Woodsman's Northern Light #5 Grow

[Woodsman]

My wife is the queen of Nag on clean. Comes with the bipolar, I guess. Many a ruined Saturday over the years! I get lists! Usually 3 or 4 pages at time with detailed instructions on not only what to do but how to do it! LOL! I think keeping it simple for her just means I do it! I cleaned the toilet at lunch! LOL!

Well being married to a bipolar person is not a walk in the park! Sounds like you are a top notch husband and both you and her pull through it together.

I Know I've mentioned this before (this or last thread), that being single and knowing what we know now would be a much simpler life. I think after a few days onlyu, I would miss the wife. There are many good things about marriage, just can't seem to remember any of them at the moment! LOL

 

[MostlyCrazy]

Single would be simplier but I think I need that straw to stir the drink! I've staked out my peaceful alone places so I have a place to go when I've had enough. The We is more important than the me.

 

[Hypo Hippy]

Couldn't have said that better myself MC. Like I always say....can't live with 'em and can't kill 'em. Right?

 

[Woodsman]

Single would be simplier but I think I need that straw to stir the drink! I've staked out my peaceful alone places so I have a place to go when I've had enough. The We is more important than the me.

Agree my friend. Even though I joke about the wife here, I still love her and after a week of being on my own, I'd miss her. I'm sure.

 

[Woodsman]

Hey Hydro, Ya life without nagging would sure be interesting, I forgot what it's like! LOL

I had smoked something earlier (that's a surprise) and went to work earnestly on sprucing up the 'old signature'. What do y'all think?

 

[MostlyCrazy]

How can I miss her if she won't go away! LOL!

 

[Slowpuffer]

Hey Hydro, Ya life without nagging would sure be interesting, I forgot what it's like! LOL

I had smoked something earlier (that's a surprise) and went to work earnestly on sprucing up the 'old signature'. What do y'all think?

You got it goin on Woods !! Good show !!

 

[Woodsman]

How can I miss her if she won't go away! LOL!

That's a good one!

You got it goin on Woods !! Good show !!

Thanks Slowpuffer

 

[Woodsman]

Update - Flower Day 10

The Plants are looking better today. Last night I did a flush on plant #4 . Why you ask! A couple things had concerned me since transplanting Fatleaf and plant #4 the other day. Yesterday I noticed that while Fatleaf had drained well and subsequently had gotten lighter, plant #4 was still very heavy with water. Figured the drainage holes maybe clogged up. I did some pushing and shoving of the rocks at the drainage holes with my fingers to open the holes more. Then I added a gallon of plain distilled water (slowly) and was rewarded with very good drainage.

The pH prior to the flush was right at 6.0 and I hoped the flush would raise the pH. After the watering I got a soil pH reading of 6.3, a slight improvement. I'd feel much better having the pH above 6.5. I've been thinking about using a little baking soda or Epsom salts in my next watering (these products are available to me). I know that I have to be careful with these because of the salinity, correct? If any of you have used either one, please fill me in on anything I should be concerned about. What should the correct measurement be, teaspoons per gal etc to raise it safely. By all means let me know if this is a bad idea.

Something that I hear about here a lot is hydrated lime, correct. This is added to the water to raise the pH?
Hopefully (one day) I will be able to get some of these products like the lime and a pH up and down Kit along with Mountains recommendation of at least a water pH test kit (drops). In the mean time I am pretty much at the mercy of my non existent budget.

All the plants are strapped down for now and have no choice but to deal with it. Many potential bud sites are breaking through the thick canopy now. But some of the lower foliage is showing signs of insufficient light penetration, I have removed some of the yellowed and dying leaves. Also some of the lower fan leaves are getting spotted and dry. Wondering if this is also because of low (or no) light penetration? Hopefully this is not another issue or connected to my rather low pH.

As always I am open and always looking forward to your suggestions and comments. I am limited in my resources and knowledge and value your input very much.

This is a great community. I am very grateful also that the vast wealth of knowledge that many of you possess is graciously made available to those of us in need!

Love this site!


Photo:
The lights have all been raised for this group shot taken an hour ago. I keep the CFL's at two or three inches above canopy and adjust at least once a day. The 100wHPS is usually at about 6 inches. Fatleaf on the left, Big Girl center and #4 on the right.

 

[COmmjDude]

Nice woodsman they're lookin good man what do you think about sleepy as a name for number four? I'm just all stoned at home right now and that pic of her looks like shes laid back enjoyin a siesta haha

 

[Woodsman]

Nice woodsman they're lookin good man what do you think about sleepy as a name for number four? I'm just all stoned at home right now and that pic of her looks like shes laid back enjoyin a siesta haha

I'll have to keep a list of names for 'it'. Hasn't shown it's gender yet!

