Ph fluctuates with air stones off/on

Kontraband81

Kontraband81

Well-Known Member
Hello,

When I read my ph levels with the air stones off I get a 5.8, but when the air stones on it travels up to the 6.8 to 7.0 range.

I just did a res change today with R/O water.

My question is should I adjust my ph to 5.8 with the air stones off or on?

Thanks in advance.
 
neckpod

neckpod

Well-Known Member
What type of system? I Run RDWC and dont have the problem you describe. what nutes are you using as most have buffers to help with ph. i Dont use RO though as my tap water is only 35ppm and never had any issues with it.
 
kiwipaulie

kiwipaulie

Well-Known Member
I run a rdwc and my ph always goes up. I run my air stones 24/7. So I basically just add nutes around 5.5ph and it's always sweet.

I don't even check it again.
 
Kontraband81

Kontraband81

Well-Known Member
I mostly notice this after a res change. I am currently in veg and I leave my air stones on 24/7. It just seems like when I take a ph reading with them on its higher than if I temporarily shut it off. Maybe its just my ph meter doesnt work well with the air bubbles.

Again after a few days after res it doesnt seem to fluctuate at all. Maybe its just new water?
 
neckpod

neckpod

Well-Known Member
Kontraband81 said:
I mostly notice this after a res change. I am currently in veg and I leave my air stones on 24/7. It just seems like when I take a ph reading with them on its higher than if I temporarily shut it off. Maybe its just my ph meter doesnt work well with the air bubbles.

Again after a few days after res it doesnt seem to fluctuate at all. Maybe its just new water?
Click to expand...
 
WeedFreak78

WeedFreak78

Well-Known Member
Kontraband81 said:
I mostly notice this after a res change. I am currently in veg and I leave my air stones on 24/7. It just seems like when I take a ph reading with them on its higher than if I temporarily shut it off. Maybe its just my ph meter doesnt work well with the air bubbles.

Again after a few days after res it doesnt seem to fluctuate at all. Maybe its just new water?
Click to expand...
Just skimmed your grow thread, looks like you have multiple issues going on. Either use bennies, or a sterilizer, don't use both or you'll just be fighting yourself. Bennies take awhile to get established, if you go sterile, you need to make sure it stays sterile, 24/7.

You were WAYYY over feeding them initially. You shouldn't have added any nutes until they had 2-3 true leaf sets, seedlings just need water, maybe a little calmag if on RO, like 0.1EC. In those first couple weeks pics, the plants looked cooked: crispy, brown, twisting leaves.

I think you need to get your nutes dialed in a little better. Add calmag to RO first get 0.2-0.3EC, then add nutrients to get the total EC you're looking for. Those plants should be around 0.6-0.8 (420-560ppm@ .7 CF) EC total. Never run plain water in hydro,:roll: except to leech the media, which would be a wash, dump and refill with fresh nutes. Always keep a low EC, like 0.1-0.2EC. Plain water can stop nutrient transfer, both in and out of the plant, it'll process better with that lower EC. I'd try running around 0.3-0.4EC of your base with a doubled hydroguard application @1ml/L for a few days. It's always easier to add a little more than take it away, plants will do better being slightly under fed than slightly over fed. Also, mix around 1/2L ea of water and hydroguard@1ml/L and pour it through your grow medium, do this a couple times over a couple weeks, it'll get a bennie herd going in the media. If you go sterile, don't bother with the hydroguard, you'll just kill it off. Too much nutes, or adding bennies then sterilizer which kills them, provide a buffet for bacteria to thrive on.

Always mix nutes, add to res, then adjust the total res's PH. Never adjust nutes then add to res and then try to readjust the whole thing. You'll just keep chasing PH.

These are all things that'll get better with experience.
 
Kontraband81

Kontraband81

Well-Known Member
WeedFreak78 said:
Just skimmed your grow thread, looks like you have multiple issues going on. Either use bennies, or a sterilizer, don't use both or you'll just be fighting yourself. Bennies take awhile to get established, if you go sterile, you need to make sure it stays sterile, 24/7.

You were WAYYY over feeding them initially. You shouldn't have added any nutes until they had 2-3 true leaf sets, seedlings just need water, maybe a little calmag if on RO, like 0.1EC. In those first couple weeks pics, the plants looked cooked: crispy, brown, twisting leaves.

