cant keep my ph down, NEED HELP!

ok i am a newb, my set up is as follows:

1- 10 gal rubbermaid tub

approx 7 gallons of water

fox farm nutes

vinegar for ph down

baking soda for ph down

so i have a had problems since i have started 2 weeks ago, i stopped using big bloom bc it kept turning to a semi solid and started accumulation on the roots. does the vinegar evaporate or something? or does the rubbermaid tub make it go up?

it litterally goes from 5.6 to over 7.0 ph while im sleeping.

i do have a strawberry plant in there as well mixed with my mj.

please help!! im starting to give up.

That is correct becuase it is temperory does not hold that ph very long u are going to need real ph down and up, go to hydro store or order online but meant ime keep doing what u are doing till u get ph down and ph up

EDIT: you can use lemon juice and that will hold the ph for longer but also with viniger it can promote bacteria in the res

.....................................get some ph buffer from your local petstore, once the right amount of buffer has been added the proper ph will be acheived and maitained [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT]

thank you! i will try that today

Jesus and if you buy that get some Ph down/up from hydrostore or online. If you are using these home goods for hydro I am sure you are not using a calibrated meter or a good one. If I am wrong cool, but if you're too cheap to buy ph solution I am sure your chimping on the rest. Do soil, if you cannot give the water the attention it needs you will fail or at best grow some low grade crap.

Sorry for the harsh post, but we see it daily. Someones having issues with DWC and they are not understanding hydro is WATER. Just like SOIL is dirt, both need the right nutes, temp, ph etc for healthy plants. Hydro MORE so then DIRT, but yet people come to hydro paying less attention to detail on the water, and BEING exact with it.

Liquid PH testers, guessing ppms, make shift up/downs, substituting this for that... etc... has no place for DWC.

Lobster: An instructor I had the opportunity of listening to once said, "You can piss in your reservoir and initiate a pH change but he wouldn't guarantee how long it would last." Commercial hydroponics pH up and down chemicals are designed to do what you want, they're not that expensive, and they don't usually leave you with drastic pH swings later. One thing they offer is generally a stabilized change. For the system you're running a daily adjustment shouldn't require more than a few points change and a few drop of correction fluid. General Hydroponics has a good little pH test and adjustment kit with: the color chart I described, a sample flask, a bottle of test fluid and a bottles of pH up and down correction fluid. It's available at most hydro stores and it's slow but pretty accurate unless you're colorblind. In that case you'll need a test pen. I hope this helps. HSa

actually i have a $70 ph tester that with the easy calibration button on it, i went to my local ace hardware but their pH was not acceptable for plants, i was told vinegar was ok. i will search online. i found some food grade hydroponics type. i ordered it. i just thought it would work. didnt realize it would evaporate like that. im a contractor not a botanist.

BigBuddahCheese said:

Jesus and if you buy that get some Ph down/up from hydrostore or online. If you are using these home goods for hydro I am sure you are not using a calibrated meter or a good one. If I am wrong cool, but if you're too cheap to buy ph solution I am sure your chimping on the rest. Do soil, if you cannot give the water the attention it needs you will fail or at best grow some low grade crap.

Sorry for the harsh post, but we see it daily. Someones having issues with DWC and they are not understanding hydro is WATER. Just like SOIL is dirt, both need the right nutes, temp, ph etc for healthy plants. Hydro MORE so then DIRT, but yet people come to hydro paying less attention to detail on the water, and BEING exact with it.

Liquid PH testers, guessing ppms, make shift up/downs, substituting this for that... etc... has no place for DWC.

Click to expand...

If you were sorry for the harsh post why make it? People come here to learn. If your too frustrated with the newbies to be civil maybe take a break.

As tactless and rude as he is BigBuddahCheese is right.
You should use pHup and pHdown. You probably wont need a buffer if you start using the right stuff.
Remember though the pH will "bounce back" to some degree usually.

FIY most common,that I've seen anyway, is General Hydroponics brand pH adjusters, not saying they are the best just wanted to give you somewhere to start.

here's a link, although I chose it for the picture not the price.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_SPM3007104802P?sid=IDx20101019x00001a&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=SPM3007104802

thank you for the link, i ordered some. i was just told that vinegar would work ok. obviously i learned that its only temporary.

on another note: i use fox farm nutes, and the BIG BLOOM seems to make a " semi solid" so i stopped using it, do i really need it? and is there a way to not make it do that?

lobster05 said:

thank you for the link, i ordered some. i was just told that vinegar would work ok. obviously i learned that its only temporary.

on another note: i use fox farm nutes, and the BIG BLOOM seems to make a " semi solid" so i stopped using it, do i really need it? and is there a way to not make it do that?

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Sounds like they are a bit old, check the expiration or manufacturer date if over a year buy new.

**Disclaimer: This is a direct response to the above question, please do not attack me if you have under 50 posts and think this is not candy coated enough response.

BigBuddah, you come across as abrasive and condescending. If you run into a post you don't like, why not just move along? Insulting others on this forum is going to get you banned.

Have a nice day

BigBuddahCheese said:

Insulting? I am telling them an answer or suggestion. To the point and direct, tell me where I am condescending. I am not putting much into your post as you don't know me, and are just another mindless drivel to follow something on a pot board.

You are ignored like many others, I know you're so cool and informed that you won't care. I just thought you should know to save you some time replying again, as you felt fit to speak your mind and follow an idiot like probably many others.

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i just bought it, and i cant seem to find a date, i got it off amazon. is there any other possibility? im not saying they aren't expired. i have been f-ed my amazon b4

BigBuddahCheese said:

Insulting? I am telling them an answer or suggestion. To the point and direct, tell me where I am condescending. I am not putting much into your post as you don't know me, and are just another mindless drivel to follow something on a pot board.

You are ignored like many others, I know you're so cool and informed that you won't care. I just thought you should know to save you some time replying again, as you felt fit to speak your mind and follow an idiot like probably many others.

Click to expand...

...............................you seem to be a lil frustrated, woosaa

delvite said:

...............................you seem to be a lil frustrated, woosaa

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Ya "real" trolls do that too me, sorry brother. Go on with your peaceful day, yooosa.

lobster05 said:

i just bought it, and i cant seem to find a date, i got it off amazon. is there any other possibility? im not saying they aren't expired. i have been f-ed my amazon b4

Click to expand...

That means nothing man, hydro stores and online stores will sell you expired nutes without even thinking about it. Most growers do not check or even know to check. Always check the manufacturers site as they will dictate how long shelf life their product has, not saying it will be bad or is bad. It is just something to consider because it DOES happen.

Hope no one took offense to that direct, and no candy coated response to crack any fragile grower egos.

oh i believe it happens, and yea it prolly happened to me, i guess ill complain to amazon. thank man. advise is greatly appreciated

Truth hurts? I guess but the fact are not the issue, presentation is.
Why did you see it as bragging? I did not say anything? Other people have bigger cooler rooms here, don't they?
I am legal.
Never mentioned my girlfriends friend.
Why am I a stick-in the ass person? Not surprised you have resorted to personal insults.
What bad advice did I give?
Number of post dont say a thing about how experienced, accomplished or knowledgeable a person is.
I'm not stalking you in other post, seem like that would be hard to do but I'm not an experienced forum user.
How could I get "revenge" anyway.

Just stop talking to each other. End of discussion