Hydro plant deficient? need a pro's help

[WizHigh]

It's hard for someone else to tell you how much to use. It varies with nutes/amount etc. but when I was checking PH I was using about 1.25-2.5 ml per gallon. Depending on the ml of nutes I was using

 

[JollyJohnny]

My tap water is very similar, it will range from 7.1 up to 7.7, to get 1 gallon to drop to like 5-5.5 only takes a couple drops, maybe 1ml or 1.5 ml.

So no your figures on amount of ph down dont seem low at all.

The PH down i use is general hydroponics.

Mate a couple of drops and 1ml is a huge difference. I just put 1ml of water in my dropper and dropped 22 drops

 

[JollyJohnny]

How is that so Whiz. if your shit has a ph of 7 after nutes etc in 10l how many drops are people adding on average to get it to say 6, seems straight forward enough to me.

 

[Perfect Sun LED]

There are about 4L per gallon, to 10L is about 2.5 gallons. I have to conver this because I go by gallons.

In one gallon, it takes me .5mL to drop from 6.5 to 6.0, so about .5ml of ph down to drop .5 ph per gallon. 2 gallons would take 1Ml to drop .5 ph. It works out to about that much.

Just be sure after you calibrate to then dip your meter in the ph solution and see if it reads 7.0 or 4.0. If it takes both solutions, measure both to be sure it is reading accurately. Test it three times in each solution. If you get three consistent readings for the 7.0 solution of 7.0, then you know it is pretty accurate.

 

[WizHigh]

The strength of the nutes will make your PH fluctuate that's how.

 

[Perfect Sun LED]

That is about how many drops I get too, but keep in mind, there are differen sized droppers, each will produce a larger drop or smaller drop. So some droppers at 1mL might only have 10 drops.

 

[JollyJohnny]

The strength of the nutes will make your PH fluctuate that's how.

I guess I'm just not getting that. I don't see how it will fluctuate between the time it takes someone to get the reading and then add the ph down.

I see it may well be different in the morning, but that's not the question here. If someones PH is 7 and they have 10l how many drops/ml on average do they use to bring it down. it has nothing to do when their nutes or strength of nutes.

unless you are telling me that the PH in the nutes is harder to bring down than the PH from water.

 

[JollyJohnny]

That is about how many drops I get too, but keep in mind, there are differen sized droppers, each will produce a larger drop or smaller drop. So some droppers at 1mL might only have 10 drops.

Yeah good point there mate, makes sense. TY.

 

[JollyJohnny]

There are about 4L per gallon, to 10L is about 2.5 gallons. I have to conver this because I go by gallons.

In one gallon, it takes me .5mL to drop from 6.5 to 6.0, so about .5ml of ph down to drop .5 ph per gallon. 2 gallons would take 1Ml to drop .5 ph. It works out to about that much.

Just be sure after you calibrate to then dip your meter in the ph solution and see if it reads 7.0 or 4.0. If it takes both solutions, measure both to be sure it is reading accurately. Test it three times in each solution. If you get three consistent readings for the 7.0 solution of 7.0, then you know it is pretty accurate.

Thanks LEDFR I will try that now.

 

[Perfect Sun LED]

What wiz was saying is that depending on how many nutes he adds, he needs more or less Ph because nutes drop ph too. They ph your water. If you use lots of nutes, then you need to us PH up, because you will find the nutes brought it to like 5.0.

 

[JollyJohnny]

What wiz was saying is that depending on how many nutes he adds, he needs more or less Ph because nutes drop ph too. They ph your water. If you use lots of nutes, then you need to us PH up, because you will find the nutes brought it to like 5.0.

Yeah I think I understand what you mean, I am just saying that if after everything you have a reading of 7 how much , anyway no worries your advice was awesome as I just ran that test you suggested and it seems its spot on. cleaned the probe put it in 7 and it went right to 7, cleaned again and put in 4 and it went right to 4, cleaned again and back in 7 etc, great advice m8, really helped me out there plus reps for you. Cheers

 

[Green Knight]

Ok so I think I may have found the problem either that or I’ve messed it up big time now.

Being as this is my first ever grow I never had any idea of how much PH down I would need per
10L, obviously the meter would let me know. My tap water is 7.1.

Up until today I have been adding about 10 drops per 10L to bring it to 5.8 this always seemed like very little PH down for that amount of water/nutes to drop her 12 or more points, but my meter said I was there so.

Anyway today my calibration fluid turned up, so I went and calibrated the meter then popped it in the bucket to see the reading, it was reading 5.8 before the re calibration and now it was 6.6.

I pulled all the buckets out and started from scratch, fresh water/nutes etc, but now instead of 10 or so drops it was more like 50/60 per 10L, or more precise, it worked out to be 2ml of PH down per 10L

So my question to you guys, does 2ml per 10L bucket sound way to much now. I thought I had calibrated the meter when I first got it, and today I know I did it right, I’m just worried that I’m way off the other way now and that something is wrong with the meter, it shouldn’t be as it was new in January.

What you guys think?

Sounds spot on 2ml per 10ml. My tap water is around 7.2 and I have a 20l res. For an EC of 1.5 I need 1.5ml/10l of pH-, and nearer 2ml/10l when I'm running an EC of 1.3.
I find the pH will initially settle at about 5.4, and then rise to 5.8 over about 4-5h.

As others are saying nutes are acidic, so add more you'll need less pH-. And it also means that as your plants use water and your nutrient solution gets more concentrated your pH will drop.

 

[Perfect Sun LED]

Awesome. Now that you know it's working properly, remember how many drops it takes to move .5 oh in 10 mL then you will know when it meter is needing calibrating.

 

[JollyJohnny]

Sounds spot on 2ml per 10ml. My tap water is around 7.2 and I have a 20l res. For an EC of 1.5 I need 1.5ml/10l of pH-, and nearer 2ml/10l when I'm running an EC of 1.3.
I find the pH will initially settle at about 5.4, and then rise to 5.8 over about 4-5h.

As others are saying nutes are acidic, so add more you'll need less pH-. And it also means that as your plants use water and your nutrient solution gets more concentrated your pH will drop.

Cheers mate, although I now know my meter is ok due to testing it as LEDRF suggested, its always good to hear that the amount sounds correct regardless.

I wish I had room for a big tote say 50l where I could do all this solution in one hit rather than 4 times 10l buckets, they always come out a little different but never by much.

Right now I have buckets at 5.5ph 5.6ph 5.8ph 5.8ph with ec 1.4/ 1.4/ 1.5/ 1.5. I am expecting the ph to go up some, I’m hoping not more than 3 or 4 points though, I shall look in the morning.

Thanks for your help

 

[Jimmycricket]

Basically you just got to know your ph meter works. Thats why I have 2 lol.

Sometimes its a few drops sometimes its 1ml. It all depends on your water, your nutes, the type of ph down.

What might take 3 drops for me could take 1/10th a cup for someone else!!! You just gotta use and trust your meter.