DWC PH issues: Ph dropping like a rock - Please help

C

churchhaze

Well-Known Member
I will try one more time.

Stop listening to RIU telling you to starve your plants.

Get your EC to somewhere between 1.3-1.8. (from seed/clone)

0.7 is starvation levels.

Then you can focus on your pH plummeting problem!
 
J

John1961

Well-Known Member
Well, since you inquired @churchhaze , here's what transpired since my last posting:

11/25/2017 - Lo and behold, it appears I must have had a bacterial problem all along. After the hydrogen-peroxide flush of several days ago, I drained / refilled the reservoir with RO water and AN nutrients at 70% strength (750 ppm / 1.4 ec). My PH remained stable for a couple of days and then started slowly rising. My PH got to 6.4 and then stabilized for the remainder of this week. Even though I was entering the third week of flowering, there was little bud growth. I attributed this issue to the bacterial infection that I apparently had throughout most of the grow, the wildly swinging PH, and then the hydrogen-peroxide flush of last week. I'm sure my plant was not a happy camper!

12/03/2017 - With the PH problems of the past now seemingly resolved, my baby was stretching and getting her second wind! All of the leaves looked green and healthy. In fact, I had to do a little defoliation where I had too much leaf-stacking and liquid water was condensing between the leaves. And for the first time, I also had to deal with a nutrient-burn issue; Many of the leaves started showing burnt tips. So with this reservoir change, I cut back to a nutrient strength of ~40% (~580 ppm / 1.2 ec). My PH is behaving as it should and I have not had to use any PH-Up or PH-Down since switching to AN nutrients.

12/10/2017 - All growth continues to look healthy. In fact, there seems to be a whole lot of new root growth in the reservoir. The roots have become so thick, I am using two large air stones in the reservoir and I can no longer see the bubbles from one of the stones coming up through the water! As far as my buds are concerned, alas, I am not going to see the huge yield I had hoped for with this grow. Although I have eight healthy tops, each top only has buds forming on the top 4 or 5 inches of each main. But they sure are STICKY and STINKY.

So I guess from here on out, it's steady as she goes. I estimate another two weeks until she is ready to be harvested.

This was my first time going with hydroponics / DWC and I knew going in that this would be a learning experience, and it certainly has been. I'm looking forward to harvesting this plant so that I can start another one. I already have a number of changes I'll be making in my regimen that I hope will improve the next grow.

I've attached a few pics so you all can see where I'm at today.

7f_49a.jpg 7f_49b.jpg 7f_49c.jpg 7f_49d.jpg
 
C

churchhaze

Well-Known Member
John1961 said:
Well, since you inquired @churchhaze , here's what transpired since my last posting:

11/25/2017 - Lo and behold, it appears I must have had a bacterial problem all along. After the hydrogen-peroxide flush of several days ago, I drained / refilled the reservoir with RO water and AN nutrients at 70% strength (750 ppm / 1.4 ec). My PH remained stable for a couple of days and then started slowly rising. My PH got to 6.4 and then stabilized for the remainder of this week. Even though I was entering the third week of flowering, there was little bud growth. I attributed this issue to the bacterial infection that I apparently had throughout most of the grow, the wildly swinging PH, and then the hydrogen-peroxide flush of last week. I'm sure my plant was not a happy camper!

12/03/2017 - With the PH problems of the past now seemingly resolved, my baby was stretching and getting her second wind! All of the leaves looked green and healthy. In fact, I had to do a little defoliation where I had too much leaf-stacking and liquid water was condensing between the leaves. And for the first time, I also had to deal with a nutrient-burn issue; Many of the leaves started showing burnt tips. So with this reservoir change, I cut back to a nutrient strength of ~40% (~580 ppm / 1.2 ec). My PH is behaving as it should and I have not had to use any PH-Up or PH-Down since switching to AN nutrients.

12/10/2017 - All growth continues to look healthy. In fact, there seems to be a whole lot of new root growth in the reservoir. The roots have become so thick, I am using two large air stones in the reservoir and I can no longer see the bubbles from one of the stones coming up through the water! As far as my buds are concerned, alas, I am not going to see the huge yield I had hoped for with this grow. Although I have eight healthy tops, each top only has buds forming on the top 4 or 5 inches of each main. But they sure are STICKY and STINKY.

So I guess from here on out, it's steady as she goes. I estimate another two weeks until she is ready to be harvested.

This was my first time going with hydroponics / DWC and I knew going in that this would be a learning experience, and it certainly has been. I'm looking forward to harvesting this plant so that I can start another one. I already have a number of changes I'll be making in my regimen that I hope will improve the next grow.

I've attached a few pics so you all can see where I'm at today.

View attachment 4064925 View attachment 4064926 View attachment 4064927 View attachment 4064928
Click to expand...
Glad it's worked out for you. I still can't understand why people here recommend such low EC levels. I guess it didn't read through the whole thread. My bad.
 
Lordhooha

Lordhooha

Well-Known Member
churchhaze said:
Glad it's worked out for you. I still can't understand why people here recommend such low EC levels. I guess it didn't read through the whole thread. My bad.
Click to expand...
In flower I get just up to 1.6 ec and have no issues no salt buildup. Everything stays nice and green. Depending on the strain I may bump it up to 1.8 or so if it’s a heavy feeder. I also do it all with my well water and no chiller the only other things I run is mammoth p and root igniter. Nutrient companies want you to bump that ec or ppm level up to the max so you use more and convince you to buy their flushing agent. Also if it helps I run veg+bloom from hydroponic research folks. Ever wonder why so many ppl have salt build up issues burning the piss out of their plant and having lock out issues? More isn’t always the answer.
 
