Getting a stable PH

[Greenfingers420UK]

Hello all, My water setup is a 25ltr barrel with a small aquarium heater.
The water comes out of the tap at a PH of 7.6, i fill the barrel with water and then have an air stone for at least 24hrs to help dissipate the chlorine, after which i use PH down to get a ph of 6.5.

some times it creeps back up to around a ph of 7 after a couple of days.

Would you say i need to be doing anything differently?

 

[Douglas.Curtis]

You'll find a swing in pH to be much better for health and resin/terpene complexity. That being said I personally do not pH my input water because I use r/o. It simply rehydrates what is there and working already.

 

[Hammerhead]

Are you growing using organic water only?. Typically we don't adjust the water PH until after it's mixed with nutrients unless your medium already has the organic nutrients needed. Ph creep is perfectly normal. Using an air stone is why your PH is creeping on ya.. I have to add ph up every day to get back to 6.5.

Nope, you are doing fine.

 

[Greenfingers420UK]

so I should be letting the water sit for 24hrs with an air stone in, then remove the stone and add any feed and then ph my water to 6.5 ? ......... or am I messing about too much?
Thanks for the feed back so far.

 

[Douglas.Curtis]

Sounds like you are in a roots-in hydro system with no dry times, yes? If so, you'll want to drop your pH down to 5.4 at first mix. This will allow a slow pH rise to 6 or whatever your top healthy pH point is. A quicker rise than 7 to 10 days in veg requires a larger reservoir for optimal health in flower.

 

[Hammerhead]

so I should be letting the water sit for 24hrs with an air stone in, then remove the stone and add any feed and then ph my water to 6.5 ? ......... or am I messing about too much?
Thanks for the feed back so far.

The PH you use depends on the medium your growing in. soilless like promix is 6.5. Hydro/coco 5.8. The above statement is correct.

 

[Greenfingers420UK]

Im using Tropics bat mix for my base soil.....quote ...."the peat's been treated with lime to get a pH of 6.5 (ideal). To further balance your pH Tropic Bat Mix contains an actual magnesium limestone!"

 

[Hammerhead]

Lime is commonly added to get the medium in the ideal PH range. Next time you need more medium get something that has perlite in it or add it. You want it to drain well. This is a good soilless mix.


PROMIX HP. Anything similar is fine

• Canadian Sphagnum peat moss (65-75% by volume)
• Perlite - horticultural grade
• Dolomitic and Calcitic limestone (pH adjuster)
• Wetting Agent
• Mycorrhizae - endomycorrhizal fungi (Glomus intraradices)

 

[Lumpy-Gravy]

The tropic bat mix is 40% coco. It’s lovely fluffy stuff that drains well and doesn’t compact. Worked a treat for me using blumats. Just watch out it doesn’t dry out too quick on yer is all because of the coco content.

 

[flylowgethigh]

I also have a reservoir that I bubble air through. The pH rises from 6.3 that I adjust it to, back to 6.8 or 7, after bubbling a day or so. I just add more pH down, and roll on.

My grow is soil, which I pH to almost 8. Oyster shells, dolomite lime, ag lime.

The ions need the spark to work. Spark? That is the magic that makes the high pH soil read down around 4 with the ‘spark-o-meter’ (single probe soil pH tester) when the roots are working.

I just took this pic of the spark-o-meter in the soil of one of the OHaze in the big tent. Yeah… spark. Here is a reading under 4

 

[Greenfingers420UK]

ive been using tropics for about a year now, i just think it needs adding to as it seems to run out of steam in a couple of weeks.
peat is being banned from using in the uk soon 2024.

 

[Cuddles]

Hello all, My water setup is a 25ltr barrel with a small aquarium heater.
The water comes out of the tap at a PH of 7.6, i fill the barrel with water and then have an air stone for at least 24hrs to help dissipate the chlorine, after which i use PH down to get a ph of 6.5.

some times it creeps back up to around a ph of 7 after a couple of days.

