dwc question

Kipn

Kipn

Well-Known Member
hi people so my dwc has been going ok but im kind of confused about my ph

so i have been keeping my ppm around 450 and as the plant drinks i am topping up with the extra nutrient mix i made when i filled my res last week i empty and refill it fresh every two weeks

so my plants drink about a cup a day and i am adding back that cup every day to keep the water level the same height as to when i 1st filled it and so that the ppm isnt dropping but now im seeking my ph drop down to like 5.3 from 6

from what i have read online it says if ph is dropping their is a problem in the root zone but mine look fine just allitle stained but no slime rot or bad smells

i think i know ph goes up because plants are drinking more water and less nutrients. is that right or wrong

when i was only topping up my res with water all i would see is ph going up but then my ppm would go too low so i was told to top up with pre mixed nutrient

now that i am topping up with pre mixed nutrient the ph is dropping but ppm are staying around 450 after i top it up

is that normal do i just keep adjusting the ph and maintaining ppm
 
I check/adjust my nutes every time I water the plants, my ph always rises.

You might want to do a "refresh" every week, and raise the PPM a bit.
 
Hugo Phurst said:
I check/adjust my nutes every time I water the plants, my ph always rises.

You might want to do a "refresh" every week, and raise the PPM a bit.
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i guess the plants are getting bigger is that why i would be increasing the ppm or is ph more stable at a higher ppm
 
Hugo Phurst said:
Because your plants are bigger and more mature.
At peak veg and flower, I run at between 800 & 1000PPM
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Agree. PPM should be higher. Should increase gradually as the plants grow. I start around 350. By end of veg I'm often 1200. End of flower around 850-900.
 
hotrodharley said:
Agree. PPM should be higher. Should increase gradually as the plants grow. I start around 350. By end of veg I'm often 1200. End of flower around 850-900.
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i hate getting tip burn so i always worried about increasing my ppm.guess ill try increase around 100ppm to start. im not use to using a ph up. two days ago was the 1st time ive needed to adjust up since i started the seeds 5 weeks ago so it made me think somethings starting to go wrong
 
Kipn said:
i hate getting tip burn so i always worried about increasing my ppm.guess ill try increase around 100ppm to start. im not use to using a ph up. two days ago was the 1st time ive needed to adjust up since i started the seeds 5 weeks ago so it made me think somethings starting to go wrong
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I'm not an expert. I was advised to raise to 500 or so first time. Check daily. When PPM drops about 200 then refresh your solution to 700-750. Repeat increasing each time it drops and you refresh. Check pH daily as well. Swings indicate likely root problems. Especially if your solution gets over 70F.
 
hotrodharley said:
I'm not an expert. I was advised to raise to 500 or so first time. Check daily. When PPM drops about 200 then refresh your solution to 700-750. Repeat increasing each time it drops and you refresh. Check pH daily as well. Swings indicate likely root problems. Especially if your solution gets over 70F.
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im going to transfer to a bigger bucket tomorrow and mix a new nute mix to 550 ppm from my 450ppm
and as far as ive read people say if ph is dropping it might be a root problem
im not letting my ppm drop much at all maybe topping off every day is the reason or it.
ill start by upping my ppm and see if that works . i was hopping to get this down pack before putting my plants in their scrog
 
Kipn said:
im going to transfer to a bigger bucket tomorrow and mix a new nute mix to 550 ppm from my 450ppm
and as far as ive read people say if ph is dropping it might be a root problem
im not letting my ppm drop much at all maybe topping off every day is the reason or it.
ill start by upping my ppm and see if that works . i was hopping to get this down pack before putting my plants in their scrog
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You'll get the hang of it. Better a low EC/PPM than the opposite. Keep that in mind.

Meaning it's easy on you and the plant to raise it a bit than trying to lower by dilution etc.
 
hotrodharley said:
You'll get the hang of it. Better a low EC/PPM than the opposite. Keep that in mind.

Meaning it's easy on you and the plant to raise it a bit than trying to lower by dilution etc.
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ill start with a small amount for a week and not bump right up all at once
 
Kipn said:
ill start with a small amount for a week and not bump right up all at once
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Heck no. Check daily. It won't drop for a bit but then you'll see it going down. That's when they're using them so adjust up then. Water - check level daily. They eat. Then they drink or vice versa. If they drank it down top it off and check PPM.
 
hotrodharley said:
Heck no. Check daily. It won't drop for a bit but then you'll see it going down. That's when they're using them so adjust up then. Water - check level daily. They eat. Then they drink or vice versa. If they drank it down top it off and check PPM.
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ok ill keep doing it daily and adjusting as i have been so far
 
By the way you might buy some 36% hydrogen peroxide. Keep it handy. Read up on treating root slime etc. Buy some at a beauty supply cheaper than at a grow shop.

Not the 3% at CVS.
 
hotrodharley said:
By the way you might buy some 36% hydrogen peroxide. Keep it handy. Read up on treating root slime etc. Buy some at a beauty supply cheaper than at a grow shop.

Not the 3% at CVS.
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i guess i should saves struggling to find it if i need that
i will add more air movement in my tent to make sure temps stay down in there
 
im trying to put my plants in a biggest res but the biggest ones i have to use are around 3 gallons. i understand that's still small but would that size be fine if i refresh the nutrients every week instead of every two weeks
 
In a 3 gallon you will be topping off a lot when the plant gets big. My last run with rDWC my biggest plant would drink well over half of it's bucket's 2.8 gallon capacity in 36 to 48 hours.
 
NanoGadget said:
In a 3 gallon you will be topping off a lot when the plant gets big. My last run with rDWC my biggest plant would drink well over half of it's bucket's 2.8 gallon capacity in 36 to 48 hours.
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well its the best i got so maybe i will flip early if that's the cause. i guess topping up allot isnt that bad but i wont be going out allot by the sounds
 
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