DWC pH help please!

[klepto]

im growing 4 plans in a 10 gallon container...DWC. My pH keeps fluctuating. I use vinigar to bring my pH down to 5.8-6.0 and within 2 hours my pH goes back to 7. Is this a problem with the water, nutrients? I really don't know. I use Duchtmaster Gold nutrients. Its just been something I haven't been able to figure out. mabye my pH tester might be bad but I doubt it... I just bought it like a week ago. Any know what maybe going on here?

 

[gnsonsllc]

Im not really good at all this, but maybe it might be worth the investmet to buy the propper PH up and PH down rather than vinigar

 

[mcaaz943]

U need to use ph up and down dude.I tried with vinegar it isnt strong enough and wrecks your res.

 

[caddyluck]

welcome to dwc

 

[BeverlyRollins69]

I started off using city tap water in my dwc and had the same problem. I've since switched to buying distilled water and the problem has been erradicated. I have a feeling it had something to do with the chlorine evaporating off, but that's just my speculation.

 

[klepto]

I started off using city tap water in my dwc and had the same problem. I've since switched to buying distilled water and the problem has been erradicated. I have a feeling it had something to do with the chlorine evaporating off, but that's just my speculation.

did you use vinigar or pH up and down? your prob right. but I need to know weather to buy pH up or down or an RO system. I just might get both..

 

[BeverlyRollins69]

I use pH up and down, costs $10/quart, $25/gal at my local hydro store

 

[Earl]

Use good water and you will barely have to adjust the pH
save money on pH adjustment chemicals,
and grow more weed.

 

[cream8]

get a bigger res and more air stones. in some plants can grow faster then others and suffocate the others...a good rule of thumb is 4 gallons of nute solution per plant meaning you should have about a 15 gal res

 

[smokertoker]

ehhh... I've had no problems growning 3 plants in my 5 gal res. I think it would handle 4 before I had problems... Just gatta add 2gals every ~ 2 days.

 

[scruffmcgruff]

This helped my ph problems my tap water was highly alkaline (talking in the 7.8+ range) and I spent $30 on one of those mr clean car all in one car wash spray guns

when you switch to the rinse mode it filters the water (filters replacements are like $5-$10) and my ph is about 6.5, worked like a charm

 

[cream8]

6.5 is a high ph for hydro. i keep mine around 5.8

 

[unity]

I would not use tab water and use ph up/down instead of vinegar, a lot more stable.

 

[klepto]

well..all this has been alot of help ... but I really don't want the hassel of having to check the pH everyday. Sometimes I just can't get to it.. so what would be a better investment .. an RO maching for cleaner water ? or and automatic pH controller that automatically adjusts pH to desired level... the RO machine is like $50 dollars cheaper...?

 

[unity]

A larger reservior, RO water and a chiller and you won't know what to do with your time

 

[Earl]

If you use RO,
you will be able to get the pH stable,
without a controller.

 

[bouncy bob]

A larger reservior, RO water and a chiller and you won't know what to do with your time

chiller....please expand unity??? i was under the impression plants didnt like cold water cos it shocked them so pray tell what is the chiller for?? tried pm'oing you but i dont have any priviledges

I too harbour thoughts of dissapearing for weeks so any help gratefully recieved.

bob

 

[unity]

chiller....please expand unity??? i was under the impression plants didnt like cold water cos it shocked them so pray tell what is the chiller for?? tried pm'oing you but i dont have any priviledges

I too harbour thoughts of dissapearing for weeks so any help gratefully recieved.

bob

I don't think they like rapid temp changes, but the res. needs to be at no more then 72 degrees. I got mine at 69.
With the chiller you can maintain that within 2 degrees. Above 72 degrees shit starts going bad, especially if you are recirculating (bad bacteria, root rot etc...). I'm 'drip to waste' so I would not have to worry that much about it, but by keeping it below 72 I do get away without many res. changes. I also do not use air stones in my res. for the first time (I use House of Zwaan nutes), which freaks me out, the lower res. temps put me a little at ease.

 

[Al B. Fuct]

If you use RO,
you will be able to get the pH stable,
without a controller.

I've used tapwater for 20+ years, growing dope on 2 continents. If I adjust a newly mixed tank's pH and leave the nutes in the tank, it stays put, without a controller.

However, when I start pumping the nutes into a rockwool media based system, the small amount of limestone powder remaining from RW manufacturing can cause pH to bump up, perhaps 0.1-0.2/day. Clearly, that's not the fault of the tapwater.

I've also seen root diseases, notably fungal probs, cause pH to jump significantly (+>0.5), even overnight. Not the fault of the tapwater, either.

Vinegar is a serious no-no in a hydroponic op. Put some vinegar in a sterilised clear container of plain water, cover or seal it and leave it at room temp for several days. You'll see cloudy gack form in the water. This will happen more quickly in non-chlorinated water. Why? Vinegar is a fermented product. Its acidity (~5%) at full strength stops it fermenting further in the bottle. Dilute it and the remaining yeast will often be able to reactivate. That's the cloudy gack- new yeast.

pHDown is made from inorganic chemicals which don't have the drawbacks of vinegar. It is available in a couple of formulations. It's usually a phosphoric acid solution, but some retailers sell phosphoric acid based pHDown for flowering plants and nitric acid based pHDown for vegging plants, though the P based type will do OK in all applications. On top of all that, pHDown is among the very cheapest solutions in a hydro shop. No real excuse not to use the right stuff.

 

[Al B. Fuct]

oh, and.. if your pH is bumping up and you suspect fungal problems, it's solved by adding 50% grade H2O2 @ 1ml/L of nute solution, every 3-4 days.

DWC ops run without H2O2 often have fungal probs in the roots. When it's really bad, it looks like a gel coating the roots. H2O2 will solve it in a few days and prevent recurrence. You get the side benefit of enhanced root oxygenation when the H2O2 breaks down on contact with the fungus.