my pH has been wrong... do I need to flush?

zizou21

Active Member
Ok guys I just realized my Hannah pH pen has been giving me the wrong pH, and so I have been feeding my plant with much too acidic solution for god knows how long.

I realized this because I tested my pH pen into a gallon of distilled water I just purchased, and the pen read 4.5 pH... If I understand correctly, distilled water is 7.0 pH. Should I calibrate my pen according to this? I ordered some 7.01 buffer solution but it's going to take a while to get here..

Also what should I do with my plants? Do I need to flush them ? Or just start feeding them with properly adjusted pH?

fuuuck this could be bad, one of my plants is lookin pretty ugly. 15 days until harvest too...
 
Hey, I found out the long way that all bottled water / distilled water / R-O water is going to be different PH levels depending on the manufacturer and even then it can differ a little. I bought R/O water from wal-mart at it was PH 8.5, my tap water is PH 8.2, Some distilled I tried was 5...Its all over the board.

best thing to do is buy the calibration liquid for your meter which you already did:( I have a meter with a glass ball thing as a sensor and I usually have to moisten it a few minutes prior to use for best results.

After using both R/o and distilled water, i think im going to just buy a Brita filter and use my tap water + let it air out for 24 hours before use. (possible mix 1/2 tap + 1/2 r/o)
 
Definitely agree with the poster above, if you're going to be relying on that meter, you need the calibration solutions (both of them). I've had distilled range anywhere from 6-8, and my RO water is about the same, I have to check it weekly.
 
How bad is it for the plant that the solution i have been feeding has improper pH? what am i looking at here? one of my plants seem fine, but the other has turned really pale and droopy.
 
If I understand............. Until the calibration solution gets there, you're not really sure that your meter is off. ?
Until your Cal Solution gets there, you could go to a fish/pet store and buy a test kit and test your nute batch.
 
Back
Top