I refuse to let high alkalinity win here I've already gotten shit from a couple of people because I'm a girl trying to do this. But I'm stumped guys, please help me..

Problem: My pH is perpetually rising. Every few hours it goes back up. I thought it was my cheap PetSmart buffer solution, so I bought Viagrow natural pH down-- it comes in crystals. Didn't work.

Then I tried filtering my tap water with Britta, didn't work.

Then I bought Whole Foods 365 distilled water, didn't work. In fact, this morning the pH was at 8.2-- highest yet.

I just bought a pH meter that was calibrated two weeks ago, so I don't think that my meter is broken. I am using Foxfarm nutes, but I waited a week to put them in and it was doing it before I added them, so it's not the nutes.

What is going on??? How can my pH go from 5.5 to 8.0 in less than a day?? I'm literally adding down every two hours to keep it somewhat normal, and I can't keep doing this. When I wake up in the mornings it has skyrocketed.

HELP. I don't know what else to do!

Add nutes and then let water sit. Then check ph.

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-- just a thought--

What temperature is the water? If its too warm that can be the cause. Also a plant shits itself into the solution so you might try H202 to help regulate pH.

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Loose lips sink ships.

Is your res. completely 100% lightproof?

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Go on get that weed up in ya, you'll feel better!!

Who ever is hating on you just because your a girl is very foolish. maybe they are afraid of you outdoing them? don't listen to those fools. Girls are just as capable of doing hydroponics as guys.

The cheap petsmart buffer solution. Are you talking about Seachem Liquid marine buffer? If so it says it maintains a PH of 8.3 So that was possibly your problem. You should only by hydroponic PH up and ph down. Don't adjust ph with buffer solutions. They sell 7.01 and 4.01 buffer solutions for PH pen calibration.

The natural ph down. I have heard that natural ph down(usually citric acid) tends to lower the ph but it doesnt maintain the same ph after a certain amount of time(24 hrs?)

I would suggest buying Hydroponic PH up and PH down. maybe try to get PH down with hydrochloric acid instead of citric acid.

I don't know if fox farms has cal mag in it's nutrients but I know you should be adding cal mag if it doesn't because those minerals stabilize PH if im not mistaken. They also help with nutrient uptake and a host of other things.

If you use tap water you probably shouldn't add cal mag. Tap water can become problematic. Whole foods distilled water is good but probably not cheap. I would suggest getting some type of Reverse osmosis or carbon filter on your tap.

Do you put 7.01 ph buffer in your electrode cap on the ph pen when you don't use it?

nuh uh.











j/k

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Loose lips sink ships.

Dirtyboy: this is what I do

wilson: I do not know the temperature of the water, but the temperature of the room my AG is in is 74, with 65 humidity.

grob: I have not altered my AG beyond how it comes. I do have every pod with a peat pellet (or whatever it came with). Do I need to cover this medium and just let the stem come out? Also, what about when I lift open the top to check the pH, or add nutes. Will these exposed few minutes be a problem? I thought that light was bad because of bacteria/algae, but I didn't realize it could affect pH.

justice: Thanks. I'd like to prove these idiots wrong but this pH stuff is very discouraging. I used API ("Aquarium Pharmaceuticals) in the beginning, then I did switch to a citric acid based down solution, so maybe this is the problem!!!! I guess I should try a hydrochloric based down. I thought citric acid was fine because I bought it at a hydro store..

I don't mind using WF distilled water. It runs at about 1.10 a gallon and my AG is just a gallon so for 2.20 I'm fine for a while since I just need to top it off. As long as this is an okay water source I don't mind sticking to it.

I don't use 7.01 in my meter.. the [very brief] instructions it came with said not to store with distilled water, and nothing else, so I've just been using tap water.. is this bad?

Thanks for all of the advice.. does anyone know whether foxfarm has cal-mag?

I'm so jealous of all these AG growers who are getting decent plants with tap water and the AG nutes. I went all out getting all the 'ideal' supplies and am already having major problems in week 1. Bah.

Okay so just did some research.. am buying cal-mag.. and hydrochloric acid based pH down.

Just found out my new 150w SunSystem was "delivered" on the 8th.. it never arrived... so now I have to file a claim. Who knows how long this will take. I think fate is against me. Thankfully I just used bag seed with this grow, my store-bought seeds will have to wait.

Any other ideas for what could be the problem??

Could someone please clear up whether I need to cover the pellets with duct tape and just leave room for the stem?

Ok last question, really.. can someone recommend me a brand of quality hydrochloric acid based ph down to purchase? I've found technaflora and general hydroponics ph downs but I don't think these are hydro-acid based.. I do not want to mess up this purchase.

theres a cupple thins i learned whell useing the areo garden .
#1, useing distilled water= bad idea.. it doesnt supply basic nutes that come in tap water.. the cal mag will work for the moment, but after you get the calcium and magnesium up.. switch back to good ol tap water *witch has cal,mag.ect already in it*
#2 .. the areo garden has a small resivor. witch means your plants will absorbe your nutes faster, and the waterlevel will go down faster due to the plants and evaporation witch will cause your ppm and p.h to rise.

i sugest going back to tap water in the garden, changing the nutes as often as possible *every 2 or 3 days* and keeping a fresh bottle of nute water with a slightly lower ph so you can top up the res as oftin as needed.

i am no expert but thoease would be my sugestions.. do a little more reasarch on useing distilled water because that was our main problem when useing the areo garden.. and we thought it was a good idea.

good luck and happy growing

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