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How do YOU measure your PH?

RugerBaby

RugerBaby

Autos are for pussies!
Veteran
Whats goin on fellow ICmaggers?:wave:

The title pretty much says it all. I hand water and mix my nutes in a 1 gallon jug with a cap. I usually just drop my ph meter through the mouth of the jug and measure.

I started out pouring samples into a shot glass, then measuring, but got lazy and switched to my current method.

I'm getting tired of mixing 1 gallon at a time and was thinking about buying a 5 gallon water bottle and using that to mix my nutes.

So, how do you measure your ph and what do you think about buying a 5 gallon bottle to mix my nutes?

Thanks in advance!
 
Lone Wolf

Lone Wolf

Well-known member
Veteran
I check PH once then remember how much ph down i use that first time and then apply that same amount to my future mix. Gotta use the syringe measurement tool. If you are mixing large batches of water, get one of those measuring cups they sell for a buck or so at walmart. In my current days I use 2 ml per gal of mixd nutes. PH is normally around 7.7. 2 ml of ph down plus a mix of my nutes gets me down to about 5.5-5.8.
 
D

dunkybones

Go crazy man, buy a five gallon bucket and a paint mixer and have at it, pH away to your turkish delight!
 
P

Prime8

New member
At first it was a couple gallons in a bucket. Now I do 5 at a time since the plants are so thirsty and I got tired of mixing it up all the time.

My meter is waterproof and I use a chopstick to stir. Use various size syringes to measure nutes and pH+. I easily keep it at 5.8 cause I use RO water. Any way I just swirl that meter in the solution and it'll find the pH right quick.

I let the nutes sit and see if there's a pH drift over a couple hours. Once that gets nailed down it stays there.

I put a tap on the nute bucket and now just draw off the nutes into a soda-bottle: my "waterer" lol.
 
ThePizzaMan

ThePizzaMan

Active member
Veteran
I mix my nutes in a bucket by hand...then I just measure with my cheap hanna PH meter. I always have to use PH up...and I just add it till it is at an acceptable level...above 5.6 for a coco grow.
 
RugerBaby

RugerBaby

Autos are for pussies!
Veteran
awesome guys! Thanks!

pouring samples into a shotglass, then measuring the ph got old quick.


looks like im gonna go ahead and buy the 5 gallon jug and get a paint mixer stick thingamajig. Then ill just drop my meter in through the mouth and take a reading.
:woohoo:
no more 1 gallon at a time!

THANKS!
 
bobblehead

bobblehead

Active member
Veteran
Yes, meters suck balls. Not dependable. Dye kits don't lie. We don't need exact numbers, just a range of 5.5-5.8. Dye is good enough for me!

picture.php
 
Z

Zen Master

Cannasseur
Veteran
I actually think that because of using droppers, I get a little swing, + - .5, however this isn't necessarily a bad thing as I think it allows the plant to uptake a different variety of nutrients more efficiently
 
Lone Wolf

Lone Wolf

Well-known member
Veteran
bobblehead said:
Yes, meters suck balls. Not dependable. Dye kits don't lie. We don't need exact numbers, just a range of 5.5-5.8. Dye is good enough for me!

picture.php
Click to expand...

Not being a dick at all, but I just wanted to point out that you have some nanners on that nug there... miscalculating your measurements could very well have caused the plant to make these... just a thought
 
slackx

slackx

Active member
Veteran
Hey ruger, just pick up one of the cheapo General Hydroponics test kits from www.bghydro.com it's like 13 and change works excellent...no calibration fluids, that or you can get yourself some old fashion litmus paper! Both excellent choices as long as your close it works perfectly.
 
RugerBaby

RugerBaby

Autos are for pussies!
Veteran
slackx said:
Hey ruger, just pick up one of the cheapo General Hydroponics test kits from www.bghydro.com it's like 13 and change works excellent...no calibration fluids, that or you can get yourself some old fashion litmus paper! Both excellent choices as long as your close it works perfectly.
Click to expand...



after hearing everybody talk about these strips and drops, Im gonna go ahead and buy some as backup, just for the hell of it..haha
you never know, I might like the results better.

thanks fellas!
 
Last edited:
robbiedublu

robbiedublu

Member
Litmus paper double checked with drops is all i've used for a couple of years and works fine. If someone could make a dependable reasonably priced hassle free meter, i'd buy it.
 
RugerBaby

RugerBaby

Autos are for pussies!
Veteran
do you guys stick your pen in the reservoir or pour out a sample and take a reading?

edit: If you are using a pen
 
O

Ontariostoner

I've never measured the ph of my dwc grows - and I have had more than a few. Never measured ppm's. Never used a meter - wouldn't know how to if you handed me one.

Tap water, aquarium treatment for chlora's, Superthrive, house brand nutes and molasses are the only things I've ever used.

Peat pellets, rockwool and hydroton are the mediums of choice for me - net pots and rubbermaid dwc.

Cfls and hps lamps, aluminum pan reflectors - ghetto to the max.

Gotten some fine bud outta just the bare necessities - maybe could have been better with better tools and equipment, but I'll put my cost per sq ft grows against anyone.

IMHO

Edit - Sorry, just noticed this was in coco forum, didn't see that when responding to post. My bad.
 
Last edited:
bobblehead

bobblehead

Active member
Veteran
Lone Wolf said:
Not being a dick at all, but I just wanted to point out that you have some nanners on that nug there... miscalculating your measurements could very well have caused the plant to make these... just a thought
Click to expand...

The nanners were from a light leak... The problem has been fixed. I almost never have nutrient problems. Thrips on the the other hand... Well some Spinosad took care of them.
 
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