I fed my girls for the 1st time yesterday and ph'ed the water to 6.0 but when I checked it today the ph was 7.0+ and I'm not sure why. They're 6 days from sprout in 5 gal. buckets, using GH Flora Trio, CalMag, and Hydroguard. Any ideas why the ph would jump up like that?
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rwdyredhead, It could be that the plants are using the nutrients, When I put the nutrient in the water (all ready pH'ed to 6.0) the pH goes down to around 4.5 to 4.7 and I add some pH up to bring it back to around 6.0. At mid week the pH can jump up as the plants take up the nutrients. Are You feeding them a lite amount of nutrients or a stronger amount? Can You tell how much water that they are using?
My plants are about to go into their 11th week of bloom and are using from 1 to 1 1/2 gallons each week, more when the temperature climbed a couple of weeks ago (we set new record highs for February, 87 deg. F!).Smoke weed,.....grow peace!-
Damn that's f cold if that is a record high my areas record is 78f -
Flockshot, Yes I fill six one gallon jugs with water adjust the pH to 6.0. I then add all of the nutrients in one of the gallon jugs and then bring it back to 6.0 pH. It may seem different to do it this way, but the reason is, I have a mobility problem (arthritis and peripheral neuropathy) and I use a cane to get around. I can manage carrying two jugs at a time to the grow room, a five gallon bucket full of water is just too much for me to handle at one time.
furrysparkle, that was a record high for the month of February, not for the year, the record high ever recorded here was the year before last in July of 114 deg. F.
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One of the things I was told was to ph after adding the nutes. they can change the ph. I might be wrong but that is the way I do it.It's not how crazy I am, but how much I enjoy it that makes me dangerous.
Coco/Perlite 60/40, GH Nutrients and Calimagic, 5 Gal Fabric pots
Germination lights 2 30watt LEDS
Veg and Flowering 1 600 Watt GalaxyHydro LED
Completed Grows. 1 Photoperiod and 2 Autos
Current Grows: 1 mystery Auto 71 days, 1 White Widow Auto 62 days, 1 Amnesia Auto 62 daysComment
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That's how I do it: everything goes into the water--including Hydroguard--, then mixed gently, then pHed. The last thing I add is the Ph up or down. I start at around 5.6 and let it fluctuate up for a day or so, and bring it back down when it gets to around 6.4
I understand that it's good to let the pH fluctuate between 5.5-6.5 in hydro because the roots uptake different nutes at different pHs within the safe range.
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I to have a well and the water is too hard to use for growing. Had my water sent to a lab for testing and the hardness was off the chart. I use RO water instead and am very happy with it.Comment
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There are systems that you can buy at any Home Improvement store or online that you can hook up to your water supply to make your own RO (reverse osmosis) water.
I do not have one cause they use 3 to 7 gallons of water to produce one gallon of RO water and living in the desert we try not and waste it. If you have no issue with using the extra water this maybe the easiest way to get the RO water you need. Make sure you have enough water pressure to run the system. There is a minimum pressure required to force the water thru the filters. Also it takes some time to filter the water.
Not sure how rural you are but most Grocery stores and gas stations here have a RO water filling station outside. They are a white or blue box. You can fill anywhere from one gallon to five gallons so you do not have to carry 5 gallons of water. Hope this helps. -
I'm way out in the woods, a 25 min drive from town and town consists of 3 red lights if you turn left and 3 if you go right...and that's it. I'm just the opposite of your situation, there are springs all over the place here that pour fresh clean water from deep in the ground & I have one in my yard that is capped off w/a valve on it to provide electricity free water whenever the electricity is off due to hurricanes or trees falling on the lines during thunderstorms. Too bad it's not good for hydroponics!
I was looking at diy RO ideas and ran across a guy who used one of those hand held spot free car wash things that hooks to your hose & you add soap to wash your car then turn the knob to rinse & it has a filter that removes the all the minerals from the water so you don't have to towel dry to avoid spots. You just skip the soap(obviously) and use the nozzle to refill your RO water.
Probably could use the Home Improvement ones just as cheap, I haven't looked at them yet, but it is a pretty cool idea. I'll post some pics below & thanks again for your help Budd!
