Adjusting your pH when growing in soil damaging your plants!

[tiestick]

Question for anyone growing in soil and using bottles to force feed their plants:

Why in the heck are you pouring a nutrient solution into soil anyway? Just grow hydro.
Pouring that shit on soil is terrible. Research people! Don't follow, and don't settle.

Anyone know the PH of the soil in the jungle? How about in the rainforest? How about a natural meadow in BC? Who cares??!! Plants grow lush.

Here's how you PH adjust your soil, you cook it for a month or so after mixing up and amending it. Boom!, good to go and PH adjusted.

I just wish people were more informed so these scamming lowlife company's like AN or GH or FF wouldn't be able to make money.

How about thinking of soil as more than just a medium, rather as a living, breathing ecosystem to nurture. Then you can compost your PH meter, lol.

Rant complete.

Umm did you mean How about thinking of your soil as a living breathing ecosystem rather than a medium..

That is how succesfull organic or natural farmers become succesfull.
Anyone have real live worms in their gardens..
Nature is light years ahead of us.
Sorry for my first post

 

[CatDaddy]

 

[CatDaddy]

I checked my run off on a few burnt looking plants, (not the smart pot ones idk why its leaf is yellow) and ph was about 5 or lil higher and ppm over 1000. I flushed it down, my tap was around 6.2 i shoulent add any ph up?

 

[JBUptown]

Yes, as always, when debating and discussing any horticultural subject (it seems worse that religion sometimes!), plenty of opinions and beliefs and many are steadfast in their beliefs, right or wrong or halfway in between. To each their own and I wish to convert nor sway a single person.

I'm firmly in the camp of pH matters .. be it soil, soilless, hydro, watering, ... whatever ... pH is in the top 5 of most important variables that you can control. This is true for lawns, potted house plants, trees, shrubs, and any living thing growing from the "ground". Provide the proper pH range and your organism will be healthier. IMHO

 

[ldhfuiegw]

hi people

ive been reading through alot of threads posted by soil growers asking for diagnoses on there nutrient deficencys not that i am claiming to be an expert as we learn something new everyday i take a look anyway to see if i can be of any use

something what i have noticed alot of new soil growers doing is adjusting the PH of there nutrient solution before feeding there plants which is potentially doing your plants more harm then good because it could be causing nutrient lockout which shows up on your plants as a nutrient deficency then they over feed and add more nutes

"You shouldn't worry too much about your water pH and we don't recommend pH adjustment of water for soil/compost plants. Many soil growers still make the mistake of adjusting their pH when growing in soil but there really is no need — you could even be damaging your plant and its potential yield. The nutrient availability pH range is much wider in this organic environment than in hydroponics and the introduction of acidic pH adjusting liquids into these environments is neither necessary or desirable". that is a quote ive taken from a reputable hydroponic store check out there blog for more tips on soil growing i posted this quote and link for people who may still be sceptical if this is true or not to start u on ur new research to confirm this info
Getting Your Hands Dirty - Growing In Soil / GroWell


ive done alot of soil grows and never adjusted my nutrient ph with great results i will start a journal soon for people to view first hand i have always bought a soil that has a stable PH 6.5 is ideal for soil which should be stated on the soil bag and if it is a good quality soil it should stay stable for a crop cycle if not people add lime to adjust the ph of there soil so its the PH of the actual soil you want to check not ur feeding solution but i have never had to check my soil ph with a probe but if really want to u can

from this thread i am just trying to stress to new soil growers look into the soil your buying and leave the hydroponic ph up/down to one side

i put "happy frog" organic dry mix inside 50 lt of pot...CAN YOU TELL ME HOW TO FLUSH this thing because is getting to much...I know i cant get read of them but at least to push out some old staff... to clean it a little bit .Organics usually don't burn but i see it coming the tips are fuked..... if i lower the ph and flush i am afraid i will feed them more.......

 

[Paulo69]

Hello , my water and ph 6.8 / 7, when together the nuts passes for 6 / 6.1 , I alternate watering. only water 6.8/7 , 6/6.1 with nuts . not adjust the pH , soil is Biobizz. I wonder your OPINION . thank you.

 

[JBUptown]

Hello , my water and ph 6.8 / 7, when together the nuts passes for 6 / 6.1 , I alternate watering. only water 6.8/7 , 6/6.1 with nuts . not adjust the pH , soil is Biobizz. I wonder your OPINION . thank you.

,
Hi Paulo, welcome to 420 Magazine!

I am not sure what you are asking, your post is not very clear, language barrier I assume?

 

[Fuzzy Duck]

Ah this old chest nut always makes me chuckle

Largely it is a misconception between hydroponic water based systems or with the use of inert growing mediums vs soil/compost grows, it is really just decades of bad advice or lack of understanding where the lines have become blurred.


