Water changing PH as it waits to be used.

[Bark]

Good morning! My water comes out of the filter at 40 PPM and the PH is around 7.5 so in the mornings I adjust 3 separate gallons to 6.3 +-. I don't always use the water at that time. So the other day I retested the PH in the afternoon and found upward creep to around 6.7. I have done this test a few times and its about the same.

I'm using Advanced Nutrients PH up/down. I'm "swicking" in 5 gallon fabric pots in separate beds of perlite, because the water is not absorbed by the soil for some time the changing PH is a concern. My very first plant experienced nutrient lock-out and came up way short of it's potential.

I guess the question is "is this normal"? Will a different product/method be more consistent?

So much to learn, Thanks in advance.

J

 

[bad dragon bzzz]

morning i think the science behind ph raising is.the oxygen molocule is evaporating from the water thus changing the ph over time.
normal.will happen in plain water sat out to (gass off/let the chroline evapoarte away/the 24hr thing)
good luck n keep er lit

 

[Skellycrew]

Double check with drops, because if you're using a meter it may be off. That doesn't sound normal unless that water is sitting in an open copper pot, in the sun, for like weeks on end. But just a bucket or bottle of water kept in a room or garage shouldn't fluctuate pH that bad.

My guess is whatever you're using to test it could be failing.

 

[Skellycrew]

I let a bucket of water sit for a week and the pH was virtually the same the whole time. I was experimenting if I could let tap water sit and get more acidic; it didn't. At least not in the week's time I tested it.

 

[karlkutta]

what happens if you let the water sit without adding ph up/down right away? i always let my water sit and only adjust prior to using or mixing nutes.

i would recommend the cheap aquarium ph test kit, that is my favorite and i feel quite confident in the results.

 

[zippercatchesskin]

Good morning! My water comes out of the filter at 40 PPM and the PH is around 7.5 so in the mornings I adjust 3 separate gallons to 6.3 +-. I don't always use the water at that time. So the other day I retested the PH in the afternoon and found upward creep to around 6.7. I have done this test a few times and its about the same.

I'm using Advanced Nutrients PH up/down. I'm "swicking" in 5 gallon fabric pots in separate beds of perlite, because the water is not absorbed by the soil for some time the changing PH is a concern. My very first plant experienced nutrient lock-out and came up way short of it's potential.

I guess the question is "is this normal"? Will a different product/method be more consistent?

So much to learn, Thanks in advance.

I keep a 5 gal bucket of water with a bubbler always on. Ea time i draw from it to water i will ph it to 6.5ish . I use vinager and/or lemon juice. Ive never used ph up or down (jus havnt bought any yet.) Acidic brings it up and baking soda down. I try to use it fairly soon because every time ive left it sitting for more than few hrs the ph always ges up to 7-7.2 (my water starts out at 8-9ph) I just figured what keeps the ph level was evaporating? This is just my experience. Sounds like ph up & ph down is best for u especially since your watering by wicking. Others say thiers stays the same so im not sure.

 

[Bark]

Double check with drops, because if you're using a meter it may be off. That doesn't sound normal unless that water is sitting in an open copper pot, in the sun, for like weeks on end. But just a bucket or bottle of water kept in a room or garage shouldn't fluctuate pH that bad.

My guess is whatever you're using to test it could be failing.

The water is coming out of my drinking water filter so no chlorine to let evaporate. I often fill the jugs PH the water then water away. my tester is a Blue Labs PH tester calibrated weekly and checked against my local grow shop during a soil PH check when I was having issues with my first plant so I'm fairly confident it's working correctly. Im going to test plain filtered water using the same test as suggested and see what happens.
I also just purchase a hydro logic "Big Boy" filter set up for my veg garden I'll check that water this weekend. Thanks all for the feedback

 

[CoviklaFlaire]

My tap ph is 7.8 , but after sitting in bucket for 24h it raises to ,8.6

 

[Bark]

I figured it out and as said above the PH level stays the same.....and.....my meter is correct! Last night I PH downed a gallon of water and this AM it had risen from 5.8 to 6.3..... until i stirred the jar then it was back to 6.3. It was my methodology at fault nothing else. This still leaves me wondering if the water in the swicking set-up is doing the same thing but if it is it doesn't look detrimental as my second and third attempts look way better than my first. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[bil]

I'd wager. It's the buffering capacity of your water. Depending on where you live the majority of us live on limestone bedrock. This means that there is dissolved calcium carbonate in the water. It will react with your ph down (acid) and over time the limestone in the water will react with the acid neutralizing it. The pH will rise.

I've played with this myself and concluded that it's best to adjust right at the time of using. If you are using a reservoir, I dunno how you guys maintain it using tap water? It must take a ton of ph down to neutralize the buffering capacity of the water.