Hey, nice setup. The problem with your deficiencies is that your ph is too low. I just went through this entire ordeal. Try raising your ph to 5.8-6.0 for a couple days and see if those girls don't start to green up. (It certainly won't hurt them) Below 5.5, plant has a hard time taking up N and Mg (plus others). That is why they are yellowish w/ signs of Mg def (spots) My ph pen was off (ran out of calibration solution) and I thought mine were at 5.8, but were closer to 5.1 - 5.2. Once the ph was corrected they greened up within 24 hrs. They are drooping because they are not drinking. The water is too acidic for them a this stage imo.Still not entirely sure what is going on, but the new growth is still looking good. Did the following tonight:
Added GH RapidStart (root booster) to the nutrient lineup.
1.) Swapped from MH to HPS as plants are now in pre-flower.
2.) Changed the reservoir water (even though it wasn't too bad looking/smelling).
3.) To the new 10 gallons of water (in each tub), added 30 ml/each of: FloraMicro, FloraBloom, FloraGrow, and Cali-Magic. Added 20 ml/each of HydroGuard and RapidStart.
4.) PH'd the water to 5.4 with approx. 3 oz of GH PH Down solution.
5.) Raised the lamp to 24" from canopy (my HPS bulb runs a lot hotter than my MH).
Additionally, I ordered:
1x Hydrofarm AAPA45L 20-Watt 45-LPM air pump
6x large air stones
50 feet of black air line tubing
This is really a little overkill for two 10-gallon tanks, but it's not so much that its going to be violently turbulent water. It's become pretty clear after reading many posts and forums that my air pumps simply aren't powerful enough to get my expected results with 10 gallons of water.
The new pumps and stones will make a massive difference I think. Not just in additional oxygenation, but also to help agitate the water and keep the nutrients well mixed.
I'm also very excited about this General Hydro Rapid Start product. It comes highly recommended from everyone I've talked to whose tried it. Downside, expensive at about 28 bucks per 275 ml bottle, but it only takes 1-2 ml per gallon, so it goes a long way.
Here are some new pics...
got lots of air now...
are the roots still white..still have light leaks with the totes inside must be dark..cover whole top tape anything to stop light from getting inYes tons of air still drooping today...
View attachment 3555737
Is this really just acidic water?
Edit: Think I need a mattress topper under the tubs. Air stones are immensely vibrating the floor...
They say to have the airpump higher than the buckets for that reason.my pump on floor found out if you unplug pump... the hard way also pick up one way check valves now
View attachment 3551059 View attachment 3551060
Is that new air pump spraying bubbles all over the hydroton because they still look like theyre drowning for some reason?
Is this a common problem? Too many bubbles?Is that new air pump spraying bubbles all over the hydroton because they still look like theyre drowning for some reason?
The PH has been swinging wildly for reasons beyond my best guess. I use literally ALL Generial Hydroponics products, so not junk nutes. I had been adding 20 ml of Hydroguard to combat any chance of root rot (not sure how effective it really is).pH issues or root rot is my guess. are roots bright white? what is pH now? does you pH go up or down daily?
How often should people be calibrating these cheaply made PH pens and what is the most economical way to check the calibration? Any way without ordering the solution online?Hey, nice setup. The problem with your deficiencies is that your ph is too low. I just went through this entire ordeal. Try raising your ph to 5.8-6.0 for a couple days and see if those girls don't start to green up. (It certainly won't hurt them) Below 5.5, plant has a hard time taking up N and Mg (plus others). That is why they are yellowish w/ signs of Mg def (spots) My ph pen was off (ran out of calibration solution) and I thought mine were at 5.8, but were closer to 5.1 - 5.2. Once the ph was corrected they greened up within 24 hrs. They are drooping because they are not drinking. The water is too acidic for them a this stage imo.
4.) Keeping PH between 5.2 and...
5.) PH'd the water to 5.1 (I know it's a little acidic, but it drifts up so fast I can't always get over to add more acid).
View attachment 3555465
Calibration solution is only like $10 for a small bottle which will last a long time. I just pour a little into the cap and go from there. Don't put any back into the bottle though to avoid any contamination. There may be some home remedies to create a known ph solution, but I would not know if they were accurate or not. I picked mine up at the local shop, but you can order online as well. I calibrate my pen every week or 2 or at least check it to make sure it's reading correctly.How often should people be calibrating these cheaply made PH pens and what is the most economical way to check the calibration? Any way without ordering the solution online?
That's just too much ph down. The water is too acidic. At this point any changes would probably help. Also, I wonder about your current ph pen being way off. I've had cheap ones that just go berserk after awhile and are not even close to what the actual ph is. I always have ph liquid drops for backup so if I'm concerned about my pen, I can know for sure. If it were me, I would change out the water Now, add my nutes to get to 1.0ec, and not add any ph down at all. If that is the problem, they will respond within hours. At this point, it's not going to hurt them anymore.The PH has been swinging wildly for reasons beyond my best guess. I use literally ALL Generial Hydroponics products, so not junk nutes. I had been adding 20 ml of Hydroguard to combat any chance of root rot (not sure how effective it really is).
It's worth nothing again, I think, that I've been having to add around 3.25 oz (6.5 table spoons) of GH PH Down solution to each 10 gallon tub of water. That's also AFTER adding the nutrients, which, as far as I know, typically bring down your PH quite a bit on their own. I know my experience with Fox Farms Trio would significantly drop my PH before adding my own acid. Not so with the GH line for me.
Water is coming out of the tap at around 7.8-8.0. Last time, adding 30 ml of each GH Trio, still took 3.25 oz of PH Down to get to 5.4 on my pen. Sounds like a freakin lot of acid to me.
Typically, if I visit about 3-4 days later, PH has risen to between 7.3 and 7.9 (average readings). I typically then just re-adjust, and leave alone until the next reservoir change (averaging 6-10 days between).
I agree. I'll be visiting the ladies tomorrow for a reservoir change. Going to keep it super simple. A little Bloom (maybe 20 ml per 10 gallons), a little micro (maybe the same amount?), and a little Cal-Mag. I'll do a couple quick samples using the PH "color drops" to get it close, and going forward either buy some PH calibration solution or get a better PH pen.That's just too much ph down. The water is too acidic. At this point any changes would probably help. Also, I wonder about your current ph pen being way off. I've had cheap ones that just go berserk after awhile and are not even close to what the actual ph is. I always have ph liquid drops for backup so if I'm concerned about my pen, I can know for sure. If it were me, I would change out the water Now, add my nutes to get to 1.0ec, and not add any ph down at all. If that is the problem, they will respond within hours. At this point, it's not going to hurt them anymore.