J

John1961

Well-Known Member
Too many times, I see folks saying that you must be pushing 1.2 or 1.4 EC in flower. However, I think this largely depends on the strain you're growing and how healthy the plant is to begin with. I know when I was pushing 1.2 EC, that's when I was getting a lot of leaf-tip burn. So I've cut back to about .8 EC and the plant seems happy.
 
Last edited:
C

churchhaze

Well-Known Member
Lordhooha said:
Ever wonder why so many ppl have salt build up issues burning the piss out of their plant and having lock out issues? More isn’t always the answer.
Click to expand...
Where does salt build up in DWC? I don't believe I ever said anything like "more is the answer", and specified a very specific range.
 
firsttimeARE

firsttimeARE

Well-Known Member
@churchhaze

Everyone's garden is different

I ever go over 1.4EC and my plants aren't starving

I've taken your advice and fed seeds 1.2 EC and burned the shit outta them.

What works for you doesn't work for all
 
C

churchhaze

Well-Known Member
firsttimeARE said:
I've taken your advice and fed seeds 1.2 EC and burned the shit outta them.
Click to expand...
It sounds like something else must have been going wrong. I don't know what to say. I've grown a lot of strains in the last 20 years, and never have I had one that "burns" because EC is raised over 1.2, although I have mistaken other problems with overfert. (most likely toxicity/lockout by a single offending element)

My point, however, isn't that 1.2-1.8 is the optimal range, but that instead weening up to "full strength" is counter-intuitive. It would be like suggesting to soil growers to start in nutrient depleted soil. It makes absolutely no sense unless you want to start off with a deficient plant, bump into a ton of issues (like root rot, which i'm convinced is usually caused by nutrient problems rather than water temperature), then chase the problem.... even people suggesting to "flush" (RIP), when the real problem is deficiency all but killed the plant (then dead matter rots, and people go looking for a cure to the rot).
 
Last edited:
Gbuddy

Gbuddy

Well-Known Member
Hi @ALL

I dont want to sound like a .....
You know....
But...
Some of my friends had the same Problems. PH went up and down like hell.
So my idea was to ask people who know a lot about water.
You can find this guys in Aquaristic shops selling fishtanks and equipment.
We went to the next shop and asked the vendor, an expert in preparing fish friendly water, what to do. I said to my mate "dude what is fine fo fish wont kill plants right?"
The guy sold us a bottle of co2 and a kind of digital unit that included a ph sensor and a valve.
You just put the ph sensor in your reservoir connect it to the digital unit and connect the co2 bottle to the valve. Now you set the PH on the digital unit to what ever you want, and by infusing co2 into the water using a tube and a bubblestone, the System keeps PH stable as long as you have co2 in your bottle.

Its practicable with systems that use a reservoir.

If bacteria aso is a problem use a uv light to kill em and lots of other nasty shit in the water. This uv light watercleaners are made for that, they use them in fischtanks and swimming pools. Its a cheap way to get rid of the shit.

I hope it helps

Peace
 
Last edited:
Buddernugs

Buddernugs

Well-Known Member
I i’m running into the same exact problem overnight my pH goes from 6.2 to 4.5 and it always happens at Week 4 of flower first time was Coco this time 100% perlite empty buckets same thing eight weeks of age nothing plants were thriving pH remains stable I always wrote the 10 to 20 ppm runoff limit so I was never overfeeding or underfeeding as soon as flower hit and the stress stopped bone my pH would plummet overnight sometimes in an hour it would drive a whole point and just like you no one could give me a definitive answer of what was going on and I was left chasing my tail which is something I’m still doing unfortunately because I still can’t figure out what the hell is causing it to drop like that I took advice of lowering ppm‘s in half at the moment 285 ppm’s going In week six flower plants are not eating any of that my ppm runoff is always higher my pH is plummeting so it sounds like we have the same issue going on there’s a few other people who’s threads I’ve read and these people have been growing longer I’ve been alive and none of them can figure out what the heck is causing the pH drops so fast I’m at a point now where I’m ready to just sell all my gear and get out of it this PH drop is driving me crazy people say don’t check runoff your underfeeding your overfeeding blah blah blah you follow their advice and nothing helps so tomorrow I’m gonna go get some hydrogen peroxide and do what you did and hopefully that helps if it doesn’t I’m gonna take all my gear out in the fieldAnd dump a couple thousand rounds into it
 
rkymtnman

rkymtnman

Well-Known Member
Buddernugs said:
I’m gonna go get some hydrogen peroxide and do what you did and hopefully that helps if it doesn’t I’m gonna take all my gear out in the fieldAnd dump a couple thousand rounds into it
Click to expand...
did you try hydroguard yet?
remind me how mnay plants you have again. if you can spare one, i'd be tempted to tell you to take it out of the hempy and look at the roots.
either that or try different nutes maybe?
i've never heard of anybody haing so much trouble with a hempy especially with 100% perlite
if not, put up a video of you shooting it up. that would be cool. with what? AR or AK??
 
Buddernugs

Buddernugs

Well-Known Member
I’m drain to waste how would I do a peroxide flush just plug the hole fill it up to the brim let it sit for three hours Run down and feed?
 
rkymtnman

rkymtnman

Well-Known Member
Buddernugs said:
I’m drain to waste how would I do a peroxide flush just plug the hole fill it up to the brim let it sit for three hours Run down and feed?
Click to expand...
that's a damn good question. your idea sounds like what i would do. i'd probably do it three times for one hour each instead but that's just me.
 
Buddernugs

Buddernugs

Well-Known Member
Got her soaking now doing a strait 3 hr soak then I’ll flush feed her I’ll let you know how she responds tomorrow at lights on
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top