# Why Does My Ph Go Up Every Day? Will I Ever Stop Adding Ph Down?



## nostopin (Jul 6, 2010)

I have a 40gal Rez for my flood tray. it only takes about half the rez to fill the tray, but from what i understand the bigger the rez the easier to stabilize the PH and EC/PPM. from the first day i got my nutes up to 850 ppm, added PH down to bring it from 7 to around 5.5 (my meter broke so i'm using the vial and dropper type) i go back 12 hours later and the PH is back up to around 6.5 or 7. it does this when i dont add anymore water or nutes or when i do, it is always up 1 to 1.5 points the next day. 

Is this normal? the only thing i have noticed on the plants is a couple of them have some leafs that the edges are curling up. but other than that they look good.


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## nostopin (Jul 6, 2010)

sorry if this question is asked alot, but i couldnt find anything doing a search, and the FAQs search is broke i guess, no matter what i put in it says no results


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## coopdevillan (Jul 6, 2010)

Whats your PPM been telling u ?


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## IAm5toned (Jul 6, 2010)

bacteria in the res................................


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## 2triple0ss (Jul 6, 2010)

Are you using tap or RO? I've noticed tap water is harder to keep stable. Btw, 850ppm seems like a lot for the first day...


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## homebrewer (Jul 6, 2010)

A subject that is often discussed but rarely understood by many growers is nutrient pH. Generally, we worry about pH and its affect on nutrient availability. For example, if pH is too high, iron may become unavailable. Even though your nutrient solution may have an ideal iron content, your plants may not be able to absorb it, resulting in an iron deficiency: the plant's leaves will yellow and weaken.

On the other hand, advanced hydroponic plant foods contain special "chelates" that are designed to assure iron availability at higher pH ranges. The result is that your crop will grow reasonably well. even at higher pH levels. Nonetheless, high pH can damage plants in other ways, The cause of a high solution pH can be fairly complex. Most city water supplies contain calcium carbonate to raise the pH of the water and prevent pipes from corroding. As a consequence you are starting with water that has an abnormal pH, typically 8.0 for city water.

The big way to deal with this is to mix fresh nutrient with your water, let stand for a while to stabilize, then test and adjust the pH. With city water supplies you will often have to add a bit of pH down (usually phosphoric acid) to lower the pH to the range for most plants, between 5.8 and 6.2. As the plants grow. it is a good idea to occasionally test the pH and adjust it if needed. You can safely allow pH to drift between 5.5 and 7.0 without adjustment. in fact, constantly dumping chemicals into your system to maintain a perfect pH of 5.8 to 6.0 can do a lot of damage. It is common for pH to drift up for a while, then down, and up again. This change is an indication that your plants are absorbing nutrient properly. Adjust pH only if it wanders too far.

A pH below 5.5 or above 7.0 can mean trouble. but don't overreact. An apparently sudden and dramatic shift in pH can be the result of a malfunctioning pH meter. If in doubt, double check with a reagent (color match) pH kit before adjusting your solution. Also remember that all pH measuring methods are temperature dependent. Read and follow all of the instructions that came with your meter or test kit.

Another cause of unstable pH is poor quality growing media. Industrial grade rockwool and gravel are notorious for having very high pH levels that cause your nutrient pH to rise, often to constantly rise, often to dangerous levels. A simple way to test a new growing medium is to put some of the medium - rockwool, gravel, soil - into a clean cup, then immerse (soak) the sample. in distilled or "deionized" (chemically pure) water. Let this sit for a little while and then test the pH of the water, note the pH and continue to let the sample sit. Test the pH occasionally for about a week until it has stabilized. Has the pH risen to 8.0, perhaps 9.0? Construction grade gravel can go as high as 10.0 - torture to roots. death to plants!

Never underestimate growing media as sources of pH problems. This is one of the primary reasons that "waterculture" hydroponic methods are gaining popularity over "media-based" hydroponics. The less medium you use, the fewer problems you will encounter with pH instability and salt accumulation. Plus, the water-culture systems require less water and nutrient than media-based methods, due to higher efficiency and reduced evaporation.


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## 2triple0ss (Jul 6, 2010)

WoW, straight out of the text book, but don't think it answers his question.


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## nostopin (Jul 7, 2010)

i'm using hydroton. spent days cleaning it. i'm using tap water its around 54ppm and 7.0 for ph. i let it sit in a 55gal rez with air and a pump to circulate before i use it on any plants. maybe it is the hydroton raising the ph??? i dont know, maybe its the plants??? i just imagined that once you balance the ph it would stay close to that level, unless you add something with a different ph

oh and its a new rez with fresh water. i dont think i have any bacteria yet. 
anyone try advanced nutrients "PH perfect" yet?


