I think most people burp daily but after 2/3 weeks you can start cutting back a bit.

YMMV...

SME,

I will be starting a new journal soon. I have 3 seedlings, 2 Ice and one white widow.
My grow this time around is an Hempy buckets, 4 gallon filled to 3 gallons, with 75/25 Perlite/Vermuclite. I have added an additional 3/4 inch hole with a stopper at the base of the buckets below the 1/2 inch drain hole. Will use this to flush the buckets on a regular basis.
Question, when I add nbhaiutes or just H20 I pH the liquid to 6.0 to 6.2. Then I add the liquid till it flows out of the 1/2 inch hole. I remove the stopper and catch the reinstate for a pH check. I flush the mix until i get around the 6.0 mark.
As of late, before I add any new liquid I pull the stopper to drain the basin, i catch the liquid for a pH check. Every time
and I have done this four times now, the liquid has had a pH of below 5, today it was 4.78 in one if the buckets.
I am not sure what to do, do you have any suggestions? I have the buckets out now in the bath tup with the stoppers out and letting them drain well, will hopefully hear from you before I feed them this afternoon. I have the nutes in 4 gallon bucket with air stones and my air pump oxygenation the water. I know I will fill and drain them till i get the desired pH from the rinseate.

BTW, welcome back, I hope you are healing well. They finally got rid of all my infections from my surgery and I am back among the living.

GR

I'm guessing it's the vermiculite since perlite is pretty neutral. I've never seen gardening vermiculite *that* acidic but it can be.

It's hard to pH RO water so adding some tap water or very mild nutrients can help stabilize the pH of what's going in. Are you letting your nutrient/water sit for a while after adjusting the pH? Some nutrients are very acidic and if you don't wait a while the pH going in could be lower than you thought. Mix the batch, let it sit for a while and retest before using.


I'm doing better but I don't know how much more progress there will be, I still need to start my rehab. Thanks for asking and I'm glad you're healing too...

SisterMaryElephant wrote:I'm guessing it's the vermiculite since perlite is pretty neutral. I've never seen gardening vermiculite *that* acidic but it can be.

It's hard to pH RO water so adding some tap water or very mild nutrients can help stabilize the pH of what's going in. Are you letting your nutrient/water sit for a while after adjusting the pH? Some nutrients are very acidic and if you don't wait a while the pH going in could be lower than you thought. Mix the batch, let it sit for a while and retest before using.


I'm doing better but I don't know how much more progress there will be, I still need to start my rehab. Thanks for asking and I'm glad you're healing too...

I am using rain water, pH is around 6.5 to 6.7.
I have started using air stones and pump in my water a few hours prior to adding nutes or supplements. I will then adjust the pH and wait a few hours recheck and readjust as needed.
thanks for getting back to me, I did not add nutes, just EM1 and a small amt of Superlative. After adding the supplements I adjust the pH to 6.02 and let it sit, when I recheck the pH was 6.06 so i went with that. The rinseate after about 30 seconds of draining was;
WW = 6.08
Ice = 6.02
Ice 2 =6.03

Now see what it drains out as in two days.

Thanks again

GR

The vermiculite, being heavy, will sink to the bottom too. So if your pH is super low again, that's probably it. Next time skip the vermiculite or test every bag you buy at least.

Hey GR,

Your plants always look sooo good and healthy! Almost makes me want to try soil...lol

I am still waiting for what was supposed to be my Christmas crop...

Happy

SisterMaryElephant wrote:The vermiculite, being heavy, will sink to the bottom too. So if your pH is super low again, that's probably it. Next time skip the vermiculite or test every bag you buy at least.

Yes I can tell it had settled, along with the fines in the Perlite.
i washed the bag of Perlite as I measured it for the buckets I washed it again and i still got many fines. If i probe the mix now I can feel the layer of fines, that creates a perched water table. This can be good or bad, I am getting drainage though it so that it's good. Will have to watch as my root system builds.
Next grow will be with straight course Perlite or may check out coco, not sure about that. I don't have the weather to go full hydro without a chiller and not sure i want to do the expense of that or not.

GROW

HappyWeedz wrote:Hey GR,

Your plants always look sooo good and healthy! Almost makes me want to try soil...lol

I am still waiting for what was supposed to be my Christmas crop...

Happy

Soil work but was always a problem. The soils mix i used caused constant pH problems and i think it held nutes way to long, was very tough to flush.

I hope you are harvesting in layers, that way you can test the different time periods of harvest. Man I could not wait that long, you either have issues with your set up or you have missed your harvest period.

GR

Ebb&flow is a hydro system that doesn't need a chiller although it could help a little.

Coco is ok but it's like soil in that it does buffer some nutrients and you still have to watch the pH. Almost like "soil-lite."

His plants *look* ready but he's waiting for more amber trichomes. Waiting isn't the worst thing he can do.



"Your patience will be rewarded..." -- Alton Brown

Yes you are right, when i raised composting worms I had to learn Patiance, Moderation and Diversity. At one point i had over 600 lbs of worms in bedding.

gr865 wrote:Yes you are right, when i raised composting worms I had to learn Patiance, Moderation and Diversity. At one point i had over 600 lbs of worms in bedding.

I think I have 6 lbs in my C.O.W...