PH Drama

grower112 · Dec 24, 2015

Hey, my tap water ph is 7,7 it really takes every day a decent amount of ph down to keep my range optimal

i have a 5 gallon dwc setup

my question is should i buy more ph down or better buy distilled water which i again need cal-mag ...

or are there good ways to push my ph down with organics like baking soda or other methods i seen on internet not the chemical sold products.

what would you guys do in my position ?

PS : Merry Christmas to all

rkymtnman · Dec 24, 2015

i use RO water for hydro. that way the only thing in my water is what i put in.

churchhaze · Dec 24, 2015

Personally, I'd buy more pH down.

Terry385 · Dec 24, 2015

i'd look at roots why the ph keep raising...

grower112 · Dec 24, 2015

i dont know because with my current usage i end up with 0,5 l bottle for 1 grow if not even more .... i thought the 0,5 l bottle will last me more then 1 grow since all on videos warn how strong that ph down or up are ... i basically need everyday 35 - 40 ml to get my ph in range

got 18 - 20 liters of water in my rez

sry for liters im a european.

hotrodharley · Dec 24, 2015

rkymtnman said:
i use RO water for hydro. that way the only thing in my water is what i put in.

Second the RO for hydro. Far fewer issues than just pH too.

hotrodharley · Dec 24, 2015

grower112 said:
Hey, my tap water ph is 7,7 it really takes every day a decent amount of ph down to keep my range optimal

i have a 5 gallon dwc setup

my question is should i buy more ph down or better buy distilled water which i again need cal-mag ...

or are there good ways to push my ph down with organics like baking soda or other methods i seen on internet not the chemical sold products.

what would you guys do in my position ?

PS : Merry Christmas to all

pH rise usually means the plants are using the nutrients.Are you measuring your EC or just using measuring spoons? If it's just spoons you need an EC/PPM meter and now.

a senile fungus · Dec 24, 2015

grower112 said:
i dont know because with my current usage i end up with 0,5 l bottle for 1 grow if not even more .... i thought the 0,5 l bottle will last me more then 1 grow since all on videos warn how strong that ph down or up are ... i basically need everyday 35 - 40 ml to get my ph in range

got 18 - 20 liters of water in my rez

sry for liters im a european.

You could use a stronger acid as pH down.

Or mix the tap water and the RO, so you won't need as much of the RO, and you won't need the calmag because you added tap...

justanoldtimer · Dec 24, 2015

While I agree with only using RO water, I have to wonder if you are using rockwool?
I've seen where growers who don't soak the rockwool for a day or so before using, it caused PH
problems simular to what you are experiencing.
Peace

grower112 · Dec 24, 2015

justanoldtimer said:
While I agree with only using RO water, I have to wonder if you are using rockwool?
I've seen where growers who don't soak the rockwool for a day or so before using, it caused PH
problems simular to what you are experiencing.
Peace

no i don't use rockwool, going directly in hydroton and water it with the same rez. water from the top 2 times a day / morning and evening

a senile fungus said:
You could use a stronger acid as pH down.

Or mix the tap water and the RO, so you won't need as much of the RO, and you won't need the calmag because you added tap...

eh what do you mean by stronger acids aren't the ph down or up the strongest in it's own way ?

hotrodharley said:
pH rise usually means the plants are using the nutrients.Are you measuring your EC or just using measuring spoons? If it's just spoons you need an EC/PPM meter and now.

no i dont have a ppm meter i ordered one but it will take some more time since it's from a external country.

well, ya RO seems to be better but it's quite expensive and it's not forever u have to rebuy the filter tubes if i understood the system therefore isn't it better to just buy distilled water ?

hondagrower420 · Dec 24, 2015

Is you ph pen calibrated? What brand up and down?

grower112 · Dec 24, 2015

hondagrower420 said:
Is you ph pen calibrated? What brand up and down?

General Hydroponics PH Down, and i have to be honest i'm using ph strips now but i have a pretty good color reading ability so what i wrote should be correct + - 0,2 ph

i also ordered a real ph meter from voltcraft the ph 02 it should be ready to use in my home in few days.

hotrodharley · Dec 24, 2015

grower112 said:
no i don't use rockwool, going directly in hydroton and water it with the same rez. water from the top 2 times a day / morning and evening

eh what do you mean by stronger acids aren't the ph down or up the strongest in it's own way ?

no i dont have a ppm meter i ordered one but it will take some more time since it's from a external country.

well, ya RO seems to be better but it's quite expensive and it's not forever u have to rebuy the filter tubes if i understood the system therefore isn't it better to just buy distilled water ?

At least use RO and a tapwater mix.

justanoldtimer · Dec 24, 2015

grower112 said:
well, ya RO seems to be better but it's quite expensive and it's not forever u have to rebuy the filter tubes if i understood the system therefore isn't it better to just buy distilled water ?

Dude, you can buy a decent 3 stage RO filter for 50 bucks on amazon.
Personally I bought the 5 stage one for $150, cause it came with a faucet, a 4gal holding tank and an xtra set of filters included. Money well spent.
It makes a big difference to the water too.

grower112 · Dec 24, 2015

justanoldtimer said:
Dude, you can buy a decent 3 stage RO filter for 50 bucks on amazon.
Personally I bought the 5 stage one for $150, cause it came with a faucet, a 4gal holding tank and an xtra set of filters included. Money well spent.
It makes a big difference to the water too.

ya but u have to rebuy the filters no, all 5 or what do you do to keep it in longrun can you maybe link me what system you have ?

rkymtnman · Dec 24, 2015

not sure where you are at but i buy my RO from walmart for 37 cents a gallon. i only use 10 gallons per week so it's not a big expense for me.

can you buy distilled or RO nearby? then you don't have to worry about the expense of buying your own RO system

grower112 · Dec 24, 2015

rkymtnman said:
not sure where you are at but i buy my RO from walmart for 37 cents a gallon. i only use 10 gallons per week so it's not a big expense for me.

can you buy distilled or RO nearby? then you don't have to worry about the expense of buying your own RO system

ya i will go look around i don't have walmart im an european

grower112 · Dec 24, 2015

hey as all suggest RO water what is the ph of RO water ? it is similiar to all other RO waters ?

70's natureboy · Dec 24, 2015

You should check the EC. It sounds like the nutes are weak.

hondagrower420 · Dec 24, 2015

Figure out the ppm of your tap before you go buying shit. My tap comes out @ 50ppm .5 conversion.

Strips are accurate unless moisture got on them. Ph and tds/ec are really important in hydro.

Sounds like your water is acting like it can't buffer properly. This is usually because the water is pure.

PH Drama

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