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## homebrewer (Jul 7, 2010)

You'll find a lot more info on Google than you will here: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/hydro/msg050510018323.html

FWIW, I use GH nutes and experience a slight drift upwards. I usually need to adjust my pH every 48 hours.


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## Anonymouse (Jul 7, 2010)

Rockwool and tap water that didn't sit long enough is what caused me to have similiar problems, I was going through ph-down like crazy, not even bothering to use capfulls anymore.

Good prep on the RW helps alot, you may want to consider flushing your system with Florakleen or something similiar between res changes, this will remove small amounts of buildup.


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## paintnick (Jul 7, 2010)

if you are growing organically u should use EM1, its a microbacteria, usually will stabilize your PH and PPM. go to your local hydro stoor and ask about it!


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## Shanus (Jul 8, 2010)

Heres my answer to the problem in a 13 gallon 7.6 tap water tote. Put water in tub, add ph down, get it down to about 5.2-5.4., add nutes (i use ph stable nutes) . Aerate with some stones for 2 hrs, recheck ph. The water company told me calcium and chlorine in water. Calcium buffers ph back up of course, so the ph is always up. Add more ph down to get it to 5.4 again (doesnt take much), and set the damn thing into motion. Chasing your ph is a nightmare, DONT DO IT!! My epic nute company talked me thru it, and a ph swing UP can be a good thing! As it swings THRU the nutrients range, all the nutes become available! Don't freakin' chase ur ph!! Bigger rez IS easier to stabilize, but bigger also means more of whats buffering you back up. Have you tried 30 gallons? I try to push the least water, saves me nutes and work.

After about 3 days with the air always running in the tubs (no bacteria,mold,haze here!), my ph is usually up around 6.2. I add more ph down until I hit about 5.6, and walk away! 4 days later when I change out, the ph is usally about 6.2-6.6, perfect!! I read about "dont change the ph too drastic" and all that. Well, mine goes from 6.4 down to 5.2 in the time it takes me to carry 30 gallons of water. Only once did I see a ph leaf issue, and that was when my ph meter blew upon nute change. I hate buying ph down, but since my fav hydro shop DOES pay its employees from my pocket, it lessens the hurt. That, and setting up a RO in a rental, or buying water just isnt cost effective for me.. Catching rain... not in this yard. I have had wondeful results with my tap water. MAybe pure would be better, but not feasible...yet. *cmon ph perfect nutes!!! Please dont be bullshit!!

O' btw, Ive read a TON of articles on chlorine. My water company uses liquid bleach. The ppm in my water is around 125. From what i have read, chlorine kills bacteria and mold ect.. It also disappates quickly. I used to use hydrogen peroxide, but learned it binds quickly and gets nuetralized. I also used to let my water sit out for days before using. I decided I'd just run it fresh, use the chlorine to keep my media clean, and in 48hrs it's be gone anyhow. So far, in practice, this logic holds true. I dont recall whos article got me here, but the science behind water baffled me so much i decided to just use the shit outta my tap. Workin so far and feelin' good about it too. 

I am now so comfortable with the way my water acts. One time i went to check my ph... it was down??? WTF!! I knew something was wrong. I looked at my chart, it had been 12days since nute change. My guess is.... the salts or waste were building. I did a fresh nute change. BOOM, grew like magic again. Never afforded store water, does it react the same? Always thought the buffers in my tap water would stabilize my ph (once i got it where i wanted it). Anyone got any info to share?

Happy growing!


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## roadguy (Jul 8, 2010)

Hey
I have seen your problem with some of my friend around the country that are using hydroton. One of your problems could be that your are not flooding enough times per day. This can cause build up on the hydroton then when you do flood it that washes out and causes ph spikes. Other prblem could be temp of your rez since the ph increase through the day I would say this is more likely. Alot of companys use urea to increase the N in NPK. This is not real bad just when the temp of your rez creaps up that urea turns to amoinia (sorry not much of a speller) and will make your ph drift up. I hear alot of stuff about PH and wher it should be. I have always kept my ph between 6.5 and 7 in veg and let it drop to 6.0 to 6.5 in flower and have had NO problems. Any time you get leaf curl no matter what direction its PH. Hope this helpsView attachment 1034187
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## TheBoozer (Jul 8, 2010)

What's the temperature in your reservoir? Is light getting to your reservoir? Do you have rockwool in your table exposed to light? Your problem could be caused by numerous things. Give us some more info. and I'm sure we can help.


