Slow bud development & PH dropping

I was wondering if anyone could help me trouble shoot this. My buds don’t seem to be developing. See my grow journal:

https://www.rollitup.org/grow-journals/32121-towlie-s-experiments-aerogarden-6.html

I’m 8-weeks into flowering. The buds (pistils) on the mid level branches started to turn brown/red about two weeks ago, but for the past two weeks the plant has been progressing very slowly. All of the pistils on the top (juicy) buds appeared to have stopped growing, and the pistils are not browning. I have a microscope and none of the trichromes are browning.

Also, every morning I dial the water to 6.0 PH... Then the next morning the PH has dropped to 5.2 – 5.3. I’ve gone thru 2 bottles of PH up in 2-weeks. The plant is gynormous and I suspect that part of the problem is due to the massive amount of bud it has generated and it's is just taking it’s time. The conditions are as follows:

PH: 5.3 (but I’m trying for 6.0)
Grow System: DWC
Nutrients: Fox Farm Hydro (6-pack)
PPM: 1680 (I dropped this to 1400 this morning because of over nuting symptoms.)
Flowering: 8-weeks 4-days.

Thanks in advance for your help.

LIGHT leak... ?

8 weeks flowering.. should be almost done...

1680 seems HIGH.. good call dropping it...

The pH should be at 5.5-6.0

5.2 seems low to me...

cheers

Thanks Knowm.

Yes. I didn't realize the PPM was so high. I cleaned my truncheon and the EC jumped from 2.0 to 2.4. It had been a couple of weeks since I cleaned it... (dumb stoner.)

And, yes I'm trying for 6.0, but the PH keeps dropping. Do you think the PH drops were because I was over nuting???

Kind Regards.

P.S. I keep planning on joining you on the Global Warming debate thread, but I've been so busy I can't find the time.

towlie said:

P.S. I keep planning on joining you on the Global Warming debate thread, but I've been so busy I can't find the time.

Click to expand...

its not a debate.. very few people care about getting the truth.. they only care about being right...

save your breath ... LOL

Have you tried draining your reservoir and refilling it... maybe with some store bought water..


just to see if it will hold its pH... maybe it is something in the water that has a buffer?

iloveyou

Garden Knowm said:

its not a debate.. very few people care about getting the truth.. they only care about being right...

save your breath ... LOL

Click to expand...

Why do you think I can't find the time?

Garden Knowm said:

Have you tried draining your reservoir and refilling it... maybe with some store bought water..

iloveyou

Click to expand...

I've been using store bought RO water. They have a niffty re-filling machine.

I'll re-fill again tomorrow and see if it does the trick.

Thanks.

P.S. I love you too.

Knowm. Thanks for your help. I dropped the EC to 1.8 and the PH is staying solid and the Pistils are starting to turn red.

You're a god damn saint!