggest trying R/O or deionized water as you refill.
If I can help, here is my 2cents. For years I dealt with the daily ph up down problems and always use hydroton. Just rinse them well and try this....AKA..."Lucas formula" Ive done my research on it and have been using it for 2 1/2yrs now with great never have to adjust my ph kinda results. The thing was I researched Water first and found out about natural buffers that exist in different quantities in the water depending upon area. Some get away with just a few adjustments a day or even less, and in areas like mine every hour my water would just buffer itself right back to high numbers like your dealing with. (you can dump the hole bottle of up/down and the natural buffers will put you right back to square one) The answer is a Reverse osmosis filter / distilled water with 0 ppm this water has these buffers stripped from them. Also some of the goodies your plants like as well so here is the basis of the formula. with R/O water at 0 ppm, add cal mag to your res till it hits 100 ppm, then add floranova Bloom....yes Bloom, the cal mag and the floranova bloom have plenty of Nitrogen to suport crazy green green foiliage during your veg cycle, so add the nova to get the ppm reading to a total of 1340 ppm. You will notice your ph will hit 5.5 5.6 and stay there for days at a time, you can then begin topping of with either water or more of the same 1340 depending on the lenght of your flower cycle, some plants like the slight climb to 5.8 5.9 later in flower so just let the ppm fall a bit and it wil naturaly rise ph. Basically your using just floranova bloom nutrient to buffer your water, and trust me dont use anything else. no enzymes, no gravity, no snow storm, nothing that will add other "buffers" to the water. Trust ive gotten dumb and went for a additive here or there and bam I"m back to the hourly adjustments. Try an experiment with a gallon jug and an air pump and stone on the counter if you dont trust these words. 0 ppm R/O water 100 ppm cal mag / topped to 1340ppm with floranova bloom and watch it sit at the numbers all day all night and all week I promise. It's not the hydroton, just rinse em good and you won't have that red dirt all throughout your system. do the research on the "Lucas Formula" and look at peoples results. not to mention its always better to start simpler. Some will say the 1340 is too hot for baby plants but only every once in a wile I fry a young leaf but the growth that explodes in day 5 to 7 is insane and they dont look back no problems and its only one or two out of 50. Good luck and Floranova Rocks!!!!!
please research the lucas formula very well before signing onto it.... Just a word of warning... I ddont use that and I have o ph swings... tap water... foxfram nutes... It can be done... new systems take a week or so to stable out.... Slinger
Since I still don't have an EC meter so i just put in a seedling dose of the bloom and a half dose of sensiCal mg mix bloom. pH went back to 6.3 within hours. Im gonna order that EC meter today n try n work out the ppm. im looking into a RO filter but im not really sure how they work do they sit in your tank all the time or do you filter the water n pour it in your tank? I dont know how much diffrent it will be than the pure charcoal water filter I have now but i guess ill give it a shot.