- Thread starter
- #21,621
Excellent chart and explainer! 
InTheShed Grows Inside & Out: Jump In Any Time
Thank you for that info, answers a lot of questions really.
The Celt
Well-Known Member
A little hack for you @InTheShed, should you run into this kind of issue again, DEF is urea and distilled water and quite a high percentage if I remember correctly
- Thread starter
- #21,624
Not sure what DEF is but urea is slower acting than ammoniacal N because the urea needs to be first broken down by microbes in the substrate.
Do you mean I should keep a couple of gallons of pee handy?
Do you mean I should keep a couple of gallons of pee handy?
- Thread starter
- #21,625
In case anyone missed the post we're talking about, it's here on the previous page.
Scottylikesbud
Well-Known Member
Yeah I wouldn’t use the pee I’ve tried it XD but then again I haven’t tried safely diluting it before with correct measurements and then measuring its ph range and idk maybe adding a bit of nutrient solution to try supplementing it with other plant nutrients XD. And then correcting its ec and balancing its ph one last time before poring it into my medium.
Well if I were to try it again, that is how I would go about it
Well if I were to try it again, that is how I would go about it
JCTJ
Well-Known Member
How about a Thursday mini-update!
I'll start with the pics so that I can get Norcali's attention. Here are the three DDA's in the 7 gallon pot:
The shorty in the middle and the one on the right are on day 65 and will be coming down this weekend. The one on the left is on day 56.
Aphids absolutely adore these plants as you can see from the leaf damage. I have sprayed it a few times with Dr Bronner's unscented castille soap, but lately I've left it alone because the ladybugs are having a field day!
Two here:
And one on the other side of the top cola:
Not to mention all the larvae crawling around as well. Doing my bit to support nature.
[Wordy part below:]
Circling back to the possible bronzing of the leaves on the Power Plant (and the yellowing on the Carnival), I took @MrSauga's advice and ran a slurry test on all three of my flowering plants, as the odds of the plant having a phosphorus deficiency with MegCrop is very low. The results of the slurry test showed that they were all over 7.0 pH.
How is that possible using ProMix HP, which is buffered to 5.8 at the factory? Come sit 6 feet from me in a mask by the fire and I'll tell you. I bought three bags on sale at Lowe's back in June. They were selling out their stock at half price and looked like they weren't carrying it any more. When I got home I noticed the manufacture date on the bags was March 2019, with an admonishment to use within a year.
So I wrote to my contact at PremierTech (the manufacturer) and asked him what the downsides of old ProMix were, and he said:
"Because the peat moss used in making the product has some naturally occurring bacteria and fungi (not harmful), these microorganisms can biodegrade some ingredients over time. The product does not go bad, but it is different from when it is manufactured. Some of the changes that can occur with time include nitrogen drawdown, biodegradation of the wetting agent and elevation of pH. These changes are conditional depending on product storage over time. The warmer the storage temperature the more likely changes will occur.
If you have product that is dated, pH and nitrogen can be adjusted with one application of a water soluble fertilizer at 100 ppm of 'N' at planting. This is generally all that is needed to adjust the product."
He later went on to explain (again) that ammoniacal nitrogen will lower the pH of the medium (as mentioned in my much-maligned post here) so that would be the type to use.
Did I take his advice? No, I just figured it wouldn't be a problem...and I was wrong! Now the pH of the medium is out of joint, o cursed spite, so now I must attempt to make it right. I wrote him back for a solution, and he said:
"I would recommend applying some ... 20-10-20 general purpose fertilizer at 100 to 150 ppms of Nitrogen at each watering for about a week."
So I bought some 20-10-20 fertilizer from Amazon that is 8% ammoniacal nitrogen. The container doesn't mention the PPM of N, but as luck would have it, the only question asked there was answered thusly:
"1 oz of EZ-gro Orchid Fertilizer in 1 gallon (128 oz) of water is equal to 100 parts per million (ppm) of Nitrogen (N)"
So I'll be using this at 1.5 oz/gallon instead of MC for the next week on all three and see how they do.
That's what I've got for the day, and I hope yours is going well! Next update will have the two DDA harvests.
Good info about pHing with ProMix. Given this info, I think it would be prudent to check the pH of the run-off at least the first few times you water to make sure everything is working as it should.
