pH keeps creeping up?!

[Cheesy]

Hey, newbie here. Day 5 since sprouting. Haven't screwed up that I know of...

I bought a pH pen and TDS pen, went thru the calibration process and checked our water. Our hard water was 226 ppm and has a pH of 7; I tested the pH of distilled water is 5.8 and 0 ppm. I bought a plastic 1 gallon watering can and let tap water sit. The pH was about 7.2 I think and I had to add at least a couple of mL of pH Down from General Hydroponics to bring it down to 6.5. Now two days later the water is back up to pH 7.2 or more. Whassup with that?? I know stirring makes a difference. I stir before every test. Also, the ppm is up to almost 400. Do I have to keep adding pH Down every time I water?? Thanks for your help...love this forum!!

[Mr.furley]

This is a common problem with new items made out of plastic, hydro buckets, watering cans, reservoirs need to be cleaned and use for a time before it will stabilize. Any time I have to set up a Reservoir for vacation it takes a week or better to get it halfway stable and still drifts in the time I'm gone.

if you are concerned about the fluctuation I would suggest to not ph the water till you are ready to use it.

[Cheesy]

I wondered if it was the new plastic watering can...thanks Mr.furley. I'm still wondering about the pH pen's accuracy or my ability to use it or... I retested some of the distilled water. It was a new gallon bottle when I started a week ago and I got a pH of 5.8 which I read was normal. Today it started reading way into the 7's then slowly drifted down to 6.7 after about a minute. That's up almost a point from a week ago. That test was in a small glass. Do I need to let the pen soak in some distilled water for a minute after each use? I read not to let it dry out. Just use it and then slap the cap back on wet?

Is it better to let the tap water sit in the plastic can for a long time or better to just draw some 24 hours before I need it? Thanks...

[Mr.furley]

24 hours is just fine (overnight). Mix Your nutes, PH and feed.

Some of the cheap pens can become a pain in the neck to keep calibration, so the make would be helpful. They make cleaning and storage solution for pens which is your best option but water will due in a pinch.

[SoOrbudgal]

Cheesy Mr.furley is a guru around here professor of da weed. Great tip Mr. furley

[Mr.furley]

Thank you SoOrbudgal very nice of you to say.

[Cheesy]

The pens didn't cost much...Vivosun... https://www.amazon.com/VIVOSUN-0-05p...dp/B06XKMH86J/

I found a glass Michelob beer pitcher sitting in a cupboard...to heck with the plastic watering can! cheers...

[Mr.furley]

I have used that pen (its a generic to many brands) and it serves a purpose, I upgraded to a Hanna with a replaceable tip. Pen in 40 bucks and a new tip cost 25, beats buying cheap pens over and over till you get one that works. When I checked my old pen against my new pen it was off but not that far, by .1 or .2.

With the watering can let me see if I can point you in the right direction because I love my half gallon can. I haul water and store 5-7 gallon container at a time, when I water I have 9-1 gallon jugs of drinking water from the store that I replace ever couple of months. I dispense the amount I need to water into the one gallon jugs to mix My nutrients up, ph then use my water can to feed, if I leave jugs full on the shelf till next water I never check the pH till I'm ready to mix and/or use withing the hour.

Chasing PH in stored watering containers can put your head in a fog, remember it is only important to stabilize your PH when you're ready to give it to your plants and whatever happened before that isnt worth chasing.

Happy Growing Cheesy and show us some pictures of your progress.

[Toker1]

For any ph probe storage is key to keeping it. I use a $20 pen and it’s served me well over the last 5 years. I store in a solution that keeps the probe wet and clean from contamination.
On the other hand I have seen a $2,000 ph probe turn into a paper weight due to improper storage. This was at a previous job I had testing water used for power generation.

[Toker1]

Water temp has a lot to do with ph. Regularly ph should raise over a 2-3 day period as the plant absorbs necessary elements from the medium.