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## nostopin (Jul 9, 2010)

no rockwool, i took them straight out of the cloner and put them in the hydroton. i flood 4 times for 30 min during the light cycle. i have a cover over my rez so no light gets in. The plants are growing at a pretty good rate, but not as quick as i expected. maybe even a little slower than my dirt grows. the water stays pretty cool, around 70-75. i have started to notice that the hydroton is getting a little bit of a white coating on it, only on the top, maybe salt buildup. i'm loosing about 3-4 gallons of water a day to the plants/evaporation i'll try and get some pics up today of the leafs curling


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## nostopin (Jul 9, 2010)

so here are the pics. not sure if you can see the prob with the leafs or not. temp is a lil high abour 90. i'm getting a portable air conditioner and going to vent it outside the garage through the roof vent. this is a room inside a garage. it got up to about 110 in the garage but only 90 in the room. still need it cooler though


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## nostopin (Jul 9, 2010)

at the moment i am using floranova 1 part grow and the 1 part bloom. i use it for my dirt grows cause its easy. not sure if this is a wise choice for hydro. i have heard mixed reviews for General Hydro. i have heard a few people say that they didn't like the salt build up. In the past i have used Advanced Nutrients, but if i could afford the whole line i wouldn't have to grow weed lol. seams like everything they have works in conjunction with another product they have. I have a very small hydro shop that just opened down the street. local growers that i would like to support. they carry "Humboldt Nutrients" i'm interested in. they also have the other stuff, dutch master, GH, etc. If anyone would like to share their personal choice that would be great. i'm going to flip it to 12 soon and would like to start with whatever brand i'm going to be using. i hear its bad juju to switch during flower. also what are the bare essentials that i need? so far I know i need my base nute, calcium and magnesium supplement, and a bud enhancer like "big bud" what about something to keep the roots healthy? AN has "sensizyme" and the high priced "voodoo juice" I'm lookin for a brand thats gonna have all that only cheaper than AN


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## Shanus (Jul 10, 2010)

Wow, thats a Ton of hydroton. My last grow, I used AN and EJ in hydro. It way outperformed my earth juice in soil! I only used their 3 part gmb, the overdrive, and the final phase. I'd say the cost of that nutrient set was about $160? Anyhow, its enough nutes to keep 60gall res tank refreshed every week for 1 grow. No need for CalMag, tap water contains plenty of calcium. I recently bit the bullet and bought some of that voodoo juice, along with a few others. $400 in nutes IS hard to swallow. I cant seem to justify buying sensizyme. My hydro guy swears by it, but at the rates suggested and price on the bottle, I'd have to take out a second job! Maybe if my roots looked like they had issues after pulling, Id jump for it. If you want to patronage your local shop,_ buy their brand_. Opinions in the MJ feild are like assholes, and noone ever agrees on 1 product . I doubt GH is making a shit product and fooling people. If its one of the big nute companies, just buy what the shop carries, and work at perfecting usage. As for bad to switch at flower... not sure i agree with that. I do believe switching nutes at flower is the idea aint it? You know, let them bitches know that change is here?! Im pretty sure it's more about being comfortable with your nutrient and grow plan, over the brand you use. I listen to my hydro shop guy. I know he's making money off me... thats the point!! He also knows that if he fuks me and sells me some bullshit, I'll find out and he wont get my cash in the future. I have huge hopes with the bud ignitor, big bud and voodoo. If I dont see Amazing results, its back to the easy 3part and overdrive formula no extras. 

My hydroton ALWAYS gets that white powder on it. Since im using tap water, im thinking the white is calcium buildup. You know, the exact same thing that keeps me buying so much damn ph down! Anyways, Ive spent tons of time flushing and cleaning the hydroton to get the residue gone. So far, flushing from the top helps, but I havent seen the powder causing any adverse effect on the plants. The powder is only on the very top of the media, so I would suggest not worrying too much about it.

Are your plants all just in that one tub, or do you have em seperated somehow under the surface? Just wondering how you are going to move them around and spin them? Keep us posted with what you end up with. Happy growing!