I think you need to get your nutes dialed in a little better. Add calmag to RO first get 0.2-0.3EC, then add nutrients to get the total EC you're looking for. Those plants should be around 0.6-0.8 (420-560ppm@ .7 CF) EC total. Never run plain water in hydro,:roll: except to leech the media, which would be a wash, dump and refill with fresh nutes. Always keep a low EC, like 0.1-0.2EC. Plain water can stop nutrient transfer, both in and out of the plant, it'll process better with that lower EC. I'd try running around 0.3-0.4EC of your base with a doubled hydroguard application @1ml/L for a few days. It's always easier to add a little more than take it away, plants will do better being slightly under fed than slightly over fed. Also, mix around 1/2L ea of water and hydroguard@1ml/L and pour it through your grow medium, do this a couple times over a couple weeks, it'll get a bennie herd going in the media. If you go sterile, don't bother with the hydroguard, you'll just kill it off. Too much nutes, or adding bennies then sterilizer which kills them, provide a buffet for bacteria to thrive on.

Always mix nutes, add to res, then adjust the total res's PH. Never adjust nutes then add to res and then try to readjust the whole thing. You'll just keep chasing PH.

These are all things that'll get better with experience.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the advice, what you are preaching is what I am currently working on. I have a batch of bennie tea brewing up before I add that I am flushing the nutrients with just ph tap water. Then I plan on switching back to R/O water + adding calmag (small dosage) + bennies, waiting a few days and adding nutrients (small dosage).

Thanks again for the advice.
 
WeedFreak78

WeedFreak78

Well-Known Member
Kontraband81 said:
Thank you for the advice, what you are preaching is what I am currently working on. I have a batch of bennie tea brewing up before I add that I am flushing the nutrients with just ph tap water. Then I plan on switching back to R/O water + adding calmag (small dosage) + bennies, waiting a few days and adding nutrients (small dosage).

Thanks again for the advice.
Click to expand...
"Flushing", i hate that term, it's technically called leaching, should be a quick process, maybe a coupe hours at most, and only if you have heavy salt precipitation from major over feeding. Run plain waste through your grow media to wash out excessive salts from the MEDIA, it does nothing to remove anything from the plant, dump it, then refill res with a lower EC solution and bump it up after a day or so if needed. There was some not great advice your getting in your other thread. You want to keep as steady of an EC as possible.

How healthy would you be if you gorged on high calorie foods, then starved yourself to make up for it, repeatedly?
 
Kontraband81

Kontraband81

Well-Known Member
WeedFreak78 said:
"Flushing", i hate that term, it's technically called leaching, should be a quick process, maybe a coupe hours at most, and only if you have heavy salt precipitation from major over feeding. Run plain waste through your grow media to wash out excessive salts from the MEDIA, it does nothing to remove anything from the plant, dump it, then refill res with a lower EC solution and bump it up after a day or so if needed. There was some not great advice your getting in your other thread. You want to keep as steady of an EC as possible.

How healthy would you be if you gorged on high calorie foods, then starved yourself to make up for it, repeatedly?
Click to expand...
Makes sense, so leaching is really just getting all the build up out of my hydroton then?
 
Kontraband81

Kontraband81

Well-Known Member
WeedFreak78 said:
Correct, it'll also wash the roots if there is buildup on them. Sometimes the exposed roots can get salt precipitation build.
Click to expand...
One last question with the calmag and ro water. The bottle says 3-5 ml/gallon. Should I go light on this as well? I was using 3ml/gal.

I saw you said .2 to .3 ec for calmag, just wondering if you know if that will be less than 3ml/gal
 
WeedFreak78

WeedFreak78

Well-Known Member
Kontraband81 said:
One last question with the calmag and ro water. The bottle says 3-5 ml/gallon. Should I go light on this as well? I was using 3ml/gal.

I saw you said .2 to .3 ec for calmag, just wondering if you know if that will be less than 3ml/gal
Click to expand...
I would think it would depend on what calmag you're using. I was using around 1ml/L(3.8ml/gal)@0.4ec with Botanicare.
 
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