Water PH?

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Vinnyscribbles

Vinnyscribbles

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Curious about the importance of water PH and the effects it can have on a plant wether it be too high or too low? I dont have a PH meter currently and have been using normal tap water but my plant seems to be flourishing and thriving, noticable growth every couple of hours when I check on it, watering about once a week and the plant seems to be doing fine on that particular watering schedule I am going to eventually purchase a PH meter but I'm just curious as to how urgent people think it is that I get one. (Sorry about picture quality, shaky as he'll cause im a little dehydrated myself lol.)
 
Water ph
Water ph 2
Glassdub

Glassdub

1,305
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I've been going back & forth on getting a meter, I've read that the soil testers are wildly inaccurate unless done by a pro lab.
www.gardenmyths.com

Soil pH Testers-Are They Accurate?

Soil pH Testers are available in several different types. Are they accurate? Do you need them? What will you do with the results?
www.gardenmyths.com www.gardenmyths.com
I'm on the fence about getting a water tester, so much bro science on the web regarding cannabis to sift though.
 
Kampbe1l

Kampbe1l

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got myself a pH meter for the current soil grow. should you go soil-less/hydroponics, then pH meter is essential tool.

i noticed that our tap water was close to 8.0 pH last winter, and today its 5.5 pH. temperature would also be a factor in that difference in pH measurement. i was using pH Down solution in winter/spring, now using pH Up solution to adjust the water/feed.

it's good to eliminate pH as an issue.
 
Beachwalker

Beachwalker

7,055
313
Kampbe1l said:
got myself a pH meter for the current soil grow. should you go soil-less/hydroponics, then pH meter is essential tool.

i noticed that our tap water was close to 8.0 pH last winter, and today its 5.5 pH. temperature would also be a factor in that difference in pH measurement. i was using pH Down solution in winter/spring, now using pH Up solution to adjust the water/feed.

it's good to eliminate pH as an issue.
Click to expand...
Tap water is generally alkaline to minimize water pipe corrosion, if it's reading 5.5 I would recommend you calibrate and/or check your meter. I use Aquarium drops for accuracy
 
Mr.jiujitsu

Mr.jiujitsu

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It’s essential. Doesn’t mean you can’t get lucky, but even if you have well water it will change seasonally. There’s a lot of science to wage movement and aquifers. Anyways same goes for city water, never know when they have issues and have to Sanitize, I grew coral for years and had friends who used tap water, and found that the swings from the city where kinda. Crazy. All depends on where you live I suppose. I had a cheap meter, wasn’t cal correctly and had an entire run start to go south. I quickly guessed my ph was off, verified with strips and picked up a nice, waterproof digital meter with kit so I didn’t have to worry about storage fluid or cal fluids. PH is the source of most people’s problems
And they don’t realize it. They swing too much or let it go too high typically and then get lock outs of different nutrients. Depending on how they react and what they run the problem gets worse and may seem like a nutrient deficiency. Which it is often, but caused by poor PH management.

Get a ph meter. A decent one. Make using it like muscle memory every time you water. If you find that it’s stable then after a bit just use it to verify if you want. It’s so easy I just always check and adjust when needed.

People using PH down to adjust - I also do but before, the last thing I add to my water is EM-1. I take the concentrate and brew a gal jug.



Well it has a PH that’s super low. This makes up most of my adjustment, then about 4ml of ph down per 5 gal and I’m at the sweet spot (6.0 I like to hit)

I couldn’t brew my EM1 with out a ph meter and I couldn’t make the mix of compost teas and microbes with out a ph verification tool.

It’s essential.

This is the one I use. I like it, works very well. Some people have had these break on them, and there are some other brands like blue point that make excellent equipment. But this is the kit I use and I am happy with it.

Apera AI209-T Value Series PH20...
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077Z6LF91?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
 
Anthem

Anthem

4,155
263
I did not use a PH meter for the first 5 or 6 grows. My tap water after going thru an inline filter is about 7.5 but I did not find that out until after about 5 or 6 runs. I would assume my yield/quality were lowered but the bottom line is we are growing weed. Weed is a weed so while it will thrive in ideal conditions it will also grow in less that ideal conditions.
 
Mr.jiujitsu

Mr.jiujitsu

1,701
263
Anthem said:
I did not use a PH meter for the first 5 or 6 grows. My tap water after going thru an inline filter is about 7.5 but I did not find that out until after about 5 or 6 runs. I would assume my yield/quality were lowered but the bottom line is we are growing weed. Weed is a weed so while it will thrive in ideal conditions it will also grow in less that ideal conditions.
Click to expand...

Ugh I’m not gonna have the “its a weed” argument today 🤣😂 but what I will say is when I run my indoor I work I try to maintain optimum absorption levels , because I have complete control. This allows me to only see real genetic or other grow space related issues. I haven’t had any deficiency issues in a long time but this is one reason for that. With my outdoor, do to the size of the grow and the pia it would be I typically just hit it straight up. It’s funny because I don’t have any of the issues with my outdoor, but the same water in the winter, due to the lack of exchange in the aquifers, causes the ph to rise. I know this. I have proven this, and with out a ph meter I would seasonally be chasing issues. Your right they don’t need perfect, but they do need ph between 5.5 and 6.5 to keep from locking out essentials. Yes 7.0 is fine in many cases. The thing is depending on the source there’s so many variables.... and the easiest way to know is to have a ph measuring tool.
 
Glassdub

Glassdub

1,305
163
Mr.jiujitsu said:
Get a ph meter. A decent one. Make using it like muscle memory every time you water. If you find that it’s stable then after a bit just use it to verify if you want. It’s so easy I just always check and adjust when needed.
Click to expand...
Can this be had for under 3 figures (or there abouts), I'm very small scale & don't have funds to go lab grade.
 
cruzin

cruzin

108
43
I just ordered one of those meters, I know I have some issue with my 3 week old seedlings, they have droopy leaves and I let the dry out before watering. But I have not tested the ph of my feeding. Using Necture of the gods for food 1/2 strength. But I bet I have a ph problem. I do have rainwater collected but I suppose that should be tested also.
 
One drop

One drop

Bush Doctor
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For the minimal amount of money will save a lot of head scratching . Just my 2 cents .
 
Glassdub

Glassdub

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163
The only thing that bugs me about mine is that it does not default to zero out of water, like the TDS meter, in water seems fine though.
 
One drop

One drop

Bush Doctor
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Oh I just dropped mine into my feed bucket seems to be flashing on and off oh well lucky I have worked my feed amounts out I’ll be hitting the hydro shop in morning . Next time I’ll use my measuring cup to take sample .....
 
cemchris

cemchris

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Glassdub said:
The only thing that bugs me about mine is that it does not default to zero out of water, like the TDS meter, in water seems fine though.
Click to expand...

It's not supposed to. The meter has a bulb that is always wet. If it drys out it will damage the sensor. Always keep them wet (usually a sponge in the cap) or even water in the cap. I just dip the cap into the nute solution when I use it to make sure the sponge is always moist.
 
Glassdub

Glassdub

1,305
163
cemchris said:
It's not supposed to. The meter has a bulb that is always wet. If it drys out it will damage the sensor. Always keep them wet (usually a sponge in the cap) or even water in the cap. I just dip the cap into the nute solution when I use it to make sure the sponge is always moist.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I keep it wet but has never defaulted to zero, the reads have been good testing with distilled so I haven't sweat it as the reads seem to match up.
 
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