- Thread starter
- #21,630
Thanks HG! Runoff pH won't tell you anything about the medium, so that's not something that ever needs to be checked. If you want to know the pH of your medium, only a slurry test will do that.
This is how you do it:
The Ultimate Soil pH Testing Guide
This all-encompassing guide will help anyone who is just starting out with soil pH testing. (And experienced growers will be able to learn something, too!)
blog.hannainst.com
In fresh ProMix it shouldn't be necessary, but it's easy to do!
I found that the DDA I’ve tried outside were also aphid magnets. It’s actually the only time we’ve seen aphids here! 
I don’t bother w them outside anymore so I’m grateful I have an indoor setup
hope you’re doing well, shed and crew. All garden elements look good
I’m also growing something with almost no smell. 6 weeks into flower too. It’s weird!
I don’t bother w them outside anymore so I’m grateful I have an indoor setup hope you’re doing well, shed and crew. All garden elements look good
I’m also growing something with almost no smell. 6 weeks into flower too. It’s weird!
The Celt
Well-Known Member
Hey Shed, DEF is diesel exhaust fluid. And I was referring more to using a N based pH adjuster, rather than a N source, it ranked 2nd in the info MrS posted above.
- Thread starter
- #21,633
Well at least now I know what it stands for! Still no idea what it is
.Me too. Urea doesn't adjust the pH until it's been broken down by the microbes, so it's more slow-acting. From my contact at PremierTech:
"Urea must be broken down by microbes to be accessible by plants and it takes some time. When Urea breaks down, it has the same affect as ammonium in driving pH down, but takes time, depending on microbial activity. Urea is a cheap form of nitrogen great for farm land and field crops, but doesn’t work very well for growing media, so I would avoid this alone, if possible."
The Celt
Well-Known Member
Good to know, I did not realize that it didn’t ionize in solution.
Check your link Shed on slurry testing. Doesn't come back to anything relating to the test itself. I use this one now since I was having issues finding that one.
Testing Ph In Your Soil - APTUS
In growing medium urea is converted to ammonium very quickly in less than two days. Urea and ammonium are typically grouped together and referred to as ammoniacal nitrogen.
Testing Ph In Your Soil - APTUS
I'm not too sure how slow acting it really is.
In growing medium urea is converted to ammonium very quickly in less than two days. Urea and ammonium are typically grouped together and referred to as ammoniacal nitrogen.
- Thread starter
- #21,636
Mine takes you to the part of the paged called "How to Test Soil pH" so it seemed good to me, but yours is a nice link as well.
Interesting. I don't know who is more accurate, but I got my info from the manufacturer of my substrate, so I'm going with that.
Mine loads that page for a second then bounces me here.
Home - Hanna Instruments Canada
Scientific TestingSimple, Accurate and AccessibleSimple PreciseAutomate Your Titration Method with Autotitrators HI932HI83399 Measure40+ Different Water Quality ParametersNew HI520pH/ORP Conductivity Dissolved Oxygen Previous slide Next slide A World Leader in pH Instrumentation | How Do You...
hannacan.com
CraZysWeeD
Well-Known Member
Think the base in these fluids is sodium hydroxide so that explains its properties as a great source for pH adjusting, do be careful though when using it!
WreckLoose
Well-Known Member
Thank you TC. The vet suspects that bloat (twisted stomach) was the cause. We were on a family day out and had to feed him while there, never thought for a second we'd go home without him as a result.
Thanks PC. I'm so sorry to hear that. I hope they continue to provide you with love and joy for many years to come.
I couldn't agree more oldsmokey. The pain I have been feeling is as equally profound to the love I had for him.
Thanks SB. Just wish I got to give him a proper goodbye.
Thank you BW. They most definitely do. So sorry to hear about your pup. I'm trying to take solice in the fact he was surrounded by a family who utterly adored him.
So sorry Graytail, that must've been horrible.
20 years is amazing. She must've been a tough cookie. What I would give to have him for just a few more years.
Thanks so much Shed. And sorry for taking up such a chunk of your journal. The PP looks beautiful btw.
- Thread starter
- #21,640
Thank you for sharing your story WL. Anything dog-related is always welcome here. Cat stuff can go on IG.