I’m having issues. This is my fifth grow and had issues with every grow. I run a 2×4 tent, mars hydro sp3000 light, 4 inch exhast fan. I use fox farm happy frog soil and dyna gro nutrients. I just started to check my ph in water this time. I use distilled water. I check my water runoff for the first time today. It read 4.4.
I have trouble getting the oh right in distilled water. I add about 1 ml of pro tekt to get water to stabilize. Is their a soil and nutrients out there that that I can use to get rid of my issues? I see some of these pictures and want to try to grow like that!
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PH in the nutrient water, or the distilled water?
Happy frog goes a long way without any added nutrients, or a least it did for me.
Coco coir and Jacks nutrients, you’ll be glad you did. Try cocoforcannabis and after your read for a while and have questions, come back to ILGM to ask question. The folks here have the wisdom to really help you understand EVERYTHING about what’s needed and how to make it happen.
It is frustrating because distilled has no pH and therefore cannot be adjusted. Ions must be present in water for a pH to exist, and distilled is pure water and contains no ions. If you try to pH adjust distilled , then all you are doing is adding unnecessary acids or bases to the water and thus your soil, which can create problems.
Once you add nutrients to water, it then does have a pH and your feedings much be pH adjusted before giving it to the plant. Nutrient products are naturally acidic. Not doing a pH adjustment of feedings will cause your runoff pH to drift lower over time.
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Same soil and methods previous grows?
So am I hearing you say that I don’t add ph up or down distilled water? No nutrients? Just use the fox farms happy frog soil and no nutrients through flower? This is the first grow I tried to keep ph in nutrients or distilled water correct at 6.3.
Correct until nutrients are added. It must be adjusted only after nutrients are added.
Not what I intended to communicate. Feed as necessary to maintain a runoff PPM of ~1,000.
As you are in Happy Frog, I would flush to correct the pH of your soil. Flush down to a runoff PPM of ~300. It will correct your root zone pH to ~6.5.
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At the risk of sounding stupid I not sure I can flush. Is this where you take it outside and run water through it? My situation doesn’t allow that. How would you suggest I flush? Also just give straight distilled water from now on? I do have a jug of dyna gro flush if that helps
So going forward. Just give plain distilled water. Give nutrients every other watering? If I grow again and use fox farms happy frog just give distilled water no nutrients? I think giving plain distilled water is big help. I’ll have to get a ppm tester.
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I’ll try and simplify this for you Growmie, do you have a TDS pen to check the PPMs of the nutrient solution? If not I would suggest mixing 1/2 of the required recommended dosages then PH your solution to 6.5, soil has a range of 6.3-6.8. Feed the plant this, Soil does well with a drench to drought routine with liberal run off. Growers often test the run off PH and PPMs to know the PH and available nutrients in the root zone to know weather to feed or water next round after the drought period. Your target input and run off PPMs are 800-1000 with a PH in the range of 6.3-6.8 
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Will get a ppm pen. I did check the ph run off and it was low at about 4.4. I water every 3 days at 5 quart per watering. Watering plain distilled every other watering. I was adding 1 ml pro tekt to get a reading on the distilled water. Won’t do that again.
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The PH of 4.4 is preventing nutrient absorption Grow Bro and the only way to correct this is a reset flush. When using synthetic fertilizers liberal run off on feed days is critical. The run off acts like a soft flush expelling the salts that would accumulate in the root zone. This accumulation can tank the PH and drive up the PPMs
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Took the words right outta my mouth @OGIncognito
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I don’t know how well this model is but it’s a boot like model of the model I have better than nothing. I also have the same exact setup but I have a 6" exhaust. Also use all fox farm products. Like stated above if it’s brand new soil no need to give nutrients for many weeks in the beginning. That sp3000 I love because I removed the baluster outside the tent to keep the tent cooler inside. Good luck the guys above a lot more of a pro than I am.
So how do I flush with out taking it outside and running water through it? I can’t do that. I do have dyna gro flush if that would help.
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What’s your set up? You can do this indoors, I set the plant on a wire shelve on top of a 5 gallon bucket that catches the run off. Be prepared that this will take some time and generally you’ll need 3 times the water or flushing agent to the pot size…3 gallon pot will take approximately 9-12 gallons. Go slowly so the water doesn’t run over the top and test the PH after roughly 6 gallons or so. I would start the flush at 7.5 and decrease the PH the last few gallons when the PH is around 6.2. Finish the flush when the PH is 6.3-6.5 and follow up immediately with a feeding and let it go through the drought period then resume feeding and check the next rounds run off
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Now I am lost, I’m using 7 gallon pots. I want to do this right but I don’t see that as an option for me. I guess I’m going to try to plow through this run and see what happens. In going foward I will use same soil and not add anything to plain distilled water unless I’m feeding. Use same nutrients. But how do I keep ph in soil where it’s to be? I thought this would be fairly simple seeing what I’m growing. Can anybody tell me if I do another run that if I follow these steps that it will be decent without issues? I want to use happy frog soils. Use dyna gro nutrients. Feed every other watering. Water with distilled water. Keep ph in feed water at 6.5. Should my runoff ph run at what it should or am I being to dumb and lazy?
You can put them in your bathtub to flush indoors, but you’ve got to get that ph reset. Ph will cause lockout and have you chasing your ass in circles. PH drops are usually due to over feeding which builds up salts in your soil. I don’t flush unless I have to to reset media. It’s really impossible to know where you’re at without a ppm/tds pen. Without the pen, all you can do is flush to reset medium ph and immediately feed a reduce dose of nutes and return to the water/feed to dry cycle.
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Just orded ppm pen. I’m in week 5 of flower. I guess I’m just going to give plain distilled water till the end of grow. No trying to raise ph indistilled water. I will check ph and ppm on runoff. But untill the ph comes up and the ppm comes down what choice do I have? I appreciate the flushing advice, but I just don’t see this as an option. I appreciate all the advise so far. I’m causeing all my own issues not knowing. I don’t see how I got what I did in first four grows. I feed everytime I watered and never adjusted the ph in it.
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I wouldn’t recommend this Grow Bro, the plants will need more nutrients during this phase of flower. Potassium and phosphorus are really needed for bud development. I would consider @Growdoc advice if you can’t find a better place to flush
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Is it goid to use distilled water? I didn’t think my city water was good for plants with chorlrine in it.