Vortex's Lab: 4x4 Secondary Garden & Experimental Thread

[Pennywise]

I stopped using RO a long time ago, it works much better with tap.

 

[multiVortex]

I stopped using RO a long time ago, it works much better with tap.

I agree, but don’t really have a choice. There is something in my tap water that buffers the pH way up. It’s like I’m using silica, but not. (Silica on top of it is even worse.)

But I would LOVE to use tap. Mine isn’t terrible, like 350ppm or so, but whatever it is that’s in there really jumps the pH up.

Maybe I need to play around with it and see what happens. With all the limestone around here, the calcium levels in tap are pretty solid.

 

[multiVortex]

Hmmm... I wonder if a pH doser/monitor would fix that issue. And if so, would it pay for itself over RO which costs about $120/yr for filters.

How much pH down would it eat up?

I know when I tried it before it was eating pH down like candy, and took about 8oz a week to keep it down. Per dose it was a lot more than it should have been too. (Like 3-4 ml per gallon to drop a full point.)

 

[Pennywise]

Yea that’s way more than I use, I’ll have to do some reading now.

 

[multiVortex]

Yea that’s way more than I use, I’ll have to do some reading now.

Exactly. When I add silica, it acts the same way. Takes way more down than it should.

Even the bottle of down says something to the effect that it may take up to 1ml/gal to drop it a full point. So it’s pretty weird for sure.

 

[Pennywise]

When I get a chance I’ll read up. Soil Doctor just had a thing on PH. He said if you have a highly alkaline soil or water you’ll never be able to adjust the PH.

 

[multiVortex]

It adjusts, but right now it wants to creep several tenths up per day. It was 6.4 this morning and I bumped it back to 5.9. Not sure what it’s up to now.

RO filter is getting close to needing a change, ppm on just it is around 60 now (which is still not bad by any means). Typically it’s under 20. May be that whatever it is isn’t getting filtered out enough now.

This wasn’t an issue with the rdwc over the winter, so I dunno. At least I can check it between feed cycles, but shouldn’t really have to do that.

 

[Pennywise]

Just check everyday then

 

[multiVortex]

Just check everyday then

I check it after the morning and afternoon feed cycles. Works for now, but shouldn’t be necessary to babysit it.

Feed cycles every 8 hours for 15 minutes. Enough to replenish and refresh each bucket.

It’s just the oddest thing though.

 

[Pennywise]

Sometimes it don’t make sense but there is a reason for it.

 

[NewBoy420]

I like your set up! I have the same dome for germinating. How did you like it?
I'm going to have to get caught up on your journal!

 

[multiVortex]

Sometimes it don’t make sense but there is a reason for it.

How’s a rainbow work? How’s the sun set? How does the posi-track readend on a plymouth work?


It just does.



I’m wandering around, no sense of enlightenment on it yet. Gotta be something dumb though.

I like your set up! I have the same dome for germinating. How did you like it?
I'm going to have to get caught up on your journal!

Welcome to the tent I mess around with and try things!

I like the dome thing alright. I use it for all kinds of things. I also use a wicking mat for finishing up cracked seeds and sprouting them.

 

[Pennywise]

I think naturally high ph is do to the alkalinity of the soil or water.

 

[multiVortex]

Most likely so. Probably time to change the RO filter again.

On the lighter side of sports, just had a extra huge helping of some GDP.

awwww yeah.

 

[multiVortex]

 

[Jack420]

I’m with ya