Ph questions

[kyndone]

ok...i looked through 15 pages, and only found one person asking about pH.
but i still didnt get what i was after., my question is, can pH down be added straight to the rez?, or do i put it in the gallon of water with my nutes?, i did add straight to rez, but a day later some of my plant was yellow and dead, (i cut all the yellow off) plants seem ok still, but i was wondering if it was the ph down that caused the problem.also if anyone has any tips on the proper way to pH for hydro, i would greatly appreciate it. i have a drip bucket, and i am thinking my pH needs to be around 5.8 to 6.5 , correct me if im wrong plz. my plants are 3 weeks into veg., and i want them to be good and healthy by the time i go to 12/12, thanks in advance for any help.,

kynd.

 

[Dirty Harry]

I shoot for 5.5-6.0. I sometimes let it drift a little higher then bring back down to better absorb the different elements.
I pour a little PH down into a cup (so if I over pour no big deal) and then add it straight into the res. and then stir it around. Retest PH and add more if needed.
I PH adjust after everything else has been added in.

 

[kyndone]

thanks D Harry, that was helpful, but u are saying you add straight to the rez?, so it could be a different reason that my trees turned yellow,it hasnt happened since,so now im really confused, it only happened to like 4 nodes, i wish i could have taken a pic b-4 i cut off the dead parts.

 

[HydroJen]

It's better to mix the Rez to your desired ppm and pH before it touches the plant...I wouldn't add a concentrate to roots in a Rez that small, but this probably isn't the prob...

If you r using a hand held pH pen, I suggest u throw it out and get a cpl dropper kits.

 

[kyndone]

thanks, i was thinking the same, but just nuting the one gal. water bottles, then adjusting the ph before it gets to the rez., just to be safe, i dont have a ph pen, but i do have a dropper tester, and also one where i dip the tab in the rez, then set it in a handheld digital ph/ alk. tester. the dropper seem a little wide ranged though.

 

[HydroJen]

Just the clarify, anywhere you add the pH solution, it should be to the final feed solution. It doesn't matter the pH of what ur mixing together, it only matters for what touches the roots.

As for the color range, it's like Dirty Harry said about letting it drift. Dif nuts are more available at dif pH, so having it drift 5.5-6 is all good. I just shoot for "hangover yellow" (like ur pee the morning after tying one on)

 

[kyndone]

ok, cool thank you. i will try with th dropper more

 

[CrumpleZone]

I add it to my rez after I have thoroughly mixed my nutes, and waited for an hour. Just a few drops at a time.

 

[FreezerBoy]

I pull a cup of water from the res, measure, add the required number of drops for the number of gallons in the res and pour the water back in.

 

[kyndone]

ok, this is pretty crazy, i put pH down in a gallon of r.o., the pH went down to 6.6, i added a little more, it didnt change, i added twice more, and the pH would not go down, i checked it the next day, still the same, i added my nutes to it, which i know should lower it a little, but it was still 6.6, i used the dropper, it was saying piss yellow, but like a bright yellow, not a dark yellow, i could not really see where it needed to be, so i got worried, and put the whole gallon in my roses, lol, i think im making this more complicated than it needs to be,.but i wanted to thank u all for ur help.

 

[HydroJen]

That sounds like a machine calibration problem. Classic story, usually about a brOakton tho. The dropper doesn't lie! My fav pH is piss yellow, not too bright.
Also, don't add any pH until your Rez is mixed with nutes. Otherwise it's just extra chemicals for no reason. The only time pH matters in when it touches the roots.

It should be pretty similar process daily. The tap water in most areas is pretty consistent day-to-day. It's good instinct to waste a Rez after too much tinkering. Less is more!

Feeding is stressful! Simplify! Good luck!

 

[kcbudz31]

I just got a pH kit and my tap is 9.0.

Ugh.

I'm sorry, planties. I didn't mean to feed you that trash.


GET A PH KIT, PEOPLE

 

[kyndone]

ya, im sure my digi pH tester is a piece of crap, i am gonna dump my rez and put fresh R.o. in it, and start over

 

[kyndone]

ya kcbudz, my tap wawa is 8.2, and i live in so ca. so the quality is prolly not great either i bet., thats why i use nothing but R.O. it pH tests at 6.8 at the little vending machines i go to. as far as i know, it seems my digital tester was not being accurate, the water tested at like 4.0 in my rez, but its hard to tell with the dropper, the water in the tester was orange, and i dont think that is the right color. jen says its supposed to be pee yellow.

 

[kyndone]

ok, ive been using the dropper for the last 4 days, i tested before i added nutes, then after, i added 2 drops of pH down to bring it to yellow, then added that to my rez., 8 hrs. later i checked it, and the water was a darker color, so im assuming the pH went up a bit, i checked my ppm, and it was at 200, that seems to low, how do i get the ppm's up where they are supposed to be?, and the yellow, is it supposed to be like when i eat asparagus?, or like when i take vicodin?, when i go out drinking my pee is like a dark yellow, and that doesnt seem to be the right color, after i added pH down and nutes, i had it at a light yellow, but it darkened later,any help would be greatly appreciated, also, the tips of my leaves are turning brown and curling up, is that common with f-d up pH?