The PH Thread.....Runoff PH??

[Caninobis]

That likely means you have high alkalinity. What are the ppm’s (ec) in your source water?

Ph swings are always caused by something. Greenhouses deal with hard water by mixing with filtered water or a adding acid.

I haven't checked the PPM's yet but i just ordered a meter today so i'll have an answer for you come Thursday. If the water is testing at the high 8's wouldn't that mean it was Alkaline? I've just been adjusting with PH Down. Isn't that acid? Also, what would i want my PPM's to be at and if they're high how would i adjust it? I was thinking about buying a carbon filter that would typically be used for RV's and just hooking it up to my hose tap so that i can filter the water before it hits my jug.

 

[Caninobis]

Sorry gonna through my 2 cents in ,
I don’t think anyone is saying adjusting your ph is a bad thing? You have a more extreme case than most , so it is prolly necessary?
Again just my opinion but I look at ph as a tool, a opportunity so to speak. I personally am trying to find that sweet spot where my soil works well with my water source and that ph will not be as important but it will still be a tool in my bag! Sorry for the ramble some one tell if I’m wrong here?

Oh yeah no i wasn't trying to come off like i took it personally or anything. I totally appreciate the input and otherwise agree with what everyone else was saying. I never used to pay attention to PH. I thought it was pointless and daunting for a novice/hobby/soil home grower like myself but I definitely learned my lesson. Now i'm pretty much looking at it the same way you are, as a tool. I just want to dial it in for my own personal pride really so that i can say i conquered my bullshit town's bullshit water. What i'm doing now is working and the plants seem to be happy but i'd really like to find that sweet spot. If there is one.

 

[Beachwalker]

This sounds totally logical and I would probably agree with you on this had I not run in to the issues I've had this season that directly related to PH. The water at my tap comes out at the high 8's (8.98 when i tested it today) and I was watering my plants with it for almost the entire season this year. I couldn't figure out what was wrong i was doing everything i've always done and they just wouldn't take off. Then they started yellowing, it almost looked like nute burn but was just a little bit different so i brought it in to my local hydro store and he told me its a PH issue. My plants aren't able to feed on the nutrients because the PH of something, most likely the water, is off, is what he told me. So i listened. I bought a cheap GH PH kit and started adjusting the PH for my waterings. After about a week i could see a significant change in my plants. By the next week they were no longer yellowing, leaves stopped dying, and they started to get their deep green colors back. Now at the end of the season I have some decent sized buds with a beautiful mix of light and dark greens, trichome production is off the charts, and literally the only thing that i changed was i started to adjust the PH of the water they were drinking. I also stopped watering from the hose and started to fill my bucket straight from the tap or at the faucet.

Mine's also 8.9 (100ppm) I agree you have to adjust it for best results

 

[MIMedGrower]

Sorry gonna through my 2 cents in ,
I don’t think anyone is saying adjusting your ph is a bad thing? You have a more extreme case than most , so it is prolly necessary?
Again just my opinion but I look at ph as a tool, a opportunity so to speak. I personally am trying to find that sweet spot where my soil works well with my water source and that ph will not be as important but it will still be a tool in my bag! Sorry for the ramble some one tell if I’m wrong here?

Youre right. But with soil its the alkalinity that is important. My well water is .8 ph but only 150 ppm mineral content. Which happens to be the recomended ppm for gardening source water.

At 8.9 ph like the example in the last comment i would want to know why is the ph so high. It is likely high mineral content. Which can block roots quickly.

We should know what is in our source water first. It decides much about our method.

In jacks and other fertigation guides they say to add acid or mix with ro water above 250 ppm (.5 ec). And 150 is perfect for stable buffering.

 

[Moshmen]

Mine's also 8.9 (100ppm) I agree you have to adjust it for best results

You know they charge extra for that high alkaline water in the gas station! Lol my claims it makes him feel better? Do you guys notice it in your drinking water?

 

[MIMedGrower]

Mine's also 8.9 (100ppm) I agree you have to adjust it for best results

I do tend to feed most every watering once i start fertilizing. With my 150 ppm 8.0 ph water and 10ml of pure blend pro grow i read 1.2 ec (600ppm) at 6.3ph.

We all have to figure out how to balance these things.


In the Jorje grow book he says to manage hard water up to 250 ppm with extra runoff to help dissolve the excess calcium buildup and wash it away.

Point is the ph isnt the issue. The calcium buildup is.

When we have acidic soil we can flush out the excess nutes and basically reset the pot.

 

[MIMedGrower]

You know they charge extra for that high alkaline water in the gas station! Lol my claims it makes him feel better? Do you guys notice it in your drinking water?

