Desperate For Advice On Ph Issues In Small 2 Gallon Reservoir

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dsiomtw

New Member
Actually you're wrong there. I have both a Bluelabs monitor, and I also just bought a Bluelabs pH controller to automate the maintenance of my pH in my tiny res. :)
 
Yodaweed

Yodaweed

Well-Known Member
dsiomtw said:
Actually you're wrong there. I have both a Bluelabs monitor, and I also just bought a Bluelabs pH controller to automate the maintenance of my pH in my tiny res. :)
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waste of money , should have spent that 700 on a better setup.
 
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dsiomtw

New Member
Sure, but I'd rather not have to mess with adjusting my pH every day, and I can afford the controller so why not.
 
Yodaweed

Yodaweed

Well-Known Member
dsiomtw said:
Sure, but I'd rather not have to mess with adjusting my pH every day, and I can afford the controller so why not.
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You wouldn't have to mess with pH everyday if you had a proper setup is what i am getting at, you are having an unstable pH cause your setup isn't proper.
 
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dsiomtw

New Member
I don't necessarily think that's true. When I search around I find tons of people who have done successful grows in small reservoirs that say they also need to adjust pH daily.
 
HydroRed

HydroRed

Well-Known Member
dsiomtw said:
This is my first grow and I'm having trouble. Everything else is dialed in, so I think it must be related to the daily 5.6-6.1 pH swing I see and/or the pH down that I'm constantly having to add every single day.

My plant often looks droopy as if it's not getting enough oxygen (which it is), various leaf tips curl either up or down, and most of the lower fan leaves have some degree of brown "rust" spots which point to some type of deficiency.

I'm running out of ideas and my only guess at this point is that one or more nutes are getting locked out once the pH down/phosphorus in the res gets too high??

I'm going to change the res in just a bit and see if she looks any better in the morning, but I'm desperate for any input at this point if you have a minute to chime in. Here's what I'm looking at...

Set up: Supercloset superbox w/ about 2 gallons in the reservoir
Plants: 1 single feminized auto, CBD Crack (28 days old and pre-flowering)
Light: 200w CFL on top and (2) 100w CFLs side lights. 20 hours on, 4 hours off.
Nutes: ~600ppm Technaflora (recipe for success)
Water: I start with distilled, add nutes, then pH to 5.6
Water temp: 64-72F (averages about 68F)
Air temp: 64-80F (averages about 76-78F with the lights on)
Humidity: 45-60% (averages about 50%)
Roots: Healthy and white. Starting to fill the res. 1/2 inch "hairs" everywhere.
pH: 5.6-6.1 swing every day, requiring pH down every day

I've done a ridiculous amount of research on everything, but as you know there aren't many "one size fits all" answers, and everyone has differing opinions. But here are some of the things I'm thinking about, if you know about or can comment on any of them ...

1. Can you have a healthy hydro plant if your pH swings from 5.6-6.1 and then back to 5.6 every day?

2. Is it even realistic to try to grow in a 2 gallon res? Do I need to use something at least 5-10 gallons in order to reduce the pH problems, and just waste a bunch of money on extra nutes?

This set up has 8 net pots and while you could never grow 8 plants in this box I've watched a bunch of YouTube videos where guys have grown multiple plants in the 2 gal res so hmmm

3. Is there something else I could be using besides GH pH down? I've read that another brand called Advanced Nutrients has a pH down that supposedly "lasts" a lot longer, requiring less to be added. Or should I be using vinegar or something else that won't cause a nute lockout and be better for my plant?

4. Am I making a huge noob mistake and totally missing something here??

Sorry for the long post. If you made it this far you're awesome!
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Scrap the "superbox" and get a bigger tub/res. Your gonna chase your tail trying to maintain good #'s in only 2 gal res. Yes, it can be done. Can it be done more simplified in the same amount of space -absolutely. Use the same theory as the one you have but step up the size of the res and only cut out 2 spots in the lid for larger netpots. You can potentially double your res volume just by getting a res thats wider, but slightly taller than your current setup by just a few inches.
@OldMedUser has a few different DWC tubs hes made up that seem to work well. They can be made to fit just about any grow room size or configuration.[/USER]
 
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MichiganMedGrower

MichiganMedGrower

Well-Known Member
HydroRed said:
Scrap the "superbox" and get a bigger tub/res. Your gonna chase your tail trying to maintain good #'s in only 2 gal res. Yes, it can be done. Can it be done more simplified in the same amount of space -absolutely. Use the same theory as the one you have but step up the size of the res and only cut out 2 spots in the lid for larger netpots. You can potentially double your res volume just by getting a res thats wider, but slightly taller than your current setup by just a few inches.
@MichiganMedGrower has a few different DWC tubs hes made up that seem to work well. They can be made to fit just about any grow room size or configuration.
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Not me. I use potting soil.
 
B

Bushhippy

Member
dsiomtw said:
I don't know if anyone is checking their pH twice a day. I'm the original poster, and I mentioned that my pH drifts from 5.6 to 6.1 in roughly 24 hours, so I personally am adjusting my pH exactly once per day.

I'm using Technaflora nutes, which comes in 9 different bottles, that you use in various combinations at different times. The "CalMag" they provide is called MagiCal, and it contains 2% nitrogen, 3.25% calcium, 1.25% magnesium, and a tiny bit of Iron.
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Hey try ph perfect by advanced nutrients, works for me and don't need any ph testers. I'e done pretty good so far
 
PetFlora

PetFlora

Well-Known Member
dsiomtw said:
Well this my first grow and everything is brand new. I'm using the Bluelabs meter to monitor PPM, water temp and pH and the pH probe was calibrated about a month ago when I first got it.
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FWIW: I have been urged to calibrate monthly.
 
X

XipXipXoom

Active Member
dsiomtw said:
Our "tap" water is softened, and I'm not sure how that affects things, but I will certainly look into it and give it a try. Thanks!
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No, don't use softened water. However, all the hose bibs on the exterior of your house most likely aren't on the softner because it's bad for grass/plants etc.

I'd recommend getting a KH/GH test kit rather than guessing. I'd also recommend a larger rez. 2 gal may be doable for a single plant, but 6??

If your using magical, you shouldn't need tap water, but I don't have much exp with techniflora products other than a sample kit I got years ago. I would recommend mixing a batch and measure pH drift without any plant in it, and also recommend giving GH 3 part a try. You may have different results with different nutes.

A lot of ppl asked about temp, but no one asked about RH.

Some ppl say some pH swing is good but I think a stable pH is as important as being in the right range. If ur constantly adjusting the plant has no chance to acclimate.
 
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