pH Too High

[Bobzilla]

Some info;
Soil: FFOF in 3gal pots
Nutes: General Organics line up
Lights: 1000w HPS
Temps: 65 -75
RH: 30-45


I've been having some trouble with curly leaves and discoloration lately. I found a $2 pH/light/moisture meter today and found the pH of my soil is about 7.25-7.5. I know i need to go get a real digital pH meter, but i just don't have the money to do it at the moment.

I'm thinking the cheap/easy way to fix this problem would be to add a touch of lemon juice to next watering. I'm wondering what would be a safe and effective amount to add. 1 tsp/gal? 1 Tbl/gal? Any input is greatly appreciated (besides telling me to get a pH meter).

 

[justintym2]

lemon juice is a "old time remedy" your water should be at 6.0 naturally , you need to get the cheaper route and that is a ph tester for soil , very cheap and helps a bunch try it or its trial and error...

 

[Be Irie]

Did you add anything to the FF?? I think you are the first person I have heard of having a high PH with FF... I am not sure where tap water and naturally actually go together... i am in the Rocky mountains and my tap comes out at close to 8 and then settles down to about 7.2.. Get some dolomite lime, it's cheap and add that. add a Tbsp into a gallon of water and let it mix in for 24 hrs and water your plants with it. It is faster acting when introduced through water rather then scratching it in.. You can get decent PH meters for cheap if you look around, it will save you a lot of grief in the short term and long run.. At about the 5-6 week mark the peat in the FF soil should start breaking down and slowly dropping the PH of the soil so it should fall down into a good range... I haven't used FF in along time but that's kinda how I remember it..

And yes, I said dolomite lime..... It not only brings low PH soil up to 6.8 but also will help bring back alkaline soil closer to neutral....

 

[justintym2]

irie is good to learn from , very knowlegable prob has a better idea

 

[Bobzilla]

Did you add anything to the FF?? I think you are the first person I have heard of having a high PH with FF... I am not sure where tap water and naturally actually go together... i am in the Rocky mountains and my tap comes out at close to 8 and then settles down to about 7.2.. Get some dolomite lime, it's cheap and add that. add a Tbsp into a gallon of water and let it mix in for 24 hrs and water your plants with it. It is faster acting when introduced through water rather then scratching it in.. You can get decent PH meters for cheap if you look around, it will save you a lot of grief in the short term and long run.. At about the 5-6 week mark the peat in the FF soil should start breaking down and slowly dropping the PH of the soil so it should fall down into a good range... I haven't used FF in along time but that's kinda how I remember it..

And yes, I said dolomite lime..... It not only brings low PH soil up to 6.8 but also will help bring back alkaline soil closer to neutral....

I added about 30% perlite and a few hand fulls of happy frog. I've got some dolomite lime sitting around. I accidentally bought the pellets, so i'll probably toss 'em in the old mortar and pestle so i can water it in.

When i do water with the dolomite lime solution , should i treat it as a regular watering and soak them, or should i add a small amount to each plant?

 

[Be Irie]

You can crush the lime up with any means necessary.. i use a coffee grinder.. Treat it as a regular water and give them a good soaking.... You should get something to ph the water, whether it just drops,strips or whatever else is out there... If you are watering with a high PH you are going to eventually tart running into lockout problems.. It would be nice to know what the PH of your water is..

 

[Bobzilla]

You can crush the lime up with any means necessary.. i use a coffee grinder.. Treat it as a regular water and give them a good soaking.... You should get something to ph the water, whether it just drops,strips or whatever else is out there... If you are watering with a high PH you are going to eventually tart running into lockout problems.. It would be nice to know what the PH of your water is..

i tried some drops but, for one reason or another, they did not work. It kept saying my pH was around 2.5-3, which i knew was not the case. I'll get some strips next time i'm at the shop. I water with all RO water so i know it's 7 going in.