ph and tds meters absolutely necessary?

[Dr. VanNostrin]

i understand that a lot of you go all out with your grows and i know that it's worth it, but how bad could it really be if i was lazy about it and didnt use a tds meter or any ph meter or adjuster? is it even something to be considered?

[britewire]

On hydrophonics you don't have a natural buffer like with soil. So it's impossible to have good control over your grow when you're lacking that material

[elcheapo]

It's a bit more risky but it can be done. My first hydro attempt was an experiment to see how cheaply I could build my own system and how many rules I could break. I assumed that the tap water, medium and setup were ph neutral and that the cheap nutrients would slightly lower it. It wasn't until 4 or 5 weeks into flowering that I became curious and tested the ph with an aquarium test kit. It indicated it was around 6. I actually added a tiny amount of bi carb dust to bring it to around 6.5 as that is what the nutrient I used instructed. I only tested the new water being added but not the small reservoir.
I do consider myself very lucky that the harvest worked out extremely well!
Here is a picture of some of her very early in flowering and prior to any ph testing or adjustments. Lighting - 48watt CFL, 5000K.

[LOC NAR1958]

Dude, if you don't know where you start from How do you know where you end up. It is most critical. You can get by mixing nutes but PH is king. Below 5 and nute lockout .Up into 6 and nute lockout. I don't know . How critical is that ? Some get lucky (elcheapo). No diss. I didn't and I know of at least 6 others that quit because of lack of success but would not listen about PH.

[The White Snoop]

^^Loc's on key.

You can go by the schedule for your nutrients if you wan for ppm if you dont want one. A TDS/PPM meter is needed in a serious hydro grow.

But even if your dicking around w/ hydro you have to have some way of checking ph or you are fucked...as said above.

[Zandor]

"If you go cheap you grow cheap" That means you reap what you sow.

If you do not have the right products and equipment then all your work and money is for not. You will have no better then common dirt weed. The yield will be low if any at all. But then again if you don't know any better you are happy I guess. This plant can produce quality flowers that weight in at 6 oz dry to over 2 pounds of dry buds.

Don't waste your time and money. If you can't afford the minimum equipment for hydroponics then stick to dirt farming.

[Jdzzl03]

TDS meters are extremely helpful when trying to balance your nute solution, especially if you are using multiple products. It really isnt that useful tho after you change the water because like zandor said the plant will take up certain nutes and discard others, throwing off the ppm. Anyway if you are low on cash right now then def invest in a ph pen. They are around 30 bucks and can be found on ebay. Believe me if you want to do it right and not end up with crap then you have to check the ph twice a day until your plants can handle more nutes in which case the ph swings will be much more mild and easier to stabalize. If you cant afford to buy a ppm meter then always use half the reccomended amount for the nutes. Remember it is easier to add nutes than it is to change out the res. because of nute burn. Just my 2C and good luck:thumbsup:

[friendowl]

dr van
ley me tell you from experience
right now as i right this i am growing hydro
with no tds/ph meter.
i change my water[ro] 1 time a week
and top off with tap water.
my plants are growing real nice
i know my ph is off cuz they went a lil hermie on me.
i stressed em out i guess
but the buds are there and look sugary
if i had to i would have gotten a ph meter before i started
im gonna end up with about 3-4 oz when i coulda had more.

[Zandor]

dr van
ley me tell you from experience
right now as i right this i am growing hydro
with no tds/ph meter.
i change my water[ro] 1 time a week
and top off with tap water.
my plants are growing real nice
i know my ph is off cuz they went a lil hermie on me.
i stressed em out i guess
but the buds are there and look sugary
if i had to i would have gotten a ph meter before i started
im gonna end up with about 3-4 oz when i coulda had more.

Just think how good it could have been if you had the proper Ph and EC/TDS?

Yes you will get some smoke but think how much more or how better it could have been.

[turtle420]

The Wisdom Quote:::


if i had to i would have gotten a ph meter before i started

[friendowl]

i knew it was gonn abe like this but
this is the way i learn best.
now that i know first-hand what not to do
i am more aware of what to do
it cant get any wose only better
and the worse aint all that bad
my ph is proboly like 27.0

[turtle420]

my ph is proboly like 27.0
Ahahahaa!

