I have 4 grows under my belt, with varying degrees of success. Success to me is 2oz per plant... I've managed around 1 oz (first grow, Barneys Honey B.)
I've always had a problem with rising ph... 7 and over, esp when the flowering starts. I've tried all sorts, loading the mix (Allmix) with peat, adding lime (yes, it doesn't make sense to me, but there's a school of thought that says it acts like a buffer..) All the time, thinking I was watering with 6.5ph rainwater (adjusted with lemon juice)
Now, I use a Blue Lab meter, which is extremely reliable... but there's a problem somewhere along the line..
Let's say I run the rainwater off, read the meter after the probe's been 10 minutes in the water to adjust to the temp, and it reads say, 6.8. I add lemon juice, and stir it thoroughly, adding the juice very gradually. read after 10 minutes, and if it's 6.5 I go with it.
Now, it seems, that the ph changes substantially, after sitting for say, 12 hours. It RISES!. How does this happen? Even if you say that the juice has evaporated, that wouldn't explain the rise.
My thoughts are that there's some sort of delayed reaction between the juice, and the water..but.. even then, thinking about it a bit more, that wouldn't make the ph RISE!..
I noticed that fertilized water, left for a day or two, changes dramatically.
SO. The next test is to draw the rainwater, test it after ten minutes with the probe in the water, then test it 12, then 24 hours later. Seems to me now, it may be due somehow with the oxygen content of the water (unlikely) or some slow reacting logarithmic scale on the ph meter...
I've checked the meter with the standard solutions - and it's perfect.
Anyone got any ideas?
I've always had a problem with rising ph... 7 and over, esp when the flowering starts. I've tried all sorts, loading the mix (Allmix) with peat, adding lime (yes, it doesn't make sense to me, but there's a school of thought that says it acts like a buffer..) All the time, thinking I was watering with 6.5ph rainwater (adjusted with lemon juice)
Now, I use a Blue Lab meter, which is extremely reliable... but there's a problem somewhere along the line..
Let's say I run the rainwater off, read the meter after the probe's been 10 minutes in the water to adjust to the temp, and it reads say, 6.8. I add lemon juice, and stir it thoroughly, adding the juice very gradually. read after 10 minutes, and if it's 6.5 I go with it.
Now, it seems, that the ph changes substantially, after sitting for say, 12 hours. It RISES!. How does this happen? Even if you say that the juice has evaporated, that wouldn't explain the rise.
My thoughts are that there's some sort of delayed reaction between the juice, and the water..but.. even then, thinking about it a bit more, that wouldn't make the ph RISE!..
I noticed that fertilized water, left for a day or two, changes dramatically.
SO. The next test is to draw the rainwater, test it after ten minutes with the probe in the water, then test it 12, then 24 hours later. Seems to me now, it may be due somehow with the oxygen content of the water (unlikely) or some slow reacting logarithmic scale on the ph meter...
I've checked the meter with the standard solutions - and it's perfect.
Anyone got any ideas?
