My initial guess would be that you didn't flush your perlite well enough when you started and it's affecting the PH. If this is the case then a simple flush with good PH'd water of about 6.-6.2 should do the trick.what should the runoff be for a hempy bucket. Mine is showing up around 7 but my mix is around 5.8 going in. just perlite and a 20 oz foam cup.
Hempy himself says 6.1 is optimum for this method. But then again he also recommends 3 parts perlite, 1 part vermiculite. Most people on here are using 100% perlite which I guess changes the optimum PH. If I had it to do over again, I'd have followed hempy's suggestion and NOT have gone with 100% perlite this grow. I think the nutrients in vermiculite would probably speed up initial growth and also eliminate a lot of the early deficiencies most people seem to be reporting growing in 100% perlite.i just hate to see this thread die... cuz i'm in the middle of testing it out on a rather large scale (not that its dying) butta, i can only repeat what Master AzGrow and IanTheLumberjack seem to have put forth... that your overall pH of 5.8-7.0 is on track enough... but that a more "soil-like" (as opposed to hydro-like) pH of 6.5-6.8 might be more appropriate for this medium. (though the difference between what the above gentleman suggests 6.2 and what i'm respewing 6.5 seems rather trifling... I just want to get my post count up )
You can't really soak perlite, it just floats to the top. Just fill your container up with perlite and flush normally allowing PH'd water to run through the drain hole prior to placing your seed/clone in.ya i ended up having problems with my ph. had to flush today, and from now on i'm going to soak my perlite over night. would that basically bring the ph down like soaking rockwool overnight does?
and just another testament to this method: i watered yesterday so i was worried about my plants having overwatering problems when i flushed today. after a thorough flush all the plants showed major signs of overwatering, but it only took a few hours for them to all perk back up.
for the next run if i flush prior to use that'll take care of it though?You can't really soak perlite, it just floats to the top. Just fill your container up with perlite and flush normally allowing PH'd water to run through the drain hole prior to placing your seed/clone in.
Flushing your perlite with PH'd water creates a more neutral environment so that you can better control the PH variables, yes. Are you thinking your PH is too high though? B/C most ph problems I've heard about with Hempy buckets is due to low ph. 6-6.5 is optimum.for the next run if i flush prior to use that'll take care of it though?
ya, the ph of my runoff was 7.2 after using ph 6.1 water to feed. i managed to bring it down quite a bit yesterday thanks to the flush. i think i'm going to feed w/ ph 5.8 until the perlite adjusts a little lower, if that sounds like a good idea.Flushing your perlite with PH'd water creates a more neutral environment so that you can better control the PH variables, yes. Are you thinking your PH is too high though? B/C most ph problems I've heard about with Hempy buckets is due to low ph. 6-6.5 is optimum.
i only checked the runoff once problems started to show on one of my plants. you're right, though. i'd never bother checking runoff unless there was a problem, just extra work.I just finished one of my two hempy plants and had no problems with PH. Actually I only checked it before feeding. I never did the runoff cuz my plants were doing so well so I just left well alone. It would have given me one more thing to tinker with that didnt need tinkering. I still have one plant going in it and my journal is still active in my sig.
I wouldn't. I would keep it between 6 and 6.5 when feeding/watering. When you flushed did you put enough water in to let them piss for a while?ya, the ph of my runoff was 7.2 after using ph 6.1 water to feed. i managed to bring it down quite a bit yesterday thanks to the flush. i think i'm going to feed w/ ph 5.8 until the perlite adjusts a little lower, if that sounds like a good idea.
oh ya. they're in 6 in. pots right now and i put about 1 1/2 gallons through each pot. since perlite has a neutral ph around 7 i suppose it'll always bring the ph of my nute solution up a little, but i guess this is ok?I wouldn't. I would keep it between 6 and 6.5 when feeding/watering. When you flushed did you put enough water in to let them piss for a while?