If I lower the ph of the water initially to 6.0, then adding nutrients will bring the ph to less than 6.0. Why don’t I take it down to 6.0? Adding the nutrients will take the ph down to around 6.2-6.3, and I will make any final ph adjustments after that if I think i need to. This brings the ph of the water to around 6.5. How much Ph Down should you use? I typically use about 50 ml of Ph Down per 40 gallons of tap water. To bring the water ph down to a more appropriate value, between 6 and 7, I use Ph Down. Water from my tap measures about 8.1-8.2 on the ph scale. Ascorbic acid will also neutralize chlorine without having to filter or leave the water sitting to evaporate the chlorine. I add around 1/4 tsp of ascorbic acid to each reservoir and mix it up before anything else to neutralize the chloramine in the water. Depending on where you live, your tap water can have chlorine, chloramine, or both. This is necessary because chloramine does not easily evaporate, or filter out via a charcoal filter like chlorine. It lasts a long time as long as I measure it out properly. I am adding ascorbic acid to neutralize chloramine in the water. 40 gallons seems to be about the right amount for my tanks. I made this one by dumping 5 gallons of water at a time in the tote, and scoring the dip stick at that water height (my dip stick is a scrap piece of 1/2″ pvc pipe). So instead I created a dip stick to approximate how much water I’ve added. Even if I did, I buried this one so it wouldn’t do me a lot of good. Plan on only using half or less of the storage capacity if using a tote above ground and unsupported.Īs a side note, I don’t like the idea of a sight gauge on a nutrient reservoir. If you plan on using storage totes and do not bury them or otherwise brace the sides, they can bow heavily and will eventually fail. These reservoirs are 55 gallon storage totes from Home Depot, and I fill them to 40 gallons. Pumping out the old nutrient solution Adding Water and Adjusting PHĪfter the old solution pumps out, add fresh water to the tank. The pump will never completely get all the liquid out, just pump out the most you can. Pump out the old solution and use it to water outdoor plants. Here is the pump I use to pump out old nutrients- a Superior 1/4 HP submersible utility pump. All my outdoor outlets are GFCI protected. Note: Always plug into a GFCI (also called GFI) protected outlet! Water and electricity can be a lethal combination, and GFCI protected circuits help protect you from electrocution. The old solution still has some nutrients, so I pumping it outside the greenhouse to water my in ground plants and lawn. Since I am refilling the tank with fresh nutrients, I am pumping out the old solution before filling with fresh water. Cleaning the tank between nutrient changes can minimize potential problems in your system, but since my reservoirs are partially buried I will only do this at the end of the season. If you are starting with a new reservoir, give it a quick rinse with soap and water. Even in an NFT system that is a continuous flow system, the pump can be turned off for a short time to mix a new batch of fertilizer. Do this before draining your tank, otherwise you risk running your pump dry and damaging it. The first step is to unplug your pump if you are not using it to drain the system. I am filling both of these 55 gallon storage totes, each with 40 gallons of water Preparing the Tank for New Solution 5 lbs of Masterblend, 5 lbs of calcium nitrate, and 2.5 lbs magnesium sulfate equals 12.5 lbs of fertilizer on EBAY.īelow is a step by step of how I prepare tap water for my two hydroponic systems: Masterblend, with calcium nitrate (15.5-0-0), and magnesium sulfate (0-0-0), otherwise known as Epsom salt, gives hydroponic plants all the nutrients they need for each stage of growth.Įbay seems to be the cheapest that has all three parts shipped together. Masterblend 4-18-38 is one part of a three-part nutrient solution specifically for hydroponic plants.
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