PH Dropping! Current Culture System! First Time Grow!

0

0zium

New Member
Hello everyone,

New here! Joining this community as of today and excited to learn more!

I am having PH drop issues!

System:
(3) Current Culture 24UCE Bench Setup

Tools:
BlueLab Meters and Testers (All calibrated and matching results)

Currently Week 3 Veg!

My PH keeps dropping each day. I drained some water out and substituted with clean RO water to stabilize Ph and drop EC from .7 to .55. After that, in 24 hours it dropped from 6.05 to 5.81 for the 1st Current Culture System. Second system fell from 6.08 to 5.85. Third system fell from 5.91 to 5.35.

I have turned off my C02 burner to reduce more Ph-Downswing. (This accelerates Ph down greatly.

Side Note: I messed up the first week and only gave half of the recommended current culture
 
Sif1

Sif1

Well-Known Member
0zium said:
Hello everyone,

New here! Joining this community as of today and excited to learn more!

I am having PH drop issues!

System:
(3) Current Culture 24UCE Bench Setup

Tools:
BlueLab Meters and Testers (All calibrated and matching results)

Currently Week 3 Veg!

My PH keeps dropping each day. I drained some water out and substituted with clean RO water to stabilize Ph and drop EC from .7 to .55. After that, in 24 hours it dropped from 6.05 to 5.81 for the 1st Current Culture System. Second system fell from 6.08 to 5.85. Third system fell from 5.91 to 5.35.

I have turned off my C02 burner to reduce more Ph-Downswing. (This accelerates Ph down greatly.

Side Note: I messed up the first week and only gave half of the recommended current culture
Click to expand...
Would say it's your RO water. Or tank contamination.
 
0

0zium

New Member
Is water possible? I’m using reverse osmosis system, can’t see how that can be an issue. The roots do look a bit fluffy, whiteish, beigish. My water temps have always been around 70, with air pumps always on.
 
Sif1

Sif1

Well-Known Member
0zium said:
Is water possible? I’m using reverse osmosis system, can’t see how that can be an issue. The roots do look a bit fluffy, whiteish, beigish. My water temps have always been around 70, with air pumps always on.
Click to expand...
If I use town water I get less ph to drop out than if I use RO. Could mean anything. If you haven't had issues prior to using RO I would clean everything. process of ellimination.
 
0

0zium

New Member
I had algae at moment, because I was using clear tubes. I have switched them to new black piping. Is there anything else I need to do? Any cleaners while plants are in or anything?
 
D

dendroaspis

Active Member
Sif1 said:
That's a great document. Renfro should be acknowledged when posting his work. cheers.
Click to expand...
You are absolutely right and thank you for mentioning this.

In my defence, I saved this file more than a year ago, had no clue about the source. So again, thank you for crediting the creator.
 
MidnightSun72

MidnightSun72

Well-Known Member
RO water naturally has a low PH because the lack of dissolved matter in the water leave room for CO2 to dissolve into the water creating a little acid which brings the ph down.

Edit: btw RO water when exposed to air the pH should drop to about 5.0-5.5. So seems on point with your situation.

I've never ran hydro before but my understanding is some hydro nutes have buffering agents that help stabilize PH.
 
L

LC39

Member
Just get some ph up or some potassium silicate and slowly, gradually raise the ph. I let mine swing between 5.4 and 6.5. Unless it is outside of that range, don’t mess with it. Also, are you changing your reservoir weekly. Ive found just topping off leads to imbalances. Don’t get discouraged. It take a bit to dial in a rdwc I use Jacks 3,2,1 with some fulvic acid and potassium silicate all at recommended dosages. Set it and let it run, it’s that easy once dialed in. Good luck.
 
Wastei

Wastei

Well-Known Member
This is not a new problem for people starting out in hydro. Its very easy to overcomplicate things. I suggest you drop all the organics. A complete plant food with all the essentials and most of the non essential nutrients is all you need. Potassium silicate work well as a pH buffer and surfactant in hydro.

I only run Jack's, silicate, drip clean, COS and bleach in my reservoirs. Just recently added low dose COS. You want to lower surface tension to make nutrients more available for uptake so you can lower EC as much as possible in hydro. With lower surface tension you make it hard for biofilm to cover pipings and walls in the res/totes.

I am currently playing around with Aero and any biofilm get caught up in the filters on the return. Sterility is key, I don't run high doses of chlorine in Aero. Only 0.5ppm residual to keep things stable. In DWC i suggest 3-5ppm depending on plants size.

Chlorine dilution calculator
 
L

LC39

Member
Absolutely agree with eliminating any organics. I am unfamiliar with COS, can you enlighten me? I agree sterility is keyin a rdwc system but for my money, temperature is the key ingredient to a clean grow. Unless you go to another form of hydro, a chiller is an absolute necessity. I wouldn’t waste my time running without one. I even have a chiller on my dwc nursery!
 
Sif1

Sif1

Well-Known Member
Its al
LC39 said:
Just get some ph up or some potassium silicate and slowly, gradually raise the ph. I let mine swing between 5.4 and 6.5. Unless it is outside of that range, don’t mess with it. Also, are you changing your reservoir weekly. Ive found just topping off leads to imbalances. Don’t get discouraged. It take a bit to dial in a rdwc I use Jacks 3,2,1 with some fulvic acid and potassium silicate all at recommended dosages. Set it and let it run, it’s that easy once dialed in. Good luck.
Click to expand...
It's also good to use Vermiculite as that has potassium silicate in it. I always blend it into my coco.
 
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