Ph/ Ppm Question

[DieselDuds]

Hey fellow farmers

My question is , I run R/O water. My nutrient base ppm with everything is 880ppm. I add my ph down and it brings my ppm to 1110ppm now I'm using the resivor for a week 5 gal res. Everytime I adjust the PH the PPM raises. I know I'm not adding nutrient, but my question question is if I keep adjusting the PH every feeding throughout the week. My ppm hit 1300 or a little higher by the time the rez is finished. Is that normal? Is that ok? As long as I know what my base nutrient levels are ? How do I know how much my plants are eating if the ppm never drops because of the PH down I'm adding ?

 

[oldskol4evr]

Hey fellow farmers

My question is , I run R/O water. My nutrient base ppm with everything is 880ppm. I add my ph down and it brings my ppm to 1110ppm now I'm using the resivor for a week 5 gal res. Everytime I adjust the PH the PPM raises. I know I'm not adding nutrient, but my question question is if I keep adjusting the PH every feeding throughout the week. My ppm hit 1300 or a little higher by the time the rez is finished. Is that normal? Is that ok? As long as I know what my base nutrient levels are ? How do I know how much my plants are eating if the ppm never drops because of the PH down I'm adding ?

not a hydro guy,but by reading this,im thinking if you change your res weekly,just adding the ro water alone would be a ph down,i got baked last night but from your question ,seems your going wrong direction with your ph down,going higher more than lower,hydro i would asume stays as the start res feed was and loosing ph and ppm from just use,of time and plant thrive,i guess what im thinking is,just adding water,and cal mag would keep those numbers correct,i see this all the time when temps start to sore from summer,and most cure problem with added equitment for cooling the res,not my gig for sure,i just thought something was wrong with my eyes as you explained your issue

 

[MidwestToker]

Hey fellow farmers

My question is , I run R/O water. My nutrient base ppm with everything is 880ppm. I add my ph down and it brings my ppm to 1110ppm now I'm using the resivor for a week 5 gal res. Everytime I adjust the PH the PPM raises. I know I'm not adding nutrient, but my question question is if I keep adjusting the PH every feeding throughout the week. My ppm hit 1300 or a little higher by the time the rez is finished. Is that normal? Is that ok? As long as I know what my base nutrient levels are ? How do I know how much my plants are eating if the ppm never drops because of the PH down I'm adding ?

What nutrients are you using ? Are you recirculating or DTW ?
With good nutrients doesn't take much pH down to keep it in check.
If recirculating you reservoir is not large enough to keep all the H+ ions the roots exude during growth, hence why you're having to pH down it constantly.

 

[MidwestToker]

In the original post you said 5 gallon.

now I'm using the resivor for a week 5 gal res.

 

[DieselDuds]

In the original post you said 5 gallon.

Sorry sorry. I was driving and I had my wife reply for me. I have 2 threads going on different but similar topics. Yes it's only 5 gallons. It's feeding 4 inch rockwool cubes. I only to light feedings. Feed 2 timed a day . Lights on and 3 hours before bed. 5 gallons.

 

[DieselDuds]

Running veg and bloom nutrients , life plus , cal mag, silica and mammoth P.

The ph swing is only .5 from 5.5 - 6.0 which isn't bad but I notice it adds ppm. If I can use the same 5 gallon rez for the week but by the end of the week there is only 1 gallon of nutrient water left. And the ppm is high from the daily adjusts up to 1400ppm. I don't let much run off maybe 10%

 

[MidwestToker]

Running veg and bloom nutrients , life plus , cal mag, silica and mammoth P.

The ph swing is only .5 from 5.5 - 6.0 which isn't bad but I notice it adds ppm. If I can use the same 5 gallon rez for the week but by the end of the week there is only 1 gallon of nutrient water left. And the ppm is high from the daily adjusts up to 1400ppm. I don't let much run off maybe 10%

Then lower your beginning nutrient strength. 880 ppm would fry most of my plants unless I'm saturated with light and running co2. Also would recommend going light on the silica as the plants don't really need a lot of it and it's a base so it raises pH.

 

[DieselDuds]

Then lower your beginning nutrient strength. 880 ppm would fry most of my plants unless I'm saturated with light and running co2. Also would recommend going light on the silica as the plants don't really need a lot of it and it's a base so it raises pH.

Ok I can do that. Thank you

 

[Simplicio]

Hey fellow farmers

My question is , I run R/O water. My nutrient base ppm with everything is 880ppm. I add my ph down and it brings my ppm to 1110ppm now I'm using the resivor for a week 5 gal res. Everytime I adjust the PH the PPM raises. I know I'm not adding nutrient, but my question question is if I keep adjusting the PH every feeding throughout the week. My ppm hit 1300 or a little higher by the time the rez is finished. Is that normal? Is that ok? As long as I know what my base nutrient levels are ? How do I know how much my plants are eating if the ppm never drops because of the PH down I'm adding ?

