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galt
22-12-13, 02:15 AM
I have been running my Aquafarm-style grow for about 10 days.

https://www.thctalk.com/cannabis-forum/showthread.php?109548-Am-I-starting-this-homemade-Aquafarm-correctly

I was hand watering a few times a day, but they were showing signs of overwatering. So I backed off on that. I am getting some minor growth, but not what I was expecting. Clone dropped a leaf set, has added two more small ones. For a few days I had no growth at all. It is showing some minor leaf tip dying and other signs of unhappiness.

I started with the pH in the 5.8 range.
About 5 days in (I was only handwatering), I checked the pH and it was above 8 (maybe close to 8.5). SO I adjusted back down to 5.8 zone.
Checked it again in two days and it was above 8.0 again. Adjusted it to 5.8
Checked again the next morning and it was above 8.0.
Adjusted it this morning back to 5.8
Checked it after lunch and it was back to 8.0+. Adjusted to 5.8
Checked it two hours later, it was over 7. Adjusted it again.
Checked it two hours later, it was a hair over 7. Adjusted it again.

EC has been stable and around 1.13 (My background for this change is in the .8 range)

I will do a full reservoir change in the morning. Anyone have any other ideas ?

I am using Growstones. Rinsed very well before use. I am using them in a drip system and in a flood/drain for several months and have not had any unusual pH issues. But I have an email in to the company just to be sure.

Is it possible the extreme air bubbling I am doing in this system affects the pH that dramatically?

Anything else I should check either before or after I do a nutrient change ?

galt
22-12-13, 03:46 PM
Res changed.

Background EC 0.76
total EC 1.08

Fingers crossed.

Grandad
22-12-13, 04:00 PM
i have the same problem from the airstones but it causes a drop in mine, and not at the speed yours is rising. have you recalibrated the pH pen recently?

as for the overwatering, you can't really in this set up(i have drippers on constantly on seedlings/small plants without problem). if i'm hand watering, i do it as often as possible each day. so the problem may lie elsewhere.

galt
22-12-13, 04:48 PM
i have the same problem from the airstones but it causes a drop in mine, and not at the speed yours is rising. have you recalibrated the pH pen recently?

as for the overwatering, you can't really in this set up(i have drippers on constantly on seedlings/small plants without problem). if i'm hand watering, i do it as often as possible each day. so the problem may lie elsewhere.

I am using a brand new chemical test kit. Not as precise, but more reliable. It can change over time, but not from test to test.

What I called overwatering could have been just the (at that point undetected) pH issue, and not overwatering. But you use a much smaller piece of rockwool than most and this was a clone. Not about overwatering, but these growstones wick water a bit, so once they are wet they seem to stay wet even if the drip would not normally affect the center under the baby plant. Plus I did not install the anti-splash mod, so they get some water that way. :) I am getting much better results overall than I did when I used hydroton.

If the res change doesn't help, I am going to shut off the lower bubbler for a day and see if that is the issue.

I may have to quit THCT. I have never in my life had so many bizarre problems as since i started posting here. Like the reveg from hell. And the bad organic soil. And a couple I did not tell anyone about. Normally I just stick them in the dirt and stand clear.

jimmi420
22-12-13, 05:16 PM
I know you need to get the ph correct m8, but be careful and watch out for the plant burning using ph stuff all the time, especially if the plants small.

galt
22-12-13, 05:33 PM
I know you need to get the ph correct m8, but be careful and watch out for the plant burning using ph stuff all the time, especially if the plants small.

If I have to use it more than once, I hate it. I would never use it every two hours except to better understand the problem.

Grandad
22-12-13, 06:08 PM
lol are you blaming us or your posts here, for ruining your grows?
i've been here nearly 4 years and my current grow has gone tits up.... alas i know i only have myself to blame, and without THCTalk it would be no plant rather than a 5 ounce one!

galt
22-12-13, 06:21 PM
lol are you blaming us or your posts here, for ruining your grows?
i've been here nearly 4 years and my current grow has gone tits up.... alas i know i only have myself to blame, and without THCTalk it would be no plant rather than a 5 ounce one!

Clearly my fault. Or I am working off some bad karma. Changing too many things at once (or at all). Maybe I am watching things too closely and doing the newbie overreact thing. Maybe ignorance is bliss. :banghead:

galt
23-12-13, 08:40 PM
I changed the res yesterday but it did not help. Still climbing at a point an hour. I took the main bubbler out of the system last night and the pH barely moved in 18 hours. Put it back in a little while ago, and want to see it start climbing again. Once I know 100%, I may try a post in the DWC section and see what those people say. This is pHucked.

mellowed
23-12-13, 08:54 PM
The air that is being sucked in an then released into the water is the problem I suspect mate.

