I got my new sensi ph perfect in yesterday so I mixed up a batch expecting to see a ph of around 5.8. Well when I tested it was at 6.0.. But I mixed as directed and ended up with a ppm of 900ish for week one... That seems way to high so I added more tap water to the mix to bring that number down. Now I have a ph of 6.4.... Do you have to use RO water to get the numbers they claim you will with the ph perfect line? I figured my tap would work just fine seeing how it comes out at 7.0ph and 45ppm..? Just seems odd.. If RO water is the way I have to go I dont plan to buy the filters my self just yet.. Id like to try some store bought which brings me to my next question... Where can I find some GOOD RO water locally? Ive read of some people buying walmart RO and it testing over 100ppm... My tap is better then that..Any help would be great guys, thanks.
If your tap water is 7 than of course it will raise the ph. Store bought RO water can be had from most grocery stores anywhere from 20cents to 80cents/gallon. Dont use spring or distilled. RO water may be sold as Drinking water which is usually RO water with some microelements left in which wont harm the plant. This is fine also. Distilled isnt good for us to drink and it isnt good for the plants either. However, since your tap is less than 100ppm (which is very good) you can just use it. A ph of 6 is fine. Or if you are worried about it, put a few drops of ph down to lower it some. The ph perfect has chelates that balance the nutrient profile, but it is by no means perfect. Mostly marketing.
Hey Unix, thought you should know The Journal of General Internal Medicine published a study on the mineral contents of different waters available in the US. The study concluded: Drinking water sources available to North Americans may contain high levels of Ca2+, Mg2+, and Na+ and may provide clinically important portions of the recommended dietary intake of these minerals. Physicians should encourage patients to check the mineral content of their drinking water, whether tap or bottled, and choose water most appropriate for their needs. what this means is, as long as you get Magnesium, Calcium, and Sodium, (which is in abundance in a LOT of foods we eat, along with many prepared liquids) distilled water is not only SAFE but encouraged in the general populous to avoid the increasing "tollerable levels" of contaminates in our tap water
I was just under the impression Id have a ph of 5.7-5.8 ish.. I did use some ph down to correct it some.. I thought ideally in hydro you wanted 5.5 to 5.8? 6 is what I got at a fully mixed solution accordingly to there chart. This put my week one PPM at 900 something.. I just cant see a seedling living though a 900 PPM for the start of the grow.. So I added water to counter that. And the ph went up to a 6.4. Which is too high.. I just want the product to work as directed.. I dont want to have to worry about my PH again.. Ive seen videos on youtube of the nutes being mixed at half the recommended amount and the ph after the base nutes set at 5.8 then even after adding all the boosters it was still a rock solid 5.8.. Only thing I can see I havn't done is use RO water.. And yes I was wondering about distilled water.. Everyone uses RO it seems but in reality distilled is cleaner right?
Distillation is the process in which water is boiled, evaporated and the vapor condensed. Distilled water is free of dissolved minerals and, because of this, has the special property of being able to actively absorb toxic substances from the body and eliminate them. Studies validate the benefits of drinking distilled water when one is seeking to cleanse or detoxify the system for short periods of time (a few weeks at a time). Fasting using distilled water can be dangerous because of the rapid loss of electrolytes (sodium, potassium, chloride) and trace minerals like magnesium, deficiencies of which can cause heart beat irregularities and high blood pressure. Cooking foods in distilled water pulls the minerals out of them and lowers their nutrient value. Distilled water is an active absorber and when it comes into contact with air, it absorbs carbon dioxide, making it acidic. The more distilled water a person drinks, the higher the body acidity becomes. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, "Distilled water, being essentially mineral-free, is very aggressive, in that it tends to dissolve substances with which it is in contact. Notably, carbon dioxide from the air is rapidly absorbed, making the water acidic and even more aggressive. Many metals are dissolved by distilled water."
There is a lot of controversy on the subject, so if you are having good results with it than keep going. Unix, to clarify your confusion. PH is very important but it sounds like you are adding or subtracting the amount of fertilizer based upon your ph. This is backwards. Thats why I don't like the system. It is meant for new growers who want to avoid buying a meter. The ppm or EC of your solution is what you really need to pay attention to. Dial in the ppm appropriate for the plants growing stage and then adjust the ph so that those nutrients are most available to be absorbed. Do NOT add more nutes or more water to bring the ph up or down because then your are affecting the ppm/ec and will either burn or starve your plants. Back to the water issue, many people find that distilled water works for them. We are really trying to remove contaminants, heavy metals, chlorine and chloramines that the plants don't usually receive in nature. Distilled water is so effective at removing things that studies have confirmed that it can actually binds to other elements to stabilize itself. This means that it has the potential to bind with some of your nutrients and hold on to them, and i have heard of more rapid ph fluctuations using distilled. It also tends to be more acidic than RO. At the end of the day, your tap water isn't that bad, so experiment with your system with RO one time, distilled the next, and then tap another. Many nutrient programs are designed for Ro and advanced is one of them but you should be fine either way. Just make sure that you are paying more attention to the ppm/ec when you are using any system and your plants will reward you for it.
