so i will be starting my first hydro grow within the next couple weeks, i just got my ph and ppm meters and tested my tap water= ph-8.5 and ppm-169. i'm just curious if i'm gonna be ok here? will it be ok to just lower the ph of this with ph down or would it be better to mix it up with distilled water and then lower the ph, also i don't know much about ppm but will that high of a ppm be ok? sorry 4 the newb question but i'm real new to hydro. later. nugz
Hey Nugz I know how you feel. Im new to hydro as well so ive been reading a whole lot on the subject. There is a bottle of water conditioner that softens it. So my guess is that it make the PPM go down. They got them at hydro shops and pet shops. What set up are you doing? Im making a Ebb & Flow set up for the flowering room.
i'm just doing a drip bucket system i think it would be considered, i'm growing in coco growers-you can see what they look like at bghydro.com. i know the best thing to use is RO water but i'm not suer if you can even get it anywhere. if any1 could help it would be much appreciated. peace. nugz
yes! RO water is the shit. and luckily for us it's dirt cheap. i know you've seen those blue Glacier Water vending machines outside of Albertsons or Von's or whatever your local supermarket is. 25c a gallon, or $1 for 5. These are a 24/7, cheap way to get wonderful RO water for your babes! and as far as nutes go... some people may not agree with me but the best way for me to gauge how much to feed my plants was just start small and then judge their reaction. you'll know when the level is right. just start in VERY small amounts as not to burn them when their young (i used 1/4 tsp per gallon in a 4 gallon reservoir for 6 plants and they have yet to show signs of nutrient burn or deficiency). I use Supernatural nutrient solution... a product of british columbia, and have noticed nothing short of explosive growth in both vegetative and flowering stages. that brand of solultion also PH balances your water to an optimal level. pretty convenient... but yeah hydro is the shit!! keep us updated on how it grows!
yeah i've never heard of either of those stores maybe cuz they are mostly only in california. i did a search and i can't find RO water anywhere to buy. i have no clue what i'm gonna do. any suggestions? later. nugz RO water, where do u get it? i've never heard of albertsons or von's, i'll go check out my local cub foods and see if they have anything.
they gotta have it! seriously! check every supermarket in town and look for a big blue vending machine labeled "GLACIER WATER" usually stating something about bottling your own water cheaper. In the event that you check every supermarket and can't find one, there are two other places that would sell bulk RO water this cheaply. Look on the internet or in the phone book for any "Water Services" or "Water Conditioning" stores in your area. They commonly have 24/7 accesible RO water machines. In addition, bulk health food stores (there are two in my area, Harvest House, and New Frontiers) also have cheap, quality water. The only advantage of using this type of water instead of regular distilled water (.50c a gallon in any supermarket) is that they use other filtration techniques besides Reverse Osmosis, such as Ultraviolet light to scrub the water. also you can't beat the 25c a gallon pricetag
Nugs, check it man. here is how it works. i have simlair water to you. which sucks because my water sucks. i use RO water bought from my local grocery store. Almost every grocery chain has a little stand up front or in the back of the store to fill 5 gallon jugs. Most have brochures so you can learn about the filtration process that the water goes though. Now as far as your tap water PPM, its telling you that 169 parts per millon of your tap water has shit in it that isn't water. Mostly is just waste from the process it goes through at a your local water plant or left over minerals in the water. the closer you get the PPM number before you add your nutes and addidtives to zero, the better. most RO water that you buy has PPM of 0 or 10 at most. as far as adjusting your PH you should use adjusters made for hydroponics. You can purchase them at your local hydro store. Hydro is fun once you get the hang of it, and the from what i have seen, the yeilds are better and quality is def better, especially when used with organics. Goodluck, Peace
yep i called around guys and found a place that has RO water. this is huge and will help alot. just curious guys but what is the ph of RO water? thanks alot camp and blows u helped me out bigtime. peace. nugz