That must help our digestive ph. We tent to eat acidic food. Humans are actually healthier with an alkaline diet. I hate to conpare people and plants but in this case its the same issue.

 

[Aqua Man]

That must help our digestive ph. We tent to eat acidic food. Humans are actually healthier with an alkaline diet. I hate to conpare people and plants but in this case its the same issue.

One of the first signs of good or poor health is ph level of the blood

 

[PipeCarver]

I do tend to feed most every watering once i start fertilizing. With my 150 ppm 8.0 ph water and 10ml of pure blend pro grow i read 1.2 ec (600ppm) at 6.3ph.

We all have to figure out how to balance these things.


In the Jorje grow book he says to manage hard water up to 250 ppm with extra runoff to help dissolve the excess calcium buildup and wash it away.

Point is the ph isnt the issue. The calcium buildup is.

When we have acidic soil we can flush out the excess nutes and basically reset the pot.

Hi MIMedGrower, I've had a full water analysis done but I can't read it well enough to under stand if its good or bad for growing weed in. It could be part of my problem, even all of it but I'm to dumb to figure it out . So I'll post my results below and if you'd have a look and tell me what you think I'd appreciate it greatly.

sodium .................................28.5 mg/L
potassium .............................2.2
calcium..................................26.6
magnesium.......................... 3.8

alkalinity ..............................129 mg/L
carbonate...............................1.51
bicarbonate..........................127
sulfate ......................................20.5
Chloride................................... 6.2
fluoride.......................................0.9
nitrate.......................................0.05
ammonia...................................0.05

arsenic........................................0.002 there's a bunch of other trace elements but they're all in the 0.002 -0.048 range
iron.............................................. 1.19
manganese ................................0.084
lead.................................................0.002
copper.............................................0.013
zinc ...................................................0.001

Total dissolved solids.............155

Total organic carbon.................1.3
Any help would be great

 

[MIMedGrower]

Hi MIMedGrower, I've had a full water analysis done but I can't read it well enough to under stand if its good or bad for growing weed in. It could be part of my problem, even all of it but I'm to dumb to figure it out . So I'll post my results below and if you'd have a look and tell me what you think I'd appreciate it greatly.

sodium .................................28.5 mg/L
potassium .............................2.2
calcium..................................26.6
magnesium.......................... 3.8

alkalinity ..............................129 mg/L
carbonate...............................1.51
bicarbonate..........................127
sulfate ......................................20.5
Chloride................................... 6.2
fluoride.......................................0.9
nitrate.......................................0.05
ammonia...................................0.05

arsenic........................................0.002 there's a bunch of other trace elements but they're all in the 0.002 -0.048 range
iron.............................................. 1.19
manganese ................................0.084
lead.................................................0.002
copper.............................................0.013
zinc ...................................................0.001

Total dissolved solids.............155

Total organic carbon.................1.3
Any help would be great

I have to go garden. I will take a closer look when im done. Light coming on.

@Aqua Man would you look at this water analysis.

 

[Aqua Man]

Hi MIMedGrower, I've had a full water analysis done but I can't read it well enough to under stand if its good or bad for growing weed in. It could be part of my problem, even all of it but I'm to dumb to figure it out . So I'll post my results below and if you'd have a look and tell me what you think I'd appreciate it greatly.

sodium .................................28.5 mg/L
potassium .............................2.2
calcium..................................26.6
magnesium.......................... 3.8

alkalinity ..............................129 mg/L
carbonate...............................1.51
bicarbonate..........................127
sulfate ......................................20.5
Chloride................................... 6.2
fluoride.......................................0.9
nitrate.......................................0.05
ammonia...................................0.05

arsenic........................................0.002 there's a bunch of other trace elements but they're all in the 0.002 -0.048 range
iron.............................................. 1.19
manganese ................................0.084
lead.................................................0.002
copper.............................................0.013
zinc ...................................................0.001

Total dissolved solids.............155

Total organic carbon.................1.3
Any help would be great

Sodium is moderate you wanna stay below 50ppm including nutrients.

Calcium is a bit lower than normal but good and same with mag

The total carbonate and bicarbonate of about 130ppm is moderate so you can possibly see a rise in soil ph over time. These are what is responsible for buffering/raising your ph.

I would have no problem using this in my hydro system it may take a bit more ph down though.

In soil like I say just keep an eye out over time for an increase in ph but again I think your ok. And if it rises it can be flushed out

 

[Moshmen]

Sodium is moderate you wanna stay below 50ppm including nutrients.

