ph issues dwc

im using 10 gallon totes dwc and have gh 3 part, always worked great with gh ph down. i recently got ces ph down and im getting pissed. i cant keep the ph below 7-7.5 in varios stages of growth. i can add ph down and get it back to 5.8 and then its back to 7-7.5. another tote , i can lower to 6.4 then it goes up as im adding ph down? wth? any help is appreciated

ces as in cutting edge ? what kind of acid is it? it's not organic is it?

i use their micro and it's just as good as gh micro

rkymtnman said:

ces as in cutting edge ? what kind of acid is it? it's not organic is it?

i use their micro and it's just as good as gh micro

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yes. it is cutiing edge solutions... it says "this acidic liquid"

you got me curious
this is from the MSDS
Phosphoric acid ≥10 - ≤25 7664-38-2
Citric acid ≥5 - ≤10 77-92-9

not sure off the top of my head what GH ph down is? thought it's phosphoric too.

ive never read into it. gh always worked. this cutting edge is what the store sells now. they both burn the cuts on my fingers lol. and im starting off with about 100 ppm water which is nice for my area

i've only used gh down. i'm to the point now where i can guess how much to add based on water level and i'm pretty darn close.

i'd guess it's just a weaker acid?

rkymtnman said:

i've only used gh down. i'm to the point now where i can guess how much to add based on water level and i'm pretty darn close.

i'd guess it's just a weaker acid?

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yea me too, ive can tell by the starting ppm as to about how much ill add. i may have to order some gh. i hate getting a new bum product. of course the guy at the store said gh is old news lol lol lol

it wouldn't be the nutes or the ph down unless it's something weird and unstable. as the salt:water ratio increases, the PH will rise. it may be that water is being uptaken faster than the nutrients, ie EC is too high.

to test the ph down itself, just add some to a gallon jug of tap water, shake it, close it up, and measure it a day later. If it's stable you know the EC/ppm is too high, if it's out of wack you may have a faulty product.

Looking to grow DWC or NFT
My understanding is you need to add more nutrients to the water and invest in a RO machine and some hydrogen 35%
Ammonium N brings ph down.
If you get K def then you need more air and better res temps
And lastly if you get a P deficency then PH is off or res is to cold.
If you get a mag or cal mag then you need to feed more.
I am a experianced promix / gaia green grower. Learnt that organics when fed less works better than fed more cause ph levels play a bigger role in absortion and the super soil burns out left over nitrogen from veg mix
You have to topdress with castings and bloom at week 2-3 and phosrock/seaweed/castings/rockdust tea at week 4-5. Tbsp each per 10gallon use rightaway. Add sugar week 6 once
Anyway how did the hydro turn out bro?

And no need to use ph down or up. Waste pf money
Use potasium silicate if you need ph up 1/4strenght should do it. And again add more nutrients for ph down but also adding co2 and more lights as the plants nutrient requirments go up in the same resevior