I have wild PH fluctuations and am not sure what the acceptable norm is. I use PH neutral clay and have a 12-14 gallon reservoir feeding 15 cannabis plants 3 wkz old now. I use aquarium ph down(claims to be safe for plants) that bringz my PH down to 6 at best. I use filtered tap water PH of 7.8!!! I previously used Vinegarbut I learned that itz bad for your plantz. This fix only lasts a few dayz before I adjust and top off the reservoir again. Don't get me wrong-my plants are happy...but is adjustin' PH in your reservoir every few dayz Normal? I know my plants grow like Krazy(they often surprise me...);could that be the reason why? Since they never stop feedin'... I need to know what u other fellow hydro growers do...maybe i can learn another trick or two... Or am I jus' another newbie who overbaby's his/her babies... (Edited by ismoke2much at 1:57 pm on Jan. 16, 2003)
Nitric acid for veg, phosphoric acid for flower. Can't tell you how much, depends on what strength you get.
Thanx THC Dude...great tip! I found another great link that might be the answer to all our questionz... http://www.usu.edu/cpl/hsapaper.html#intro It takes a while to read...and I'm still readin...
Thanx to you gurus...i've learned howta stabilize my hydro ph fluctuationz....by topping off my reservoir daily!!! In case your wonderin'...I've never topped off my reservoir on a daily basis before...ever!!!! I jus' replace/flush my nutes when the plants started to get light green. Toppin' off the reservoir is definitely required inbetween flushing/replacing the old nute reservoir solution. Cannabis plants transpire&feed faster than any plant on the Planet...& that is the cause of the wild Ph Fluctuations. They don't call it WEED fer nothin' right fellow weedhopperz? Basically...Ph fluctuations isn't a bad thing...it jus' means that they are Growin' Like Wildfire!!! Topping Off the Reservoir Daily-is the only way to stabilize PH Fluctuationz. Period. Note- Not only does tha PH Fluctuate wildly...so does the Nute Reservoir's TDS(total dissolve salts) Concentration. EC(measures electrical conductivity of water...also itz TDS) Meters are also jus as important as a PH Meter/Tester. Without an EC Meter...it's difficult to determine when to Top Off the reservoir with jus plain old ph balanced H2O; or whether to top off the reservoir with a 1/2 strength Nute reservoir refill. For those without an EC meter(like moi)....i recommend alternating. Alternate between toppin' off with plain ph balanced h20 and between topping with a 1/2 strength nute reservoir refill each day. I've tried this the past 3 days and u know what? It workz. I don't need an EC Meter tell me that my plants are Happy & Green. Conclusion: For all you hydro growers out there...get an EC Meter($50 is tha cheapest i've seen). Using an EC meter in Tandem with a PH Meter will virtually take all the Guesswork out of Maintainin' your Hydroponic Nute Reservoir. happy growin' (Edited by ismoke2much at 1:25 am on Jan. 18, 2003) (Edited by ismoke2much at 10:01 am on Jan. 19, 2003)
I just add water when my pump starts sucking air. This means enough water has evaporated and is not being returned to the reservoir quick enough, or something like that LOL. But it does helpl stabilize pH, remember water still evaporates even at 33F, only much slower. The humidity or your grow room also influences the evaporation rate (for you guys using dehumidifiers).
I like your method Hydro Convert...very unique... Wordz 2 live by,"...if it ain't broke...then don't **** with it!!! You'll only make matters worse..."
COuple of suggestions for you guys... Always top off you r reservoir with plain water... never try to add in nutes when you are topping it off. If the TDS drops a little over the course of a week, let it drop. It will help prevent burning of the plants, and it will also help you know where your plants are at in the flowering cycle. There is a pattern for low to medium to high to low absorbtion of nutrients dependant on where at your plants are in the flower cycle. It will also help you know if you have excess salt build up as your plants will not use as much nutes if there is excessive salt build up. FLush your plants every two weeks, without fail... It will help you a lot. Less salt = more nutrient uptake = bigger plants faster. Completely change your res. once a week. PH should be ideally 5.5-6.0 for hydro. I suggest 5.8 as a slightly lower PH provides for increased uptake of nutrients as there are more protons in the root area. Any q's, just let me know.
Okay. I'll give your advice a try! So just top off with plain ph balanced water...no nutes...got it! Hey...maybe i don't really need to buy that EC meter after all!!! I mean really...how many of you growers out there actually own one!?! (Edited by ismoke2much at 7:45 am on Jan. 19, 2003)
Buy the meter. Eventually, it will save your plants. Takes out the guess work! I monitor the PH and TDS/EC every couple of days.
Useless, why do you keep your range so low? Is this something specific for the plant? I grow at 6.0-6.7 (somewhat consistent at 6.2) The leaves go at an angle for the light, like starting to pray, but the tips do turn to the underside (not curled). I always thought this was because of the strain.......Hmmmm, but my clones don't (ruling out genetics, possibly) Would pH effect this? (I have flushed twice in the last 3 weeks.
I've also read that 5.8Ph level is ideal only in hydro...not in organic soil... As long as my PH stayz below 7.0...I know I'll see nuthin' but green! I've allowed my ph to go to 7.8...and they yellowed up like crazy!!!! Thanx fer the tipz guyz...i'll definitely give 'em a try before passin' judgement.... (Edited by ismoke2much at 9:50 pm on Jan. 22, 2003)
Ugh! All this info! I need a freaking hydroponic book or something!!! Sounds stupid but topping off means you fill to the brim with water?
Yes top off the res with fresh water. It helps buffer the pH. Water is actually a conjugate acid or base. Put in laymens terms, it helps re-establish the ratio of ferts to water so that your solution is not so concentrate. Water evaps but fert don't because even thouh they have dissloved they are still a solid (solute). Does this help any?
joint when you say fresh water do you mean water from the tap untouched ? or ph balanced , ie acid added , safe
I use straight tap water, add nutes and then leat the entire solution agitate for about 30 minutes, then adjust for pH. When I top off I also use straight tap water the pH goes up a bit, but it doesn't spike just creeps up over the two weeks period. I do check it everyday when I add the water just to get the feel and for some self assurance. As long as it is 6 or below I make no adjustment, above 6 and I adjust unless I am at the 2 week res change.
Hey hydro Con... Do you have a Ph tab meter? When you are checking your Ph, you want the water to turn a light yellowish orangy color. If its green or blue its too high. I always thought you wanted your Ph to be below 6.3 at all times, under 6 when blooming... Topping off your res is the right move, every two days for me since I got a pretty big res, 15litres. Ismoke: you're right about the 5.8 I think, thats what I have been going by aswell.
Hi newfie, I would like to answer for hydro convert because I am the grower formerly known by this name. Some know, some don't. But now there is actually 2 of us hence the name (pun intended) Joint Effort. So if there is some really stupid question , its probably the other guy LOL . To answer your question newfie that post was from a while back and I have since learned to keep my pH at 5.6-5.8. Also since then I have aquired a digital pH meter instead of those paper tabs. I also have 30 gallon res, it seems to help stabilize the solution (pH) in larger quantities. Know I have a question for anyone who would like to answer, are the EC, TD meters a requirement. Looing at trying some organic hydro in the near future. Still reading up on it trying to gather a game plan. (Edited by Joint Effort at 12:16 am on May 27, 2003)
ANother thing is if you want a steady ph then keeping your water cool is good too. Not sure if anyone mentioned that. YOu can buy res coolers but there for big 50-100 litre tanks. Just a good thing to do is make sure your water is cold when topping it up.