 

[Hypo Hippy]

I've been thinking about using a little baking soda or Epsom salts in my next watering (these products are available to me)

Yo Wood...I am certainly not an expert with growing weed, but I would be scared to death to put baking soda on my plants to lower the pH. It would have to be emergency conditions to warrant that. I might use a male plant as a test subject and put some on him (before he is in full flower) and see how he responds to it. Sodium Bicarbonate will definitely lower your pH, but the tradeoff in increased salinity and all the problems that could arise from that might be worse than the original low pH problem.

 

[Woodsman]

Yo Wood...I am certainly not an expert with growing weed, but I would be scared to death to put baking soda on my plants to lower the pH. It would have to be emergency conditions to warrant that. I might use a male plant as a test subject and put some on him (before he is in full flower) and see how he responds to it. Sodium Bicarbonate will definitely lower your pH, but the tradeoff in increased salinity and all the problems that could arise from that might be worse than the original low pH problem.

You got it reversed, I believe it raises pH, but I understand what your saying. It is used I guess, according to what I've read. But I also read that there are risks involved! Thanks bud. How did you raise your pH?

 

[OldMedUser]

Update - Flower Day 10

The Plants are looking better today. Last night I did a flush on plant #4 . Why you ask! A couple things had concerned me since transplanting Fatleaf and plant #4 the other day. Yesterday I noticed that while Fatleaf had drained well and subsequently had gotten lighter, plant #4 was still very heavy with water. Figured the drainage holes maybe clogged up. I did some pushing and shoving of the rocks at the drainage holes with my fingers to open the holes more. Then I added a gallon of plain distilled water (slowly) and was rewarded with very good drainage.

The pH prior to the flush was right at 6.0 and I hoped the flush would raise the pH. After the watering I got a soil pH reading of 6.3, a slight improvement. I'd feel much better having the pH above 6.5. I've been thinking about using a little baking soda or Epsom salts in my next watering (these products are available to me). I know that I have to be careful with these because of the salinity, correct? If any of you have used either one, please fill me in on anything I should be concerned about. What should the correct measurement be, teaspoons per gal etc to raise it safely. By all means let me know if this is a bad idea.

Something that I hear about here a lot is hydrated lime, correct. This is added to the water to raise the pH?
Hopefully (one day) I will be able to get some of these products like the lime and a pH up and down Kit along with Mountains recommendation of at least a water pH test kit (drops). In the mean time I am pretty much at the mercy of my non existent budget.

All the plants are strapped down for now and have no choice but to deal with it. Many potential bud sites are breaking through the thick canopy now. But some of the lower foliage is showing signs of insufficient light penetration, I have removed some of the yellowed and dying leaves. Also some of the lower fan leaves are getting spotted and dry. Wondering if this is also because of low (or no) light penetration? Hopefully this is not another issue or connected to my rather low pH.

As always I am open and always looking forward to your suggestions and comments. I am limited in my resources and knowledge and value your input very much.

This is a great community. I am very grateful also that the vast wealth of knowledge that many of you possess is graciously made available to those of us in need!

Love this site!

How are you measuring your pH? You can use baking soda for a quick fix but it contains sodium so it's no good for regular use. If you just want to go up a little I would use no more than 1/4 tsp/gal to start. Hydrated lime is usually added as a soil amendment but can be added to the nutes and watered in or work a tsp into the top layer of soil and it will get in there when you water. Don't do that with the baking soda tho. Just use it to adjust the pH of the water you're going to use.

If your plants are doing well I would just leave it alone. Why fix something that isn't broken? Messing with the pH unnecessarily could be more trouble than it's worth.

 

[Woodsman]

How are you measuring your pH? You can use baking soda for a quick fix but it contains sodium so it's no good for regular use. If you just want to go up a little I would use no more than 1/4 tsp/gal to start. Hydrated lime is usually added as a soil amendment but can be added to the nutes and watered in or work a tsp into the top layer of soil and it will get in there when you water. Don't do that with the baking soda tho. Just use it to adjust the pH of the water you're going to use.

If your plants are doing well I would just leave it alone. Why fix something that isn't broken? Messing with the pH unnecessarily could be more trouble than it's worth.

Hello LabRat thanks for coming by to help me on this. Ya I know that it's not the best thing. But the plants are not looking 'wonderful', not bad, but not wonderful. Some limpness though that may or may not be from the pH, I don't know. I only have a soil meter that I use after a watering or feeding (wet soil is required). I went from avg. pH of 6.8 during veg to as low as 6.0 in just 5 days of flower and now I'm at 10 days and it is staying at that level. Is there something else around the house that can be used 'safer' than baking soda or Epsom Salts?

Thank you a gain buddy, your advise is worth a lot to me!

 

[MountainHigh]

Hello LabRat thanks for coming by to help me on this. Ya I know that it's not the best thing. But the plants are not looking 'wonderful', not bad, but not wonderful. Some limpness though that may or may not be from the pH, I don't know. I only have a soil meter that I use after a watering or feeding (wet soil is required). I went from avg. pH of 6.8 during veg to as low as 6.0 in just 5 days of flower and now I'm at 10 days and it is staying at that level. Is there something else around the house that can be used 'safer' than baking soda or Epsom Salts?