You aroused my curiosity about this.
I just added 10 mL GeneralHydroponics pH Dn to 1 gallon of 240 ppm nute solution.
The ppm went up to 970, for a rise of 730 ppm, or 73 ppm per mL of pH Dn (used BlueLab ppm pen).
If added to 5 times as much volume, likely the ppm would go up 1/5 of that, or about 15 ppm.
Something is very wrong if you need to add enough pH Dn that it affects ppm that much.
pH Up/Dn are made to have only a minor effect on pH.
I'd definitely double check the ppm and pH measuring devices.

My pH constantly falls, so I use mostly pH Up in DWC.

pH Dn contains phosphoric acid, and will slightly affect the P in NPK.

 

[DieselDuds]

These are my thoughts. Nutrients are nutrients ph up and ph down are not nutrients they are adjusters but act like fillers. I don't think that you can over fertilize or burn your plants from adding a ph adjuster to your base nutrient because it's not a nutrient. It just takes the remaining space in your ppm range to adjust your nutrient solution. Does that make sense ? So if my plants are eating food and I'm filling that space that the food was eaten with ph down I wouldn't be able to because there would be no room in the ppm range I want to stay with. Any pros want to comment ?

 

[Simplicio]

These are my thoughts. Nutrients are nutrients ph up and ph down are not nutrients they are adjusters but act like fillers. I don't think that you can over fertilize or burn your plants from adding a ph adjuster to your base nutrient because it's not a nutrient. It just takes the remaining space in your ppm range to adjust your nutrient solution. Does that make sense ? So if my plants are eating food and I'm filling that space that the food was eaten with ph down I wouldn't be able to because there would be no room in the ppm range I want to stay with. Any pros want to comment ?

ppm pens and meters are really Electrical Conductivity meters that calculate ppm from electrical conductivity.
Any ionic compound (salt) will contribute to EC, whether or not it's a needed nutrient, so EC and ppm are just estimates of nutrient strength, and can't tell individual elements apart.

pH up usually contains potassium hydroxide and potassium carbonate, and will slightly affect the K part of NPK.
pH dn usually contains phosphoric acid, which will slightly affect the P part of NPK.

Fortunately, plants are able to pick and choose to some extent what elements they want from the nutes given, so exact ratios of NPK don't matter.

 

[MidwestToker]

First you're using RO water and as such it has less ability to buffer or stabilize pH. Most bottled hydro nutrient contain pH buffer in them already.

 

[DieselDuds]

First you're using RO water and as such it has less ability to buffer or stabilize pH. Most bottled hydro nutrient contain pH buffer in them already.

Did not know that.

 

[MidwestToker]

Seriously, I would lower you're nutrient strength, cut you're silica in half, and monitor from there.

 

[DieselDuds]

Like 600ppm base nutrient. ? They are taking 880 900 ppm and not a single bit of burn

 

[MidwestToker]

That's what I max out in flower. But I don't know your base nutrients make-up so that would be a good starting point. You're in hydro so the plants will tell you fairly quickly if they don't like it.

 

[purplefrog]

Heres some pics of the girls . I think I'm doing it right . I'll lower the ppm . I'm only putting in what the company suggests . if you all dont knowbyet. I'm Diesel Duds wifey

 

[1diesel1]

These are my thoughts. Nutrients are nutrients ph up and ph down are not nutrients they are adjusters but act like fillers. I don't think that you can over fertilize or burn your plants from adding a ph adjuster to your base nutrient because it's not a nutrient. It just takes the remaining space in your ppm range to adjust your nutrient solution. Does that make sense ? So if my plants are eating food and I'm filling that space that the food was eaten with ph down I wouldn't be able to because there would be no room in the ppm range I want to stay with. Any pros want to comment ?

PH up and down can seriously effect your plants if not used properly. Both are corrosive and should be handled with the proper protective equipment when handled.

 

[DieselDuds]

PH up and down can seriously effect your plants if not used properly. Both are corrosive and should be handled with the proper protective equipment when handled.

Correct I agree 100% I have followed the rule not to mix them together in the same rez and definitely never let them come in contact with each other in consintrated form! Use one or the other and if your not patient enough and you let your ph drop or spike to much and you have to use the other adjuster as well to correct then your asking for major fluctuations ?

 

[1diesel1]

Correct I agree 100% I have followed the rule not to mix them together in the same rez and definitely never let them come in contact with each other in consintrated form! Use one of the other and if your not patient enough and you let your ph drop or spike to much and you have to use the other adjuster as well to correct then your asking for major fluctuations ?

Agreed, I grow in soil. You hydro farmers got your hands full monitoring your grows! That’s fer sure!!