Runoff Ph 5.1 and EC 3.1 what does this mean?

[Bangarang]

The Zone perked things up on the younger one. I am assuming on top of all my problems i developed a case of pythium. I know the last two batches of tea i brewed have not been foaming much. Instead of a 24 hour brew i let them sit for 48 hours roughly hoping they would bubble up. Could this have contributed to the already ongoing problem?

 

[Coir]

At this point, you might be better off just starting over with some fresh medium and new cuttings. Chasing the solution to so many problems usually does not end well and can be much more costly than starting from scratch.

 

[Seamaiden]

The Zone perked things up on the younger one. I am assuming on top of all my problems i developed a case of pythium. I know the last two batches of tea i brewed have not been foaming much. Instead of a 24 hour brew i let them sit for 48 hours roughly hoping they would bubble up. Could this have contributed to the already ongoing problem?

Don't wait for the tea to bubble up or foam. I've put up a pretty good explanation as to what's likely happening in a thread in Capulator's forum about foaming.
https://www.thcfarmer.com/community...am-why-isnt-my-tea-foaming-is-that-bad.55656/

 

[Bangarang]

Ok so i recieved my water results right this second. I do not have my notes but one of these was run through an RV prefilter. It seems crazy that my ph is normal 7.9-8.1 and they recorded 7.4.

Sample ID Description K Ca Mg Na P S Cl NH4-N NO3-N ALK pH EC Urea Fe Mn B Cu Zn Mo Al
Sample 1 1.68 61.15 18.83 18.39 1.02 15.66 68.93 0 2.82 14.18 7.45 0.48 0 0.02 0.01 0.07 0.04 0 0.07 0.1
Sample 2 1.46 62.71 18.76 18.38 1.09 15.33 40.42 0 3.12 168.38 7.49 0.47 0 0.02 0.01 0.07 0.01 0.03 0.09 0.03

 

[Seamaiden]

I'm not easily able to align the numbers with the chemicals/elements. Is there a way you can post them so they're aligned a bit better? Maybe a vertical tree?

 

[Coir]

I'm not easily able to align the numbers with the chemicals/elements. Is there a way you can post them so they're aligned a bit better? Maybe a vertical tree?

I was just thinking the same thing!

 

[Coir]

It looks like sample 2 has an Alkalinity of 168.38 and sample one is 14.18? Something seems off there. Either way, with the hardness of your water, you really need to be using Nitric acid rather then phosphoric acid for lowering your pH. You also need to adjust your nutrient to account for the levels of elements in your source water. That or get a filtration system as I can see how this water source is going to cause a lot of your problems.

 

[Bangarang]

Sample 1 Sample 2
K 1.68 1.46
Ca 61.15 62.71
Mg 18.83 18.76
Na 18.39 18.38
P 1.02 1.09
S 15.66 15.33
Cl 68.93 40.42
NH4-N 0 0
No3-N 2.82 3.12
Alk 14.18 168.38
pH 7.45 7.49
EC .48 .47
Urea 0 0
Fe .02 .02
Mn .01 .01
B .07 .07
Cu .04 .01
Zn 0 .03
Mo .07 .09
Al .1 .03

 

[Coir]

Were both of these samples identical when you sent them in? I don't understand the big difference in alkalinity and would question the lab on that.
I would like to see a sample of your feed water too.

 

[Seamaiden]

Yeah, is an alk of 168.38 even possible..? That's like... concrete.

 

[Quantrill]

If those numbers for the alkalinity are ppm CaCO3 equivalent, then the 14.8 is a mistake or the reason the pH is falling in the medium. That low of alkalinity would have very little buffering ability. 168CaCO3 equivelant would be considered medium alkalinity and would resist change in pH much better.

The sodium and chloride are marginally high also.

attached is a spreadsheet with your ferts in it.

 

[Capulator]

too fuckin funny since my run off is exactly the same right now. Ran 35 gallons of 1.6EC through each of the 3x3 beds until runoff was 1.8. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

 

[Bangarang]

If those numbers for the alkalinity are ppm CaCO3 equivalent, then the 14.8 is a mistake or the reason the pH is falling in the medium. That low of alkalinity would have very little buffering ability. 168CaCO3 equivelant would be considered medium alkalinity and would resist change in pH much better.

The sodium and chloride are marginally high also.

attached is a spreadsheet with your ferts in it.

How do i view this file type?

 

[Bangarang]

Where can i purchase Nitric Acid to use as a ph down?

 

[Quantrill]

The file will have to be unzipped, and I believe it was saved as an "ODF" open office document file. It should work in excel.

Techna Flora pH down is nitric acid.

 

[Seamaiden]

I think he'll have to DL OpenOffice to get it to open, I've never been able to get an MS proggie to work in reverse.

 

[Bangarang]

JR Peters suggested Sulferic Acid over Nitric Acid. Why is this?

 

[Coir]

Probably because A: it's cheaper. B: It's safer(non fuming) C:They probably have not ever used Nitric acid for lowering pH. Sulfuric acid is easier to get, costs less, and might work well but I have yet to find agricultural or food grade sulfuric acid and most people that I have seen use it seem to use battery acid for this purpose. I would be nervous of the impurities that might be found in something that is intended for an industrial application rather then agricultural(heavy metals, etc.) Of course, I have not ever done research on sourcing a food or agricultural grade sulfuric acid so it could be out there. One thing to remember is that you will need a lot more of it than Nitric and you will be adding similar amounts of sulfur to your feed just like you were adding phosphorus before which may or may not cause you more issues.

 

[Bangarang]

The Alk at 14.18 got retested at 168.31. Which is almost identical to sample 2.

 

[Coir]

To give you an idea, the alkalinity of my water here is 39.7 and the pH is 6.4. This is from my well.