Fed up with PH meters

resit the temptation to think you can improve things with minor adjustments, i even find this hard my self sometimes
i tell myself to just leave them alone lol let them grow themselves

some people see cannabis plants as very finicky eaters that you can force feed special diets and make them superior in quality and yield
i do not believe this, i see them as not being fussy eaters at all, they nibble from time to time, they never seem that greedy to me
cannabis pretty much grows on the same ec as lettuce and plenty of other crops
the solution only ever drops by .3 or so at a time, if its 1.5 or 2.0 it does not really matter they grow the same

ttystikk said:

It is at every facility I've ever seen, cannabis oriented or not..

Click to expand...

Taking ph measurements daily and writing them down is great if you're a scientist or writing a book
other than that i see no excuse, it serves no purpose and not a single grower would be required to do this to grow healthy cannabis
you do it because you enjoy it

peace

oswizzle said:

BlueLab made in New Zealand ...Combo Meter is on point

Click to expand...

I have to agree......one of the best and easiest meters on the market. These typically are problem free for 2-3 years if you clean the probes monthly. Also it is battery operated with auto shut off which is another nice feature. Quality all the way for around $160 if you know where to shop.

SSHZ said:

I have to agree......one of the best and easiest meters on the market. These typically are problem free for 2-3 years if you clean the probes monthly. Also it is battery operated with auto shut off which is another nice feature. Quality all the way for around $160 if you know where to shop.

Click to expand...

And replacement probes are reasonable, so the instrument can indeed last a long time with good care.

Even in daily use.

ttystikk said:

It is at every facility I've ever seen, cannabis oriented or not.



While this may be true for some, it's just as true that getting these numbers every day gives the grower the opportunity he needs to look at his plants every day.

Click to expand...

No meters in my garden. But I do look at my plants everyday.

Jimdamick said:

That is just my opinion though, and my opinion has been proven wrong before, an example being that it was my opinion that my wife was a human being.

Click to expand...

hahahahahahahhahahahah!!!

ahhhh man...too funny.

Alexander Supertramp said:

No meters in my garden. But I do look at my plants everyday.

Click to expand...

I've checked my PH twice in my whole life, I think the Bush Sr was president at the time..
organics is just too easy.
I honestly think most growers overthink, overdo, over feed, over PH, over PPM, over WATER, and etc.
Cannabis is SUCH an easy ass plant to grow.
Try getting orchids to reflower. Or bleeding heart-clerodendrons to re-flower.
People MAKE it difficult, partially because everybody and their mother is trying to get their greedy little feet in the door of the cannabis industry.
You don't need 98% of the products found in a hydro store. But they want you to think in order to grow great weed, you HAVE to. That's just BS.
That's the truth.
if spending 500 bucks on a fancy hydro setup is your thing, and it makes you feel hi-tech, then go for it.
in my opinion (granted i'm an organic grower) hydro is/was developed for growing in space.
Sure if you are in a tiny ass apartment and want to grow in smaller areas, yea, it has a purpose.
Just not for me.

Alexander Supertramp said:

Too many growers spend far too much time reading meters and charts. And not near enough time reading their plants and books on general botany.

Click to expand...

^^^ this here

ttystikk said:

And replacement probes are reasonable, so the instrument can indeed last a long time with good care.

Even in daily use.

Click to expand...

is it just me or is this a hydro you must watch pH vs soil organica where pH doesn't matter. in hydro, pH is only a problem as long as it's not less than 5.5 and more than 6.1

here's my take: if you are doing dwc, you better watch you pH at least twice a day. if i was making money off it , i'd want a 24hr pH and EC results sent to my iPhone.

rkymtnman said:

is it just me or is this a hydro you must watch pH vs soil organica where pH doesn't matter. in hydro, pH is only a problem as long as it's not less than 5.5 and more than 6.1

here's my take: if you are doing dwc, you better watch you pH at least twice a day. if i was making money off it , i'd want a 24hr pH and EC results sent to my iPhone.

Click to expand...

