Ph fluctuations

[NEOBUD]

Hey all, i was wondering why my ph goes from 6.0 to 6.6 in a day. I made a feed for the girls in the morning, come home and the ph was through the roof. I am using a bucket with no lid. All i can thing of is evaporation doing something??? I am just worried for when i do my 50 liter res next week. Help much appreciated

[RobbieGanjaSeed]

It's a good question, and there's plenty more edumacated people here on the subject than I , and I reckon they'll help you more.

 

But I used to wonder the same thing. A lot of the additives used can take a while to settle (maybe all you're seeing today?), and depending on what material you use for medium can make PH fluctuate. Rotting roots from badly washed medium that's been used before, or even from plants having been ill and lost roots, those are the things I'd think of first.

 

What medium you're using might have a lot to say about it. Like rockwool can be a beast to keep down for example. But if your plants have become large enough, they'll have a sure enough influence..

 

someone will help ya for sure. In the meantime, make the adjustments as you need to. Are you in fact loosing a lot of nutrient per day to evaporation and to the plants?

 

cheers

rob

[NEOBUD]

Cheers Rob, i should of said i am hand watering them. Its no DWC

[bufo marinus]

Gday Neobud, here's some info on why pH fluctuates http://www.flairform.com/Hints/ph_in_hyd.htm

Ground water, bores, aquifers etc are higher in disolved salts than scheme water(treated dam water)

The chemical reaction for what happens can be found down the bottom of the page

[Shithappens]

very nice link bufo Cheers!!

[NEOBUD]

Yeah that was a good read. I think its simply evapouration though it says on there you cant truly measure scheme water and im sure my $40 EC pen aint helping. Cheers again Bufo

[bufo marinus]

Gday Neo, ususally it sems pH will drift higher before settling. If your worried about it you could set the pH at 5.4-5.5 and let it drift back to 6.0.

As the article says the range between 5.0 and 6.5 is available for the plant to take up all the nutes it needs.