Thank you @Covertgrower @Nicky @TommyBahama @BobbyDigital @ThcinKC for all the replies.
It all makes more sense. I’ll do some more testing tonight and make sure my meter is calibrated.
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Better safe than sorry in my opinion. I do this midway through my grow as well. Just to be safe. @AAA
Oh, here’s another tip for you: When you are adjusting the pH, add your drops, mix it up and then wait about 5 minutes before testing. If you try to test immediately after mixing, you will get inaccurate readings .
Here’s another tip I just thought of: When you are dealing with “clean” water, the pH meter may start at one value and then keep changing every few seconds until it truly locks in. So, wait a bit after your initial reading to see if it changes. If it stays on a value for 20 seconds, go ahead and just count that as being right on or close enough.
The more stuff you add to the water, the quicker it will lock in as it has more to read.
When you are doing water+nutrients (or reading runoff) it will probably lock down in like 2-3 seconds.
I just got the meter yesterday, calibrated it and did the testing.
But I’ll make sure I did everything correct again.
Wait 5min…?
I PH my water in a 5 gallon bucket, stir the shit out of it with a bamboo stake after dropping in a few drops and the Apera PH models give you a nice happy face to show that PH isn’t jumping around and changing so you know when the reading has been locked in and stabilized.
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Can anyone clarify this PH waiting 5min thing? I read a few guides and don’t see that.
If you let your water sit it will change PH
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I do give mine 5-10 minutes to “settle” after adding anything to the water. My apera shows the smiley face but will still move. I usually wait until it remains the same for 10 seconds.
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I use pH adjusting granules. I mix them in, wait half a minute, mix the solution again, then take my reading. Allowing the mix to sit for a few minutes isn’t going to adversely affect anything. If you let it sit for hours/days/etc, the pH will absolutely fluctuate.
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That is a hard-core meter! Kinda drooling, here.
Yep - I learned that from @hangthebanksters last year, and it made a big difference in getting my water correct.
FYI - the value can still change even after the smiley face appears. That’s exactly what I was talking about earlier with the “if it stays stable for 20 seconds…”
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That’s if you let it sit for a couple of days.
@blackthumbbetty Yeah, I’m a tool fanatic. I didn’t want to play around. It comes in a hard plastic handle case approx briefcase size.
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@Nicky Not sure if you noticed, you may get the smiley face but if the temp is not settled, then the PH may change another point or so till the temp is accurate.
I have the PH 20 meter. My water comes out at 73 ppm’s and PH is usually around 7.4. I get a small glass and put some of the water I’m testing in it so it will have the same temp as what I’m testing and set my meter in it. After I have added my nutes and PH’ed it, I’ll empty the glass and fill with the water that I have prepared and let the meter sit in there till I’m finished watering which usually takes about 30 min. The PH is the same as when I started, 30 min. later. I’ll check my water just as soon as I get enough water for the meters to read.
The water temp coming out of the plant is usually lower than whats going in so, I give it a sec. to stabilize and then read my PH. I do my watering the same way every time and it is so much more consistent then with my yellow cheaper meter. Hope this helps. 
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Just to clarify I know the oh changes if you leave it over hours that’s what I was referring to haha not that every minute it would change.
I’ll see how it goes next time I PH if I wait 5min
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@Nicky I wait about a minute. As long as my meter stabilizes that’s it.
I also shake everything vigorously before checking.
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Yeha but these guys are saying wait 5min…
So like actually waiting and just adjusting mixing and waiting half a min for the water to settle and take a reading is what most would think naturally just to do (as I do) but to actually let it settle for 5min or longer is a process.
Soooo which is the gold standard of adjusting PH? I’ve read a couple PH articles and they all say all sorts of stuff but not a step why step instruction how to ph properly (as if there was an improper way to do it until just realizing)
Excuse my thought process I just smoked my first harvest, cbd auto cheese.
They may have low TDS in their water they’re using. When you have water with low PPM, the PH may take awhile to stabilize.
High TDS water is more stable than low. The TDS act as buffering agents. @Nicky
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So, what’s high and low TDS… When do you have to wait and when do you don’t? Lol
Total dissolved solids or Parts Per Million.
If you have a high amount of lime naturally occurring in your water, it will take more PH up or PH down to change the ph than Reverse Osmosis water that has NOTHING in it but water.
The high solid content acts as a buffering agent. @Nicky
Ok, calibrated again, results:
Tap water
PH: 8.3
PPM: 850
R.O. spigot
PH: 9.4
PPM: 120
Fridge R.O. plus filter
PH: 8.8
PPM: 150
In conclusion I guess this means more PPM(slight amount) and depending of what will bring my R.O. water to a desirable PH level. Or as someone above said, maybe there is just not enough PPM in the R.O. to give an accurate PH reading.
As I start mixing nutes, etc. I will test and report back.
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