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## nostopin (Jul 10, 2010)

yah they are all just "IN there" lol I hope they like their placement under the lights cause its too late now. next round i'm gonna fill the table with net pots so i can move them. I was referring to changing brands and/or types of nutes like 4 or 5 weeks into flower. like going from a 1 part to a 2 or a 3 part from another brand. not really sure why it would make a difference. but ya you got a point Shanus, if i insist on buying local i gotta get what they carry. I just wish the owner did hydro so he would have a lil more input. he only grows in soil 2 times a year and the rest is outdoor. HEY.... heres an idea. what about a 55gal barrel DWC setup for outdoor. 1 huge plant per barrel. aah now i'm just dreamin


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## Shanus (Jul 10, 2010)

My nutes went from regular GMB advanced to Overdrive 5th week in. Now, I know they the same company, but they arent the same shit. I also incorporate some earth juice. I dont think your plant cares if it wears NIKE's for a month then PRO-WINGS, as long as the shoe fits the occassion. Ive gone from hydro grow to soil in the last 4 weeks of my acapulco's flower. Jerked her outta the hydroton and plopped her in cheap shit soil. She gets watered with hydro leftovers each week. You know what? Shes no worse and no better than she was before I decided to make room for my other hydro's. Shes continued to flower, and looks like she wasnt too pissed about it. I say, no worries. If you are using quality stuff, it should all work fairly well together. Hell, chant this with me "ITS JUST A WEED". Get the stuff you want to use, and use it. 

Kudos on the idea of net pots next grow. Have you thought of perhaps just plastic tubs with lesss holes? If you arent growing to huge heights, Ive found that tubs let you move more easily than net pots. The roots stay in the hydro, in the tub. The roots crawl out of net pots and can be broken when moved. Just my 2 cents.

Have you asked your local owners to carry items of interest? Perhaps you can get them interested in hydro, and help change their sales plan? Youd be amazed at what they can order for you. As for info, youre looking in the right places already. Last you got to go is trial and error. Happy growing


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## mutefruit (Jul 10, 2010)

nostopin said:


> i'm using hydroton. spent days cleaning it. i'm using tap water its around 54ppm and 7.0 for ph. i let it sit in a 55gal rez with air and a pump to circulate before i use it on any plants. maybe it is the hydroton raising the ph??? i dont know, maybe its the plants??? i just imagined that once you balance the ph it would stay close to that level, unless you add something with a different ph
> 
> oh and its a new rez with fresh water. i dont think i have any bacteria yet.
> anyone try advanced nutrients "PH perfect" yet?


take the airstone out the res and see what happens i know i know you will see people tell different but I bet you your ph will stay stable when you take out the air stone... leave the circulating pump in there but remove the air stone keep me posted


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## Paglia (Jul 11, 2010)

Hello all guys, i think the problem isn't only hydroton or rockwool medium, i'm using a *DRAIN TO WASTE* aeroponic system and i have the same ph up problem.

I make solution at 5,8 and next day it go up 6,5-7,0, i using tap water with 7,5ph and 200ppm.
My nutes are Floranova series from GHE, with GHE PH Down.
In my rez have an areator run 24h/7day, for the next solution i would try with distilled water, what do you think?


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## nostopin (Jul 11, 2010)

I'm thinking that the nutes keep the PH balanced where i set it, then after it floods so many times select elements of the nutes are used up more than others, thus throwing off the balance. yesterday was the only the 2nd time i added water with nutes in it. i added 5 gal. the rest of the time i have been adding straight PHed water to lower my PPM a bit. 850 might have been a lil high to start with. so i let it get down to 650 before adding anymore nutes. It seams to be getting more stable. less dramatic change in the PH. now if i leave it at 5.5 the next day its between 6 and 6.5 instead of 7. but now my water looks like chunky soup so its time to start a fresh rez. I guess 10 days is about right. thats what most people have told me to change it at. some have said they change it once a month, or not at all, but my pump wont work in mud lol gotta be clean liquid


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## mutefruit (Jul 11, 2010)

Paglia said:


> Hello all guys, i think the problem isn't only hydroton or rockwool medium, i'm using a *DRAIN TO WASTE* aeroponic system and i have the same ph up problem.
> 
> I make solution at 5,8 and next day it go up 6,5-7,0, i using tap water with 7,5ph and 200ppm.
> My nutes are Floranova series from GHE, with GHE PH Down.
> In my rez have an areator run 24h/7day, for the next solution i would try with distilled water, what do you think?


omg please trust me take the airstone out the res just for a few hours watch your ph balance out


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## Shanus (Jul 11, 2010)

The airstones in my setup only seem to make the buffering action of the tap water, happen faster. I used to leave the stone out of mine, but my water went murky, and I noticed that the ph was still going up. Now, I run the bubbler 24hrs a day. It helps me reach a stable ph faster. Its the damn minerals in the tap water i bet. If your tap water stays at above 7.0, its from the calcium and buffers from the water company. They dont want rusty pipes. You PH down the water, but the minerals and such nuetralize the acid. If you continue to ph down it, eventually it stabilizes and up swing comes slowly. But YES, if you dont air stone your water, the ph wont swing up as quickly for sure. If your having swing issues, have you tried making it up and adjusting it for a couple days, then putting it into use? Just my 2 cents. Happy Growing!


