Ph problems in Deep Water Culture

[Aqua Man]

Do you have any ammonia based nitrogen?

How are you aerating the water?

I cant fond info on thise nutrients. If it infact is high in ammonia then as the plants take up ammonia based nitrogen they will release h+ ions and that will lower ph.

 

[TheBioMaster]

Mills nutrient has organic compounds in it.......A lot actually.

Its also ammonia based.

NPK = 3-4-4

IMHO- not a good choice for RDWC

Pretty confident if you switched nutrients to something like H&G Aqua Flakes 2 part....your PH issues vanish. Its actually made for RDWC systems.

 

[Bdbjmb]

Absolutely awesome feedback u guys! Between all of the answers I've gotten from my fellow growers, I feel like I'm really close to having this problem solved. Got my new nutes today(Dutchmasters Aqua feed). Definitely better suited for dwc I'd say.
I also ordered House and gardens ph stabilizer. The aqua feed line comes with its own silica additive so I'll be letting that sit in my water before adding nutes. I'll definitely update soon. Thanks again for all your help.

 

[Aqua Man]

There think we finally got this sorted... in hydro we best stay with less than 5%ammonia sourced nitrogen and for the most part away from organics as @TheBioMaster stated.

 

[TheBioMaster]

You may not even need the RO stabilizer with the silica additive being used. Once you get rid of the ammonia (UREA) your going to notice a big difference in how your PH behaves.

Most if not all ammonia sources comes from animal urine......nasty shit if you ask me. Point being there are much better ways to get nitrogen to your plants.

Synthetic urea is manufactured with anhydrous ammonia.

@Aquaman has posted a "Bible" on these subjects about PH in RDWC/DWC systems. Its a must read for hydro guys IMHO.

 

[Bdbjmb]

So glad to be done with Mills! Not sure why other dwc growers love it so much. Dutch master aqua feed is specifically designed for hydroponics. So far its been much better, my ph is now gradually rising as it should. I guess I'll keep the ph stabilizer as an emergency back up. This grow is so important to me! What an awesome feeling to be back on track!