Suuuuuper High pH!!

The tap water is just tap water that has aged 3 days, but that point is moot because we are just going to get a bunch of distilled water tonight.

Second, I don't know what you mean by breaking in fresh hydroton, but what is the issue with hydroton? I never came across anything in reading or any videos.

Third, we are planning on using the wet paper towel technique, as this is what I have personally used in the past and I am more comfortable with it. I have never actually grown a plant from start to finish, but I grew a bag seed for like 3 weeks in my closet just to see if it would grow, and it did. This might not be the best way, but I am very nervous about the germination and getting the seeds to sprout out of the rockwool, because if I fuck it up, its $120 down the drain, which sucks, so I want to go with what I know works unless there's an even easier way.

Lastly, I don't mean to be an asshole. I realize its a community, but go ahead and read that post I replied to and tell me its not totally condescending and very rude. I realize my questions are somewhat basic, but if I didn't read anything about it, I ask. I've also been a member of the community for a year or two and have contributed positively in other areas, but I am new to growing. Thanks again for everyone that is helping me out.

Just remember. You'll still to to adjust the PH of the distilled. It's going to be a lot closer then the tap (and it will consistantly be so - around 4.9-5.0) but at least you know what's in your water when you start. When they start growing let's see those pics. :)

That's my question....was the water ever ph adjusted to begin with......before it was put into the system for it's "trial run" If not.....this entire thread is not really very useful is it? That's what I can't seem to get an answer to exactly (it's water that's sat for 3 days doesn't tell me I'm afraid) and I assume you are going to use rockwool instead of hydroton so I suppose that answers that question if I can read between the lines correctly.

I honestly cannot tell if you are trying to answer eveybody's question at once or just giving out the info you feel we need to know. So far....i cannot get the information I NEED to know to help you so I will say.....good luck with your grow.

New hydroton will drive pH up for a while, till ya get it broken in. So will fresh rockwool. If you're dry-running the sys w/ media in place, this could be the problem.

Weedhound, I mentioned earlier that it was just tap water that had aged for 3 days. I incorrectly assumed that the pH of tap water would be somewhere around 6-7 and letting it sit would evaporate the chlorine, thus leaving usable water with a moderate pH level. Everywhere I read simply said if using tap water, to let it age for 2 or 3 days before giving it to the plants. This was only an assumption I had made that turned out to be false. The original question is void at this point as I am going to be using distilled water instead of tap water.

As far as the hydroton raising pH, would you recommend running the system for a while with the hydroton in the baskets, or what is the best way to combat the pH rise?

Ok....so now we can go forward......Don't buy distilled water yet......Do your test again but this time adjust your tap water to 6 before you put it in.....and see what it says at the end of a few hours. If it stays pretty stable then you can use that water.....and it will save you having to buy CalMag and distilled water for your system. The biggestt problem with tap water imo is keeping the ph stable....so test yours and find out. That's the only way you will know.

I personally have not found a way to combat the high ph with hydroton.....and therefore I don't use it. It may be fine with your regular water.....some people seem to have issues and some don't. I did.

do your test with ph corrected water and let us know the results. Don't buy a bunch of stuff yet.....

Ps.....don't let the water sit for the test....just adjust the ph......won't hurt anything if no plants in system

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Originally Posted by dejayou30

Weedhound, I mentioned earlier that it was just tap water that had aged for 3 days. I incorrectly assumed that the pH of tap water would be somewhere around 6-7 and letting it sit would evaporate the chlorine, thus leaving usable water with a moderate pH level. Everywhere I read simply said if using tap water, to let it age for 2 or 3 days before giving it to the plants. This was only an assumption I had made that turned out to be false. The original question is void at this point as I am going to be using distilled water instead of tap water.

As far as the hydroton raising pH, would you recommend running the system for a while with the hydroton in the baskets, or what is the best way to combat the pH rise?

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You might be able to use your tap water, saving yourself the time and expense of not only hauling water but also buying the water and the CalMag+ to go in it. However, since your first assumption about the pH of the water was wrong, you are going to immediately jump into distilled.

Guess what, distilled water isn't going to be the pH 5.7 that you want either... and even if every drop of water available to you was 5.7, that will change when you add nutes to the water and you will have to adjust the pH anyway.

So what's the sense of asking for advice when you just ignore those who try to help you?

PC :smokin:

Jeez, it seems I can't win here. Somewhere, someone said that using distilled or RO water is a much better idea than loading my res with pH down, so I figured I would go ahead and spend the $10 on the distilled water. I have a few days to get this all figured out, as my landlord is coming to work on the house Saturday and I am not germinating the seeds until Sunday. I will test the pH in a 5 gallon bucket and post here tomorrow with the results. Thanks!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dejayou30

Jeez, it seems I can't win here. Somewhere, someone said that using distilled or RO water is a much better idea than loading my res with pH down, so I figured I would go ahead and spend the $10 on the distilled water. I have a few days to get this all figured out, as my landlord is coming to work on the house Saturday and I am not germinating the seeds until Sunday. I will test the pH in a 5 gallon bucket and post here tomorrow with the results. Thanks!

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I think you're missing the point here. 8.0 is not that out of line for tap water. Whether or not your tap water is suitable for growing depends on whether it wants to always go back to 8.0 or if it will take adjustments.

There is stuff, minerals, in your tap water that determine the pH of the water. For the most part the stuff in your tap water won't harm your plants. In fact, some of the minerals, like calcium and magnesium, are good for your plants and, if they are removed from the water, must be replaced (With expensive nutrients). Anyway, these minerals can sometimes be a very strong influence on the pH of the water and will continually drive the pH up (or down), no matter how much you try to keep it stable.

Regardless of the water source you choose, the water will never be a perfect pH to start with and, even if it were, after you add nutrients the pH will go down anyway so you will end up having to adjust the pH, regardless of what your water source is.

What I'm trying to get you to determine is whether or not the pH of your water will stay down after you adjust it. If it will stay down, if it does not have a strong buffer in it, then it is suitable for growing. That's why I said adjust the pH to 5.7 then check it 12 hours later.

Does this make more sense now? Sometimes on this forum when people are trying to help you, they ask you questions that might not make a whole lot of sense to you. Often times people want to help, but don't have the time or the inclination to write a long explanation about why they are asking the questions. If ya go with the flow, you'll probably find that these are the people who will be the most useful with your problems.

As far as this pH issue is concerned, been there - done that. It turned out I can't use my tap water and I can tell you from experience that hauling water is a drag.

PC :smokin: