# PH Problems in Bubbleponics Need Help



## compqt (Dec 1, 2008)

My plants are 10 days old. Everything was good until a couple of days ago. My PH dropped from 5.9 to like 1.6. I used PH up and brought it up to 6. The next day is was back in the ones. My PPM has remained steady at 400, heat is 82 F, and I am using distilled water. 

What is causing this and what can I do to prevent this??


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## ShecallshimThor (Dec 2, 2008)

im only a nooby but your temp might be to hight from everything ive read temps should be 55-80 without problems.......but.......ive seen someone on this site do an experiment and he had his res at 83 but with co2 so i would suggest dropping temp or adding co2


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## compqt (Dec 2, 2008)

my air temps are 82 F my res temps are 63.8. F


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## Growdude (Dec 2, 2008)

compqt said:
			
		

> My plants are 10 days old. Everything was good until a couple of days ago. My PH dropped from 5.9 to like 1.6. I used PH up and brought it up to 6. The next day is was back in the ones. My PPM has remained steady at 400, heat is 82 F, and I am using distilled water.
> 
> What is causing this and what can I do to prevent this??


 
What are you using to adj your ph?
What type of nutes are you using?

How much air do you have pumping?

Ive never heard of a ph swing that bad.


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## compqt (Dec 3, 2008)

Growdude said:
			
		

> What are you using to adj your ph?
> What type of nutes are you using?
> 
> How much air do you have pumping?
> ...


 

Using PH Up

Fox Farm 1/4 strength following feeding chart

I don't remember the make and model of the air pump but  it is used for aquariums and has a 2 air outputs. Its pretty big 

Also my plants are showing signs of nute burn, maybe too much PH Up. I am emptying half the res tomorrow and re filling it. Debating whether I should use tap or distilled. Been using distilled. I want to to a full res change over the weekend thats why I am debating using tap just for the few days


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## The Hemp Goddess (Dec 3, 2008)

I think that the nute burn is from nutes.  I don't think that at 10 days, you should be giving your plants nutes, especially 400 ppms worth.  Plants generally do not need to be given any nutes until they are at least 2-3 weeks old.  I would flush them and then just give them ph'd distilled water with no nutes.

I have never heard of a ph swing that bad either.


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## Elven (Dec 4, 2008)

Good luck  I have PH up problems, I just check mine 4 times or more a day and fine tune the water if I need to.


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## BuddyLuv (Dec 5, 2008)

Using to much pH up will burn your plants. 400 ppm is fine for plants that young. I give mine 300 at 1 week and keep doubling every week after. What kind of meter are you using? Also as the water level goes down it will be harder to stabilize the drift. I recommend filling up the res and then adjusting the pH.


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## Elven (Dec 5, 2008)

BuddyLuv said:
			
		

> Using to much pH up will burn your plants. 400 ppm is fine for plants that young. I give mine 300 at 1 week and keep doubling every week after. What kind of meter are you using? Also as the water level goes down it will be harder to stabilize the drift. I recommend filling up the res and then adjusting the pH.



So just a quick question, I was told that only the initial PPM (fertilizer) mattered. So lets say that my new plants (see grow journal, damn a shameless plug) are about to start week 4 of the feeding schedule that I am using says that once all my nutes are in the water I should be at 800 ppm. Now as I said in my last post I have to add PH down multiple times a day for the first few days (looks like its a reaction of the organic parts of my feeding schedule) and that makes my PPM go up. This additional PPM does not seem to negatively effect my plants. So my question is, am I right in my thinking? Or does total PPM effect the plants as well?


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## BuddyLuv (Dec 5, 2008)

The reason your PPM goes up is because your water level goes down. If you fill your res up to it's original level, let's say 10 gallons. Your PPM should go down as the plants feed. My res for instance hold 15 gallons. When I first change my res my ppm is at 1400 with 15 gallons of water. About 3 days later the water level is down to about 5 gallons and if I read my ppm it says it is 1600. Now if I add 10 gallons back to my res and bring it back to 15 gallons and read my ppm it says it is 800. Does this make sense to you? Also your pH will drift in different directions based upon what your plants are doing. Root growth makes it rise as well as heavy feeding. When the drink more water your pH generally goes down.


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## Elven (Dec 5, 2008)

BuddyLuv said:
			
		

> The reason your PPM goes up is because your water level goes down. If you fill your res up to it's original level, let's say 10 gallons. Your PPM should go down as the plants feed. My res for instance hold 15 gallons. When I first change my res my ppm is at 1400 with 15 gallons of water. About 3 days later the water level is down to about 5 gallons and if I read my ppm it says it is 1600. Now if I add 10 gallons back to my res and bring it back to 15 gallons and read my ppm it says it is 800. Does this make sense to you? Also your pH will drift in different directions based upon what your plants are doing. Root growth makes it rise as well as heavy feeding. When the drink more water your pH generally goes down.



That must be it at some level cuz I have TONS of root growth, but they dont drink alot I would say the 4 of them finishing up week 3 of veg prob use about a gallon or so a week. I just got the right bulbs for my lights (check my grow journal, another shameless plug) so I am just starting to get some great growth.


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## BuddyLuv (Dec 5, 2008)

Oh and I forgot to add, organics do crazy things in hydro. Trust me I thought I had my dialed in and then I added organics to my feeding program. Instant drift in all directions from day to day, sometimes within hours.


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## Elven (Dec 5, 2008)

Thanks alot, I figure that as long as I keep this up (checking 4 times a day) it will end up OK.