Would you say i need to be doing anything differently?

this is not your ´fault´ if this worries you. I use a water ionizer and both, the alkaline and acidic water both become neutral again after some time. This is perfectly normal
My first thought on your water problem is to prepare only the amount of water you know you will need to use.

 

[Creeperpark]

You have a strike against you already just using tap water. If your plants look ok and grow ok with tap I would be surprised. If you are going to spend money on a setup and spend time working with it, you would think you would use good water. pH will always fluctuate because when the hydrogen exchanges with nutrients the pH changes. Get yourself a RO system for $100 and you'll be glad you did.

 

[Lumpy-Gravy]

He’s in the UK it’s hardly Detroit lol Nowt wrong wi tap water here. Clean as a whistle. Just turn the tap mate n save yer money. Bro science is for the middle class wi money to throw away.

 

[Lumpy-Gravy]

Just as an aide my water pH comes out similar to yours. In my experience once the feed is mixed it’s almost within range for coco. You’re in compost there’s no need to even acknowledge pH in your feed. I can show you a billion compo grows where no one has ever messed with their pH. Dont let it sit either. The oxygen in water will dissipate. Just straight out the tap and use it. 20 degrees should do it. Don’t fiddle with the pH.

 

[Cuddles]

He’s in the UK it’s hardly Detroit lol Nowt wrong wi tap water here. Clean as a whistle. Just turn the tap mate n save yer money. Bro science is for the middle class wi money to throw away.

but the quality of tap water can vary greatly depending on where you are. In my city (not in UK) it even depends on which part of town you happen to be. Some parts of town have better water than others.
In south-east england the tap water is packed with chlorine, at least it used to be. Not sure if this is really bad for pot plants or not.

 

[Lumpy-Gravy]

There’s chlorine in the water to keep pathogens at bay. If the tap water wasn’t fit for drinking I wouldn’t put it on my plants. But British water is some of the cleanest in the world. The only difference is the hardness. Agreed about that. In Yorkshire the water is hard as chuff but just over the road in Lancashire it’s very soft so it is very changeable but pH and EC very rarely fluctuate in a specific area. To the point I can mix a feed without testing it knowing it’s reyt. But that’s Coco. Messing with pH in compost is attracting trouble. Don’t pH and don’t leave yer water for all the oxygen to do one.
Growing is simple. People are complicated. You think nature sets a pH and leaves it’s drink 24 hours? It doesn’t make sense to do that. It’s just flat out logic.

 

[Cuddles]

There’s chlorine in the water to keep pathogens at bay. If the tap water wasn’t fit for drinking I wouldn’t put it on my plants. But British water is some of the cleanest in the world. The only difference is the hardness. Agreed about that. In Yorkshire the water is hard as chuff but just over the road in Lancashire it’s very soft so it is very changeable but pH and EC very rarely fluctuate in a specific area. To the point I can mix a feed without testing it knowing it’s reyt. But that’s Coco. Messing with pH in compost is attracting trouble. Don’t pH and don’t leave yer water for all the oxygen to do one.
Growing is simple. People are complicated. You think nature sets a pH and leaves it’s drink 24 hours? It doesn’t make sense to do that. It’s just flat out logic.

I only know the water in SE but the first thing I have always noticed was the unbelievable strong smell of chlorine when you turn the tap on. I was really shocked at first. I don´t recall this happening in other countries I have visited. But, every country does stuff their own way
If it´s okay for the plants, then it´s okay, I guess

So, you would not recommend using slightly acidic water in soil at all?

 

[lemonade]

Carbonic acid. As you aerate the water it dissipates, raising PH. Just turn off the air stone after you’ve done ur 24 hr thang.

 

[Lumpy-Gravy]

@Cuddles I’m not really a compost guy but I wouldn’t tinker unless the pH was drastic. The soil does the work for you. One of my best plants was a Discobiscuit in tropic mix using blumat carrots. Never checked EC or pH once. Just start yer feed low n notch it up as you go. That’s pretty much it.

*I beg your pardon… compost not soil. Schoolboy error*