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hydroponic Pepper in a hydroponix setup?
- Thread starter nlpokerted
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Again, to any newbies getting into hydro - caution against taking the "blind" approach. As I said before, consider what the #1 question will be if you ask someone for help when something in your hydro setup isn't quite right, or performing to expectation. As far as changing nutrients weekly, it's a huge waste of money, and more expensive than checking PH. Even plants that are in blossom or bearing can (almost always) go longer than 2 weeks between flush and change.Tank said:
I begrudge noone to follow whatever path they choose - just be careful not to do others a disservice along the way.
i seem to recall a conversation somewhere along these lines. i think that was me. tho i do not recall calling you a liar. only that i doubted it was true.miguelovic said:
PH electrodes, are sort of like batteries. As the electrolyte flows out of the electrode, the reference electrode potential drops.
the theoretical ideal ph electrode is 0mV at 7Ph, so as it ages, this value SHOULD remain constant regardless.
lower and higher than 7 however, will drift, as the internal reference potential drops.
in the real world there is no such thing as an ideal ph electrode. IE 7 Ph is never 0.0 mV. there is also no such thing as a perfectly linear response, so calibrating with one solution is problematic unless you are measuring a solution at or very close to the calibrated value.
most instruments do double and triple calibrations automatically, so i dont see the value in only doing a single point calibration, provided you have the extra 30 seconds of time. if you dont care about accuracy, then why use a ph electrode at all? get some paper.
edit; with regard to instruments.
if its possible, i always reccoment a meter that will display the actual mV value along with the Ph. the mV is the basis by which your electrode is judged, with respect to its useful life. when a mV value at the 7.01 buffer drifts to substantially larger values, or when the drift accelerates, its time to get a new electrode.
Tank said:
Eh. i disagree with you here,mostly for one reason.
Ph paper is almost free. i know what you are saying tho.
not everyone has the same tap water conditions. I have like 250ish mg/L carbonates in my water, it takes a mighty swig of HCl to drop it from like mid 7s to like lower 6ish.
some folks will have that angelic perfect crystal clear Scandinavian mountain glacier water. This water will require far far far less acid to drop the ph.
in systems that recycle nutrients, ph and to a greater extent conductivity are of greater concern, as their values are indications of what is happening with the nutrient solution. too much ammonium, and Ph will drop, too little it will rise. etc etc.
conductivity, same deal. dropping ec will indicate nutrients being consumed. conductivity that rises will tend to indicate excessive evaporation, as is the case with the bubble buckets, carrying away water vapor in drier environments, or excessivly high Ec to start with.
I wasnt advocating you shouldnt own a meter, just that you could do without one 99.9% of the time
I can get away without the meters as there are no variables, i run reverse osmosis water, homebrew nutrients and drain to waste.
You still have to test each nute recipe once to get the PH and EC. but once known theres no need to check every mix (or check/adjust the res ph/ec daily or dump it weekly, monthly etc)
With the variables of using tapwater and/or recirculated nutrients, owning a meter is a definite plus.
I can get away without the meters as there are no variables, i run reverse osmosis water, homebrew nutrients and drain to waste.
You still have to test each nute recipe once to get the PH and EC. but once known theres no need to check every mix (or check/adjust the res ph/ec daily or dump it weekly, monthly etc)
With the variables of using tapwater and/or recirculated nutrients, owning a meter is a definite plus.
hey everyone. So, last year was my first year at growing peppers via hydro (DWC). Had great success with growing Bulgarian Carrot and Purple Jalapeno peppers. I was able to get my hands on an aquarium pH monitor that would constantly show me pH and PPMs. For a newbie, the equipment was over the top, but I felt it was necessary to monitor those, especially the pH.
This year, I plan to continue to use my monitoring equipment and adding a temperature monitor as well. Because I'm trying to "first shot, first kill" my success with DWC hydroponics growing, I think pH monitoring is absolutely necessary.
Just my two cents. Thanks for allowing me to discuss.
This year, I plan to continue to use my monitoring equipment and adding a temperature monitor as well. Because I'm trying to "first shot, first kill" my success with DWC hydroponics growing, I think pH monitoring is absolutely necessary.
Just my two cents. Thanks for allowing me to discuss.
Tank said:I wasnt advocating you shouldnt own a meter, just that you could do without one 99.9% of the time
I can get away without the meters as there are no variables, i run reverse osmosis water, homebrew nutrients and drain to waste.
You still have to test each nute recipe once to get the PH and EC. but once known theres no need to check every mix (or check/adjust the res ph/ec daily or dump it weekly, monthly etc)
With the variables of using tapwater and/or recirculated nutrients, owning a meter is a definite plus.
Fair enough.
The reason I chimed in, is that most people who advocate the "no check" approach, fail to qualify their methods. Please understand that NOT checking PH somewhat regularly, does put you outside the pail of orthodoxy, as it pertains to hydroponics. Everyone who starts hydroponics needs to check their initial setup, as a minimum. (work from a baseline) What one does, or the assumptions that one makes from that point forward, are entirely up to the individual. After all, you have to live with your own results.
yea i know. but what im saying, is its not worth going without some means of ph measurement mainly because, you can buy a booklet of litmus paper on amazon for like 4 bucks.Tank said:I wasnt advocating you shouldnt own a meter, just that you could do without one 99.9% of the time
I can get away without the meters as there are no variables, i run reverse osmosis water, homebrew nutrients and drain to waste.
You still have to test each nute recipe once to get the PH and EC. but once known theres no need to check every mix (or check/adjust the res ph/ec daily or dump it weekly, monthly etc)
With the variables of using tapwater and/or recirculated nutrients, owning a meter is a definite plus.