Air Bubbles and PH

[Flockshot]

My first coco grow, and first time GH Trio is suffering low PH in the root zone even though I am watering at 6.2PH. It appears that my practice off bubbling my water for 24 hours before adding nutrients is causing me to indicate a higher PH on my meter, than the water will be the next day when it is in the coco. From now on, I will let my water sit for 24 hours, add nutrients, adjust PH, and then bubble the water. The bubbled water will show a 'too high' PH perhaps, but I will ignore that and water the plants. I am hopeful this fixes my low PH problem.
Any additional PH control tactics would be appreciated.

[Green75]

Don't bubble it....I'm sure you are just following directions but it's not needed...excessive stirring and bubbling does raise ph...let water sit 24hrs. if you wish..then add nutes then ph then serve...

[Weed Pharma]

I gave the bubbles a try and it made no difference, just added complication.
Yes, the internet is full of "wisdom", as Green75 says it's not needed.

[Jason]

GH directions for the Water Farm are to place an air stone in the res. O2 does raise pH, which I find advantageous. It allows me to adjust down to 5.5 or so and then the 02 naturally lets it "range" up to
6.5 over a day and I adjust back down. This allows all the nutes to be absorbed. Keeping pH in too narrow a range does not allow for all to be absorbed. GH has a bar chart showing this. The nutes are listed with bars showing pH needed for absorption.
The other reason to oxygenate is it anti microbial. That's why hydrogen peroxide is used to clean wounds. Those bubbles kill things. Same for your nutrients.,
I use a large 4" diameter flat air stone. Lucky so far on my first grow with no problems over oxygenating.

I'm at Week 10 of a 12 week schedule. The last few weeks, the nutes pull pH down to about 5+. Rather than adjust up, knowing the 02 will do that over the day, I leave it alone, check in a few hours to see its moving. If need be, I add some 7.0 tap water instead of my pH adjust tap water. I'm adding .25 gallons two to three times a day to top off the res.
Most days I'm moving from about 5.5 or a little less, up to 6.5 to insure absorption.

I'm using the clay balls if that makes any difference.

[Flockshot]

My issue is that I am not in real hydro. I am in coco so I seem to be getting my hydro info crossed up with my hydro coco info and it has gotten me in some trouble. I will just keep learning. Thanks for posting.

[Jason]

Good luck. I'm trying to keep it simple so I can focus on the details to learn. Also keeping a very detailed written journal. Dates, times, amounts added, observations, etc.

[cyberaktif]

i use 2 15gal containers to store my ro water with an air stone in each one. wonder if that air stone is raising the ph in the containers? i'm in a soil less medium as well and curious with your findings on this.

[Jason]

Oxygen raises pH in water. Its just a question of how much O2 is going into how much H20.
You can change the pH of a gallon of water just by shaking it enough.

I use a 4" diameter flat, very fine air stone in 2 gallons. It can raise my pH 1+ points in 24 hours.

I check pH first thing in the morning and prior to adding top off water, which is 2-3 times a day, and again as the lights are going out for a final adjustment.

During early flowering it was going way up at night. Lots of activity I guess. I was often adding 1-2 ml's of pH Down in the morning,. Now in late flower, that is not happening. I can adjust it down by adding pH adjust water.

[Flockshot]

Thanks for mentioning about the change in late flowering. I will not be supprised when (if) I see that in mine.

[Flockshot]

I just filled a buket of water. Tomorrow, after it has sat for 24 hours, I will check the PH. Then I will bubble it for 24 hours and check the PH again. Then I will have some idea of how much bubbling impacts the PH of my household water.

On one plant, the leaves that I damaged with the PH issue happens to be the third set. Therefore, I many not be trying 'manifolding' on this grow.

[Green75]

You should also test it after bubbled and let sit for awhile and see if ph drops due to no more bubbles and Co2 dissipated out...

because when you serve it your way that water ...the ph will change again in medium...I suggest no bubbles...

[Flockshot]

No, I will not bubble before I water my plants any more. I just want to know how much impact it has, so I can better understand what I did. When I make a mistake I want to learn all I can from it.
And yes, I will recheck it after another 24 hours of no bubbles.
Thanks

[fozzy]

I was doing the same thing. I'm in soil though. I think that is why I'm having a bit of trouble too... So as soon as I read this I march right out and un-plugged my bubbler! It's probably too late for this time since I only have less then 2 weeks left. I have struggled with this issue knowing it was a Ph problem from what I could see! Great thread! Thanks for asking the right question! And thanks to the experts!

[Jason]

Can you guys adjust pH down after bubbling your water?
Mix nutes in your water, bubble, then adjust down.
The 02 in your water should be beneficial to your plants. I once had a garden tool that was hooked to a watering hose, had spikes in the ground and a special valve to aerate the water as it was injected into the soil. It made my privacy hedge grow like nothing else. Plant roots love 02.
My first grow was soil in a 5 gallon bucket. I never got pH right and paid the price. Close to six months of effort and very little to show for it.

[Flockshot]

What they are telling me is that if you PH water with a high level of Oxygen, as soon as the oxygen dissipates the PH of the remaining water will drop dramatically, and I have seen that in my plants.

[fozzy]

I store my water in 5 gal jugs. I had my bubbler going in it all the time. I would notice that My Ph was rising from 7.5 to 8.5. I just adjusted down to compensate. Then when I would check what is coming out of the bottom it would be way low. I know that o2 is very beneficial for my plants but I'm not sure if there is a way to compensate for the ph rise other then waiting for the bubbles to go away which defeats the purpose.

[Obi-Wan]

I use bubbled water with coco as well but it's more for convenience than anything else. We have a 50 gallon automatic fill reservoir in our basement for our aquarium water changes. This is the only source of water in my basement so I pull from it to feed my plants rather than walking the water downstairs. I always pull the measured amount, add nutrients, cover the container and let it sit for 24 hours. I pH just before I feed and so far my runoff is always within .2 of what went in.

[Jason]

I appreciate learning why I don't do what you guys do. While I go through a lot of steps (which I like) to maintain my little Water Farm, its linear and seems beneficial for all concerned.
Waiting for 02 to leave a liquid, which I fed into it, so I can then pour the liquid on my plants just isn't going to be part of my work flow.
Good luck, gents.

[Jason]

Just to give you an idea of how much 02 can change pH this is today's experience,
Changed to Week 11 nutes this mornign, pH was 5+. I left it alone. Put 2 gallons in the res.
Five hours later, pH is over 6.
Which is fine,. Exactly what I wanted to happen.
The nutes range through the desirable pH scale., 5.5 to 6.5.
As it gets higher, to a bit over 6.5, I will need to add some pH 7 tap water to replenish the res. Or I can add pH Down if water is not needed.
And so it goes.
I add about .25 gallons 2-3 times a day to maintain water level. If I need to move it up, I use tap water which tests about 7.
If I don't need much adjustment, I use pH balanced tap water.