Calcium is a bit lower than normal but good and same with mag

The total carbonate and bicarbonate of about 130ppm is moderate so you can possibly see a rise in soil ph over time. These are what is responsible for buffering/raising your ph.

I would have no problem using this in my hydro system it may take a bit more ph down though.

In soil like I say just keep an eye out over time for an increase in ph but again I think your ok. And if it rises it can be flushed out

Thanx for the insight!

 

[MIMedGrower]

Sodium is moderate you wanna stay below 50ppm including nutrients.

Calcium is a bit lower than normal but good and same with mag

The total carbonate and bicarbonate of about 130ppm is moderate so you can possibly see a rise in soil ph over time. These are what is responsible for buffering/raising your ph.

I would have no problem using this in my hydro system it may take a bit more ph down though.

In soil like I say just keep an eye out over time for an increase in ph but again I think your ok. And if it rises it can be flushed out

Thank you. And i agree. This water is likely easily managed with watering/ feeding to runoff.

 

[PipeCarver]

Sodium is moderate you wanna stay below 50ppm including nutrients.

Calcium is a bit lower than normal but good and same with mag

The total carbonate and bicarbonate of about 130ppm is moderate so you can possibly see a rise in soil ph over time. These are what is responsible for buffering/raising your ph.

I would have no problem using this in my hydro system it may take a bit more ph down though.

In soil like I say just keep an eye out over time for an increase in ph but again I think your ok. And if it rises it can be flushed out

Thanks for looking at that for me. I've been having low ph issues and I thought my water may be responsible for it, maybe locking out nutes but your saying it should lift my ph not drop it. Well that blows that theory then. Still looking for the reason my soil ph got so low.

 

[Aqua Man]

Thanks for looking at that for me. I've been having low ph issues and I thought my water may be responsible for it, maybe locking out nutes but your saying it should lift my ph not drop it. Well that blows that theory then. Still looking for the reason my soil ph got so low.

Nutrient buildup would be my first thought.

 

[PipeCarver]

Nutrient buildup would be my first thought.

I really don't feed them that much but I'll be keeping an eye on it in the future. One grow good the next iffy, alls good though thank you for your help.

 

[MIMedGrower]

Thanks for looking at that for me. I've been having low ph issues and I thought my water may be responsible for it, maybe locking out nutes but your saying it should lift my ph not drop it. Well that blows that theory then. Still looking for the reason my soil ph got so low.

Calcium is low. I believe 70 ppm is ideal. Calcium is the buffer. If you are sure you are not dealing with excess nutes built up in the medium then you can always add lime or dissolve it a bit and water it in.

 

[PipeCarver]

Calcium is low. I believe 70 ppm is ideal. Calcium is the buffer. If you are sure you are not dealing with excess nutes built up in the medium then you can always add lime or dissolve it a bit and water it in.

No I don;t believe I've over fed them at this stage as they're still in veg. I've had issues over feeding them in flower in the past but never vegging them. I added a tbs of lime about a week ago now to each of my plants and I've seen some improvement with the runoff ph. It was in the high 4's now its in the high 5's (5,85) after last watering so that's a vast improvement and I'll be watching more closely from here on out.

 

[Aqua Man]

No I don;t believe I've over fed them at this stage as they're still in veg. I've had issues over feeding them in flower in the past but never vegging them. I added a tbs of lime about a week ago now to each of my plants and I've seen some improvement with the runoff ph. It was in the high 4's now its in the high 5's (5,85) after last watering so that's a vast improvement and I'll be watching more closely from here on out.

One question what fertilizer and addatives are you using?

I ask because if you have a few sources of ammonium/ammonia that could do it.

Eg. Calcium nitrate can increase ph, ammonium nitrate will lower ph.

Also were you see deficiencies or toxicities of any sort?

Gonna try to sleep but will check back if if can't or wake up in the middle of the night as usual.

 

[Caninobis]

Youre right. But with soil its the alkalinity that is important. My well water is .8 ph but only 150 ppm mineral content. Which happens to be the recomended ppm for gardening source water.

At 8.9 ph like the example in the last comment i would want to know why is the ph so high. It is likely high mineral content. Which can block roots quickly.

We should know what is in our source water first. It decides much about our method.

In jacks and other fertigation guides they say to add acid or mix with ro water above 250 ppm (.5 ec). And 150 is perfect for stable buffering.

do you think using Myko along with the runoff would be sufficient to help fight off any chances of nute block from the water? Isn’t mychro (I’m not spelling it because I can’t remember how) supposed to be pretty good with fighting off a block?