Where is you pump located. Could it be sucking in fumes. Is the air to cold as that will also effect ph.


I just add liquid silicon now and it hardly moves at all.

galt
23-12-13, 09:40 PM
This is in spare bathroom inside my house. Room is in comfortable range between 70-80F most of the time, varies during the day some. But we have had some hot weather, so AC may be cooling that room more than the rest of the house at some times. I have never noticed it cold, but sometimes a bit warm. I will look closer and try to quantify it. No fumes of any kind, at least I hope not because we share the air.

I may try some liquid silicon.

This is just pissing me off.

shadrack
23-12-13, 10:30 PM
I know you said you rinsed the clay pebbles but did you soak them in Ph'd water for a while as well?

Sent from my GT-I8160 using Tapatalk 2

Rory Breaker
23-12-13, 11:00 PM
and fair enough you are using a brand new chemical test kit for PH, but do you have a more standard PH meter you could check it against?

galt
24-12-13, 07:42 AM
I know you said you rinsed the clay pebbles but did you soak them in Ph'd water for a while as well?

Sent from my GT-I8160 using Tapatalk 2

I did not. Manufacturers protocol for these is just a good rinse and use. I have not had this issue in my vegetable systems using this media.


and fair enough you are using a brand new chemical test kit for PH, but do you have a more standard PH meter you could check it against?

Nope. But I am confident in this kit. The pattern of pH readings is very predictable.

10 hours after adding the bubbler back into the system, the pH has risen from 5.8ish to 7.5+ It is clearly a bubbler issue. I also know in the last ten hours, that there has been no unusually cold air in the room. I still don't think fumes is an issue. What kind of fumes anyway ?

So I guess tomorrow I buy some silicon. Open to any other ideas or knowledge.

mellowed
24-12-13, 12:22 PM
There is so much that will change the ph of your water that trying to pin it down to one thing will be hard tbh mate.

I struggled with my dwc for ages trying to figure it out an when I realised that just a temp change in the res can alter the ph then I gave up fighting it an just added liquid silicone.

If you really want to find the problem then your gonna need to list everything that has an effect an adjust it.

Get the silicon mate.

0.5-1ml per litre woll sort it not to mention the difference you will see in your plants health.

galt
24-12-13, 09:52 PM
And just to mess with my head, when I checked the pH today it had not moved even though it has been bubbling for another 12 hours.

mellowed
24-12-13, 10:42 PM
Ow damn. Ive just had a look at your link. .......I was to lazy before lol..........how much water is in that res??

mellowed
24-12-13, 10:46 PM
I have been trying to grow in a 5 litre bottle with about 3.5 litre of water an even a massive dose of silicon wont keep it from rising until after a good few weeks which I put down to not ph soaking the clay pebbles. Now its settled down it does rise but not as bad an ive managed to drop the silicon from full dose to 0.5 but it still only takes a day or so to go from 5.5 -6.2 but the plant seems fine with that now am looks half decent for 3 weeks old.

galt
24-12-13, 10:55 PM
About 2.5 gallons in the reservoir in the bottom. I found an old bottle of silicon in my garden stuff. How long does it keep on the shelf ?

mellowed
24-12-13, 11:41 PM
Nah I wouldnt use old stuff mate. The one I use has a use by date.

galt
26-12-13, 06:40 AM
Now it has been pretty stable for an entire day. I am so confused.

mellowed
26-12-13, 12:08 PM
I think its your water, an medium settling down tbh if its stopping.

I except the rise now an set the ph either 5.5 if the ph rises or 6.2 if the ph drops.

Its not ment to stay completely stable and the plant just taking elements from the res will cause the ph to change.

You sure the bucket is proper light proof?? That will also cause it to change.

Dont fight it mate, try an work with it if it's not to steep of a climb.

Bigbadbud
11-01-14, 10:27 PM
Sorry to hijack the thread m8 but I have the same problem it get my ph to 5.8 and when I go back in the next day it's at 6.4!!!i cleaned the pebbles with tap water and allowed them to dry before using them so I'm confused lol I use Dutch pro mutes and wondering if it's them that's doing it?