pH7.4... How to fix?

[Lemmongrass]

Ill get a runoff reading when im back from the park, but as of now, ive been watering my whole grow with tap and it turns out the tap water is 7.4. ive been having nute deficiencies from ph and obvious ph death. i just bought a new ph kit to test and some ph down when i found out it was 7.4.

since my dirt has been getting this high ph for so long how should i start fixing it? When i water i only use 500ml of water per 3gal pot because of how fast it runs out. should i use more? with 500ml they stay damp for 2-3 days. what should i bring my ph down to in the water before i water it?

can i just start with 6.6 water and stay there or do i need to start at 7.2 then 7, etc? Should i keep giving nutes? Do i need to give them a 6gal flush?

Thank you.

 

[blancolighter]

I would give em a flush cause sending all that tap water through has probably left some mineral deposits keeping your PH high. I would just start with 6.6 water, cause honestly, you aren't going to shock them with a PH change more than the damage you are doin now with a high ph.

 

[Lemmongrass]

Alright i got off my *** and finaly did it. I had to carry 80gal of water a windeing 30ft, then about as much back out to dump. I was using a 5gal stock pot as it was the biggest thing i could find that didnt leak. I then treated each 5gal down to 6.4ish and flushed a pot.

I had the pots sitting inside a plastic tote lined with trash bags. Even the tote was cracked and leaked. I had the damnedest time finding anything big to carry or catch water in. Note the trash bags ;p

Once i got all that done i whipped up a 5gal pot of nute water with 65ml of Grow big and 150ml of Big Bloom with an added dash of Mg-sulfate. pH'ed to 6.6. i fed each child 1L, of which they expelled about 250ml. this was given to my monster dahlia that sits in the corner in a 10gal dirt pot.

i filled a 6" pot with dead leaves off of 14 plants while i was waiting for the water to drip(i could only do 1 plant at a time...)

 

[PencilHead]

Could I elbow into this thread and ask is it best to fix pH in your tap water then add nutrients are do you add nutes then adjust pH? I'm using FF if that matters. Thanks.

 

[Hick]

adjust you ph AFTER adding your nutrients pencilhead..

 

[WeedHopper]

adjust you ph AFTER adding your nutrients pencilhead..

Yep,,cause your nutes will change your PH. I know that the water can be at 7.0 and when I add my Nutes(Dutch Master Grow or Flower) the PH drops big time. Which is good for me cause I am using a DWC and trying to get to 5.8.:hubba:

 

[PencilHead]

My tap runs like 7.2/7.5, and I bring it down to like 6.0/6.5. I did my first feed the wrong way--pH-ed before adding nutes--but that's the only feeding I've done so far. Hope I'm okay--why didn't someone warn me I'd become worse than a first time father?

 

[yumyumbubblegum]

My tap runs like 7.2/7.5, and I bring it down to like 6.0/6.5. I did my first feed the wrong way--pH-ed before adding nutes--but that's the only feeding I've done so far. Hope I'm okay--why didn't someone warn me I'd become worse than a first time father?

You are fine Pencilhead just as long as you are adjusting your PH now(you only watered once with low PH) Check your runoff and see what the soil is doing, did you add Lime to your soil?

At least you have been doing your reading and caught it, ALOT of people on this forum don't catch their PH problems till it has progressed for weeks.

 

[skeet420428]

plus you will end up wasting your pH tester fluid and the adjustment fluids trying to fix the H2O then when you add nutes you have to do it all over again!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Unfortunatly i figured this out the hard way and wanted to kick my own arse after i realized it. But thought Id spread the logic.



skeet

 

[CasualGrower]

Alright i got off my *** and finaly did it. I had to carry 80gal of water a windeing 30ft, then about as much back out to dump. I was using a 5gal stock pot as it was the biggest thing i could find that didnt leak. I then treated each 5gal down to 6.4ish and flushed a pot.

I had the pots sitting inside a plastic tote lined with trash bags. Even the tote was cracked and leaked. I had the damnedest time finding anything big to carry or catch water in. Note the trash bags ;p

Once i got all that done i whipped up a 5gal pot of nute water with 65ml of Grow big and 150ml of Big Bloom with an added dash of Mg-sulfate. pH'ed to 6.6. i fed each child 1L, of which they expelled about 250ml. this was given to my monster dahlia that sits in the corner in a 10gal dirt pot.

i filled a 6" pot with dead leaves off of 14 plants while i was waiting for the water to drip(i could only do 1 plant at a time...)

I do hydro, so I might be wrong here, but I think I would have given the ladies a couple days after flushing and adjusting the PH down so much before I started adding nutes again.... Not saying it will kill anything, but a bit of stress..... Big PH swing and then nutes too..../shrug.... sounds a lil harsh... but as I said, I am used to hydro where changes like this will be highly visible in shorter times...

 

[WeedHopper]

I am used to hydro where changes like this will be highly visible in shorter times

Yep,,my girl will let ya know real quick. I love DWC.

 

[Lemmongrass]

well they have a N/Mg deff already cause of the ph lock and are dying fast. i know i prolly should have waited tho, i just wanted them to have viable nutes since they can actually uptake now.

i would agree totally but ive been growing at 7.4 for 7wks so they are already stressed/fuxored.

 

[CasualGrower]

Are you blooming???? or still Vegging?

 

[Lemmongrass]

veg. im waiting for the mojo to recover from this pH prob before i flip them. but their already up to 18 or so inches and are sativas so i may end up with high problems and have to do even crazier lst than i already have.

 

[CasualGrower]

For them to recover and start into growth good...... You might want to think about installing a SCROG screen for this one hehhee..

 

[Lemmongrass]

you think so? ive considered i and it looks like it could handle it, but i move my pots more than i should. i just counted and on the plant that i fimmed twice has count it... 7 growths on every main growth area. im looking at like 32 main cola's(assuming they all cola as it still has to stretch.

 

[skeet420428]

what are these "COLA's" of which you speak?

 

[PencilHead]

You are fine Pencilhead just as long as you are adjusting your PH now(you only watered once with low PH) Check your runoff and see what the soil is doing, did you add Lime to your soil?

At least you have been doing your reading and caught it, ALOT of people on this forum don't catch their PH problems till it has progressed for weeks.

Did not lime this first grow, but bet ur arse I'll dolomite next grow. Think I'm cool as I made a test batch of FF Grow Big yesterday to ease my conscience. Seems in their wisdom, FF puts Grow Big out there at about 6.5 or so because I adjusted the H2O then added the nutes and I was still well within range. Glad the guys at FF are smarter than I am. Thanks all.