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## NewbieG (Dec 6, 2008)

I've heard organic nutrients are difficult to use in hydro... I don't want to say its the nutes, but may want to back off a bit and see what happens? Please keep us posted with how you fix it. I'm interested to know if it is the FF or not


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## HydroManiac (Dec 6, 2008)

I wouldnt give your plants distilled water give them natural spring water....


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## compqt (Dec 10, 2008)

I changed the res, last Wednesday. I used tap water. The plants are taking a turn for the worse. 

Here are pics from Sunday the 31st. As you can see although blurry I have nice root growth


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## compqt (Dec 10, 2008)

Even though they are getting even worse. They are growing, although I don't know how much longer. Also the smaller ones did not have yellowing leaves over the weekend. I have to say I am getting discouraged with the whole hydro thing.  I have 1 plant in dirt right now and I have no problems at all


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## Elven (Dec 10, 2008)

If your tap water has chlorine (and most does) that will trash your plants. If you have a water store in your area I get 5 gallons for a buck, and its 2 to 5 ppm to start. Also there is no chlorine, which is nice.


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## compqt (Dec 10, 2008)

They were burnt before I used tap water. I have no water store


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## Elven (Dec 10, 2008)

compqt said:
			
		

> They were burnt before I used tap water. I have no water store



Then I would say pick up some good bottled water, if you buy it by the gallon its not that bad. At least cheaper than buying weed


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## compqt (Dec 10, 2008)

SO I should go back to distilled water??????


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## HydroManiac (Dec 10, 2008)

do you even know your PH levels??
my tap is 6.8-7.0


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## HydroManiac (Dec 10, 2008)

and you deffinately need to clean your grow area and i never check ppm i go with the advice on the package are you staying up to date on it or are you going higher??


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## compqt (Dec 10, 2008)

My Tap is pretty close to yours around high 6's. I switched to tap because my PH was nose diving using distilled


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## Elven (Dec 10, 2008)

compqt said:
			
		

> My Tap is pretty close to yours around high 6's. I switched to tap because my PH was nose diving using distilled


not distilled, drinking water. I would say its better than tap


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## compqt (Dec 10, 2008)

Also I was using Fox Farm , and following their feeding chart. At about 2 weeks I gave them 1/4 strength.

My grow area is clean. I just put it together for this grow.


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## compqt (Dec 10, 2008)

Spring Water?/ Doesn't that contain a lot of minerals harmful to plants??


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## HydroManiac (Dec 10, 2008)

not that i know of I was really talking about arrowhead water about 1.50 for 1.5 liter


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## compqt (Dec 10, 2008)

I've never heard of that or have seen it. I live in the Northeast


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## Elven (Dec 10, 2008)

if you get mineral water thats bad tons of stuff.
distilled water is only H20 so its so pure that its bad
drinking/spring water like sparklets or arrowhead or whatever your local store has would prob be the best.


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## BuddyLuv (Dec 11, 2008)

use RO or distilled. You need to get that ph up to 5.8-5.9. You have a magnesium deficiency. The plants can still be salvaged you just need to give them what they need. I would reccomend that you go on ebay and buy a reverse osmosis kit. It will pay for itself on the first grow alone. I had the same problems on my first grow.


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## HydroManiac (Dec 11, 2008)

I know for a fact R.O. water is 7.0 or above best bet is use tap water airrate it for 24 hours then use. Like buddy said that maybe a nutrient problem but u maybe mixing your nutes in the same water and getting a lock out

MAKE sure you mix each different nute in different mixing containers then add 2 res


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## BuddyLuv (Dec 11, 2008)

My reverse Osmosis water is running 4.9. I have been having to use pH up when I first fill my res. Then it rises and I have to start using ph down. When the week is almost up and the plants have basically fed on most of the nutes the ph drops again and I have to go back to the up.


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## someguy (Dec 11, 2008)

i mostly distilled in my dwc. a lil drinkin water when i had to. never tap.


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## compqt (Dec 11, 2008)

I do mix my nutes right in my res


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## HydroManiac (Dec 11, 2008)

yea that might be the problem right there


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## compqt (Dec 11, 2008)

So let me get this straight.

For veg I am using Fox Farm Grow Big and Big Bloom 

Following their schedule Grow Big calls for 2 tsp per gallon. Since I have a 17 gallon res I mix 34 tsp in 1 gallon of water. And pour that in until I am at the proper PPM?? 

I believe I can add Big Bloom right to the res. Someone correct me if I am wrong


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## compqt (Dec 11, 2008)

Ok I have come up with a new plan.

I am going to buy another bin the same size of my res. Fill it with the same number of gallons as my res. I am going to put an air stone in it and let it sit for 24 hours. I am going to add my nutes, and balance my PH, and then add to my res. And from now on I am doing weekly res changes


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## HydroManiac (Dec 11, 2008)

then i get 2 gallon buckets compqt mix bloom and grow in two different ones
then add them both to your res then add micro in 2 gallons of water and then mix micro in with the rest


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## BuddyLuv (Dec 12, 2008)

compqt said:
			
		

> Ok I have come up with a new plan.
> 
> I am going to buy another bin the same size of my res. Fill it with the same number of gallons as my res. I am going to put an air stone in it and let it sit for 24 hours. I am going to add my nutes, and balance my PH, and then add to my res. _And from now on I am doing weekly res changes_


 
You should be doing this anyway, no matter what.


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## compqt (Dec 15, 2008)

BuddyLuv said:
			
		

> You should be doing this anyway, no matter what.


 

I was doing every 2 weeks


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