Thanks for the morning laugh man! :)

Have a great day FreindOwl,

-turtle420 :cool:
.

[Zandor]

i knew it was gonn abe like this but
this is the way i learn best.
now that i know first-hand what not to do
i am more aware of what to do
it cant get any wose only better
and the worse aint all that bad
my ph is proboly like 27.0

Well friendowl at least you know you will get better and are willing to learn more. :thumbsup:

[friendowl]

i love growing a lil more than i do smoking

[Garden Knowm]

i love growing a lil more than i do smoking

LOVE


If your PH is off.. the plants will not grow.. THEY will die!!

Or they will get stunted at around 2-3 weeks.. and the stems will turn red..
You said your PH was off and that caused you plantto go hermie..

HMMMMMMMMMMM?

PLease check your PH.. something does not seem right...
MAny people around the country have tap water that is 7.0....


If you grow a plant that is worth 900 dollars and it dies after 70 days of love and care cause "YOU" did not get a PH tester... you may end up being one very sad chap..

A lot of new growers want to try it their way.. this includes growing males.. just for the HELLA of it....

And I understand that newbie menatlity... BUT it will go away very fast when you project fails after 100 days of care reap you ZERO... HERB...

love
: )

[turtle420]

BUT it will go away very fast when you project fails after 100 days of care reap you ZERO... HERB...
Unless you're stupid like me... and you spend all your time and energy on 4 plants, since SEPTEMBER 2005, and it's APRIL 2006 and you STILL don't have anything to show for it...

But hey, the support on this forum is great! If it wasn't for this,... I would have given up long time ago...

[krustythfreakinclown]

I have a very small hydro setup: One Waterfarm in a C13 cabinet (got the instructions from Overgrow and it worked out perfectly).

I have never owned a TDS/EC/pH meter. Instead, I bought a cheap little pH testing and nutrient kit from the local garden store. I follow the directions on the nutrient bottles and only test for pH once a month or so, just to make sure the pH from the tap water isn't changed. Once the nutes are added to the water, I'll get a reading of 5.5-6 (it's color coded, so there is no *definite* answer), which is about where I want to be.

I used to use pH Down to drop the pH even lower, to around 4, and it didn't hurt the plants. But, I figured that it sure as hell wasn't helping anything, either. Got 5+ ounces out of one harvest even when I was using water with a pH of 4.

My point is: If you can't/don't want to buy a meter, then don't. You can buy the pH testing strips instead for like $8 for 20 strips. That's more than enough for the testing of a couple harvests.

If you have a large grow, you probably should get one of the meters, though, since there would be more chances for nutrient/pH problems to occur.

[Weedhound]

Just to throw in my 2 cents: 3 best things I ever got for my hydro --a good PH/TDS meter, using R/0 water (we have a well) and a good quality light. Cost money? Yep. Worth every penny? You bet they are. Skipping stuff is fine until something goes wrong. And since I'm putting the work and time into them I might as well get a really good yield rather than an average one.

[Racerx]

Exactly. TDS pen, $40. pH pen, $100. Knowing exactly what your PPM and pH is immediatly and accurately; Priceless.

Honestly if your doing something for the first time and dont care too much, Id say the pH pen is not 100% neccessary. The big problem is, that nute solutions are not clear so you have to gauge with the readings. For the plain sake of simplicity and ease, all you gotta do is drop the pH pen in for a few seconds and you know what it is. Will the plants grow without having a perfect 5.8 or whatever pH? In my opinion, often yes they will grow, but they definitely wont produce as much or as good of bud. The TDS pen has been a life saver. With my resovoirs, I dont always know the exact amount of water I have since I just use the bathrub to fill. So I go approx with measuring the nutes, and then I can just add till I get the ppm I want.

Hydro is more expensive and more involved, even though you can theoretically leave it for periods of time. You need the proper investment like everyone has said...if you want to help make sure you get a good product.

[deftdrummer]

Dude, if you don't know where you start from How do you know where you end up. It is most critical. You can get by mixing nutes but PH is king. Below 5 and nute lockout .Up into 6 and nute lockout.

While I do agree with pH being the absolute lowest common denominator in hydro growing, I have to call you on your pH facts. Since when is into pH 6 range of lockout inducing potential? Far as I knew 6.5-7 is optimal