Before you add CalMag, before you add nutes, before you do ANYTHING — test your pH. 60% of "deficiency" problems are actually pH lockout in disguise.
⚠️ THE #1 RULE: Never diagnose a nutrient problem without testing pH first. Adding more nutrients to a pH lockout makes it WORSE. Test first, fix first, diagnose second.
Protocol Progress0%
1
Select Your Medium
pH targets differ by medium
🌱 Soil
🥥 Coco Coir
💧 Hydro / DWC
📊 Your pH Targets
2
Calibrate Your pH Pen
Inaccurate pen = wrong diagnosis
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Calibrate pH pen with 4.0 and 7.0 buffer solutions (or at minimum, check against 7.0)
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Rinse probe with distilled water between readings
✓
EC/TDS meter ready if you have one (helpful but not required)
💡 Don't have a pH pen? Get one. Apera PH20 (~$50) is the gold standard. The $15 yellow Amazon pens work but need frequent calibration. This is the single most important tool you own.
3
Test Your Input Water
What's going IN the pot
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Mix your nutrients as normal into your water
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Stir thoroughly and let it sit for 30 seconds
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Test pH of mixed solution — record below
📝 Input Water Reading
Input pH
Input EC/PPM
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pH up/down as needed to hit your target range, then re-test to confirm
4
Collect & Test Runoff
What's coming OUT of the pot
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Water until 10-20% runs out the bottom — collect the runoff in a saucer
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Let runoff sit 30 seconds, stir gently
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Test runoff pH — record below
📝 Runoff Reading
Runoff pH
Runoff EC/PPM
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Compare input vs runoff — big difference = problem in the root zone
5
Interpret Results
Auto-diagnosis based on your numbers
💡 Enter your input pH and runoff pH above to get an auto-diagnosis. The tool will tell you if you're locked out, running too hot, or dialed in.
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Read the diagnosis and follow the recommended action
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Re-test in 2-3 days to confirm improvement
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