PH and EC drop

Why does this happen?

I've usually only ever encountered a PH rise with an EC drop.

This plant had a bit of a bacteria problem, not sure what, but i've been treating with tea and its starting to clear up, but i'm still getting a drop.

I switched nutrients to Dynagro from Ionic and this is about when I started seeing this happening. This is also about the time I ran into brown roots. So not sure whats causing it.

48 hours ago I changed my res after not feeding for a few days while I was letting my roots recover. Filled nutes to .9EC to see how they would handle it and left the PH. Next morning about 8 hours later I set PH to 5.8.

12 hours later PH is 6.1 and EC is .8 -- So I up the nutrients to 1.15EC @ 5.8 and the next night(24 hours later) its at 1.03EC @ 5.3PH

Well theres another plant I have that didn't experience root issues and I set that one at 1.0EC and left PH 48 hours ago for the morning.

Set that to 5.8 at the same time as the other plant. Later that night(last night) it was like 6.1PH and .84EC, so I upped it just like the other to 1.15EC @5.8PH.

24 hours later(tonight) and its at .99EC @ 5.7PH.

Not sure if i'm using too much PH down and causing a slow decrease? I mean I let the meter sit until PH is solid for like a minute.

I let mine drift around like that. I think its just as the plant takes up different elements out of the nutes, it can have an effect on the pH

what stage of growth are they in? in my own experience i see ph rise and ec drop during veg and first 2 weeks of bloom due to nitrogen consumption. around week 2 of flower potassium seems to be the salt of choice, causing ph drop and ec drop.

guerrilla medic said:

what stage of growth are they in? in my own experience i see ph rise and ec drop during veg and first 2 weeks of bloom due to nitrogen consumption. around week 2 of flower potassium seems to be the salt of choice, causing ph drop and ec drop.

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They're in veg.

NeWcS said:

I let mine drift around like that. I think its just as the plant takes up different elements out of the nutes, it can have an effect on the pH

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I had heard that different elements being taken up will affect the ions or something like that.

Im sure the EC dropping a whole point doesnt help things. Trying to find a good fed but they keep saying more. Pushing 1.2 EC on veg.

Does bacteria eat nutrients?

1.2 ec in veg isnt too crazy if you have fairly large plants. is the plant in a small container? i've seen ec drop and ph fluctuate like that in veg when my plants get too big for the 5 gallon totes that i start them in. as plants absorb nutrients they excrete hydroxyl anions or hydrogen ions depending on the corresponding element they have ingested. this exchange certainly causes ph fluctuation. with your rapid ec drop im guessing you have too small a container.

guerrilla medic said:

1.2 ec in veg isnt too crazy if you have fairly large plants. is the plant in a small container? i've seen ec drop and ph fluctuate like that in veg when my plants get too big for the 5 gallon totes that i start them in. as plants absorb nutrients they excrete hydroxyl anions or hydrogen ions depending on the corresponding element they have ingested. this exchange certainly causes ph fluctuation. with your rapid ec drop im guessing you have too small a container.

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I hear you're supposed to run Dyna-gro low so I thought 1.2EC was high for it.

I've personally only gone about that in veg once and the plant spoke up that it wanted less.

That what i'm looking to hear though. The ion exchange, I read about that somewhere else also. My plant was MG def. so maybe its taking in so much MG to make up for it? Not sure.

I do use a 5gal bucket and my plants are about 20 Inches tall. Ones a lot more bushier than the other and thats the one thats dropping a lot.

I have ran 5 gal before with 3-4ft plants in full flower. Like 4'x4' canopies.

I do not know about Ionic, but Dynagro is slightly acidifying. Its made that way so that you can supplement and buffer with Protekt (KSi) or equivalent and/or a Cal Mag supplement.

I usually run Dynagro at half of label dosages, with Botanicare CalMag and Protekt to balance ph. Nute solution is well buffered.

Im running 4ml/gal protekt, which I add first and mix well, this brings my PH up to like 9.0ish, then I add .5ml/gal magpro, and the rest foliage pro.

I did notice when I brought the EC back up to where it was the PH goes back up to where it was(roughly).

When the plant first dropped, I added nutrients back and then some(since if its dropping it wanted more) and the PH was 5.9.

Last night the plant that was dropping was steady at 5.7/8 and 1.03 ec so it didnt change much from wednesday night when phed from 5.3 to 5.8. So i left it. Will check tonight.

The other plant was at 6.1 and .92 ec. Added a gallon of water and added 4ml per gal protekt and about 6.5 ml total of foliage pro till 1.2 ec. Then phed it down to 5.8.