to0 ph not to ph ??

[thunderbay]

when I first started reading in here I thought I saw that where ph of water was very important, now lately I'm reading ph means nothing. I tested my ph and it's above 8.5 from well water. This is my 1st grow and I don't wanna screw it up. I've had the plants 9 days watered them twice and they need a drink, so any recommendations ?
This is my grow btw if any interest

https://www.rollitup.org/indoor-growing/463815-1st-grow-cfl.html

 

[Nusky]

your PH is too high, you should change the PH. Do you live in Thunder Bay or is that just your name?

You'll get slow growth and leaf twisting

 

[reverof]

Soil PH should be 6.5-7

 

[thunderbay]

Soil PH should be 6.5-7

how do I get it down, vinegar ?

 

[reverof]

php down... vinegar works, but its a temp down... can also try getting some RO water, typical RO water is PH 5-6, can be purchased at most Aquarium stores for $0.50 a gallon.

 

[thunderbay]

php down... vinegar works, but its a temp down... can also try getting some RO water, typical RO water is PH 5-6, can be purchased at most Aquarium stores for $0.50 a gallon.

thank you but I'm a total newbie so what ratios etc ?

 

[r1tony]

PH is everything.. look up nutrient absorption ph range to find out why.

PS Don't believe 90% of what you read.

 

[Jack Harer]

Do not use RO water if you can help it. Tap water (especially yours!!) has lots of desirable mineral content you won't get from RO. Go to an aquarium shop if need be and get some pH buffer and pH down. The down will lower the pH and the buffer will stabilize it. Ordinarily, pH isn't a concern going in. But in YOUR case, you live in a very alkaline water area. Definitely pH.
This chart shows at what value each nute gets absorbed or locked out. Pretty straight forward.

 

[BatMaN SKuNK]

Do not use RO water if you can help it. Tap water (especially yours!!) has lots of desirable mineral content you won't get from RO. Go to an aquarium shop if need be and get some pH buffer and pH down. The down will lower the pH and the buffer will stabilize it. Ordinarily, pH isn't a concern going in. But in YOUR case, you live in a very alkaline water area. Definitely pH.
This chart shows at what value each nute gets absorbed or locked out. Pretty straight forward.

I agree. I use one gallon jugs, 4 or 5 at a time, fill em all up. let them sit out a few days before I feed to my plants. Let's the chlorine evaporate. I put the oldest jugs first in the lineup and when I fill a new one, move it to the back of the line.

With PH down, you don't need much at all if your water is nuetral at 7 like mine is. Just like a thimble full, if you can imagine that. Shake it up and Boom! PH 6-6.5 real easy.

 

[reverof]

By no means did I recommend using straight RO water to water plants, I was explaining to him how to lower or even flush to lower PH. RO water is great for that... he can also take some tap water and mix with RO to adjust his PH after the fact.

The myth of leaving tap water out to evaporate chlorine does work, BUT more than 85% of the water sources in the US no longer use Chlorine, they use Chloramine which does not evaporate like chlorine does. Best reason to leave tap water out is to get the water more room temp, so you do not shock your roots (in soil).

 

[Jack Harer]

Chlorine or chloramine can either be bubbled out or , again, you can go to an aquarium store and get chlorine/chloramine remover. Sodium Thiosulfate will remove cloramine by breaking the bond between the chlorine and ammonia. If it's safe for fish, it's OK for plants. Works for me, anyway.

 

[TheGrotesque]

Let me get something straight, (in soil) you should be more worried about what the PH of your soil v/s what the Ph of your water is? If this is correct just mixing some lime in your soil should keep your ph about right.... No matter what the PH going in is?

Correct me if I am wrong.

 

[Jack Harer]

You are correct. Lime is a Buffer, that will stabilize the pH. However, with proper soil and organic nutrients, along with proper pH water in (as it is in my area and most areas), pH should be a non issue. Folks make WAY too much about pH in soil. Look at the chart and see just how far out of whack it has to be before anything starts getting locked out. You can be between 6.2 and 8.something before you'll see any signs. A lot of people freak if it drifts from 6.8 to 7.2 and they'll tell you "LOCK OUT!!!". It's just not so.
Thunderbay just happens to be one of the few poor SOB's that have extremely alkaline water. He has to pH it to use it. But for the majority of us, it's a non-issue. Thats not to say ignore it, by any means. Hell your cat might piss in the pot or something. Shit happens. But it aint gonna happen in a couple of hours, or overnight in soil like it will in Hydro.
But to answer the question, theoretically you shouldn't have to lower the pH to use the water, but why not do it if your water was that far out?

 

[Nusky]

yea I don't PH my water, never had any problems. My science teacher back in grade 10 said our water is perfect for growing plants(~7). I think that's why the weed around here is usually premo

 

[reverof]

Chlorine or chloramine can either be bubbled out or , again, you can go to an aquarium store and get chlorine/chloramine remover. Sodium Thiosulfate will remove cloramine by breaking the bond between the chlorine and ammonia. If it's safe for fish, it's OK for plants. Works for me, anyway.

It has been studied I dont know how many hundreds of times.. Chloramine can NOT be bubbled out, cant be evaporated out etc... Chlorine remover does not remove chloramine. You can set a bucket of tap water with chloramine in the water in the sun for a week and still have very high levels of chloramine.

Chloramine does not have the same issues with plant micro's as chlorine.

 

[BatMaN SKuNK]

The myth of leaving tap water out to evaporate chlorine does work, BUT more than 85% of the water sources in the US no longer use Chlorine, they use Chloramine which does not evaporate like chlorine does. Best reason to leave tap water out is to get the water more room temp, so you do not shock your roots (in soil).

Idk about 85%, I live in a pretty major city here and it's def chlorine. I just read the city's water report.. So isn't most of my state after googling it. I've never heard of that one, appears it's out there and has been used for decades. I've never heard of that before now.

Nearly every grower I know let's their water sit out a few days because of the chlorine.

 

[DrFever]

http://www.planetnatural.com/site/general-hydroponics-pH-down.html

sure you can even get ph up or down at a petstore >????

 

[Jack Harer]

Yep! Sure can!

 

[dirtysnowball]

let me ask you this. is your plant growing ok? im guessing so, messing with stuff thats not causing issues is unwise. i used to ph my water whn i first started.... but i dont anymore. do you grow any flowers or house plants? do you ph all their water? its just personal preference

 

[reverof]

Idk about 85%, I live in a pretty major city here and it's def chlorine. I just read the city's water report.. So isn't most of my state after googling it. I've never heard of that one, appears it's out there and has been used for decades. I've never heard of that before now.

Nearly every grower I know let's their water sit out a few days because of the chlorine.

Many people leave water out thinking they use Chlorine in their water... you can do search and find out what water in your area uses, but very few still use Chlorine.

Here is a site that lists the bst & worst and information on many public water supplies and what they use.
http://www.ewg.org/tap-water/home