THANK YOU. If it's for making money, whether it's cannabis or carrots, you watch your nutes like a hawk.

ttystikk said:

THANK YOU. If it's for making money, whether it's cannabis or carrots, you watch your nutes like a hawk.

Click to expand...

you are welcome sir! in most hydro, pH should be slightly rising and EC slightly dropping. if that is happening, you are probably doing it right.

dirt is for racing or tomatos. IMHO>

rkymtnman said:

you are welcome sir! in most hydro, pH should be slightly rising and EC slightly dropping. if that is happening, you are probably doing it right.

dirt is for racing or tomatos. IMHO>

Click to expand...

Well, you're wrong. But whatever.

Nullis said:

Well, you're wrong. But whatever.

Click to expand...

to each his/her own! i'm a water based sign. you must be earth based.

Apparently I'm an air sign. Whatever that means.

Nullis said:

Apparently I'm an air sign. Whatever that means.

Click to expand...

if you've ever been to a dirt track race, you'll know what i mean. dirt is for racing. it just is.

but air is also a good thing to have around for the grow.

the OP was fed up with pH and I and a few others put forth our beliefs that pH in hydro is quite important.

rkymtnman said:

i pH in hydro is quite important.

Click to expand...

....And in soil, not so much.

LordRalh3 said:

I honestly can't tell if Doc is arguing for a ph of 6.5 in soil or that ph simply doesnt matter? Seems to keep saying the latter but then making sure people are doing the proper 6.5 and swing.

Click to expand...

No matter how I put things. People have doubt about soil and pH. They (seem to) require a simple, daily routine that will comfort them (kinda like hand holding) that their pH will be ok......The simple statement "Ph all ingoing to 6.5" is an easy, non damaging (mostly for synthetic users in soil) routine, that will supply that comfort....

If your soil is amended by the maker properly. They will encounter no pH problems and be happy. pHing everything ingoing to 6.5 is not mandatory.
It is simply a "comfort" for those who doubt, to take a leap of faith and learn something about their soil grow......You don't need to pH it!

Most who understand pH and soil, simply ignore my advise on that, they understand what I am doing and why......Years of being on this site have shown me this.

Many don't know what their doing - didn't research, read or are taking urban growing myth as fact.
I only try and help.
I have learned that it helps to give them something (non damaging) to do, to move them in the right direction...

Sometimes, for some waters, setting all ingoing to 6.5 is a good thing......Sometimes, supplements can really swing the pH (Si) and adjusting the ingoing to 6.5 is an easy way to reduce the stress on the bio heard in having to compensate.....I'm simply covering bases, in an easy way.

Doc

Jimdamick said:

Well, to each their own. I think hydrated lime is fine to use on pot (why does it make a difference using it on pot plants?) considering the soil is only used for approximately 90 days and Dolomite lime takes much longer than that to stabilize the soil, as do the shells you mention. You have to be careful in the amount of hydrated lime used so you don't burn the roots, but it really is not that hard.
I commend you on your years of growing herb Pops, but did you ever think of the possibility that if you did care about the PH of your soil, you might grow a better plant? If it doesn't matter, why bother PH'ing the nute solution. It just doesn't make any sense to me that you discount the PH of soil, whereas every plant has their preferred PH zone, and by using chemicals to feed your plants you are definitely fucking with the PH of the soil, and it will never be optimum for uptake of nutes without adjustment. Organic is a different ball of wax, but if you are not growing that way, I believe the soil's PH does matter. That is just my opinion though, and my opinion has been proven wrong before, an example being that it was my opinion that my wife was a human being.

Click to expand...

Ok, I see your point on Hydrated - to a point.....There are other things besides those I listed and I don't use Dolomite near as much as most, and I never use prilled Dolo. I feel Dolo is too high in Mg and use only 50% or less (your right, it's for down the road, reused, re-amended soil)....Powdered will help faster but still not my ball of wax.....

I simply have a problem with hydrated as being so fast...MANY around here don't understand that - they have NEVER gardened before.....Very easy to get Ca tox fast.

