HA! Finally a hope in sight for ph. GH with reg micro for tap gives lower ph!

I have been having a bitch of a time trying to get my ph lower. I am using various size dwc containers. I had it on track for a minute. It is gone now. So for the last weeks me and my milawaukee have been trying every combination of nutes and ph to get it to stay lower. The problem is that it rises. Except in flower, or so I thot. I checked and way off when it had been fine I thot. However I am using a new ph meter so dont read too much into that. (Ahem, lazy grower and in veg high ph is barely evident)

Before today, I was using tapwater and hardwater micro. I tried the lucas and the regular three part. My tapwater started at 8 ph and 291 ppm with 61 to an average 53 calcim. I checked online for wter qulaity.

I switched to regular micro. When using hardwater my ph started at 8 and with the addition of nutes I got it to 7. Then I added ph down. I saw better results waiting a while and then ph downing twice but it always rose right back up to 7.

Bit with regualr micro and the lucas formula I got it down to 6.4 with the addition of nutes. I am so stoked, that is better for me than with ph down and the hardwater micro.

I can take guesses as to the why. SInce I dont really have hardwater then the buffers in hardwater must have been up to funky stuff. "funky stuff" is my scientific explanation.

It is now half and hour later. I have not added ph down yet. Ph pen, freshly calibrated reads 6.4. I think I will add ph down and monitor that. This is an experiment bucket.

Man to have ph probs out of the way I would kill. I also like this as I no longer have to worry about cal def and with lucas it looks like more magnesium. Cheaper too. All these experiments burn thru my budget.

I was about to start switching nutes. I am not giving up tapwater freindliness. Not unless I have too.

I had this prob before and hardwater micro fixed it. But then I was a first timer.

have you ever tried collecting rain water from gutters or even with just using a tarp?

my rain water is way lower ph then my tap, since switching to rainwater i havent had to touch the levels, they are always right in there where they need to be.

good luck

i tried an experiment using just my tapwater and ph down. I added ph down with phosphorous until 5.8. I checked 24 hours later it was still 5.8. I checked days later and it was still 5.8.

I tried it with hardwater nutes added and it did not work out like that. Rose all the way up to 7.

I just checked the res after 30 min after adding until 5.8. It is still 5.8. So the regualr micro has not adjusted back up to 7 but kept it at 5.8.

I cant wait to flower with this set up. I am in good now.