Warezaholic's Skid Row Closet Grow

[warezaholic]

For now, I have plenty of time to increase my due diligence to this grow room. I've gotten complacent. I've been spending too much on the closet and not enough on the cannabis nutrient sciences. It's all Just a little daunting for a man of my ill health to eagerly approach. But this is something I've invested myself into and want to improve more each week.

I'll need to take better notes because these threads get long and take on a life of their own, so keeping track of new stuff gets clouded in my bi-polar fogg. I seem to split my thoughts in several different directions.

ButI Feel Much Better Now! Lol

 

[Pennywise]

Lol it will all fall in place, just takes time.

 

[warezaholic]

Well here's another wrinkle.
These are the weird leaves but this discoloration, dryness and curling downward. I noticed this morning.

Ph is 5.4
nutes 700ppm

 

[Preston9mm]

Well here's another wrinkle.
These are the weird leaves but this discoloration, dryness and curling downward. I noticed this morning.

Looks like "clawing"... I believe that is caused by Nitrogen issues...

 

[Pennywise]

Check your ph, looks like calcium deficiency. I’m off to work be on this evening.

 

[Old Salt]

Bring the pH up to 6.1-6.2. Calcium and magnesium are not readily bio-available below pH 5.9.

What are you using to check your pH? If it's a pen, when is the last time you calibrated it?

 

[warezaholic]

I changed the res and giving it...
5.7 ph and am adjusting it to 6.2 or 3.

Man ph is is kicking my ass. Im wondering if there's an automatic ph gizmo for hydroponics.

Nutes about 600.

I only have these 2 cheap meters for testing.

This is something new for me.

 

[Old Salt]

There's nothing wrong with using a cheap pH meter. I did for several grows. It doesn't matter what you have for a pH meter. They all need to be calibrated regularly or their readings can be off by pH 0.5 or more. Don't use the packets of pH test material that comes with a lot of the cheap pens. I use GrowTek's pH Buffer #7. I pour half an ounce into a shot glass for calibration. I calibrate, check and adjust the pH of the nutrients, put the pen in the buffer for a minute or two, and then discard the used pH buffer. I check the calibration of my pH pens every time I before I use them. Putting the pen back into the buffer helps make it last longer by washing off the nutrients, and neutralizing the pH.

It seems like a hassle, but I've never had a pH problem using this method.

 

[warezaholic]

Ok 6.1 is the goal... my pen came with 3 powdered buffers 4.0 6.8 9.1 mixed in three 8oz jars but im switching to

Biopharm pH Calibration Kit (2) 8oz Bottles pH 4 and pH 7 Buffer liquids. It'l be here in 2 day prime.

My jars are overdue for refills

Is it ok to rinse my probes with alchohol? I have 99% and 50%.

 

[Old Salt]

Ok 6.1 is the goal... my pen came with 3 powdered buffers 4.0 6.8 9.1 mixed in three 8oz jars but im switching to

Biopharm pH Calibration Kit (2) 8oz Bottles pH 4 and pH 7 Buffer liquids. It'l be here in 2 day prime.

My jars are overdue for refills

Is it ok to rinse my probes with alchohol? I have 99% and 50%.

Mine (HM Digital pH-200) says to rinse with distilled water, or a pH 7.0 buffer solution after each measurement. The glass bulb can be gently cleaned with a soft cloth wet with distilled water or the pH 7.0 buffer solution.

I calibrate at all three points (pH 4.0, 7.0, and 10.0) once a month, I calibrate at pH 7.0 before each use as that's the closest to the expected values.

 

[warezaholic]

I tested my local distilled water at 7.0. I just ran out and going shopping again soon.

Both my meters have taken a swim in the past. I wonder if it could affect the accuracy.

Now on, I'm sealing the battery compartments with duct tape before they get used.

From now on my ph adjustment procedure for 5 gallons is:

In tap water res, Start with 5 ml and feed it with 1/2 ml steps till it finds nearest 6.8; afterwards continue ph down "drip by drop" while writing it all down till I hit apon a specific 6.1ph formula.

Retest after adding the nutrients to it.

I have always used nutrient manufacturers recommend doses, minus 25/30% as advised (less is more).

Ive never had any trouble with nutes, except for the frickin ph, Feels like I'm stoned jumping around in the middle of a PH chemical square dance.

 

[warezaholic]

Biopharm pH Calibration Kit (2) 8oz Bottles pH 4 and pH 7 Buffer is on order. Thanks for the referral.

