If this is a pH problem..

[digger]

Recently I had a water analysis done to switch back to using tap water and get away from RO. As far as I know, nothing funny was found in my water so I moved forward. Shortly, after switching back to tap, my garden took a huge nose dive. About a week later I go to calibrate my pH meter, well, it took a crap and I didnt know it. I'm assuming my problem is pH, because it happened to all my plants that were in veg, the fuckery that happened in flower is a whole different story. But, if this is a pH problem, how long do you all think it should take to correct? I got another meter already and they started getting pH'd water/solution at 6.2. I'm in coco

 

[digger]

I switch between vegbloom and individual salts, like calcium nitrate, potassium nitrate, etc.

 

[Elkhunter]

what in tarnation...ive never seen that before....but i will tell ya something that happened to me fall 2019 versus spring 2020 ph related...long story short i didnt have my meter for either grow...the first grow i literally dialed in the ph using those aquarium strips lol...actually worked good after about 10 strips to figure out my mix (ph out of tap was 9+)...i documented everything, ratios etc...so this spring i just used my notes for the amounts of ph down and nutes etc....puleez...wasnt even close...come to find out the city changes up the chemicals/minerals etc they put in water based on time of year so once again the ph was jacked...so i had to dial it all in again from scratch....the ghetto way blows..lol.. id def be interested to know what is going on with yours...

 

[digger]

Whats up Elk!! So I'm starting to think it was a combination of pH out of whack and EC being too high, especially once the pH was out of range. This is a small set back, well I'm looking at it as a small set back for now. If I loose my genetics, then I'll be pissed. LOL! Truth be told, I'm more hurt than anything, because I was talking shit on this other forum, saying how buying those expensive pH meters were a waste of money and the cheap ones were the way to go. Saying how my last cheap pen lasted me over a year and the only thing that killed it was dropping it in solution. I was way more satisfied with it than the Hanna 98129's I used to use when I first started growing. They seemed to check out, once the batteries died. Well, I got a mid range meter (Apera pH60) to replace the old one. Going forward, I'll use the tried and true, GH 3 drop pH test to double check the meter. Since I got the pH back in check (6.2) and lowered the EC (1.85 and I'll probably drop it a little more) they are looking much better. Still wrinkled up like kale but overall a happier looking plant. If the new growth in about a week isnt looking better, then I'll start worrying. This other site suggested pest, but that was the first thing I checked for, and didnt find any outside of the few mites I'm working on getting rid of. Also, I dont think it's a pest is because it happened to the entire garden at the same time. Thanks for dropping in, I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

 

[2broke2smoke]

Hey digger,

I don't run coco so not sure if ph 6.2 is ideal, but being a soilless grower for better than 20 years has left me with an understanding that ph should run from like 5.6 to 6.5 there are charts everywhere that list nutrient availability at different ph levels for both soil and soilless:D

2b2s

 

[Variety]

This has happened to me before, turn up the heat so thy can get to working rhemselves out of it. I’ve always done my ph at 5.8 from start to finish.

 

[digger]

Hey digger,

I don't run coco so not sure if ph 6.2 is ideal, but being a soilless grower for better than 20 years has left me with an understanding that ph should run from like 5.6 to 6.5 there are charts everywhere that list nutrient availability at different ph levels for both soil and soilless:D

2b2s

Hey 2b2s!! Thanks for dropping in, and reminding me to check the charts. I believe this was the perfect storm of root issues to mess them up. Not knowing my meter was off, I was going up on feed and raising pH to 6.4-6.5 from 6.2-6.3 to see if they would take up more Ca, and I should have been going lower for coco. But going by the numbers I was seeing when trying to calibrate, the pH could have been in the 9's.

I’d say that’s a combination of ph and over feeding, I’ve been using 6.2 for coco for years, same ph all through the grow

That looks salvageable dude, I’d rinse the coco with 1/8 strength nutes

Don’t use straight water as that’ll mess with the the cation exchange

Whats up BD! Thank you! You and this other grower I know said stick to 6.2 when I switched to coco. Thats where I was at, but then started experimenting going up, and with a meter that was off by 3 points, led to disaster. LOL!

This has happened to me before, turn up the heat so thy can get to working rhemselves out of it. I’ve always done my ph at 5.8 from start to finish.

Hey V! I believe I'm going to keep making my way down to that range. Last night, I pH'ed to 6.17 and believe tonight I will head to 6.1, then go down 0.1 each night until I hit the 5.8-5.9 range. Well, unless they start doing much better before I get that low. Will also drop the EC down to 1.2-1.4 and see how they do.

 

[digger]

You can drop the pH by whole points digger until you hit 5.8, reducing the feed strength will also help .... as long as you're consistent from veg to the end

Ok, thanks!! I'll shoot for 5.9 tonight and tomorrow and then 5.8 going forward.

And thanks for the tip V!! I have the temp at 86F now and 65%RH, and they look happy. Praying up until lights off, and I'm assuming all night. Irrigation starts an hour after lights on, and I get 4 cycles. Now I have to get the veg tent up to speed.

 

[Lithium]

I've had this happen before on a couple plants, never found out what it was or why it happened.

They did grow out of it.

 

[digger]

I've had this happen before on a couple plants, never found out what it was or why it happened.

They did grow out of it.

Thanks for dropping in Lithium!! I'm glad everyone is chiming in and REALLY like the replies saying "I've had it happen and they grow out of it" LOL!! Most of those plants are genetics I either cant get again or it would be a huge inconvenience. Plus, I'd really like to save them so I know how to prevent it and fix it if it happens again. Cant wait for lights on tonight to see how they are and need to work on the veg tent to get heat and humidity up.