I bought some distilled water today it tested at 0 ppm and 8.0 ph, I mixed up the nutes in the proper ratios and tested again 5.8 on the money and ppm at 260-270 which will be fine for my babies. So Ive concluded using my tap even though it seems to be very good water is what my problem was.. Im going to run like this for a few weeks then im going to invest in a ro system. So to anyone using the ph perfect nutes it is a must to use good water and not your tap.
btw im not adding nutes to change the ph and yes my ppm is what i was trying to get in check. Like I said mixed as directed its around 900 ppm which is way to high... SO by adding more WATER you bring the ppm down.. The buffers in the ph perfect nutes SHOULD still keep you PH at 5.8. Your not changing there ratios your just lowering the PPM. Problem was my water changed the PH when trying to lower the PPM.. Make sense?
well spoken Toke however I didnt realize I hadnt mentioned that I dont use ONLY distilled we could have avoided this if I had said that I use an acid buffer and alkaline buffer in equal parts with nutes to achieve a Ph of 6.0 for my hydro. While I admire your inteligent thoughts and well written word, I have to point out that when proper buffer are ADDED to distilled instead of using whatever comes in tap, the results are much easier controlled and more like a lab Dont know about you, but I love rockin a labcoat while I work Unix, glad to hear your stuffs under control. I dont want to step on any toes here but its important to note that when you buffer the water to the Ph you want, you wont see excessive swings. Anions and Cations are whats doing the work. Google em and youll get a better understanding of what we're using to do what we do
also, Unix, the reason growers use RO is because RO/DIs are available at home improvement stores for cheap and distillers arent. Distilled is EXTREMELY pure but WELL MAINTAINED RO is quite a bit more pure than tap water. I personally use distilled so I have a "clean slate" thats always the same to start with
[quote name='"UniXh03"']btw im not adding nutes to change the ph and yes my ppm is what i was trying to get in check. Like I said mixed as directed its around 900 ppm which is way to high... SO by adding more WATER you bring the ppm down.. The buffers in the ph perfect nutes SHOULD still keep you PH at 5.8. Your not changing there ratios your just lowering the PPM. Problem was my water changed the PH when trying to lower the PPM.. Make sense?[/quote] Ok, great! Makes perfect sense. I just add nutes until I get to the desired ppm/ec, but of course this requires a tds meter. You are right 900 is too hot especially with clean water.
Well after 24hours the ph went back up to 6.4 keep in mind that my roots haven't even hit the water yet... So why the ph problems? Water temperature is at 66-68f
[quote name='"UniXh03"']Well after 24hours the ph went back up to 6.4 keep in mind that my roots haven't even hit the water yet... So why the ph problems? Water temperature is at 66-68f[/quote] It might be worth writing to Advanced to see what they think. Do you have airstones in the res?
I'm a AN user but fading away from the 'HYPE' PH Perfect work as advertise. I have been using it with R/O and Tap all year long. However; that doesn't justify the price. There are cheaper options. What's your medium or technique ?
I do have micro air diffusers, rockwool cubes to start clones or seeds, and hydroton clay pellets. I washed the clay pellets well before using and I soaked the rockwool in 5.5 ph water for 24 hours. I dont know what the problem could be at this point. Unless my ph meeter is the problem but I have 7.0 calibration solution and it test fine.
Just use it and don't re adjust the PH. Do your self a favor. Do not check the PH unless you start seeing your leaves showing serious curling. Other than that they work, good.
[quote name='"UniXh03"']I do have micro air diffusers, rockwool cubes to start clones or seeds, and hydroton clay pellets. I washed the clay pellets well before using and I soaked the rockwool in 5.5 ph water for 24 hours. I dont know what the problem could be at this point. Unless my ph meeter is the problem but I have 7.0 calibration solution and it test fine.[/quote] You could do a mini experiment by mixing a small amt of solution as a control, like 1 gallon, and just let it sit there in the container. Come back a day later and see if ph rises. If not then you know it is something that is interacting with the solution that is causing it to rise.