# What should ppm and pH be doing when nutes are right?



## NewbieG (Feb 26, 2009)

I got my Hanna combo, but I'm not exactly sure how pH and ppm should be acting when I have the correct concentration of nutrients in. From what I understand if the nutes are at the correct concentration, ppm should be decreasing and pH should be going up. Is this correct?

I have noticed that my ppm have not really been dropping much but my plants don't seem to get n e burn at 1700 ppm. I just got my nutrients and want to try the gravity I got, but I got other plants in the grow room that just started flowering, and don't want to use it on them until later so for now I will be adding CArbo load and Bloom Booster. any suggestions?


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## solarz (Feb 27, 2009)

From my understanding...when the nutes are right...there is not swing.  When the nutes re too low for the plant...the ph will rise and when they are too much for the plant, the ph drops.  That is the quest...to find the right balance where you have a steady reading of ph/ppm.

solarz


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## solarz (Feb 27, 2009)

BTW, which hanna combo meter do you have?  I have the grocheck.


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## NewbieG (Feb 27, 2009)

its the combo meter. I like it, and it seems to be accurate. But I don't think ppm will ever stay constant. From what I understand there are three things that could be happening.

1. pH goes up and ppm goes down = This is what should happen I think? I mean the plants eat food and the pH drifts up.

2. pH goes up and ppm goes up= I think this means too much nutes, but the plants aren't burning and I keep adding filtered water with zero nutes and this continues to happen? Algae maybe?

Am I totally off on this?


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## ShecallshimThor (Feb 27, 2009)

i dont think your off but i think at time the plant will just drink water and thats what cuases you ppm to go up i would guess maybe algea maybe the nutes are to strong what kind of method do you grow in......
 i burnt my first DWC roots by having my ppm over 1000 they want all dark and slimy 
i revegged that plant cut half the roots off now it is doing so much better it just finished first week of 12/12 after 3 weeks of veg and the new roots are white like they should have been the first time and the root ball is easily twice as big a before sorry about the ramble but just wanted you to understand my thoughts


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## NewbieG (Feb 28, 2009)

Thanks for the post SCHT.  I actually just cleared out my res. to start over because pH was getting way too high and its the first time I changed my res all flowering. I scrubbed it all out and there was this brown gunk... I don't know what it was, but its gone now. I refilled my res at this level yesterday and this is what happened today:

2/27 
- Changed reservoir water (starting ppm just under 100.)
- flushed 5+ gallons of water through each plant in case of lock up.
- Nutrients:
         - 1/2 strength AN BLoom Booster Pro
         - 1/2 strength carbo load
         - 25% Humbolt Gravity
         - 5% Dutch Master Flower Nutrients A &B

Finished up with ppm:448 and pH 5.63.

2/27 Added zero nutrientss
- pH: 5.1
- ppm:782

I added very little humbolt because I have other plants that are going to need more than two weeks for flowering so i figured a little would help the oldfer plants fatten up and wouldn't damage the younger plants either. 

My plan is to not add more nutrients and and simply increase the pH slightly today as it will probably be back on point tomorrow as it normally rises daily.


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## NewbieG (Mar 2, 2009)

Its an ebb and flow system btw.


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## bigb (Mar 3, 2009)

i have an ebb&flo setup as well and i can tell  you that my ppm & ph are never constant number.
my plants drink about 1-2 gal a water every 3-4 days so im consistantly adding water to lower my ppm. and as far as my ph it drifts between 5.5-5.9 within the 3-4 days. after i had the water i use some ph down to get it where i need it to be.
if you wanna know anything else pm me id be glad to share.


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## CasualGrower (Mar 3, 2009)

IF you have a steady supply of PH'd 0ppm water to replenish your rez for what your plants drink and evaporation.....

Your PH will drift upwards and your PPMs will drop over time.... This is due to your plants 'eating' the PPMs.. the plants waste material is alkali salts... the is what will make the PH drift upwards....  This is why when you are growing in soil, there is a need to flush your soil every now and then and in Hydro, you should change your rez regularly.... MJ is an aggressive feeding plant when the situation is right.  So the faster your plant is growing, the more drift you can expect....

Hope this helps


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## NewbieG (Mar 3, 2009)

bigb said:
			
		

> i have an ebb&flo setup as well and i can tell  you that my ppm & ph are never constant number.
> my plants drink about 1-2 gal a water every 3-4 days so im consistantly adding water to lower my ppm. and as far as my ph it drifts between 5.5-5.9 within the 3-4 days. after i had the water i use some ph down to get it where i need it to be.
> if you wanna know anything else pm me id be glad to share.



This is actually what mine does. My plants drink a little more water. I'd say a gallon a day, but besides that i got the same drift. Maybe upto 6.1-6.2. But I will set between 5.6 and 5.8 depending on where it lands when im adding pH down.


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## blowinsmoke (Mar 3, 2009)

What I've found is will vary through out the day.  When you adjust the ph, you don't want to just add PH up or down to your solution.  You need to dillute it first or it may just settle on the bottom of your res.   As your plants use water your ppm should go up, but they are also using nutes which will cause the ppm to go down.     I've found that adding balanced water when ppm rises and balanced nutes when it goes down is a good starting point, but you have to read your plants.   The ppm might be going up because one elements is locked out or toxic salts are building up.  When in doubt, I flush them out.


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