Crazy PH difference between 2 of my hydro systems 5.9-6 and 6.8-6.9 no explanation (yet)

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plumsmooth

plumsmooth

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This is a long story but I will try and shorten it. Skip to the last section to get on with it. I have been growing RDWC for years and for the last at least almost 7 I have been a strictly Bennies Beneficial Microbes Inoculator. Once upon a time I got root rot in the summer with higher temperatures and discovered Hydroguard and also the usage of H2O2! I have evolved into a Multi Microbe inoculant (ha ha).

Currently I am using Great White/Orca/King Crab/Hydroguard/MammothP!
with some redundancy maybe. I even feed them with Myco-Chum (plant revolution Myco food) against my initial intuition beaus of adding too much Organics in hydro?

Anyway I recently upgraded/modified my GH Power Growers to a 5X sized reservoir but Nonetheless: I find that the systems have a natural PH they want to settle at. I have noticed this just the same in the Undersized 2.5 Gallon stock Power Grower reservoirs too I have been stuck with for the last several years. In my larger reservoirs it just takes more time to normalize/stabilize.

I have 2 practically identical plants and one to my surprise seems to want to stabilize right under 6/5.9 practically Perfect! The other Plant seems to want to stabilize at a very common (for my setup) PH of 6.8-6.9. I have only one explanation here: This is the result of the Micro herd or a specific Living Bacteria or Fungus that is dominant in the system.

I have even though I might have an Algae or Cyanobacteria in the system. By the Way I stopped chasing my PH after learning about even with inexpensive Jacks, them having 3 types of Chelated Iron, one of which absorbable up to like PH 11! I have even tried Advanced Nutrients as a treat for the plants but also to try walking away from years of PH chasing. Recently I realized that the over use-age of a poor choice of a Citric Acid PH Down was adversely affecting my roots and Microbe balance. I also believe with my large inner buckets packed with Rocks and Roots and Microbes that my Personal PH Nutrient absorbability is wider to the up side (like soil) hence be not crying when my ph is 6.5 and over.

Unfortunately for me I now have to face the fact that the Plant that stayed around 6 and lower is one of the healthiest plants I have ever grow of this strain I have been growing Golosa and is finishing almost perfect with the exception of remnants of an earlier early flowering K Deficiency:

IMG_0869.JPG



What in the world could cause this great of a fluctuation between 2 identical Plants strains in identical systems getting the exact same nutrients and top-offs!

One thing is they are at different stages in their cycles one is about 2 weeks behind the other one however I have noticed this difference since they went into flowering. The only timer it changed was when I was away and i had my friend topping off for me with my Town Tap water ph like 7.5 with about 200 PPM Calcium. But sure enough after I returned gradually the one perfect PH plant returned to its preferred range and the other one its range. No good explanation here except some kind of Microbe?

P>S. Once I hydrogen peroxided a plant running like almost 7.5 and then reintroduced the bennies and it brought the range back down a full point. I figured it was algae? But I really don't see any algae except an occasional spec on the surface of my Expanded Clay? Could there be some mysterious Bacteria in my system and this one plant just managed to keep it away?
 
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Moe.Red

Moe.Red

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Can’t see the system what sort of bubbling and root zone temps you at?

Normally when there is a problem like rotting organic matter the ph goes down. Same with carbonic acid from CO2. You have a base acting on your system but why just one? Show pics of the whole setup if you can

Source water?
 
plumsmooth

plumsmooth

273
63
Can’t see the system what sort of bubbling and root zone temps you at?

Normally when there is a problem like rotting organic matter the ph goes down. Same with carbonic acid from CO2. You have a base acting on your system but why just one? Show pics of the whole setup if you can

Source water?
I will show my system but for now it is an RDWC. Update I have lowered my Temperatures using Frozen Water Bottles and I am almost sure this is having a dramatic effect on the PH making it go down. I also added more air -- which I thought would make it go up...

I also have noticed I have been getting some root bound in my inner bucket on Plants that have vegged too long! It seems like an improvement would be a Net Pot instead of an Inner Bucket that only has bottom holes. This is a modified RDWC Power Grower...
 
IMG 0935
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SandSpider

SandSpider

6
3
I have been experiencing the same thing with my two mothers. I'm doing DWC with both and one drifts down and the other drifts up. I swear I want to link the two together so they can keep each other in check lol. Roots in the one that are on both are healthy and bright white. I started using Great White about 3 weeks ago and am pleased with the results in root explosion, but the drift downward is puzzling on the one plant with it drifting into the 5.35 range. I have started making up two buckets ahead of time now to stabilize the ph prior to use. This worked out much better than chasing the ph early in the morning before work.
 
plumsmooth

plumsmooth

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One thing I learned switching to a much larger reservoir is the diffrence it makes on PH stability! What used to go up will actually go down as I believe there is an accumilation of potasium Ions or whatever makes the PH drop after tre switch to flowering and the change of nutrient demands...
 

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