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## nostopin (Jul 13, 2010)

so I took the air outta my rez for 2 days. the PH did stay lower than normal, but my soup is lookin and smellin nasty now. time for a fresh rez anyhow. I'll try the fresh rez without air to see what happens. The plants ARE getting bigger, but some of the leaves are canoeing pretty bad. the temp doesnt get above 80 in there anymore so i'm thinking its the PH not heat stress. I'll put some pics up tomorrow


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## cowboylogic (Jul 13, 2010)

How well did you rinse your hydroton before using it? You have to wash it, wash it some more. Then when you think you got it. Rinse it twice more.


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## bigsourD (Jul 13, 2010)

Your ph is subject to change as your plants absorb nutrients. You need to PH your res once a day


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## Paglia (Jul 13, 2010)

The reasons may be many, substances can affect absorption but I have the same problem with NOT recirculation system or DRIAN TO WASTE system, i would try without airstone in the next refresh, as mutefruit says.


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## nostopin (Jul 13, 2010)

I rinsed the hydroton for 2 days. poked holes in the bottom of the bags and turned the water on them a few times. then put them in a kiddie pool and filled it with water scooped out the hydroton, then i rinsed them 1 net cup at a time in the sink. i filled the flood tray with it and ran the pump cycle 15min on 15min off for about 6 hours and changed the rez. then did it another 6 hours and changed it again even though the water was clear. i'm gonna be switching to flower today so i'll leave the air outta the new rez

It is Amazing how much dust comes of the hydroton. it looked like i spilled brown paint in my driveway for a bit lol


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## nostopin (Jul 14, 2010)

so sense i have switch to flower, and floranova bloom my PH prob is under control. the problem now is i just got some (botanicare) CNS17 flower, and Ripe. so next rez change i'm gonna switch to that. i have herd alot of people complain about the salts left from the GH products, and i dont wanna have to deal with it if it happens to me. so this is the stuff they suggested to me. its pretty cheap $20 a gal. I almost shat myself when i calculated how much to use. 40 gal rez uses 1140ml. can ya'll check my math lol i still cant belive it. you use it at a rate of 30ml per 4 liters. 40gal is 151.4 liters 152 to make it easy. anyhow, anyone use this stuff? pros/cons?


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## homebrewer (Jul 14, 2010)

nostopin said:


> so sense i have switch to flower, and floranova bloom my PH prob is under control. the problem now is i just got some (botanicare) CNS17 flower, and Ripe. so next rez change i'm gonna switch to that. i have herd alot of people complain about the salts left from the GH products, and i dont wanna have to deal with it if it happens to me. so this is the stuff they suggested to me. its pretty cheap $20 a gal. I almost shat myself when i calculated how much to use. 40 gal rez uses 1140ml. can ya'll check my math lol i still cant belive it. you use it at a rate of 30ml per 4 liters. 40gal is 151.4 liters 152 to make it easy. anyhow, anyone use this stuff? pros/cons?


 I have 60 gallons of total reservoir volumes and to go through an entire 32 ounce bottle of floraBloom each week during flowering is the norm. I buy it 6 gallons at a time though which is maybe what you should look into doing.


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## nostopin (Jul 14, 2010)

All i know is if this bill passes to make it completely legal, its gonna be cheaper to just buy it than to grow it (indoor). there sayin it will go down to around $38 a ounce in the bay area. thats just crazy. Gonna be TONS of used grow equipment for sale soon I bet


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## Anonymouse (Jul 15, 2010)

I'd still continue to cultivate, I like my dank and knowing exactly what went into it.






nostopin said:


> All i know is if this bill passes to make it completely legal, its gonna be cheaper to just buy it than to grow it (indoor). there sayin it will go down to around $38 a ounce in the bay area. thats just crazy. Gonna be TONS of used grow equipment for sale soon I bet


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## Shanus (Jul 16, 2010)

And you cant replace the joy of gardening. Well put Mouse!!!


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## NLXSK1 (Jul 16, 2010)

nostopin said:


> i'm using hydroton. spent days cleaning it. i'm using tap water its around 54ppm and 7.0 for ph. i let it sit in a 55gal rez with air and a pump to circulate before i use it on any plants. maybe it is the hydroton raising the ph??? i dont know, maybe its the plants??? i just imagined that once you balance the ph it would stay close to that level, unless you add something with a different ph
> 
> oh and its a new rez with fresh water. i dont think i have any bacteria yet.
> anyone try advanced nutrients "PH perfect" yet?


Your hydroton does not have a neutral PH or whatever... Ultimately it is absorbing Ions or other particulates and this will cause your res to increase in PH.

