What is pH?

[Weaselcracker]

Other than searching out people who have down this- the only way you'll know for sure is to test it by running a couple plants at different ph levels. Always makes it harder to know what's going on once they get messed up leaves though.
I may have mentioned this before on this thread but I once did test run using two clones - one at 5.2 and one at 6.2, and the one on low ph was beautiful and quickly grew to twice the size of the high ph one, which had all kinds of problems.
I'm growing in sunshine mix (peat miss and perlite). I believe it has lime in it

It's normal for ph to rise in the pot, especially with lime, but even without. My runoff is usually about 6.7.
But unless your runoff is completely out of the range - its best to ignore it and just make sure that what goes in is at the correct ph. Whatever that may be.

 

[Eisenschwein]

Other than searching out people who have down this- the only way you'll know for sure is to test it by running a couple plants at different ph levels. Always makes it harder to know what's going on once they get messed up leaves though.
I may have mentioned this before on this thread but I once did test run using two clones - one at 5.2 and one at 6.2, and the one on low ph was beautiful and quickly grew to twice the size of the high ph one, which had all kinds of problems.
I'm growing in sunshine mix (peat miss and perlite). I believe it has lime in it

It's normal for ph to rise in the pot, especially with lime, but even without. My runoff is usually about 6.7.
But unless your runoff is completely out of the range - its best to ignore it and just make sure that what goes in is at the correct ph. Whatever that may be.

Thanks for your input. Yea, it's not easy once leaves get buggered up. And these are all sorts of weird too. Curled up.. curled down... yellowing tips, yellowing edges. Rusty spots...
I'm just going to not bother with this batch as they're almost finished anyways. Next round I'm gonna go back to the actual soil I used to use before this. Cos really, this is no fun.

 

[Slowpuffer]

Thanks for your input. Yea, it's not easy once leaves get buggered up. And these are all sorts of weird too. Curled up.. curled down... yellowing tips, yellowing edges. Rusty spots...
I'm just going to not bother with this batch as they're almost finished anyways. Next round I'm gonna go back to the actual soil I used to use before this. Cos really, this is no fun.

Switch to coco coir !! You will thank me when you do. More expensive & more work feeding every day, or multible times per day, but you'll be smiling at harvest time.

 

[Eisenschwein]

Switch to coco coir !! You will thank me when you do. More expensive & more work feeding every day, or multible times per day, but you'll be smiling at harvest time.

Thanks, but no. This is expensive enough as is and things aren't easy accessible.

 

[Calvados]

Using FFOF soil. Just transplanted to 1gal pots

Now am curious about my PH water.
Tap is about 7.5
RO from a dispence is at 6.2
Another dispencer is at 7.1


what water should I use.... im SOOOOOO Cornfused

Get a PH meter and PH down and up. Depending on what your grow medium is it matters a great deal what the PH is.

 

[Greenfing]

Im looking to buy a PH meter, Im growing in soil using Gold Label chemical nutes, do I want to get a PH meter for soil or for liquid?
Something tells me I want to check PH of the liquid going in and ph of the runoff.
Should I go with the combo bluelab for PH and EC or two bluelab sticks or Adwa?

 

[PurpleGunRack]

Im looking to buy a PH meter, Im growing in soil using Gold Label chemical nutes, do I want to get a PH meter for soil or for liquid?
Something tells me I want to check PH of the liquid going in and ph of the runoff.
Should I go with the combo bluelab for PH and EC or two bluelab sticks or Adwa?

Get one for liquid, and since you grow with chemical nutes an EC-meter might come in handy too.
Combo meters are fine, still two different probes, just sharing one screen.

 

[Greenfing]

Get one for liquid, and since you grow with chemical nutes an EC-meter might come in handy too.
Combo meters are fine, still two different probes, just sharing one screen.

Thank you, I ordered Bluelabs PH and EC pen, will be shipped from the store tomorrow

 

[WillGrow510]

I got some weird pH issues. Anyone heard of this?

I like to check my pH using a cheap pen and the indicator drops. Two different ways/methods to cross check.

My pen is calibrated and here is what's going on. I grow in coco/perlite/worm and flush the salts out of the coco as i use compressed bricks. My tap water comes in right about 7 and 250 ppm. I run it through a carbon filter first.

So, I add my nutes (standard 2 part with cal mag, silica, blah, blah) and use pH up or down to bring it to 6.2. The color is a light green/yellow (chartreuse). This jives with what I see everyone else doing. Then I started getting deficientcies and stunted growth real bad. Took me awhile, but figured out it was pH lockout. The runoff I finally measured at 7.5. So I flushed and started watering in at 5.8pH and the coco runoff slowly came to 6.2 or so. The plants finally perked up and are thriving. They were stunted and shitty for about 3 months until I figured it out.

So, here are my questions... To bring my water from 7 to 5.8, I need to add a full 5ml of GH pH Down. Seems like a while lot compaired ro other people. Is this bedause my tap water MIGHT have some natural pH buffers thta require more pH down to get that adjustment?

Also, the indicator liquid color turns an orange color when the digital meter reads 5.8. Is this corect? Everything I see says i should adjust the pH to a chartreuse color which should correlate to a 6.2. Now that I am phing to orange color and at 5.8 digital, I cant hold these plants back. According to the color chart, 4.5 is red, 5 is orange, 6 is chartreuse, 7 is green. Anyone else doing this? It is workimg for me now but goes against what everyone (everyone) has been saying. The reason why I bring it up besides getting your feedback is to maybe help other people that are being told to pH to 6.2 in coco and having problems like me. Beleive me, these ladies are blowing up into trees now.