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hi rowdy! I'm DWC and also had this issue. common thing I found. PH in DWC tends to rise after it goes into the reservoir because of the massive oxygenation caused by our bubblestones. with lower levels of nutrients, I've found it jumps higher, just like yours. now with a lot more nutrents it only jumps half as much. about .5.
you need to ph accordngly. if you know its gonna jump a full digit...ph a full digit low.
also, you will likely find it falling after a bit. this is normal too. you can adjust it back at midweek.
when using less nutrints, again, it also falls slower than when I'm using max nutrients.
hope that helps n rest ur worries some. good luckComment
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I don't intend to sound mean but don't check your pH everyday, it fluctuates. DWC is appealing because it is low maintenance you don't need to check the pH everyday especially if your plants are healthy.Comment
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I agree to a point. it fluxuates for me all week and my plants have never taken damage from it. however... you do need to keep it in range if you want your plant to grow. if you don't care how fast your grow progresses, go ahead and let it go til the plant shows signs. If your ph isn't between 5.5 and 6.5, your plant is slowing down.
rowdy posted her ph was 7.0, and that is nute lock range if left that way.
I don't think ur trying to be mean, we are all here to help and be helped.
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I'm with Grinder on this-I have had experience 'chasing' pH and it didn't end well...
Let the plants tell you if something is outta whack. I'll stick the pen into the rez each day when I check levels and won't make ANY adjustments to pH unless it's at least 1/2 pt outta range(5.5-6.5). Again, I only act if the plants are showing signs of distress or it's outta the 5-7 range.WHAT???
5x5 grow space
900w of Vero's and F-strips
4-17gal totes self-made UC system.Comment
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I'm definitely not chasing ph and don't normally check it and do it again after 2hrs! I did recognize some early signs of problems with my seedlings tho, like intergalactic_harvester said-they had stopped growing- and I'm very glad I checked the ph and rechecked it and didn't write off the high ph levels as normal fluctuations because I would have regretted it in a day or two...my water is definitely not suitable for dwc out of the tap...I changed out 2 of my buckets with distilled water and 8 hours later they are still stable @ 6.2...exactly what I ph'ed them to.
The 2 buckets I didn't change out to distilled water are at around 8.0 right now so they're getting changed first thing in the morning. Thanks to everyone for your help and advice! Don't know what I'd do without my forum family!!
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Know what's weird tho Tat...I used my tap water on my 1st grow, which was in coco, and 3 drops of ph down was plenty to bring the 7.0 of my water to 6.0 but now, just a few months later, it's taking 7 drops to bring down a gallon to 6.0. It's like the water has changed. I lost some seedlings I started in coco a few weeks ago & thought it was because I rinsed and reused my coco from the 1st grow but now I'm thinking it was the water. Very weird! -
That IS weird. Do you know if it's hard or soft? Where I lived in TX, water was so hard it left horrible spots on everything and even left permanent stains on kids' teeth who grew up drinking it. Here, the water is so soft, it takes a lot longer to rinse off soap, it's much nicer. I think it's right around 7 pH out of the tap--like yours. You didn't change nutes, right? You're sure your pH meter is accurate?
I suggest letting the pH flutuate from 5.6 to 6.4: I've read that the roots can uptake different nutrients more efficiently with the correct fluctuation. When I change the water, I set the pH at 5.6, and usually it takes a couple-few days to get up around 6.2, which is when I bring it back down to 5.6.
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Cool & Cheap Diy RO Idea...Comment
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Ideally you want to stay on top of your pH. If you can't check it everyday, at least do your best to check it every other day. Hydroponics is not low maintenance. It can yield tremendous results, but you have to stay on top of it. If you wait for your plants to show symptoms of pH fluctuation, your final yield will most likely be affected. Be proactive, not reactive.Comment
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But fluctuation OUTSIDE of 5.5-6.5. That is the correct fluctuation for hydroponices, is what I understand. I have 2 grows done now, and never had any leaf problems except for a little nute burn on the first grow which I corrected immmediately.
And I wonder if there is anyone on this forum who doesn't look in on their girls at least once a day. Most everyone seems to love their plants and tending to them so much, that it would be deprivation to stay away for a day!!!
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