Hi everyone I am running a 2 plant (5 gallon buckets) rdwc system and when changing the nutes the pH drops overnight as well as the ppm. I’m using the Flora series nutes and it’s almost harvest time especially for the lady in the back.
Two days ago I changed the nutes @ 8 gallons:
Armor Si @ 4.8ml
Calimagic @ 16ml
Flora Micro @ 36ml
F. Bloom @ 72ml
Liquid koolbloom @ 24ml
Floralicious plus @ 4.8ml
Flora Nectar @ 48ml
Hydroguard @ 16 ml
This is 60% of what this chart says and I’ve started out at 20% and worked my way up thru
After letting everything circulate I got a reading of 750ppm and 5.96pH. The next morning it’s 580ppm and 5.62pH. Right now I’m adding pH up a couple of times a day.
These are OG Kush autos btw. They really had no issues in veg but now it’s chasing pH all around. I really think il try some of the other pH balanced nutes next time but right now I’m here.
I do have a brute trash can gravity feeding my resevoir and it’s filled w distilled water and Cali-Magic and hydroguard. There is a chiller hooked up too and I keep temps at 67°F. My humidity stays @ 50 or below.
I know my rootballs are very large and having such little water now is making this difficult as well. I will be making a larger system for my second run with rdwc.
I thought these autos would have been a hell of alot smaller but 2 are filling my 4×4 tent. I also thought they would be done by now as I will be gone for 5 days in 2 weeks. I was hoping to be using Ripen this weekend and if someone could give me their thoughts on that too I’d really appreciate it.
I could really use some kind of guidance from any pros out here. I’m lost about what to do here. So thanks in advance to anyone that can help me.
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I’m no pro but could be you need a bigger rez.
Maybe try adding tap water to bring up ph rather than ph up.
@happilyretired @Tygrow78 @repins12 might have a better idea
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I water to waste, and I have the same problems with bloom nutrients. When doing Hydro your window is between 5.5 and 6.5 for nutrient uptake. Instead of adjusting your pH every day set your nutrient at 6.5 and don’t bring it back up until it gets to 5.5. This way you will only have to pH your water once or twice a week. My last indoor grow I had DWC One Plant 27 gallon tote. I also had to flood drain tables with 37 gallon tanks. I fought with PH all the way through bloom. I thought going water to waste would solve this problem, but it has not. Just the nutrients mixed sitting in a tank won’t hold pH. I do not have this problem with veg nutrients. 
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Hey thanks for your input on this. That makes me feel alot better. Yea in veg these girls did great but Bloom has been rather touchy. I’m right at the end of this grow. The one plant is ready but the other one is a little behind. The one behind does have some trichomes turning red but not like I’d like it to be. I was wondering if it would be OK to go ahead and use Ripen from General Hydroponics? Again thanks for your input
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Thanks yea I heard or read somewhere that adding tap water could help the pH. I will definitely be getting a bigger res next time. Again thanks
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I don’t use those nutrients I don’t know anything about that product 🤷
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What’s up gromie, I noticed on your list of nutes that you are not using humic ie Diamond Nectar. That specific feed schedule is based on using all those pieces together. I made the same mistake. There is another feed chart on their website for the Flora series without the Diamond Nectar on it. But I will let you in on something I just learned myself. Buy yourself the Diamond Nectar! I shit you not I have been using it for about 2 weeks and there is a noticeable improvement of growth. I attached a photo of how new bursts of thick pistils popping out. I thought they were nanners at first.
But anyway, how much is it dropping? If your ppms are dropping that means the plant is eating right. Your feed might be a little hot . I noticed some tip burn in the photos.
Peace brother
Cannabisius
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I have always had that problem with my Bloom nutes dropping ph. I run Advanced Nutrients Ph perfect and it doesn’t always hold my ph where I want it either. When you ph up make sure and dilute it with h20. If you notice a cloud of white in your reservoir, that’s Cal-mag being locked out.
Like what @hydro said, you’ll probably want to increase the size of your reservoir.
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Hey really appreciate your feedback. I didn’t realize that about the pH Up locking out calmag. I will definitely be diluting it from now on.
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You can always shorten the light hours again and the plant will ripen faster. Take away another hour of daylight and add and hour of darkness.
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Hi thanks for your reply. My ppm has dropped 50 points to 548ppm and pH has dropped 10 points to 5.87 in 10 hours. That’s actually a little less of a drop than what it was a day or two ago. Another person’s advice was that right after the res change it does drop but will com back on its on. I don’t want to let it drop too far tho. As far as that graph I’m using I do have all the stuff on there and I’ve been blown away with how my plants look for the most part. Im just at the weeks where you stop using it. For these to be autos I’m just really surprised. I am going to be going on vacation in another week. I had expected these girls to be done by now so I got, bought, everything and set it up to run on its on except this pH issue. My plant in the back is ready and the one in the front has about 15 percent change in color of the trichomes. Do you think the General Hydroponics Ripen, also on the chart, would be something I could go ahead and use now to, I hate to say, rush things along. I don’t want the one that’s ready to go too far past and with them both working off the same res just leaves me not sure on what to do. Again I really appreciate your help.
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I don’t think it’ll make much difference if you add that ripener at this point. Like what @PreyBird1 said you can shorten your lights on time. It mimics your shorter fall days. You can harvest your back plant 1st if you want. I try and flush my plants for at least 72 hrs, but when you have multiple strains in a rdwc system it’s not always possible.
I have a couple plants that finish 5 days before the other. So I’m just flushing my rootzone really well during reservoir changes, and cutting my nutes back as much as possible before harvest.
I try my hardest not to overshoot my ideal harvest time. I look for all cloudy with as little to no amber.
When you start getting amber trichomes you’ve overshot your max potency cannabanoid and terpene profile. Your super sweet scents will morph to musky at some point. Some people like that, its all preference. But I want to smell and taste every bit of my fruity tasting flower, so all cloudy it is.
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