Soooo having picked up some ph up and down I set about trying to lower the pH levels in my oxypots... Unsure at what dosage I should use I figured I would try 10 mil so approx 0.5ml per litre... this saw my pH come crashing down from 7.9 to around 2.4! :S next bucket I tried 3mil and see pH around 3.6. final bucket i tried 1 mil and its come down to around 6.4. So now im stuck with 2 acid baths and a 3rd bucket that is almost where i need it to be. If i add ph up to my 2 acid buckets will the resulting mix be able to sustain life or have i fucked things up. Ive read someplace im sure that you shouldnt mix ph up and down together. Whats the deal guys? Thanks in advance for your help/advice!
Indoor Can I use ph up and down at same time?
- Thread starter big_buddha
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BigBuddha
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Hey, BB.
When using ph up/down you're using very potent substances. With my old 50ltr butt.. I'd use a few drops at a time.. wait 20 mins then add more.. wait 20 mins again and so on..
10mls would probably lower the ph of a coupla hundred litres of water I reckon. If I had to guess.. I'd say we're looking at more like 0.01ml/ltr or maybe even 0.001 or less.
Go very easy on it.. and each time you add it you need to wait for it to stabilise before checking the reading and adjusting again if necessary. But, yes, you CAN use both ph up/down in the same water, but it's advised not to because A) it's a waste of acids because they compete with each other and B) it makes the balance harder to hit and C) you're putting lots of food (P&K) in the solution and that can affect your nutrient ratio harshly when vegging.
Hope that helps some.
When using ph up/down you're using very potent substances. With my old 50ltr butt.. I'd use a few drops at a time.. wait 20 mins then add more.. wait 20 mins again and so on..
10mls would probably lower the ph of a coupla hundred litres of water I reckon. If I had to guess.. I'd say we're looking at more like 0.01ml/ltr or maybe even 0.001 or less.
Go very easy on it.. and each time you add it you need to wait for it to stabilise before checking the reading and adjusting again if necessary. But, yes, you CAN use both ph up/down in the same water, but it's advised not to because A) it's a waste of acids because they compete with each other and B) it makes the balance harder to hit and C) you're putting lots of food (P&K) in the solution and that can affect your nutrient ratio harshly when vegging.
Hope that helps some.
thanks for the info man, i really hope i havent fucked things up too bad heh, switching out these buckets is a pain as i have to wait for the coast to be clear sigh. I spotted your username a few mins after registering my own! sorry for pilfering your handle dude!
just retested my buckets and they are now all between pH 5.4 and 6 with EC at 0.7 in 2 of them and 1.0 in the 5.4 bucket. i started germinating my TD beanz about 20 hours ago, I really dont want to have to delay things by remixing the buckets that needed up and down but at same time i dont want to incinerate my seedlings as soon as i pop them into the hydroton lol :/ dilemmas sigh.
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BigBuddha
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No probs dude.. but I just realised I didn't answer you in full..
If you keep adding solution to raise ph again your ec is going to rise quite a bit and they'll be getting a potentially dangerous imbalance between P & N. Too much phosphor will lockout nitrogen.. which as you probably know is vital in veg.
I know it's a pain in the arse but you really should flush out and start again.
Ps don't worry about the name man.. there are loads of buddha variations on here so I'm probably more guilty
Cross posted..
So.. if the ec isn't too high which it isn't at 0.7 (maybe is at 1 for younglings).. that's one risk out of the way.. all that I can think of that remains a possible issue is as I mentioned above about N lockout.
Then again.. as they grow they'll use up the P & K from the ph up/down and that'll sort of purify the water somewhat. If you do put em in it you'll benefit from very regular checkups.
Hope that helps fella.
If you keep adding solution to raise ph again your ec is going to rise quite a bit and they'll be getting a potentially dangerous imbalance between P & N. Too much phosphor will lockout nitrogen.. which as you probably know is vital in veg.
I know it's a pain in the arse but you really should flush out and start again.
Ps don't worry about the name man.. there are loads of buddha variations on here so I'm probably more guilty
Cross posted..
So.. if the ec isn't too high which it isn't at 0.7 (maybe is at 1 for younglings).. that's one risk out of the way.. all that I can think of that remains a possible issue is as I mentioned above about N lockout.
Then again.. as they grow they'll use up the P & K from the ph up/down and that'll sort of purify the water somewhat. If you do put em in it you'll benefit from very regular checkups.
Hope that helps fella.
For sure, the seeds havent sprouted yet tho i think i can see one on its way. Im gonna watch the EC and pH and give them a shot if they stay stable at current levels, i might drain the EC 1 and topup with fresh water/start again. The other nutes in the buckets are canna start at about 75% strength and rhizotonic also at about %75 so its not been too strong a mix up until the pH prob. Prior to messing with pH the EC levels were 0.4 ive been very conservative whilst adding nutes n tweaking things in the buckets over the last few days so Im pretty pissed at myself at acting on the first suggestion i come across (1ml per litre of pH down). Should have paused and double checked my research as I have with the rest of this grow. Goes to show impatience is a bad thing lol 
I would agree with bb, use inly a few drops at a time of the ph up or down, and I would start those pots again, If you are in a pinch for time, waiting for the Cl to get out of the water, splurge a little and get some bottled water, and fill them up, better to start with a clean slate. I think that we have all done the overshoot before, and had to refill and remeasure, but in the end I think that you will find it is worth it!
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BigBuddha
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For sure, the seeds havent sprouted yet tho i think i can see one on its way. Im gonna watch the EC and pH and give them a shot if they stay stable at current levels, i might drain the EC 1 and topup with fresh water/start again. The other nutes in the buckets are canna start at about 75% strength and rhizotonic also at about %75 so its not been too strong a mix up until the pH prob. Prior to messing with pH the EC levels were 0.4 ive been very conservative whilst adding nutes n tweaking things in the buckets over the last few days so Im pretty pissed at myself at acting on the first suggestion i come across (1ml per litre of pH down). Should have paused and double checked my research as I have with the rest of this grow. Goes to show impatience is a bad thing lol
Don't worry man.. we've all done similar or worse. It happens and this is all a learning experience. It might sound new-ager but I believe that a frustrated grower tends to make even more mistakes cos their mojo gets out of whack. Relax man.. you seem to have an understanding of what you're doing in general.. you just made a slight error in the ph acids that's all and that can be corrected.
Tell you one thing.. it'll be stable whatever the ph is
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BigBuddha
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We who are without the ban hammer salute you. 
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