Well hydroponics water based / inert mediums used such as rock wool, perlite, clay pebbles to name a few all work on the sample principle it is the water PH & solution which holds the nutrients to delivery of such aprox around PH 5.8 for most water based systems for growing MJ. Most of the micro nutrients are in a chelated form which means they can work on a wider PH range so a swing in water/nutrient mix PH may work.


With soil/compost mix's it is basically the PH value of medium used providing it is between PH 6 & 7 you should be fine being that you really don't have to PH correct your nutrient solution/water as the soil/compost will natural buffer back to to its ambient PH value with in 24 hours which can be observed & pretty easy to do.

Now measuring the run off aka the leached remains of water/nutrients put through the soil/compost it is hardly ever going to test right !

1. Leaching aka run off - it is only going to pick up waste nutrients/salts with in the medium in the run off... a plant is only going to use what ever it needs the rest just sits in the soil/compost over time this may build up which may cause nutrient burn, lock outs & a increase of PH more likely acidic.

Most nutrients are acidic in nature even the organic ones !

So what what ya looking at is a sensible feeding watering regime to prevent this



Just would like people to think about this, MJ is plant it has been growing dirt for thousands of years in all parts of the world the soil PH may change between regions it is just another plant with basic needs & at what point did they need to change the PH value of water/nutrients used to make em grow ?

Now by real life trade i work in horticulture for the last 20 years i must say... & i must admit that i have never PH corrected any plant food/nutrients in my entire life time for any plant when it is down to the basic PH level of the growing medium used !

Never ever have i read a gardening book or taken a professional course in, has ever mentioned PH correcting of water/nutrients for soil/compost growing when it is the ideal range of the soil/compost PH value most plants thrive in !


So really how do think agriculture works aka farmers field... do they buy a 50 gallon drum of PH up/down to correct PH value of water to make nutrients work ?

I don't think so !

How do granule fertilizers work, i'm sure people don't use PH corrected water for this...

I mean if i grow veg or what ever plant in my back garden do we really PH correct the water/nutrients to make em grow... it is big point...




So why is MJ grown in soil/compost & the use of PH corrected water/nutrients so important ? well it is not... Just my 2 cents worth...

 

[PoPeOfDoPe]

So, My tap water coming out is like, 8.5. I was ph downing it to 6-6.1, only water cause its the first 2 weeks using roots 707.

I tested my runoff cause my leaves are realy stertign to curl and get jagged. 4. a ph of 4.
I just flushed it with my 8.5 and its still coming out at a 5. wtf.

 

[PoPeOfDoPe]

So, My tap water coming out is like, 8.5. I was ph downing it to 6-6.1, only water cause its the first 2 weeks using roots 707.

I tested my runoff cause my leaves are realy stertign to curl and get jagged. 4. a ph of 4.
I just flushed it with my 8.5 and its still coming out at a 5. wtf.

Fixed it, water needed to sit longer before putting it in the soil.

 

[lingcod22]

I figured it's time for a laugh.I have plants in 5 gallon buckets,and they are 9 weeks old.they are 3 to 5 foot tall,and the roots have taken up the entire bucket.They are like a rock.I can pull one out and no dirt falls off of it.They are an autoflower,and I don't think they are getting the oxygen they need for the roots.Would it help to place an airstone near the bottom,inside the bucket,and run the pump when I water?Thinking of doing this on my next grow.

 

[PoPeOfDoPe]

You need to ditch the 5 gallon bucket and get into a smart pot next run, do your buckets even have holes in it? how are you draining all your salts?

 

[lingcod22]

You need to ditch the 5 gallon bucket and get into a smart pot next run, do your buckets even have holes in it? how are you draining all your salts?

Buy Ganja Dwarf they said,it only gets 16 to 20 inches tall they said,you can grow it your window sill they said,no need for big pots they said.Yeah right! the tallest plant stopped growing at 5' 4" tall.I keep a chainsaw handy just incase it climbs out of the pot and attacks me.I transplanted them from one gallon pots to 5 gallon pots thinking that would give the roots plenty of space to grow.Well,they grew alright.They are normal pots with holes in the bottom,but the roots have completely filled the bucket.I am using Ocean harvest soil.It takes awhile for the water to come out the bottom.I will use bigger pots next time,and will check into the smart pots.I am late into flowering now,so I don't want to transplant again,but I don't think the roots are getting all the oxygen they require,thats why I was thinking of an air stone in the pot,just incase it happens again.

 

[JBUptown]

Buy Ganja Dwarf they said,it only gets 16 to 20 inches tall they said,you can grow it your window sill they said,no need for big pots they said.Yeah right! the tallest plant stopped growing at 5' 4" tall.I keep a chainsaw handy just incase it climbs out of the pot and attacks me.I transplanted them from one gallon pots to 5 gallon pots thinking that would give the roots plenty of space to grow.Well,they grew alright.They are normal pots with holes in the bottom,but the roots have completely filled the bucket.I am using Ocean harvest soil.It takes awhile for the water to come out the bottom.I will use bigger pots next time,and will check into the smart pots.I am late into flowering now,so I don't want to transplant again,but I don't think the roots are getting all the oxygen they require,thats why I was thinking of an air stone in the pot,just incase it happens again.

