Steve sullivan
Member
Ph level of Walmart distilled or kroger distilled? which is better for the girls? Thanks
Distilled water
- Thread starter Steve sullivan
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ProPheT 216
Well-Known Member
Distilled should be right on 7, maybe 6.9. A couple bottles of up and down go a long way and are cheap. Don't try to not buy ph adjuster. You would be better with tap water and ph adjusted then distilled at 7.0 every watering
backwood_boss
Well-Known Member
Yea I used distilled water for my first grow. Was all pumped up when I started getting purple buds. Then turned into leaves looking like a bomb hit em. Keep that cal mag and Epsom salt close by lol. Better to just bubble out tap water for a day or two
LeastExpectedGrower
Well-Known Member
I only use it for my humidifier. I don't think it's a viable option for plant watering. I don't have any documentation, but IIRC the distillation process also reduces the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water, which isn't what plants want. It's also really hard to pH adjust it well. I filter my water down then use that instead.
It's more around 4. CO2 from the air dissolves in it making carbonic acid. There's no salt in it to buffer pH changes. That results in a acid pH (but no buffer so it doesn't affect plants).
Bud man 43
Well-Known Member
Tap water is better as long as it’s not too high in dissolved minerals. Mine is under 40 consistently
Billy the Mountain
Well-Known Member
Distilled water has a pH of 7 by definition but it can't be accurately measured by a pH meter because there are simply not enough free ions in solution.
Even if it had a pH of 4, the effects would be inconsequential because there's so few ions present.
Well yeah theoretical pure water has a pH of 7 but we are talking about measuring the pH of a bucket of distilled water. That's a real world measurement. I thought it helpful to explain the reading one gets.
Also thanks for repeating me regarding the buffer capacity.
Billy the Mountain
Well-Known Member
The point is measuring the pH of distilled water is both inaccurate and meaningless.
I'll be sure to cite you in further pH discussions for your profound insight.
Modern Selections
Well-Known Member
Definitely pH the distilled water properly before watering in. The pH of 7 of distilled water is too high, for soil you want to be in the 6.3-6.5 range, coco 6.0, hydroponics 5.8.
Ph'ing the water before watering your plants is important to optimize the nutrients availability to the plant thus resulting in optimal growth and development of flowers.
Cannabis plants are tough and will grow and yield flowers with improper pH but will not reach their potential unless all factors of the grow are considered and optimized.
Don't listen to people saying don't pH. Just because it sort of works in their gardens does not mean it changes scientific facts that controlling the pH is necessary for getting the best possible potency, flavor, yield of cannabis flowers.
If the goal is the best, give the plants your best!
Ph'ing the water before watering your plants is important to optimize the nutrients availability to the plant thus resulting in optimal growth and development of flowers.
Cannabis plants are tough and will grow and yield flowers with improper pH but will not reach their potential unless all factors of the grow are considered and optimized.
Don't listen to people saying don't pH. Just because it sort of works in their gardens does not mean it changes scientific facts that controlling the pH is necessary for getting the best possible potency, flavor, yield of cannabis flowers.
If the goal is the best, give the plants your best!
They did not say don't pH!
They explained why trying to adjust the ph of distilled water is an exercise in futility.
@Lou66 and @Billy the Mountain explained the science.
"There's no salt in it to buffer pH changes. That results in a acid pH (but no buffer so it doesn't affect plants)."
"Distilled water has a pH of 7 by definition but it can't be accurately measured by a pH meter because there are simply not enough free ions in solution. Even if it had a pH of 4, the effects would be inconsequential because there's so few ions present. "
Here's a simple demonstration. Pour a quart of nutrient solution in a bucket and measure ph. Now add a quart of distilled water and measure ph. Continue adding quarts of distilled water and measuring ph. Keep adding quarts of distilled until you see a significant change in ph....
or realize that distilled water has no significant effect on ph!
Modern Selections
Well-Known Member
Stick your pH meter into a cup of distilled water. It reads 7.
If the distilled water is exposed to air it can change the pH but it is certainly measurable and often used as a baseline.
If the distilled water is exposed to air it can change the pH but it is certainly measurable and often used as a baseline.