I had lost touch completely with how important The PH aspect of cannabis is! Its difficult to get dead on 6.1. Only in the two 5gal reserves is it able to balance without torturing the inventory, adjusting it in the pot with the roots, it's a freaking yoyo act (one drop too much up or down makes a big swing).

I want to keep the fun and a healthy product in this hobby. So this is something I will need to more carefully include, monitor and perfect in my routines. I'll take a bucket into the bathtub and make a specific PH formula if it takes all evening and 500 gallons of tap water. AND then, working it into the nutrient res in perfect balance.

My family was in the restaurant business so, If I can't grasp the science of all the chemistry involved, at least I can learn to prepare their food properly;
Right? LOL.

 

[Old Salt]

I had lost touch completely with how important The PH aspect of cannabis is! Its difficult to get dead on 6.1. Only in the two 5gal reserves is it able to balance without torturing the inventory, adjusting it in the pot with the roots, it's a freaking yoyo act (one drop too much up or down makes a big swing).

I want to keep the fun and a healthy product in this hobby. So this is something I will need to more carefully include, monitor and perfect in my routines. I'll take a bucket into the bathtub and make a specific PH formula if it takes all evening and 500 gallons of tap water. AND then, working it into the nutrient res in perfect balance.

My family was in the restaurant business so, If I can't grasp the science of all the chemistry involved, at least I can learn to prepare their food properly;
Right? LOL.

If you get such large swings, make up a milder form of pH up and down. I mix 3ml of pH up/down with 27ml of distilled water to get a 10% strength solution. I use this for small batches of nutrient solution, or where I get the large swings. Being careful with the drops means I rarely need to add the opposite of what I used for the initial adjustment.

 

[warezaholic]

Question. Does add the nutes raise or lower the ph?

Beginning my PH high wire balancing act "More scientifically...

Starting with exactly 5 gallons of my 8.0 tap water, I'm adding just ONE ml at a time and waiting 5 minutes with air bubbles at a boil to stir.

As each step is done, I test . So far it's almost one ml takes away 0.1 degree ph.

I'll do the math "per gallon" later.

 

[Old Salt]

It will change depending on the nutrient formulation. In veg I need pH down, while in flower I need pH up. Your water will make a difference.

 

[warezaholic]

I use general hydroponics trio with hydroguard and calmag. At levels around 650/750 on my ppm in general and reducing/diluting that depending on the plant.
At 5.9 After adding all the usual nutrients there was no significant change in the PH, even when I upped the nutes to 780 it only went to 6.15 so probably zero affect. I'll test again later.

All these tests depend on my crap, finicky meters. Floating scale is what it gives me.

 

[Pennywise]

Always add calmag first or it could drop out of the solution giving you crazy ph swings.

 

[warezaholic]

Thanks penny. The way I was instructed 6 months ago (I'm sure it was you)

1st. calmag, wait at least ten minutes
2nd micro, wait another ten
Then the Grow, the Bloom and the hydroguard consecutively.

I went through another water change with correct ph. Changed all 3 plants...

If my 5 gallon formula "holds water" (8 to 9ml), I am gonna attempt a new 5 gallon test ph bucket or three.

I think starting each tap 5 gal reserve with 5.9ish right off the start will help me keep my daily top offs and (from here on) testing every other day.

Question. (using the 4 inch flat bubble stone with double's the bubble's),

Will a sudden increase in air supply help me with maintaining a more stable PH? These bubblers are great and nearly Indistructable clean up with the same mild bleach and water flush, with every bucket change ie, every water change (no bucket or stone gets reused unless totally cleaned) and every bucket is a self contained environment and never cross contaminates one another (maybe that just gives this old idiot more ways to kill).

Hmmm.

My history with these plants qualifies me as a genuine Serial Killer. Do I have herbicide flowing in my vains?
next time.

Soon I'll need a second preped nutrient reserve bucket like 2 or more per week as roots demand...

 

[Pennywise]

Yep you have the nutrients on the money. You could bubble some nutrients then do one without bubbles.

 

[warezaholic]

The bucket with the nutes is not foamy bubble's because that left a scum all over everything. I use blobbles to keep the nutes stirring with little settling in the bucket bottom. I use fine bubbles to areate the the tap water before ph and nutrient infusions.

What I was asking is, under the root mass: will increasing oxygen help stabilize the ph in that grow pot environment.? Helping these roots absorb their food. Or will it hinder their health?