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Ph and ec problem in hydroponic

rainito

New member
Hi all guys, I'm new to the forum but I've been following you for years and thanks to you, I've always solved my problems without having to bother you. Let's get to the point and I'll introduce you to my setup:

Growroom: 100x100x200cm
Lighting: enfun 1000 LED ceiling light (100 watts)
Hydroponic system: Atami Wilma 4 11L pots and 50 liters tank. I use 70/80% reverse osmosis water and the remainder tap water.
Plants: Watermelon Zkittlezz from Barney's Farm
pH and EC measurement system constantly immersed in the tank and automatic dosing with peristaltic pump for any corrections. (I only use it to correct the pH).
Humidifier and dehumidifier with inkbird correction system.
Temperature controlled by the inkbird system via stove or extractor that introduces fresh air from the outside.
During the daylight hours I leave three PC fans on and during the darkness they turn off and I let the various regulation systems manage the air exchange, given that in the dark the humidity tends to rise and the aspirator that automatically lets in air.

Current state: 20 days of vegetative growth.
Humidity between 50 and 60%
Stable temperature at 21/22°

The problem I encountered occurred at the end of the last cycle. Once we reached about 7/8 weeks of flowering, I noticed that, unlike the norm, the pH tended to drop and the EC tended to rise.
I didn't give too much importance to it because in any case the plants were healthy and the automatic pH regulation system intervened by inserting the pH+.
Once the harvest is finished, I clean and disinfect everything and let four months pass. I start this new new cycle and this time, right away, this problem returns. Obviously I have calibrated both the pH meter and the EC meter over and over again and actually, when I test the tap water, the pH is always the same and the EC is obviously low, so this excludes a problem with the instruments.
The only thing this cycle has in common with the old one is the expanded clay in the vases. It must be said, however, that obviously, before using it again, I washed it carefully and let it dry completely.

My system is designed so that the roots do not end up in the water but remain in the pot or at most they come out of the pot's drainage holes but still remain in the upper tray. In the tank I obviously have the irrigation pump which is activated during the hours of light for 15 minutes every two hours and during the hours of darkness for 15 minutes every three hours. In addition to the pump I have two motors with propellers that mix the water which are activated when the PH- or + input is activated.

As products I use the complete series of Advanced Nutrients Ph Perfect.


Sorry for the biblical post and I hope for your help. 👋
 
Last edited:

DARKSIDER

Official Seed Tester
Moderator
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Hi all guys, I'm new to the forum but I've been following you for years and thanks to you, I've always solved my problems without having to bother you. Let's get to the point and I'll introduce you to my setup:

Growroom: 100x100x200cm
Lighting: enfun 1000 LED ceiling light (100 watts)
Hydroponic system: Atami Wilma 4 11L pots and 50 liters tank. I use 70/80% reverse osmosis water and the remainder tap water.
Plants: Watermelon Zkittlezz from Barney's Farm
pH and EC measurement system constantly immersed in the tank and automatic dosing with peristaltic pump for any corrections. (I only use it to correct the pH).
Humidifier and dehumidifier with inkbird correction system.
Temperature controlled by the inkbird system via stove or extractor that introduces fresh air from the outside.
During the daylight hours I leave three PC fans on and during the darkness they turn off and I let the various regulation systems manage the air exchange, given that in the dark the humidity tends to rise and the aspirator that automatically lets in air.

Current state: 20 days of vegetative growth.
Humidity between 50 and 60%
Stable temperature at 21/22°

The problem I encountered occurred at the end of the last cycle. Once we reached about 7/8 weeks of flowering, I noticed that, unlike the norm, the pH tended to drop and the EC tended to rise.
I didn't give too much importance to it because in any case the plants were healthy and the automatic pH regulation system intervened by inserting the pH+.
Once the harvest is finished, I clean and disinfect everything and let four months pass. I start this new new cycle and this time, right away, this problem returns. Obviously I have calibrated both the pH meter and the EC meter over and over again and actually, when I test the tap water, the pH is always the same and the EC is obviously low, so this excludes a problem with the instruments.
The only thing this cycle has in common with the old one is the expanded clay in the vases. It must be said, however, that obviously, before using it again, I washed it carefully and let it dry completely.

My system is designed so that the roots do not end up in the water but remain in the pot or at most they come out of the pot's drainage holes but still remain in the upper tray. In the tank I obviously have the irrigation pump which is activated during the hours of light for 15 minutes every two hours and during the hours of darkness for 15 minutes every three hours. In addition to the pump I have two motors with propellers that mix the water which are activated when the PH- or + input is activated.

As products I use the complete series of Advanced Nutrients Ph Perfect.