I got the information from a post by Fatman7475 who has been banned. 

However, I also have a flood and drain setup with hydroton and here is what happened with me. My PH went up for 4-5 weeks straight and then stabilized. When I added pots with more new hydroton the PH began to rise again.

Eventually it will level off but expect to have to adjust it for at least a few weeks.


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## nostopin (Jul 17, 2010)

copy that NLXSK1. i have noticed it starting to level off. That would explain it.


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## mishin31 (Jul 17, 2010)

i had the same issue. It is the hydroton causing it. You have to clean it good with PH'd water (i mean GOOD)


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## nostopin (Jul 17, 2010)

So here they are a week later. PH is balancing out nicely. i quit using the GH PH down and went with the advanced nutrients PH down. 3 bucks more but it lasts 5 times as long. Still having the canoeing problem with some of the leaves, but other than that they look ok for my first hydro

Oops. pics 2 and 5 are of a dirt grow.


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## Denofearth69 (Jul 17, 2010)

This entire conversation is the perfect example of why I grow in soil. As nature intended, soil buffers Ph, allows for nutrient conversion into a form usable by plants, and requires much less adjustment, providing that you don't go nuts with your nutrients.


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## tip top toker (Jul 17, 2010)

my nutrients (canna) state that once the initial ph of the res is set, do not worry about it from then on, as the nutrients are designed to work around changes or some such.

I fill my res, and leave it. My ph goes up and down, and my EC often hits around 5.5, but the plants show no ill effects whatsoever and keep doing exactly as they should


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## Shanus (Jul 22, 2010)

I also switched to AN ph down. That shit is scary strong!! It saves me so much money over that laguna crap! AN seems to stay at the range longer too, but that could just be Bullshit. I can vouch for it saving me money tho! A ph swing of 5.6-6.4 over a week is no big deal. Looks to me like you got it fig'd now. 

What i want to know, is why does some soil grower always have to come in and compare it with hydro? Cant it be understood that the messing with the variables is what some people enjoy? I have a tall list of negatives about soil growing, but this aint a thread for that. 

Very interesting about the hydroton and the ions. I also notice that after a while, the ph swing slows and adjusting lessens. Maybe its that it takes a while for the media to buffer to the ph range im trying to keep. Thanks for the info. Happy growings!


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## meduser2 (Jul 30, 2010)

Try sure to grow products and most of your water problems will cease...


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## coopdevillan (Jul 30, 2010)

I support SURE TO GROW very much so. Im not saying your water problems will cease but STG is a great product. Since you use hydroton I know you would dig the stuff. It's light weight and ships cheap. It's PH neutral. It's a polymer. It's versatile in all your different apps. Check it out if you get a chance. 

I bet you need to just adjust to your water and your products. My water is trash but I get by some how. I run a ph of 7.2 and PPM of high 500's. It took me a lil to tune in but now I know to use between a ounce to ounce and half of ph down to bring my 55 gal down to 5.5 from a 5.5 to 6.1 float. Time is all it is time time time and lot's of lights I think lol. 

Good luck bro. Hey come check out my signature grow. It's grand opening on 5,300 watts plus I run 48 3 gal buckets of SURE TO GROW.


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## nostopin (Aug 1, 2010)

so here they are 22 days later, if any of you are following. they have been in flower for about a week and a half and i really hope they are done getting taller.i cant move my light up any more. As soon as i switched to CNS17 they went nuts. i also started adding humboldt nutrients Ginormous. I got myself a real PH pen and noticed my drift isnt as bad as i thought. but the Advanced Nutrients PH down kicks ars. instead of 100ml a day i'm adding 10ml. and thats only when i add the ginormous to the rez. it makes the ph go up a lil bit. Now my question is Azatrol. i found thrips in the room next door. i hear you can add it to the rez, but for how long? should i just run it 1 or 2 days and change the rez?


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## nostopin (Aug 1, 2010)

Oh and if anyone is interested here are some pics of Quarkle and Big Bud in my dirt grow. the quarkle is a pretty lookin, really purple bud, but no where near the size of the Big Bud strain. the first one is Quarkle  this is the big bud
thats the big bud in the background and the quarkle on the right they still have 4 weeks to go


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## coopdevillan (Aug 1, 2010)

Whats up dude. Sorry to hear about thrips. I to get them and there the only pest I have ever had that I know of. I heard Dr. Dooms works well for them. I personally use a mineral oil, habinero, garlic, spray and it seems to work nice. I honestly forget about them most of the time. They don't seem to do much. I notice the metallic sheen on my leafs from them eating and if u look close and see lil black dots thats there doo doo. But no real sighns or damage. They have multiple stages though. Read up on them if u haven't. I bet that Quarkle will be sweet. Big Bud is a great producer but not a connoisseur weed to me. You will be happy either way I bet. Looken good.