Thank you a gain buddy, your advise is worth a lot to me!

I don't think there are many "safe" alkaline products in our house holds. My bag of hydrated lime was 3 bucks. I know money isn't much of an option.

Do not PH with Epsom Salts...your babies need mg, but it is definately more of a micronute than calcium. Too much mg and you lock up other nutes.

Not sure what is in PH up by GH or the other guys.

 

[Hypo Hippy]

Wood, you are right I was mixed up.....baking soda most definitely raises it. Sorry. If you have a co-op in your area give them a holler and ask if they have the dolomite lime. Ours had it and I bought some for $2 for a box full of it (it comes in bulk). We used it the other day when we transplanted and the pH instantly shot up in the runoff water. You can also topdress it and it will work as well.

 

[ChicagoJoe]

The pH prior to the flush was right at 6.0 and I hoped the flush would raise the pH. After the watering I got a soil pH reading of 6.3, a slight improvement. I'd feel much better having the pH above 6.5. I've been thinking about using a little baking soda or Epsom salts in my next watering (these products are available to me). I know that I have to be careful with these because of the salinity, correct? If any of you have used either one, please fill me in on anything I should be concerned about. What should the correct measurement be, teaspoons per gal etc to raise it safely. By all means let me know if this is a bad idea.

what's up woodsman, love what you're working on.

The epsom salts contain no salts at all. Just bad naming for Magnesium sulfate. I used it to fix a mg deficiency at 1 tbsp/gal water. I only had to do this twice in 1 week.

"Soils that lack magnesium tend to be acidic. Epsom salt is actually considered a neutral salt, meaning it has very little effect on a soil's pH. In cases where a soil is acidic, it's better to add dolomitic lime if you want to increase the pH. IF it turns out that the soil is deficient in magnesium but the pH is fine, THEN it's better to add Epsom salt to increase the magnesium levels because adding it will not alter the pH." - somewhere from google

You don't need to buy it though. Look online for free sources.

You can put an add in Craigslist for your area.
I also use freecycle type sites. These are some type of yahoo group or something that peeps post what they need and what they have to offer.

 

[Woodsman]

I don't think there are many "safe" alkaline products in our house holds. My bag of hydrated lime was 3 bucks. I know money isn't much of an option.

Do not PH with Epsom Salts...your babies need mg, but it is definately more of a micronute than calcium. Too much mg and you lock up other nutes.

Not sure what is in PH up by GH or the other guys.

Wood, you are right I was mixed up.....baking soda most definitely raises it. Sorry. If you have a co-op in your area give them a holler and ask if they have the dolomite lime. Ours had it and I bought some for $2 for a box full of it (it comes in bulk). We used it the other day when we transplanted and the pH instantly shot up in the runoff water. You can also topdress it and it will work as well.

Hello my friends, Thanks for giving me such good advise. After listening to you guys I think I will not use any of the 'salts'. Instead I think I will stand my ground with the wife and order the Hydrated Lime like this: Amazon: Bonide Hydrated Lime - 5#

Or the dolomite lime (are you sure I can mix it safely into the top soil in the pot?

40 LB, Dolomite Lime, Improves Soil Structure, Sweetens Soil By Natura

Is this the right pH test kit Mountain?
Amazon: General Hydroponics pH Test Kit

Most of the landscaping/nursery companies around here are closed. Only one place that I may be able to find the stuff. I'll give them a call. Otherwise it's online only!

Thanks again guys!

 

[Woodsman]

what's up woodsman, love what you're working on.

The epsom salts contain no salts at all. Just bad naming for Magnesium sulfate. I used it to fix a mg deficiency at 1 tbsp/gal water. I only had to do this twice in 1 week.

"Soils that lack magnesium tend to be acidic. Epsom salt is actually considered a neutral salt, meaning it has very little effect on a soil's pH. In cases where a soil is acidic, it's better to add dolomitic lime if you want to increase the pH. IF it turns out that the soil is deficient in magnesium but the pH is fine, THEN it's better to add Epsom salt to increase the magnesium levels because adding it will not alter the pH." - somewhere from google

You don't need to buy it though. Look online for free sources.

You can put an add in Craigslist for your area.
I also use freecycle type sites. These are some type of yahoo group or something that peeps post what they need and what they have to offer.

ChicagoJoe my old friend, good to hear from you! Just saw your post after I had already posted my previous. So Epsom Salts is OK, but only for mag def and not for raising pH. I mentioned in my previous post that I will most likely attempt to purchase some or all of the items that are needed. It may have to be in the smallest quantity they offer, but I'll try. Waiting to here if I used Dolomite lime, will it lower the pH by mixing it into the top of my soil (No transplanting)?

Great to have ya around!