What Should The pH Of The Nutrients Be?

Smokin Moose

Fallen Cannabis Warrior & Ex Moderator
The nutrients should be kept between pH 5.2 and pH 5.8 with pH 5.5 being optimal.

After mixing your nutes,check the pH with a good pH pen or meter and adjust the pH of the final solution accordingly. Your nutrients should be checked on a daily basis to maintain the proper pH, making adjustments accordingly.

A hydroponic grade pH meter is a MUST in any hydroponic system to accurately measure pH. When pH is too high or too low, some nutrients become unavailable to the plant causing an inability of the plant to uptake the proper nutrients. This will eventually lead to nutrient deficiencys and poor health of the plant. pH must be kept in the acceptable ranges and preferably as close to optimum as you can to ensure proper nutrition and health.

Hydroponic grade pH down and pH up can be bought at any hydroponic supply store and should be used to adjust the nutrient solutions pH. In a pinch, if you are waiting for your bottles of pH up & down and need to correct the pH immediately, you can buy aquarium grade pH up and pH down at your local pet supply store. This will correct your immediate pH problem, but I dont recommend using it on a regular basis. You need to get the proper hydroponic grade pH adjustment fluids.

See also the pH folder.
 
There are a lot of different opinions on the optimal set point and range for DWC. Some people feel 6.0 is the ideal target and 5.5 to 6.8 is the desired range.

Small adjustments are best.

Please see the chart below, which advocates 5.5 to 6.1 with 5.8 as a (hydro) target. The chart illustrates which nutrients are available to the plant for a given pH value.

Nutrient_Chart1.gif
 
There are a lot of different opinions on the optimal set point and range for DWC. Some people feel 6.0 is the ideal target and 5.5 to 6.8 is the desired range.

Small adjustments are best.

Please see the chart below, which advocates 5.5 to 6.1 with 5.8 as a (hydro) target. The chart illustrates which nutrients are available to the plant for a given pH value.

Nutrient_Chart1.gif

:goodjob: Soniq :peace:
 
That's a great question ;)

One comment I'd make is that there are so many differing opinions on these ranges that it's hard to pin it down ultra-precisely.

Hopefully someone with knowledge in this area will stop by.
For now, we'll have to settle for my magpie approach :surf:

I'll post some more charts I've collected on this topic, each of these is less cut and dry as the graphic above. These seem to show a tapering, which intuitively makes sense to me.

IN SOIL
ph_availability_in_soil.gif


SOIL AND HYDRO
ph_nutrient_availability_both_1.gif


SOIL AND HYDRO - ANOTHER VERSION
ph_nutrient_availability_both.gif


HYDRO
ph_nute_availability_in_hydro.gif


SOIL
ph_availability_in_soil_1.gif
 
The ideal way to handle the range of pH possibilities and nutrient uptake throughout the day/cycle is to do pH pulsing so all the micro and macronutrients will get their chance to enter the ion channels of the plant root. I don't believe 5.5 is an ideal. It's a compromise. And each strain will have it's own preference.

Plants can lead the question, if only we had the right tools to listen to the plants... :)
 
The ph's are different if you are going hydroponically or soil based. Hydroponics should maintain a ph of 5.3-6.2 and soil should have a neutral ph of 7


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