Well what your after is the Total PPMs as close to zero as possible. The PH can be adjusted. The other one you got doesnt work right. You can see the ppm difference. I run the 6 stage R/o geekpure and its alwas at like 20 ppms but with the last mineral enhancer filter attached the ph is always like 6! Plants dont seem to notice so i dont worry about it. And when i got my R/o kit it was a lot cheaper then. I know you dont have much money so not sure what to tell there brudder.
https://www.amazon.com/Geekpure-6-Stage-Reverse-Drinking-Filter-75GPD/dp/B07THVWQP7/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=3FU3EPQINJ001&keywords=geek+pure+ro+with+uv&qid=1688303532&sprefix=geek+pure+ro+with+uv%2Caps%2C139&sr=8-3
Heres a link to my R/o system.
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I decided to keep the RO Buddy and return the Hydro-Life filter.
I do have a question about using the RO water now. Prior to adding nutrients and Cal-Mag to it yesterday, the RO had a pH of about 6.2. However, after adding Cal-Mag and Dakine420 nutrients (Grow, Base, Bloom), the pH dropped to 4.3. Should the proper pH be measured prior to adding nutrients, or after? I emailed this question to Dakine420 customer service, but they havenât replied.
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I canât get a reading on my ro water. Ro is not supposed to have a pH it takes on the pH of what itâs dumped into. It will have some pp.s but pH should constantly jump around. Nothing in ro water to be able to leach onto to get a side pH. Everything is basically stripped from the water. 23ppm is great tho
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Ajdust after always. When i grow hydro i make my mix with R/o then add my nutrients in one set-concentrated for my big system and then i fill my system with the water only first, then the concentrate and ph it right there and then. And i just check the ph every day 2x a day. And adjusta as neccessary. Since your in soil you want to make sure the ph is all ready where you want it before you water the plants. You just have to see what works best for your soil, strain and environment. Its a process and you get better at it every day!
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I have a similar PH drop after adding nutes and it is the reason I wonât use cheap meters. I use the General Hydroponics âNovaâ line along with Botanicare Cal-Mag and Hydroguard.
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Thatâs odd, because I checked the pH of at least four gallons of RO water after thoroughly flushing its system, and each read around 6.2-6.5. And that was prior to anything being added. I have never worked with RO water, so I donât know what to expect.
So are you saying that the 4.2 pH I got after adding the nutrients is too low and needs to be increased?
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Yes, it should be adjusted.
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PH of 6.00 and PPM of 1.10-ish is my target for my weekly reservoir change during Veg.
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I have powdered citric acid. Is that safe to use to increase pH? I donât have any of those âpH Up,â âpH Downâ products.
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General hydroponics pH adjusters or.bloom city pH pro Iâve never done anything other than these
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$13 at the local aquarium store!
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That 13 each or both as Amazon u can get litre bottles for about 12 to 15 bucks each and a bottle will last a long while Iâve had my pH up for 2 plus years the pH down I used more often so I went thru 1 bottle on 2nd in like 2.5 years so far. So a drop at a time til ur used to what it does to water pH down usually can be one to 3 drops pH up usually takes a bit more of it to raise the numbers.
Thos r my fav go 2s. The bloom city pro is good stuff also.
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$13 total for both; $6 + tax for each. Those you referenced on Amazon wouldnât arrive until next week and weekend, I figured I needed it before then. I will get the BloomCity one before these are gone. Another question while Iâm at it: The seven younger plants germinated May 20 and are going strong; thick and green. Is it time now to change the light schedule to convert them to flower phase? If not, when should I do that?
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Thanks @PreyBird1. Will you give me your thoughts on this other question?
Another question while Iâm at it: The seven younger plants germinated May 20 and are going strong; thick and green. Is it time now to change the light schedule to convert them to flower phase? If not, when should I do that?
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I read the first part of this conversation, and I donât understand some of it. I would suggest not worrying about your pH until you add the nutrient solution to the plant. The rest of it doesnât matter. Donât get too worked up on the details. Youâre gonna get a ton of information and opinions. You will chase your tail. You now have a baseline of what your water is going to pH out when youâre done with the ro process. So now you donât gotta check it no more and worry about it. Check your ppm. If you are using Dakine nutrients, start off absolutely no more than 3/4 strength or you will fry your plants. If it were me, I would probably start half strength the first round and see how they take it.
As far as pH on a budget, and when to flip your plants. For me to give you the information that I would like you need would be too much typing for me. So if you want to go in detail about that, I will, PM you my phone number and you can give me a shout. Just tag me and let me know. 
(There is household items that you can use to raise and lower your pH. Not a long-term solution, but to hold you over till you can afford what you need, baking soda, vinegar.
If I recollect correctly, pH down, vinegar, lemon juice. And pH up would be baking soda. these are good to get it in range and use it. Not for storage. Hope this helps.
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@happilyretired I ordered this from Amazon today, with delivery tomorrow. I heeded the suggestions here and have been using DaKine at 3/4 strength. My confusion was when to measure pH; prior to adding anything to the RO water, or after. So now I am measuring after adding the nutrients and Cal-Mag, and the pH is coming in around 4.6. That stuff I got at the aquarium store yesterday didnât work worth a squat. The jug of water was 4.6, the instructions said to add 2ml to one gallon of water to raise the pH 1.0. After adding a little over 1 1/2 teaspoons, the pH was only 5.2. Iâm hoping that the stuff coming from Amazon tomorrow works much better. The General Hydro and Bloom City pH adjuster sets must be in high demand because I wouldnât be able to get them until close to next weekend.
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@ArtVandalay when to flower is subjective. Ive flipped at 47+ days.
Generally, cannabis plants start flowering when nights - dark periods - are longer, which is a sign to show their sex and start blooming. Actually, marijuana plants reach their sexual maturity between 6-8 weeks regardless of the photoperiod.
when plants are about 2 months old - when they have 5 or 6 internodes - they are sexually mature, which is to say, they have set their sex. You flip when you want if its a photoperiod. You can super crop,lst, scrog and then flip. All depends on what you want to achieve.
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@PreyBird1 Thanks! Based on your information, I should wait a bit longer before flipping them to the flowering stage since they only germinated on May 20. I will look up the meaning of âinternode.â But what does âsuper crop, Ist, scrogâ mean?!
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Super cropping is when you have a branch that gets too tall you pinched it between your fingers to collapse the stem and then just lay it over believe it or not sometimes you have to tie them down or they straighten right back up even after collapsing the stem. L S.T means low stress training. That would be tying it down or tucking branches underneath leaves from other branches to hold them down.
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