If your rootball is already that dense, I doubt an airstone will penetrate very much oxygen into the mass. BUT, since you can pull the plant out without disturbing the soil and roots, it surely won't hurt anything. Give it a shot! Too many roots is a nice problem to encounter, not often do you see that as a complaint!. I do run an airstone bar under my soil grows, but haven't had your 5 gal root bound problem ... I hope too eventually!

Best Of Buds
JB

 

[John1961]

I know this thread has been around a while but I have a question that I haven't been able to find an answer to.

Assume I have a soil grow using a decent PH-balanced soil, such as Ocean Forest or Happy Frog, with additional dolomite lime added prior to planting.

When giving just PLAIN TAP WATER, should you PH that water up or down as necessary before giving it to the plant?

Here's why I'm asking. My local tap water has a PH approaching 8.0 according to my General Hydroponics PH test kit. If I continually add PH Down to my plain water before giving it to the plants (in order to get it to PH 6.5 or so), will I run into PH problems later? Assuming I don't flush the pots every few weeks, does that PH Down build up in the soil thereby making the soil more acidic over time?

 

[JBUptown]

I've used GH pH Up a few years ago when I started my first Hydro Bubbler, and eventually now in soil too. I never flush soil until the harvest routine starts, and rarely have soil pH problems. I think medium pH is in the top five most important things to control. My tap water varies greatly from 6.6 to 8.1, and post nute mix it is usually about 5.5 to 5.9. If I let the mix sit for 24 hours, the pH naturally comes back up .3 or .4. I do flush and reuse/compost my old soil and it never tests high in pH when it's done cooking. Hope that helps.


Merry Christmas!

JB

 

[lingcod22]

I agree,it's a nice problem to have,but still a problem.I transplanted them to a 15 gallon pot,and they are doing fine.

 

[lingcod22]

I am growing in soil.I am now airating my water.Should I adjust the ph before aerating or after?

 

[cheapweed]

I think most growers read to much crap and then do more harm then good to their plants based on the crap they have read. Clear in simple, hydro growers need to adjust their ph level at the water source. Growers who grow in soil need to adjust their ph through treating their soil, not their water. if you are growing in soil, mix your soil with all the additives you want to use in your soil mixture. Then let it dry out. Once the soil is dry measure 2 cups of soil into some throw away container. Take 1 cups of water from the water source that you will be using during your entire grow process. Let that sit for 24 hours. Use a knife and put a slice at the bottom of the throw-away container holding your soil and water mixture. Now hold that over another small cup or container, (the testing container), then lightly push down on the soil so the excessive water contained in your soil and water mixture drains into your testing container. Now take your ph meter and measure the ph level in your testing container. If your ph is high add "9 grams" of Aluminum Sulfate to every 1 square foot of soil to lower your ph "0.1". Example...

Say your test showed your ph level was 7.1 and you want to lower it to 6.5 and you are working with 5 square feet of soil.

ph level is 0.6 higher than your target 6.5 ph level

0.6 X 9 grams of Aluminum Sulfate = 54 grams of Aluminum Sulfate X 5 square feet of soil = 245 grams of Aluminum Sulfate needs to be added to your 5 square feet of soil to bring your ph level down to "6.5"

If you are using Sulfur instead of Aluminum Sulfate, then you would use "1.5 grams" of Sulfur for every 1 square foot of soil to lower your ph "0.1". Example using the same figures above...

0.6 X 1.5 grams of Sulfur = 9 grams of Sulfur X 5 square feet of soil = 45 grams of Sulfur needs to be added to your 5 square feet of soil to bring your ph level down to "6.5"

Notes...

If you are using "Sulfur" after mixing the Sulfur into your soil, put the soil into the grow pots you will be using, then saturate each of those pots with water from your water source, let them sit for "21 days", re-saturate them every 7 days, then you can put your plants in those pots. Sulfur needs 14-21 days to begin its natural chemical process of creating sulfuric acid using the natural bacteria found in your soil. If you don't wait those 21 days, you will stress your plants and you can cause leaves on your plant to maybe burn excessively. That why most people use Aluminum Sulfate, but using Sulfur is the much better way to growing healthier cannabis plants as the natural chemical process of creating sulfuric acid is regulated by moisture held in the soil and the different temperatures the soil might be during your plants lifetime. In other words, unlike Aluminum Sulfate which continually feeds your plant the same dose of sulfuric acid even when it doesn't need it, Sulfur regulates how much sulfuric acid your plant gets based on your soils moisture, and your soils temperature, which makes for much healthier cannabis plants.

 

[Purpsmagurps]

back from vacation I guess...

Dolo lime is the way to go, since I've added it all my ph problems have gone away!
1-1.5 tbs per gallon of soil.
no need for cal-mag the rest of the grow, plus cal-mag (nitrate) destroys your microbes!