Sorry for the biblical post and I hope for your help. 👋
Ec up ph down usually means give less nutes, plants dumping nutrient back into water not taking them in so to speak check the batterys on your ph and ec instruments just to narrow it down a bit :good:
 

rainito

New member
Ok i will try with less nutes and let you know. About the battery, the ph and ec meter are ac continuos alimentated so is not a problem. The actual ec is 1.4 and it would be from 1 to 2. So it’ would be ok but i will try with less nutes.
 
Last edited:

bs0

Active member
Hi all guys, I'm new to the forum but I've been following you for years and thanks to you, I've always solved my problems without having to bother you. Let's get to the point and I'll introduce you to my setup:

Growroom: 100x100x200cm
Lighting: enfun 1000 LED ceiling light (100 watts)
Hydroponic system: Atami Wilma 4 11L pots and 50 liters tank. I use 70/80% reverse osmosis water and the remainder tap water.
Plants: Watermelon Zkittlezz from Barney's Farm
pH and EC measurement system constantly immersed in the tank and automatic dosing with peristaltic pump for any corrections. (I only use it to correct the pH).
Humidifier and dehumidifier with inkbird correction system.
Temperature controlled by the inkbird system via stove or extractor that introduces fresh air from the outside.
During the daylight hours I leave three PC fans on and during the darkness they turn off and I let the various regulation systems manage the air exchange, given that in the dark the humidity tends to rise and the aspirator that automatically lets in air.

Current state: 20 days of vegetative growth.
Humidity between 50 and 60%
Stable temperature at 21/22°

The problem I encountered occurred at the end of the last cycle. Once we reached about 7/8 weeks of flowering, I noticed that, unlike the norm, the pH tended to drop and the EC tended to rise.
I didn't give too much importance to it because in any case the plants were healthy and the automatic pH regulation system intervened by inserting the pH+.
Once the harvest is finished, I clean and disinfect everything and let four months pass. I start this new new cycle and this time, right away, this problem returns. Obviously I have calibrated both the pH meter and the EC meter over and over again and actually, when I test the tap water, the pH is always the same and the EC is obviously low, so this excludes a problem with the instruments.
The only thing this cycle has in common with the old one is the expanded clay in the vases. It must be said, however, that obviously, before using it again, I washed it carefully and let it dry completely.

My system is designed so that the roots do not end up in the water but remain in the pot or at most they come out of the pot's drainage holes but still remain in the upper tray. In the tank I obviously have the irrigation pump which is activated during the hours of light for 15 minutes every two hours and during the hours of darkness for 15 minutes every three hours. In addition to the pump I have two motors with propellers that mix the water which are activated when the PH- or + input is activated.

As products I use the complete series of Advanced Nutrients Ph Perfect.


Sorry for the biblical post and I hope for your help. 👋
2 things:
Thing 1: If you get PH issues that don't resolve with PH up/down drain the rez & refill fresh. 80% chance of repair.

Thing 2: if you have a successful grow with good roots DON'T STERILIZE THE SYSTEM after run finishes. Drain and refill. Healthy harvest means that the rez biome is optimal and you want to keep that going. Don't let it dry out. Good roots means good biome, when you bleach it out you start fresh and roll dice again.

Others may disagree, but after 3 decades of keeping planted fish tanks and growing hydro plants indoor I've learned how important the water biome is. In a proper system the good bacteria outcompete the bad bacteria, and once you have that you want to retain it. Every time you sterilize it gives the bad bacteria a new chance to become dominant.
 

rainito

New member
2 things:
Thing 1: If you get PH issues that don't resolve with PH up/down drain the rez & refill fresh. 80% chance of repair.

Thing 2: if you have a successful grow with good roots DON'T STERILIZE THE SYSTEM after run finishes. Drain and refill. Healthy harvest means that the rez biome is optimal and you want to keep that going. Don't let it dry out. Good roots means good biome, when you bleach it out you start fresh and roll dice again.

Others may disagree, but after 3 decades of keeping planted fish tanks and growing hydro plants indoor I've learned how important the water biome is. In a proper system the good bacteria outcompete the bad bacteria, and once you have that you want to retain it. Every time you sterilize it gives the bad bacteria a new chance to become dominant.
Thing 1: If you get PH issues that don't resolve with PH up/down drain the rez & refill fresh. 80% chance of repair.
Sorry what is the rez? The vassel?
For the rest, i have an aquarium too and i understand your speech about the biom. I will follow your advise for the future run. Thanks 👍
 

weedemart

Active member
Honestly advanced nutrients is probly the worst product you could get for this type of system but thats my opinion. If I was you, i would try with something cleaner and more professional. Jack nutrient or General hydroponics are good choices.

The issue you reported is something normal. In flowering , especially late flowering, plant demand for nitrogen drop down so the ph tend to drop because of potassium/calcium uptake.

For EC tho, rising EC is a sign of overfeeding and/or unbalanced nutrient and it's quite normal too at the end if you dont adjust your feed, plant simply doesnt require lot of nutrient at this stage.
 

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