ph - cant get it right

[kboughton]

whatup guys, this is my first real grow and i went dwc. i got 2 lowryders with 2 gallons of water. they sprouted and everything but i cant get the ph stabilized. i got some powdered ph down but i dont know what kind it is cuz it came second hand ina kit. im experimenting in empty gallon jugs with tap water for now but the problem is the ph goes down exponentially instead of just a little after following exact directions. does it even out eventually or should i just get some new liquid ph down that i know what it is? thanks

[Cyclonite]

I use GH ph down and it takes about 23ml to get my 15 gal rez down from 7.8 tap after adding nutes and such.

[JackdaWack]

yeah i never used powder ph products, cant help ya, but if its going down then u should be using ph up right? just find the middle ground add less next time u need to give the product time to dissolve into the water unlike liquid ph products that mix immediatly.

[bongerstonerd00d]

What are you testing the raw water with (when it comes from tap) ? And what is the pH of the raw water ? Are you using a pen/meter ? Has it been calibrated ? If needed you can always use white vinegar for pH down, and Baking Soda for pH up. 5.8 is where you want to be.

Give us some more info so we can get you on the right track.


b0nger

[kboughton]

im testing with a sunleaves ph pen. it says the tap is 7.5.. i only put enough in for what i thought would bring it down by .5 but it went down to 3.4. but then i check the tap water in jug right next to it and its 7.5-8 again. i will say the pen didnt come with calibration fluid so that could be my problem right there. would the pen compensate or anything because of no cal. fluid so it makes my starting reference point be off? im gonna try the vinegar thing and see if that works. thanks

[JackdaWack]

the pen should be fine, but some one should have said to get the cal solution when u got the pen, from factory it could very well be off, but i think your problem is the ph down, use alot alot less next time and see what happens, if the pen read 7.8 and then u ph down to 3.4 then its working fine u used way to much ph down

[kboughton]

thats what i figured. but am i correct that it takes a little bit to take effect and disperse in the water? thanks

[dusto2k3]

It only takes a minute amount to change plain water. Add your nutes first then do the Ph. In plain water there is no buffer for the ph adjuster.

[kboughton]

aight, makes sense

just blaze

[dusto2k3]

like for 1 gallon, I dont even have to add one whole drop to drastically change my ph you know. Oh and just stir and the change is instant.

[kboughton]

wow didnt know that. imma go do a lil experimenting

[dusto2k3]

what did you find? let us know

[bongerstonerd00d]

If it were me I'd spend the 15-20 bux and get some calibration sachets. Knowing your pen/tester is accurate is 99% of the battle. They sell calibration solutions for a reason.;) And, as stated above, use the pH down sparingly. It does not take much, powder or liquid. Let us know how things go. Best of luck on the grow.


b0nger

[HighSeekerz]

I added less than 4 drops of liquid PH down to go from 7.0 to 5.8 per gallon. (as I recall)

I am using RO water now, so I have to PH up a couple drops.

[JackdaWack]

its alot easier to ph r/o and distilled water, my well water takes like 3-5ml a gal