Ph problems! Did my research but no solution found!

Skylander

Well-Known Member
This is what I know so far. My ph meter is calibrated and working fine. My water temps are 65/66F. I have used these nutes with great success for over a year now so I know they work. My roots are white without a single stain visible. I use GH Ph up/down in my system. I dont have any deformed leaves which can indicate a ph problem. I mean look at the plants! My tap water comes out with a ph of 6.5 and a ppm of 70. My RO is performing the same as it did out of the box. Ive had bad results with a sterile system in the past. Each plant is about 5x4ft in diameter and has stretched about 1.5ft above the scrog net.
 
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Skylander

Well-Known Member
I figured it out! The ratio of my tea ingredients are off. As I stated earlier I use molasses in my tea. Apparently molasses is acidic. Also fungi excrete acid while bacteria excrete alkaline properties . I stopped testing the ph of my tea. Ive been eyeing my brews because I got lazy/overly comfortable. Too much molasses is the culprit. When my bacteria colony is at its prime my tea should be close to 7.0 instead 5.0 The fix is to either brew it longer until I cant smell any sweetness or simply get my ratios right so when I use it after 48 hrs of brewing majority of the molasses is consumed by bennies! Ive been doing alot of research on how bennies affect the root system.Beneficial microbes assist in breaking down nutrients and making them more available to the roots which explains why I havent seen any signs of stress in my plants. Even at lower ph levels they still have nutrient availability because of the microbial relationship in the root zone. Note: if I had not had a healthy root zone to begin with the teas I have been using would have fed the bad bacteria too resulting in a disaster. I have healthy white roots inside and out of my smart pot. I will show them at the end of the grow because I use a scrog and it is too late in the game to mess something good up to prove a point. I think Im on my way to two 1lbs plants. If not they will be very close!:peace: Thanks to everyone for the help!
 

Dr.Pecker

Well-Known Member
aerobic bacteria cause it to climb anaerobic bacteria will cause pH to drop. Why you mix organics and hydroponics is beyond me. No microbiology to eat the molasses.
 

Skylander

Well-Known Member
Obviously anaerobic bacteria isnt the only thing that will cause a ph drop because I have none. Microbiology has made my grows 100% better. If you do some research you will find that there are a lot of hydroponic growers that use seaweed in there system with great success. I didnt just start doing this without research. When people do get root rot the first thing they do is try to use h2o2 or bleach to find out that it is a temporary fix at any rate. Then they all figure out duh beneficial microbes work. So why not add them from the beginning. Ill never grow without it again. Its my personal grow insurance.
 
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