# PH perplexed, need someone to explain this to me



## stickywicked (Jul 4, 2012)

I have a bucket top feed system. Net pot in the top and the reservoir in the bottom of the bucket.  I ph my water to 5.7 then blend in the nutes let sit overnight and Ph in the morning, still 5.7.  Good so far.  When I do reservoir change out, I ph this waste nutrient water and it reads 7.1?  ***. Help please,


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## The Hemp Goddess (Jul 4, 2012)

You should not pH your water before you add nutes.  Add nutes, let sit overnight.  Then check your pH and add pH up or down as needed.  I never try and adjust my pH more than 1 point at a time.  It is not unusual for pH to climb.  What is happening to your ppms when your pH rises?


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## ShOrTbUs (Jul 5, 2012)

stickywicked said:
			
		

> I have a bucket top feed system. Net pot in the top and the reservoir in the bottom of the bucket. I ph my water to 5.7 then blend in the nutes let sit overnight and Ph in the morning, still 5.7. Good so far. When I do reservoir change out, I ph this waste nutrient water and it reads 7.1? ***. Help please,


 
your plants are taking in more water then nutes, therefore the ppm rises as the nutes concentrate in the water. which also raises the ph of your water.

i make my nute solution for my dwc system. let it sit. then ph to 5.3. then half way through the week i check the ph (its usually higher 5.8 - 6.2) and re ph my water. in hdryo you want to keep your ph between 5.3 - 5.8 for optimum nutrient uptake. simply check your ph every few days and re-ph


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## Growdude (Jul 5, 2012)

ShOrTbUs said:
			
		

> your plants are taking in more water then nutes, therefore the ppm rises as the nutes concentrate in the water. which also raises the ph of your water.


 
Normally as ppm's rise the PH falls.
If your using hydroton be make sure its rinsed well.


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## The Hemp Goddess (Jul 5, 2012)

:yeahthat:   LOL--I was going to say the same thing.  There is some kind of inverse thing that goes on between pH and ppms.  Generally if your pH is falling, your ppms are going up and vice versa.  You might need a bit stronger nute solution if your ppms are dropping too much.


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## stickywicked (Jul 5, 2012)

The Hemp Goddess said:
			
		

> You should not pH your water before you add nutes.  Add nutes, let sit overnight.  Then check your pH and add pH up or down as needed.  I never try and adjust my pH more than 1 point at a time.  It is not unusual for pH to climb.  What is happening to your ppms when your pH rises?


 
I didn't check the ppm.  I'm using Flora series at the dosage recommended for mild veg. Which is 5ml per gal (1 tsp).  If the the ppm is too high, I add water.  If low I add a few ml to the reservoir until the ppm is up.  What does that do to the 1 teaspoon per gal recommed by GH?


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## Locked (Jul 5, 2012)

stickywicked said:
			
		

> I didn't check the ppm.  I'm using Flora series at the dosage recommended for mild veg. Which is 5ml per gal (1 tsp).  If the the ppm is too high, I add water.  If low I add a few ml to the reservoir until the ppm is up.  What does that do to the 1 teaspoon per gal recommed by GH?




You really shld be using a ppm meter when growing hydro....jmo

      eseasongear.com/tdsecmeters.html


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## cmd420 (Jul 5, 2012)

are you using Hydroton? If so, then get used to the pH swing for the first week or so. I check and adjust my nutes 3 times a day.. basically every 8 hours.. and each time the pH has swung up from 5.8 to 6.8.. every 8 hours.. fun!


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## stickywicked (Jul 5, 2012)

Thanks for all the info.  I haven't been checking my ph between changes and will take care of that.


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## The Hemp Goddess (Jul 6, 2012)

stickywicked said:
			
		

> I didn't check the ppm.  I'm using Flora series at the dosage recommended for mild veg. Which is 5ml per gal (1 tsp).  If the the ppm is too high, I add water.  If low I add a few ml to the reservoir until the ppm is up.  What does that do to the 1 teaspoon per gal recommed by GH?



I'm confused....I didn't understand most of this post.....are you checking ppms or not?  You say that if ppm is too high you add water?  Too low you add a few ml.....of what.....all of them?  Until the ppm is up.....how high?  What does what have to do with the 1 teaspoon per Generally speaking is your pH rises your ppms usually fall, indicating that you need a stronger nute solution

*cmd420*, something is wrong if you are getting wild pH swings like that in 8 hours.  That is NOT normal and nothing I ever experienced using hydrotron (which is all I ever used for a hydro medium).


