I've experienced a long term problem and I am looking for someone who can point me in the right direction for some professional help. I run a DWC using General Hydro waterfarms ie. bubbleponics. No mater what combination I try, I can not get the ph and ppm to hold stable. Which direction the ph varies depends upon which media I use but the results for any plants are always the same.
Background info:
Long term DWC grower with years of success at this location.
City Water is normal source
Environmental Conditions always perfect no what time of year. Seriously.
Results are the same for plants. GH nutrients, Canna, RO water or city water ( I've tried multiple locations)
The ppm is read on x500 scale
The problem I have is..... no mater what I do, The DWC will not hold a stable nutrient solution.
If I run hydroton, the DWC will go from a starting point of 550ppm @ 6.4 ph but in 24 hours this will be 770ppm @ 3.5 . Another 24 hours and the readings are 820 @ 3.5 Obviously plants die.
At this point I just run water and nutrient tests.
If I run sunleaves rocks the DWC will go from a starting point of 580 @ 6.4 but in 24 hours this will be 630 @ 7.0 Another 24 hours and the reading are 640 @ 7.0 Plants Die but it takes longer.
RO water yields the same reaction / failure.
Water from other municipalities yields the same reaction. (other water sources at my location fail)
Washing the system and running it at another location yields the same reaction. (my water at another location fails)
Grodan big mamas hold ph / ppm when run in the waterfarms but the plants show signs of multiple contradictory deficiencies.
Water recirculating through the system but not dripping over grow media the system holds stable ph / ppm. It starts to fail when dripped over grow media (with exception of big mamma / grodan media although plants are still quite unhappy.
Water or nutrients in reservoirs hold constant ph / ppm. 1 week , 2 weeks or three weeks later the ph / ppm will be stable.
If I take my equipment including rocks that have "failed" at my location and thoroughy wash and rinse at another location and run the hydroton or sunleaves at that location, the system will hold stable ph / ppm as long as I leave it at that location ( ie. 3 to 4 days of dripping ). If I bring that same bucket with that same water/ solution to my location, it will fail (ph drops and ppm start rising for hydroton)
If I try " chasing" a running ph level with PH up or down, I get a white cloud in my DWC. I can add up or down every few hours and it's like it drops right out of the DWC (see attached photo of bottom of waterfarm bucket) Up or down depends upon the type of media.
Here is a water report I had done by Colorado Health and Human Services.....
Calcium 24 mg/L
Silicon 4.8 mg/L
Potassium, 1.6 mg/L
Sodium 7.8 mg/L
Magnesium 1.7 mg/L
Copper .3 mg/L
Lead .0048 mg/L
Hardness 80
I have sought assistance at Canna, GH, Plant It, CHHS CSU and numerous others with no further insight than when I started.
Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated or point me in the right direction because I'm pretty tired or the looks of my own tail.
Background info:
Long term DWC grower with years of success at this location.
City Water is normal source
Environmental Conditions always perfect no what time of year. Seriously.
Results are the same for plants. GH nutrients, Canna, RO water or city water ( I've tried multiple locations)
The ppm is read on x500 scale
The problem I have is..... no mater what I do, The DWC will not hold a stable nutrient solution.
If I run hydroton, the DWC will go from a starting point of 550ppm @ 6.4 ph but in 24 hours this will be 770ppm @ 3.5 . Another 24 hours and the readings are 820 @ 3.5 Obviously plants die.
At this point I just run water and nutrient tests.
If I run sunleaves rocks the DWC will go from a starting point of 580 @ 6.4 but in 24 hours this will be 630 @ 7.0 Another 24 hours and the reading are 640 @ 7.0 Plants Die but it takes longer.
RO water yields the same reaction / failure.
Water from other municipalities yields the same reaction. (other water sources at my location fail)
Washing the system and running it at another location yields the same reaction. (my water at another location fails)
Grodan big mamas hold ph / ppm when run in the waterfarms but the plants show signs of multiple contradictory deficiencies.
Water recirculating through the system but not dripping over grow media the system holds stable ph / ppm. It starts to fail when dripped over grow media (with exception of big mamma / grodan media although plants are still quite unhappy.
Water or nutrients in reservoirs hold constant ph / ppm. 1 week , 2 weeks or three weeks later the ph / ppm will be stable.
If I take my equipment including rocks that have "failed" at my location and thoroughy wash and rinse at another location and run the hydroton or sunleaves at that location, the system will hold stable ph / ppm as long as I leave it at that location ( ie. 3 to 4 days of dripping ). If I bring that same bucket with that same water/ solution to my location, it will fail (ph drops and ppm start rising for hydroton)
If I try " chasing" a running ph level with PH up or down, I get a white cloud in my DWC. I can add up or down every few hours and it's like it drops right out of the DWC (see attached photo of bottom of waterfarm bucket) Up or down depends upon the type of media.
Here is a water report I had done by Colorado Health and Human Services.....
Calcium 24 mg/L
Silicon 4.8 mg/L
Potassium, 1.6 mg/L
Sodium 7.8 mg/L
Magnesium 1.7 mg/L
Copper .3 mg/L
Lead .0048 mg/L
Hardness 80
I have sought assistance at Canna, GH, Plant It, CHHS CSU and numerous others with no further insight than when I started.
Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated or point me in the right direction because I'm pretty tired or the looks of my own tail.
