first time with hydro, I have a six bucket system with a reservoir and controller...using r/o water and good nutes...system has been up for 3 days...evry day the ph drops.....a lot at first, from 6.2 to 4.5 over night...today from 6 to 5.5...using hygromite medium..is this normal at start up? will I have to balance every day? temps are 70 degres.. 20 gallons in the reservoir....thx for any help..
help a newbie?
- Thread starter maheesh
- Start date
VictorVIcious
Well-Known Member
I believe if you check you should have your ph starting @ 5.8 for hydro. Are you saying your water temp is 70 also? If so you may want to lower if a little to around 65. It will hold more oxygen for the roots at that temp. If the room temp is 70 you may want to raise it a little around 78 is ideal especially if you have good ventilation ( stale air out and fresh air in) Are you using a meter t test ph?
potroast
Uses the Rollitup profile
Sheesh maheesh, that's quite a swing! It's the nutes that make the pH swing like that, so we'll have to hear what all you're using, and at what amounts. And the meter is calibrated and all right? And that hygromite, that is some rocks that put off silicates, or something, right? That might be messing with your soup.
It will take some fiddling around to get right. Starting with ro water may mean you have to add pH Up, depending on your nute concentration.
It will take some fiddling around to get right. Starting with ro water may mean you have to add pH Up, depending on your nute concentration.
ViRedd
New Member
Maheesh ...
I use PBP too. The PH will swing down, then come up. Remember, the plant takes up nutrients at 4.5 that it doesn't take up at 6.0 and visa-versa. Ideally, the PH should be between 5.2 and 5.8. So ... if it stays at 4.5, you can always add a LITTLE PH up to the mix. Don't go overboard with the PH up though ... otherwise, you'll be needing PH down.
Vi
I use PBP too. The PH will swing down, then come up. Remember, the plant takes up nutrients at 4.5 that it doesn't take up at 6.0 and visa-versa. Ideally, the PH should be between 5.2 and 5.8. So ... if it stays at 4.5, you can always add a LITTLE PH up to the mix. Don't go overboard with the PH up though ... otherwise, you'll be needing PH down.
Vi
VictorVIcious
Well-Known Member
I need a little help myself. This is actually my second grow but all 5 in the first grow turn out to be female (dam the luck). I uploaded a picture titled 'Is this Male?' Any one that can help?
potroast
Uses the Rollitup profile
Ohhh, well that's very different! I assumed you were using chemical nutes.
I haven't used PBP but I have used organic hydro nutes before. I read that it is usual practice to mix organic nutes and let it sit for 24 hours before final pH adjustment and use. That's because of the pH swings.
And yes, flowering time to maturity will be pretty much the same.
HTH
potroast
Uses the Rollitup profile
Signs point to 'yes.' It's tough to tell for sure from the pic, but I would be thinking it's a boy. You've got plenty of time, in case other females are around. If that little bunch of green balls extends out on a single branch, and the green balls multiply and start to look like seed pods in a bunch, that's a male flower. Those pods are actually pollen sacks, filled with yellow powder.
HTH
VictorVIcious
Well-Known Member
thanx Potroast. I know I don't have to yank them ywt. Just trying to make sureI'm looking for the right thing
richyrich24
Active Member
IM trying to find out if i leave my new water farm on all day and night
fitzyno1
Well-Known Member
This may be a silly question,
did you clean your system thoroughly.
ie: wash out with a mild soap, rinse out thoroughly to get rid if any impurities, and run the system for 24 hours with a bleaching agent like H2O2, before introducing the plants?
Did you clean and ph adjust your medium (ie. hydroton pellets) before use.
These factors make you nutes have pH swings.
If you didn't rinse and pH your rockwool, it would've had the opposite effect ( pH would rise ), so it's not the rockwool, that is, if you use it.