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## Gr8Gr33nz (Aug 2, 2010)

i always have ph fluctuation with my hydroton sometime you need to flush out the containers as the sediment from it can make ph swing up dramatically. i battled it my first couple res changes and believe me i clean my hydroton extremely well and still sediment falls to bottom. 

i like to soak the hydroton first in 5.0 ph water to help out for a couple days before using to help stabilize the swing. i would invest in a r.o machine easier to control ph when your water is 5.8 to start.

that is a hella high ec your running there.


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## eznuke (Aug 4, 2010)

maybe bad ph solution


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## Tamerlane (Aug 4, 2010)

Bacteria and/or Hydroton and/or rockwool that hasnt been flushed with propper ideal PH water. 

Few things:
1) I use Myco Madness which is a bacteria enhancer to help roots grow and it skyrockets my PH. Bacteria growth can be a cause of increasing PH
2) hydroton is not PH balanced correctly and if water is touching the PH (either with drip or if the hydroton is sitting in the water itself) then it will mess with your PH too. Its a good idea to flush your hydroton in PH balanced solution before use. 
3) ^^ same goes for rockwool. 

-T


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## hairyrabbit (Aug 4, 2010)

Hay man im using some clay balls in a NFT system and find ph is always raising as well,it seems pretty normal to me its just what happens best cure is bigger resevour. my leaves even had the same leaf curl as you haha very much simalar ill try post pics


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## budman2069 (Aug 9, 2010)

hydroton raises the ph everytime early in the grow. it seems to be easier to control ph a few weeks in, which may have to do with nutrients being at a higher ppm. I use RO water so I think that the hydroton pushes ph up more easily especially when the nutrients are at a low ppm level.


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## greenpark13 (Aug 10, 2010)

I am starting a hempy cup grow with perlite. I am practicing with the pH prior to starting the grow. I have high pH water, near 8.0. I pH'd down to 6.2. Ran it through the hempy cup and the runoff was 6.56.

From reading this thread, I assume the perlite is raising the pH. Correct? Should I shoot for a water pH of around 5.8 and let the perlite bring it up?


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## Anonymouse (Aug 11, 2010)

5.8 is always the sweet spot but if it's lower there won't be much harm in it, Marijuana likes the water a little more acidic.

Is your water 8.0 even after you let it sit a while?


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## greenpark13 (Aug 12, 2010)

Not sure. Does the pH go down if the water sits awhile?


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## nostopin (Aug 30, 2010)

well i have gotten used to the PH thing now. after the 4x4 flood table with the 40 gal rez, i decided to switch my 4x8 tray to ebb and flow aswell. got a 70gal rez. its the low profile botanicare one so i wont have the same prob as my 4x4 room. in there i have the barrel under the tray so it sits up pretty high. now i'm 3-4 weeks out from harvest and the tops have grown up past the light and along the celing. like vines would do. i have tried tying them down but its no use. there is no mor room to tie anything back anymore. everytime i tie a top down it shoots 5 more straight up to the celing. they have pretty much blocked out the light to the rest of the room. and its a big bud strain so i've got a mess on my hands. i cant see through the buds on the first row of plants to see the second row. I wanted to get some weight, but this is getting crazy.

but ya the PH thing. after the first few weeks it stabelizes pretty well. just gotta get the hydroton soaked in the corect PH'ed water. i noticed with my 4x8 i used a bigger rez and net pots. i used 1/4 of the hydroton than my 4x4 i just filled up completly. it only took 3 days for my PH to stabilize. but i also noticed that it comes out of the tap around 6.0 now insted of 7+ like a few weeks ago. i'm sure it changes when ever the water district adds chemicals so i check it every time i add back. I'll try n get some pictures of my jungle and my nice neat 4x8 room up soon


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## nostopin (Oct 22, 2010)

well here is a couple pics from my most interesting harvest. The previously mentioned 4x4 tray with big bud that went all wrong. unfortunately the colas got so big and dense that they molded inside. AND the back side of the colas where there was no light looks like crap. really scraggly all brown dead buds from the lack of light. But at least i can say I had a 5lb 3oz cola from my indoor grow. if i'm lucky I'll get a OZ of smoke-able bud off each top.


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## ffsta (Nov 14, 2011)

bigsourD said:


> Your ph is subject to change as your plants absorb nutrients. You need to PH your res once a day


*BINGO! You got it*


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## Tamorin (Nov 15, 2011)

No u will always bring it down, did'nt read any posts im sure u heard that enough.