As for the pH of the ingoing - read the post above ^^^^.......In synthetic runs - care for the bio's and they will care for your pH.
pHing soil has become, a non needed function......Believe me, I've paid all sorts of attention to pH over the years.....I simply can not wring anything more from my plants by doing so.....The soil is doing the work for me.

How about a read on soil Jim?

Teaming with Microbes: The Organic Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web, Revised Edition: Jeff Lowenfels, Wayne Lewis: 9781604691139: Amazon.com: Books

You like to learn.....read this! This is, by far, the BEST introduction to organics and how soil works I have read in years ( I have the original version).....

Add a bio tea to your watering rotation in synthetic. At least once a week.....See what that does for your pH...

Peace on Bro!

Doc

Dr. Who said:

Ok, I see your point on Hydrated - to a point.....There are other things besides those I listed and I don't use Dolomite near as much as most, and I never use prilled Dolo. I feel Dolo is too high in Mg and use only 50% or less (your right, it's for down the road, reused, re-amended soil)....Powdered will help faster but still not my ball of wax.....

I simply have a problem with hydrated as being so fast...MANY around here don't understand that - they have NEVER gardened before.....Very easy to get Ca tox fast.

As for the pH of the ingoing - read the post above ^^^^.......In synthetic runs - care for the bio's and they will care for your pH.
pHing soil has become, a non needed function......Believe me, I've paid all sorts of attention to pH over the years.....I simply can not wring anything more from my plants by doing so.....The soil is doing the work for me.

How about a read on soil Jim?

Teaming with Microbes: The Organic Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web, Revised Edition: Jeff Lowenfels, Wayne Lewis: 9781604691139: Amazon.com: Books

You like to learn.....read this! This is, by far, the BEST introduction to organics and how soil works I have read in years ( I have the original version).....

Add a bio tea to your watering rotation in synthetic. At least once a week.....See what that does for your pH...

Peace on Bro!

Doc

Click to expand...

Hey Doc,
One of the many things I love about herb, beside the product, is the fact that you never really stop learning. Each day I learn something new, try a little tweek here and there to test ideas, and hopefully improve my skills and crop. It never gets boring and the better you get at it, the better your product, which in my case translates into more money and a better buzz. Another cool thing about growing are sites like this one, which in my viewpoint is the best out there, where you have the opportunity to discuss and learn things from dinosaurs like you, who have grown bud since the dawn of time it seems.
So thanks for the info and the opportunity to share thoughts on what is best for the plants. Peace to you brother, and Happy Growing! (I'll bet my herb is better than yours)

rkymtnman said:

is it just me or is this a hydro you must watch pH vs soil organica where pH doesn't matter. in hydro, pH is only a problem as long as it's not less than 5.5 and more than 6.1

here's my take: if you are doing dwc, you better watch you pH at least twice a day. if i was making money off it , i'd want a 24hr pH and EC results sent to my iPhone.

Click to expand...

You are absolutely right about checking your PH at least once a day in hydro, especially if you use pebbles to grow in. I used to think that my usual habit of checking my PH in the morning when the lights came on was adequate, then 1 day for shits and grins, I tested it again before lights off. I was astounded by the fluctuation in 12 hours. It had gone from 5.8 at 8 AM to 5.2/5.1 at 8 PM. WOW! That meant for at least a few hours my plants would not be able to uptake most minerals. Ever since then I check and adjust twice a day, and the health of the plants has definitely improved. I grow mostly for money using a modified Waterfarm system ( changed the design to make it a recirculating system) using clay pebbles and continuous drip for 24 plants. What I found was that as time went on, the reaction of salt buildup and the introduction of different nutes at different stages of the plants life had a dramatic effect on the PH of the feed solution. One example is I just threw a plant under some stairs in a stand alone Waterfarm under a 300w Platinum LED, and in a week there was almost no PH fluctuation, whereas in the other looped system that is 6 weeks into bloom, I can expect a .8 drop in 12 hours. Moral of the story is that in most drip systems after 3 or 4 weeks, you should seriously think about testing twice a day for optimum results.