Also it was 2 days ago when I noticed it. I took action by doing a lite watering/rinse with 6.5 pH water. Was that the right thing to do? THTstonedGUY
Thanks for the reply. I'm growing in soil and the plants are currently still in 16oz party cups. How do I know how much fertilizer to put in to get the right PH level (not fertilizing yet though)? Do I just put 1/4 strength in at first to test and then adjust from there?
Sorry it took so long to reply. When you mix up nutrients with water it always lowers the PH of the water nute mix. So when nute feeding depending on what your water`s starting PH is you may need to raise the PH in most cases and when just doing a regular watering you may need to lower the PH. Its usualy recommended that for the first couple of feedings always start out at like 25% of the recommended mix ratio.
Your question might be better answered in the hydro section. The only hydro I do is a EZ clone machine and just go by PH not PPM or EC.
Testing runoff ph in soil is pointless. Your soil acts as a buffer, and your ph is going to swing...trying to "correct" the ph will have you chasing windmills. Make surenits proper going in, and if you've built a balanced soil you won't have to go nuts checking runoff ph. A ppm in the 1500's might be on the high side depending on your meter's conversion factor. I generally don't go past an EC of 1.2 or so during heavy veg and mid flower, your mileage may vary depending on lights and other encironmental factors. Learn to listen to your girls...they'll tell you when you're pushing them too hard or not enough.
Just a quick tip, IF YOU CAN, try to spend the extra money on a good PH meter. It is one of the most important tools in your grow and there are cheaper meters out there but you'll end up buying another one sometime down the road anyway. I bought a $20 meter when I started and within a month or two i had to purchase another one. And PLEASE make sure it's waterproof! i can't tell you how many times I've heard of people including myself dropping their PH meters in the reservoir and killing their pen. So waterproof meter is a must! Sent from my LG-MS770 using Grasscity Forum mobile app
Always mix your nutes in the reservoir first. Allow the solution to mix for about 30mins with a pump or airstone. Then adjust the Ph with Ph up or down. Allow another 20mins or so then test again to make sure the Ph didn't change. Aerating your water will change the Ph slowly over time so check it every day and always follow your nutrient feeding schedule if you're not sure on how much nutes you should be using.
Nutes are not meant to adjust the Ph. Only for feeding. Ph is adjusted with acid or alkaline. You can purchase Ph up or down pretty cheap online or from a grow shop. Sent from my LG-MS770 using Grasscity Forum mobile app
. So wish I would have bought a better meter, like the blue labs combo, and its going to happen eventually. I have the $20 etekcity, its workable but far from good, I dip a glass measuring cup in the res and take my readings from it, no dropping the meter in water. Sent from my Nexus 7 using Grasscity Forum mobile app
im still confused about this PH thing...i understand why i need my PH to be correct..i just cant figure out the process to do it. so my tap water has a ph of like 8 or something right. so i adjust it 6.8. i water my plants that are sitting in fox farms ocean/roots organic green lite/perlite mix...the runoff will come out at like 5.2 or something. now when i water do i keep adjusting it to 6.8 no matter what? or do i try to adjust it to like 7.1 or something to raise the PH of my soil runoff? i hope this makes sense. or maybe the runoff doesnt even matter? can someone please explain the process to me like a kindergardener lol. also how much dolomite lime per gallon? im hearing only a Teaspoon but that seems like almost nothing !
Ph should be adjusted before watering your plants. In hydro, 5.5-5.8 is the sweet spot. In soil, 6.2-6.5 is ideal. Testing your runoff is only to check if your soil is at the proper ph. You want your soil ph to match the ph of the water and nutes your watering with. Hope this helps. Also, I never used dolomite so I couldn't help you there. I always add Ph up or down to adjust my nutes. Its easier in my opinion. Check out my grow journal at: Http://forum.grasscity.com/indoor-grow-journals/1187623-sensi-seeds-super-skunk-coco-grow.html?hl=sensi+seeds+super+skunk
Amazing post. Thanks a lot man. Wish I seen this my first go around.. I'm on my second now and after this website and Forums I'm doing pretty good so far. For getting clones without Clinex or anything...lol just root excel and research
Always budget your meters into your OP... I cant stress the quality dif between finished products... EC meters keep you from a harsh smoke and ph can make or break THC and CBD production... a $120 combo meter can mean the dif between high grade and Mexican brick ... also ... I have found that meters are only half the battle... correct nute schedules and proper foliar feedings are CRUCIAL TO THE OVER ALL product.. so test those waters too ... I nute on Mondays , take Tuesdays off to allow the nutes to soak up, use clean pure water wed, foliar feed on Thursday , clean pure water Friday, take sat off, and pure water mist sun..(days off consist of grow upkeep... there are no days off in a properly run room..) Leaves grow huge soaking up more light , veg growth doubles, so if you use it in conjunction with mainlined plants in a high light room , you will end up with HUGE colas.. did I mention you have 8 colas per plant on indica strains when mainlining.. so when I hit bloom my plants are wide short and SCROG ... if I get the chance to flush weekly (been trying new nute kits) I prefer that method... but over all your medium is gunna determine your overall pH to EC readings... so make sure you start with a solid medium ... super soil may take some planning but it needs no nutes.. which means your growing with boosters ... which you really don't even need.. the key to a solid ph range.. I prefer 6.4 as my goal .. my white widow fems eat it up... idk if this helps at all but its what works for me... I didn't really have any formal training when I started .. I just learned from friends and research.. this site is awesome for Q&A ... either way good luck and post picks every other week .. watch out for root and foliage scorching and be ready to invest a few extra dollars when possible.. remember a solid plant will produce 55g. 55 g's = almost 2 oz = average cost of premium Oz in US = 200(2)... so if you get 4 girls to pump out 80% yield with solid thc then you made your money back plus profit... (no I don't mean sale.. I mean saving from money that would have been spent) ...
I am flummoxed! I built my first ebb and flow table, and I'm running water through without plants so I can dial it in. It has an 18 gallon reservoir, and I filled it with 8 gallons of distilled water and 4 gallons of tap. Ppm was around 70 and ph was 7.5. After running a watering cycle it had gone up to 7.7, so I started adding ph down. I thought it might need a few drops, but after adding 5 dropperfulls, it's only gone down to 6.5. Is that normal? Why would so much do so little?
Very handy post, what PH meters do you all recommend. I am having issues with my plant having a slightly acidic PH and I can't seem to get it balanced. Very frustrating
My tap water is high in pH (8.2) and low ppm (130ish). Is that a good starting point? I'm new to the party ðŸ˜