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## dankhoe417 (Nov 16, 2011)

Quick question is if your rez is exposed to HID lighting for extended periods of time. I ran into a PH issue where my rez under my mom cabinet was uncovered but was getting 20 hrs of light due to the intake design on my cab. I didn't have to be stealth so it was supposed to be a non-issue. But, I saw PH rising a bit every day. I use tap water at 139 ppm, Canna Aqua Vega, and H2O2. Was getting a slight bit of slime after 5 or 6 days. I cleaned and lightblocked rez at next change, and it solved my issue.
I have multiple media's in my mom box too, which are all prebalanced.
Sour Diesel - rockwool coupon//hydroton mix
Yumbolt 47 - hydroton only
Sweet Tooth#4 - hydroton/Sure to Grow Hail mix
Killing Fields - Grow Stones only
All were started in rockwool 2"grodan cubes. Not saying light is your only issue, but the slightest bit of slime caused my ph probs. Had already ruled out mediums, rez temps, etc. Narrowed it to the light.

What I can say is pick up a new meter off eBay. The dropper method is just a pain in the ass and results can vary just on the angle of light hitting the vial.


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## KingKushKush (Nov 16, 2011)

This happened to me in the very begining of the grow I'm in now all because I was using Tap Water sometimes or all of the time, as soon as I switched to RO water (RO Only, no Tap Water Top Offs Either) my PH stayed stable. Its almost always @ 6 as long as I use the same RO and when I want to drop it to 5ish it will stay there. I always get my RO from the same place, just for fun I tested 3 or 4 RO water sources around my house and believe it or not some were off by over 100 ppms. Find a nice clean place that looks like they change their filters. 

All the best,
- KKushKush


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## bobbitoblaze (Nov 16, 2011)

you need active carbon filter will lower ph I use Ro filter but as long as you keep adding high ph water it will kieep climbing


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## zman6 (Nov 17, 2011)

A noob mistake I made in the beginning was adjusting my PH before adding nutes, my tap water comes out around 7.2 and i would add PH down to get it under 6.0 and then adding nutes, after reading on this fine forum that your supposed to adjust PH *after* adding nutes I learned that the nutes (I use GH Flora 3 part) bring my tap water down to 6.0 on there own then I just add a little PH down to a sweet spot of 5.8, usually within 24 hours it might creep up to 6.1 so I'll add a few drops of PH down to keep it around 5.8.


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## CXhydroponics (Jun 30, 2012)

I've answered it so many times that I ended up doing a short video on this topic - you can check it out on Youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVy39KeDDTo I hope it's helpful


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## mrecio87 (Jul 1, 2012)

CXhydroponics said:


> I've answered it so many times that I ended up doing a short video on this topic - you can check it out on Youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVy39KeDDTo I hope it's helpful


This thread is pretty old man. Also that video only talks about one reason why PH goes up when in fact there are so many reasons.


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## bdt1981 (Feb 16, 2016)

roadguy said:


> n utube lmaf
> Just for a note I use a product from FHD called Holland secret, they have a clean three part with some great SIMPLE additives, these guys got it going on 8 week


Holland secret does kick ass


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## GreenLegend420 (Feb 18, 2016)

nostopin said:


> I have a 40gal Rez for my flood tray. it only takes about half the rez to fill the tray, but from what i understand the bigger the rez the easier to stabilize the PH and EC/PPM. from the first day i got my nutes up to 850 ppm, added PH down to bring it from 7 to around 5.5 (my meter broke so i'm using the vial and dropper type) i go back 12 hours later and the PH is back up to around 6.5 or 7. it does this when i dont add anymore water or nutes or when i do, it is always up 1 to 1.5 points the next day.
> 
> Is this normal? the only thing i have noticed on the plants is a couple of them have some leafs that the edges are curling up. but other than that they look good.


Is your water chilled? I use 60ml of ph down every week with the rez change. I have to add more every two days right now cause im adding around 4 gallons of tap water a day back in. The ph doesnt change much though unless i add the tap water. I keep the water temps in the high 50's to low 60's.

Edit: just realized this was almost 6 years ago


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## NVGrower (Feb 20, 2016)

That was my issue. I got an RO water filter system. If you can't afford that Google 'water store' and get 5 gallon jugs filled with filtered drinking water. Your pH will stablalize a day after your res change from my experience. Tap water is your enemy.


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## theheavyhittas (Nov 19, 2022)

2triple0ss said:


> WoW, straight out of the text book, but don't think it answers his question.


Word


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