pH drifting 2.5 points in 12 hrs, normal?

[Kelly.]

...

 

[noone88]

It's pretty normal to see pH fluctuations within the first 24-48 hours of a new reservoir change.

I carefully monitor the pH for the first 2 days. After that, it will stabilize.

 

[HippyJohnny]

Use RO water and this will not be an issue. Set it and forget it with good nutes.
What are you using?

 

[Standaman]

Hey Kelly can i ask if you made sure you soaked your Rockwool and Hydroton properly? As they will add to your troubles with PH, although it is common to get swings in a non recirculating DWC

Also but i'm not totally sure about this your airstones can also cause issues for you

I say wait and see what happens and if no change go back through and check everything again

Good luck

 

[Kelly.]

Use RO water and this will not be an issue. Set it and forget it with good nutes.
What are you using?

im using city water.
i havent drank any of it but my girlfriend says it doesnt taste good.
could it be the flouride/clorine/other crap that they add to the water? and that is why it stabilizes in a few days?
can you get RO water without having to by and expensive RO filter? if so, maybe i should just switch out to that, i just dont know where to get RO water (new to hydro)

Hey Kelly can i ask if you made sure you soaked your Rockwool and Hydroton properly? As they will add to your troubles with PH, although it is common to get swings in a non recirculating DWC

i didnt know about that stuff at the time.
i soaked the rockwool in tap (7.4 pH) water.
i also rinshed the rockwool in tap water.

 

[Kelly.]

....

 

[Hydrosun]

Kelly,

RO is the way to go. Buy a system that you can hook to your faucet, or maybe showerhead. You are running a small system, but lugging 42lb 5gal jugs from the grocery store is expensive ($5.99 for refills at Loews here in town). Buy a $100 - $200 unit and you'll have the best H2O around. A lot of cities add buffers to their tap water. These buffers are supposed to keep the PH stable (around 7) so it keeps trying to fight its way up against you. Get to the RO my friend!

Peace,

 

[Standaman]

Yeah well thats were you want to be around so leave it alone now and see how it goes both up and down PH adjusters will alter your EC readings just a word of warning

 

[Outportgrower]

Yeah well thats were you want to be around so leave it alone now and see how it goes both up and down PH adjusters will alter your EC readings just a word of warning

Never really noticed that before. Will be sure to check next time I do a change to see if it does. Only thing I have seen is additives other than basic nutes such as blossom going in will bump me up another 100 from what I remember.

 

[Standaman]

Can i just add thats only if your using a fair bit and i'm guessing that may be your case as your having regular swings

 

[Kelly.]

....

 

[Wait...What?]

put the meter down and walk away from the plant

the plant already knows how to grow

if you started with a known-good mix of nutrients, there's no reason to fret.

more grows are ruined by growers futzing with things than any other reason [i pulled that statistic out of my butt]

on edit: i have some of the best tap water in the nation [upper great lakes] but going ro/di made a holy crap difference in my results. yeah i have to add things back to the water because its starting from zero, but i'd rather know whats in my water than wonder if its the calcium locking things out or what is causing the creeping curly yellow death [magnesium locked out by the calcium]

on edit again

plants arent about the raw numbers, they're about ratio and proportion and balance and relativity




my cat's breath smells like cat food

 

[Kelly.]

,,,,

 

[Kelly.]

...

 

[Kelly.]

....

 

[bdomina]

untill u get a RO try setting the water out in another tub for a few days with an airstone in it. it evaporates some of the nasties. I notice a difference when i do that w my tap water.