 

[4Dutchess]

The first meter I bought had to stay moist and soon broke (HM Digital) The 2nd one I bought (health wiser) can stay dry and works great. Ive got both the 4 and 7 cal. fluid and need to check it.

A year and a half since I wrote this. Seems like Ive been using my Blue Lab pen forever. I love my Blue Lab compared!! Its faster. can see the screen easier and better made. Well worth the $100. Ive been storing it in tap water like a dummy but alls well for a year. I was told to use some saline solution. Will do. I just cleaned it and recalibrated it after the longest and again alls well. Great Day 420

 

[Weaselcracker]

I got some weird pH issues. Anyone heard of this?

I like to check my pH using a cheap pen and the indicator drops. Two different ways/methods to cross check.

My pen is calibrated and here is what's going on. I grow in coco/perlite/worm and flush the salts out of the coco as i use compressed bricks. My tap water comes in right about 7 and 250 ppm. I run it through a carbon filter first.

So, I add my nutes (standard 2 part with cal mag, silica, blah, blah) and use pH up or down to bring it to 6.2. The color is a light green/yellow (chartreuse). This jives with what I see everyone else doing. Then I started getting deficientcies and stunted growth real bad. Took me awhile, but figured out it was pH lockout. The runoff I finally measured at 7.5. So I flushed and started watering in at 5.8pH and the coco runoff slowly came to 6.2 or so. The plants finally perked up and are thriving. They were stunted and shitty for about 3 months until I figured it out.

So, here are my questions... To bring my water from 7 to 5.8, I need to add a full 5ml of GH pH Down. Seems like a while lot compaired ro other people. Is this bedause my tap water MIGHT have some natural pH buffers thta require more pH down to get that adjustment?

Also, the indicator liquid color turns an orange color when the digital meter reads 5.8. Is this corect? Everything I see says i should adjust the pH to a chartreuse color which should correlate to a 6.2. Now that I am phing to orange color and at 5.8 digital, I cant hold these plants back. According to the color chart, 4.5 is red, 5 is orange, 6 is chartreuse, 7 is green. Anyone else doing this? It is workimg for me now but goes against what everyone (everyone) has been saying. The reason why I bring it up besides getting your feedback is to maybe help other people that are being told to pH to 6.2 in coco and having problems like me. Beleive me, these ladies are blowing up into trees now.

I don't think your situation is as complicated as you feel it is. I think you've just been running your ph too high. In my experience 6.2 is definitely too high for coco. I aim between 5.6-5.8.

5.9 makes me nervous. 6 is too high. The low side is much more forgiving- so feeding them as low as 5.2 works out much better than 6 does.

Ph rises in the pots. A runoff in the 6's is fine.


The test strips are confusing enough to read that 5.8 showing as orange would seem very reasonable to me.

Just keep around 5.6- 5.8 and I think your plants will be less confused.

 

[WillGrow510]

Cool. Cool. I think I am finally on the same page. But the indicator color is orange. Anyone else doing this? I'm not using strips. I'm using the vial with the drops. I have yet to see or hear anyone taking it to orange. Its allways yellow-y-green. Yellow-y green screwed me for 10 months while I tried to figure out what else could be the problem.

 

[Weaselcracker]

Hmmm. Yeah it's been a long time since I used the drops but green is what I remember as well. You'll have to find a third ph tester for reference I guess.

 

[WillGrow510]

Ya, I have 2 calibrated pens now and both of them read 5.8-6 pH when the reference solution is orange. After 6.1 it starts turning yellow-y-green. I wonder if anyone else can confirm this. This might be why so many noobs like myself are having so many problems.

 

[Weaselcracker]

Maybe I'll try mine when I get a chance. Have to feed the girls tonight.
What brand are your drops?

 

[Weaselcracker]

Here.

Ph

• Weaselcracker
• Mar 3, 2018

GH test drops I must have bought 7 or 8 years ago. (GH - owned by Monsanto by the way so I don't shop there anymore if I can help it.)
Looks like it's supposed to be orange-ish. Glad I'm not counting on these drops for testing because it's awfully hard to judge the ph...

Edit- here's a better pic

Test drops

• Weaselcracker
• Mar 3, 2018

 

[WillGrow510]

Awesome. Thanks for that. This is where I am too. All the youtube I see has it greenish yellow. I have yet to see yellow-orange. Coco/hydro should be lower, but I'm surprised now that I had so many problems at 6.2. I'll be happy now i've got the pH thing down. Thanks so much for your confirmation. I hope this helps others.

Nice meter BTW.

 

[WillGrow510]

I lîke this one too because it shows 5.5.

PH

• WillGrow510
• Mar 3, 2018

 

[WillGrow510]

What brand are your drops?

Yeah. Mine are GH too.
.
.

 

[Weaselcracker]

No problem. Ph has been my personal grow demon over the years. Been jabbed with that damn pitchfork way more times than I can count.


That's a good pic. Looks like everything is the way it should be then. But whoever told you that coco should be at 6.2 is just wrong. Unless you are growing it in a soil style with amendments and such.