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## ShOrTbUs (Jul 6, 2012)

The Hemp Goddess said:
			
		

> *cmd420*, something is wrong if you are getting wild pH swings like that in 8 hours. That is NOT normal and nothing I ever experienced using hydrotron (which is all I ever used for a hydro medium).


 
agreed, while my mj growing experience is very limited compared to THG. i've also never had swings like that before


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## stickywicked (Jul 6, 2012)

Sorry THG.  I was asking several questions.  The problem I was having with the Ph was resolved by checking the Ph throughout the week and adjust accordingly, which I wasn't doing.  Thanks again for that info.... The other thought/question I had was when adjusting ppm upward say from 750 to over 900 or whatever.  I was told to take a sample from the reservoir check the ppm, to increase the ppm add an equal amount of the 3 part nutes, say 3ml to the sample and pour it all back in the reservoir.  Take another reading, adjust, etc.  Adjusting by adding more nutes changes the recommended dosages.  Is this a problem?  I've never had to do this before.  First grow.  And thanks again.


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## The Hemp Goddess (Jul 7, 2012)

Okay, our questions have to deal with the relationship between your pH and your ppms.  When you add nutes, do you check your pH?  Likewise when you adjust your pH are you checking your ppms?  There is a relationship between the two.  When you are giving your plants the right amount of food, both should stay fairly stable.  

I never adjusted my ppms--only the pH during the week.  Who told you to add nutes in the manner you are doing it?  You should not be adding nutes directly to water that is already nuted.  The micro always needs to be added to plain water and added first, then either the bloom or the grow, it doesn't matter.  When micro is added to water that already has nutes in it, it locks up many of the micro elements.  Then this is all poured into the res.  Once a week or every 10 days, I would change out the res and start over.  If you are in veg, you need to be running the regular veg formula 15 ml grow, 10 ml micro, and 5 ml bloom--


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## stickywicked (Jul 8, 2012)

Thanks for the reply THG.  I wasn't checking the ppms but I am now, I think I  have it all worked out for now.  Great info, your my favorite plumber for sure.


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## The Hemp Goddess (Jul 9, 2012)

LOL, thanks--and I guarantee "No butt cracks"


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## Stoneage (Aug 15, 2012)

I am having the same issue as cmd420. I have started a new grow, and I am at 900-1000 ppm in veg. The ppm is stable, but I am getting rise in the ph. I try to keep it between 5.5- 5.7ph. I have been growing about two yrs now, and I have never had this issue. It usually stays a solid 5.7ph. I am filtering my water. It is neutral when it's filtered. I am on city water. I was thinking that maybe some how the city is doing something different? Not sure. I calibrate my tools on a regular basis. (twice a year, for ppm meter and once a month for ph meter.)


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## Time4Plan-B (Aug 16, 2012)

I allow water to stand 24 hours then add nutes and then ph adjust immediately which fyi isnt needed very often more or less correct when nutes are added.
T4


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## Hushpuppy (Aug 17, 2012)

Are you growing the same strain of plants as before? what size rez are you using? Are they drinking a good bit of water? All of these things will affect the PH because it is a ratio of chemicals and water. Any of the above factors can cause changes and depending on which factors move and which direction will have different affects. 

If the plants were taking in only extra water and not taking much nutes then the PH could rise but the PPM would also most likely rise. if they are really eating the nutes and not a lot of water then the ppm and PH would fall. If they are taking in a ballanced amount of nutes and water then the PH could rise while the PPM stays the same (this can be affected by the strain of plant you are growing as to how it takes in nutes.

I typically find with my plants that during veg, they really take in the more alkaline nutrients and water which causes the PH to fall, but then when they switch to flowering the process reverses and my PH starts rising as they take in more acidic nutrients. That is oversimplifying it but that could be what's going on with yours, unless it is really crashing fast, then it may be something else going on.


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## Old Resin (Oct 25, 2012)

I recomend reading this concerning ph-hXXp://www.dutchmaster.com.au/?language=english&page=growers_guide&topic=ph_info


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## Locked (Oct 25, 2012)

OR, kill the live link bro....either change http to hXXp or remove http://www. from the front of it. We don't post live links to anything off site here.


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