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i know i should have waited to get the ph pen but i couldnt.
i know that ph should be aroung 5.5 -6.0 in hydro.
everything is looking good but im kinda nervous cuz
i dont want to lose my babies.i heard that ro water is 6.0
then when you add the gh 3 part form.the ph will drop
to around 5.8.is this true.
you got paper that react to the acidity of liquids... Don't know the name of that stuff.. go and get it at your local aquarium specialist.
its litmus paper if that is how you spell it. Alot of nutes lower your ph drastically however I have never tested that brand. R.O. water should be right around 7.
One love
c
It's true but other factors can effect this too. It can lower or raise from plant giving off waste salts. 5.2 to 5.8 is best. Shurely you must have a pool or pet store that has dropper kit to check PH. They are cheap and mind you the color of the GH 3 parts will change the color but you will be much closer than guessing. It's not worth playing with and it can hold you dead still till it's fixed. Get a small kit till you get a PH pen.
hanna 9044 call hanna
the test kit at the fish store only reads above 6.0
i wanna know my ph so bad.
no one understands my pain but you growers.
when my girl says why do you look sad
i cant say cuz i dont know my ph
so i say my head hurts
Don't despair, go to a pond store and get the chemical test kits. The paper ones suck. No r/o water does not come out to 7 or 6. I have r/o water and it comes out the same as my tap, 8.1. GH nutes do drop your ph a little, but it depends what you started with. I've been using GH nutes and I have to adjust my ph with vinegar every day to bring it back down. I'm not sure what other people do, this is my first hydro grow. My soil plants are great, but my hydro plants have had slimy roots, twice and are growing at a snail's pace.
they say if it aint broke dont fix it
my hydro plants are looking healthy
and are growing fast.i mean fast.
i must have gotten lucky cuz it seems
i got 8 out 10 females of white widow from nirvana.
i change my water every 2 weeks.so far so good.
litmus paperQuote:
Originally Posted by britewire
a couple of notes...AN or gh 3-part, pure blend pro will buffer your water close to correct ph if you are using RO or distilled water...In other words, I find that almost all, not all, but almost all the time...If using Pro nutes and RO/distilled water...you will get well within the ph limits required to grow successfully...
You need a PH pen...Hawk ebay and find one for 30-40 bucks...I got my Milwaukee(the best) for about 40 bucks and have used it for about a year. with no problems.
If they look healthy they are...
On the subject of vinegar...It works, but if you use a Pro PH down (10 bucks a qt.) then you won't have to adjust your ph everyday, because when you get your set-up dialed in, your ph stays consistent.
consistency is the most important issue when trying to achieve a good potent yield of fem's/frost...therefore ph consistency through the use of at least a good 3-part and pro ph product's is mandatory if you want to be successful growing in Hydro...If you use tapwater, you will have more ph problems because of unwanted minerals in the water.
hope this helps.lw
Hey latewood, you've got the milwaukee, so have i. Where do you make the PH pen stay when you don't use it? Now i let it bathing in a glass of water, because before ( i used to close it ) i had some algae growing on the electrode and it indicated PH 6 even when it was 4. Now i've got some hermies, bullshit! Do you calibrate it often ?
Fhydro
NFM
spend 10 bucks on gh or pro ph down/up and and your ph won't dance around as much.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gen
i started with the vinegar and could never get consistent ph. Ever find that you are putting alot in the water?
I also noticed that when I got my RO filter, the vinegar worked better. metals and minerals in well or tap water will play hell with your ph control...spend the 10 bucks and you will rid yourself of 1/2 your problem.imho.lw
One more note...In most cases, when you use RO/distilled water...using GH or AN 3-part, the buffers in the nutrients bring the ph to acceptable levels, if not perfect. again, imho
Finally, it's really not usefull to ask a question to latewood because after he answers another guy. OK, so, can anybody else answer me about the maintenance of a PH pen ? It would be very kind!
Fhydro
fhydro, it's not good form to insult someone who is trying to help you.
If you have algae on your pen dip it in hydrogen peroxide and then clean water. I clean my ph meter by dipping in water before putting it away. I don't think storing it in water is a good idea. I might be wrong. I haven't had any problems yet.
Gen, i don't think i insulted Latewood. I just wanted to say that i first asked something to him, he did not answer, so i insisted for his answer and this time he aswered you and not me. Just funny, that's all. Not a big problem for me anyway, i just wanted the info. I think that you will remark when i insult someone.
Fhydro
there are two things to worry about with hydro. one is the ph and the other is PPM. I have purchased test strips that only cost about $7 for a small tube of them but which normaly last through the complete grow. One thin I have found though is that I have always had to lower never had to raise the PH. with Hydro they call for it to be around 6 as this is what allows the roots to absorb the nutrients. The other thing is the PPM (parts per million) I have had to set up a reverse osmosis as my tap water had to high of a PPM(560)(very hard water). You can get away with bottle water. If you can not afford to by the meater for PPm then I would measure out the food in the amount if water in the res( as per instuctions). Mark it on the inside of the res the water line. Each day add just water to get to the same level. As the plants grow you will not belive the emount that will evaporate. That way the ppm will never go higher then target level but will decrease as plants use up the food. Now I completly empty the res once a week and run just water for 24 hrs then add food. This flushes the roots of any built up nutr. and prevents lockup. When you can afford it buy the equipment this gives you a better idea what the plant is doing. Have fun