Can someone help me with a quick water/run-off ph question.

[GrimloxK]

So i'm growing in soil and I know the sweet spot ph range for potting soil is 6.0-6.5...so my tap water is a ph of 6.5...

my run-off however is reading at 5.6-5.7

can someone tell me how I can go about fixing this....

 

[hiboy]

ur tap is 6.5
when nutes are added ur ph decreases
do you check ph after nutes added but b4 watering
h

 

[GrimloxK]

I'm not adding any nutes as of yet. I ph my water before-hand which comes out to 6.5.

my run-off is 5.6 though...

 

[Hermitian]

I'm not adding any nutes as of yet. I ph my water before-hand which comes out to 6.5.

my run-off is 5.6 though...

Something in your soil mix -- very likely peat, is lowering the pH. Check the pH of your soil with an inexpensive meter -- I like the units by "Luster Leaf" sold at nurseries and box stores. Here's a link with a picture:

​

This is not a problem that needs "fixing". It is the pH of the irrigation water that dominates the pH of soil in pots. When you do start fertilizing, the product will likely be buffered to set the pH to around 6.25. After a week or so of watering, your soil will get there too.

 

[Alien Abductee]

In general if your run off is testing at 5.6 and your putting in 6.5, you looking at about a 5.0 soil ph give or take.

What kind is the brand of soil, that might give us some clues.

 

[GrimloxK]

my soil is zones of FF light warrior which is peat based and roots organics potting soil.

I just want to add that I was using purified water during the first weeks of my grow (my mistake) and when I received my ph meter the other day I checked it and it had a ph of 5.5...so for 2 weeks I was giving my plant 5.5 ph water. Does that have anything to due with why my run-off ph is 5.6-7

I just switched over to tap water now so does it have anything to due with replacing the water that will have a good effect?

Also I do want to start giving quarter strength nutes in the next feeding...should I hold off?

 

[Alien Abductee]

Keep watering with the 6.5 and keep testing the run off, over the next few times, youll get a trend and see which way its going.

Id hold just a tad on the nutes till the soil range is within 6.0-6.8. adding in nutes to acidic soil tends to make things worse.

 

[Alien Abductee]

How do the plants look? do they show signs of stress?

 

[GrimloxK]

Overall the plant is 98% good.

what had me concerned was that I was seeing rusted tips on some newer growth and lower growth but not anywhere near widespread.

I figured it was some type of burn so I am gonna hold off giving her any nutes.

Heres the thread with my "problems"

 

[Alien Abductee]

hmm ok.

If they were my plants, I would add in less than 1/4 strength nutes, minimal amount very weak solution.. and adjust all my water to 6.9.

If the minimal amount of nutes makes the problem worse, flush immediately. I don't think it would though, but be ready in case.

 

[Alien Abductee]

hold that for a moment, let me check something.

 

[GrimloxK]

hahaha I wasn't gonna implement nutes that quick alien...but what i'm guessing is that the burn is from the hottness of the soil which I thought wasn't gonna be hot at all. Something tells me it's a bit too much N for them with the earthworm castings and all.

She's not showing any deficiencies so I may hold off for another week before giving any nutes. Do you think I should start off with just a couple drops per gallon and work my way up to 1/4 --->1/2---> full strength if they show positive signs?

 

[Alien Abductee]

Your using layers of coco fiber mixed with microbe laced orangic soil.

I have 0 experience with using coco fiber mixed with soil. I am not even sure that is a good idea, I have my reservations, but do not have any experience with it either.

 

[GrimloxK]

Alien I just wanna say thanks for the help bud...you've come into a number of my threads and helped me out.

Why do you think coco which i'm guessing is from the light warrior is bad to use in conjunction with my roots organics soil?

I'm not thouroughly mixing them at all. I stack them in layers...bottom layer is roots soil with azomite and dolomite lime, then a layer of light warrior then another layer of roots soil. Just experimenting...I got the advice from an issue of skunk magazine dealing with organics. Can't hurt to try something new...lulz

 

[Alien Abductee]

Im not totally convinced that is burn. It looks more like a micro-nute def to me, maybe one of the metals.

 

[GrimloxK]

but the thing is that upon transplant into my 1 gallon I gave her a some seaweed extract, and my 1 gallon is laced with azomite which is supposed to cover those micro/trace elements.

I thought it was a cal-mag issue at first myself.

 

[Alien Abductee]

Im probably wrong then and it prolly is burn, just looks alittle funny to me, ive never seen rust colored burn.

ill do some research on using coco and light warrior. Since coco has a different growing style than light warrior i am just not sure how well they would match in a mix or layers. If people are doing it and getting good results, then im sure its fine. I just kinda went hunh in my mind because i personally havent seen it yet.

 

[Alien Abductee]

Alien I just wanna say thanks for the help bud...you've come into a number of my threads and helped me out.

Why do you think coco which i'm guessing is from the light warrior is bad to use in conjunction with my roots organics soil?

I'm not thouroughly mixing them at all. I stack them in layers...bottom layer is roots soil with azomite and dolomite lime, then a layer of light warrior then another layer of roots soil. Just experimenting...I got the advice from an issue of skunk magazine dealing with organics. Can't hurt to try something new...lulz

your welcome.

yeah, I can think of a few concerns, but time will tell. Stability would be one, how stable of an environment is it for the root system. PH would be another, im not sure having different ph between the layers would be a good thing, because they would react slightly different.

ive seen a lot more crazy stuff work though.

 

[GrimloxK]

Dude your right...I thought the same thing at first...like rust colored nute burn??!?!? I never saw that too.

But here's the thing I don't know if your looking at the roots organics potting soil or their 707 brand coco which are entirely different from one another.

I'm using the potting soil version and light warrior which is sphagnum moss, peat, and coco

 

[Alien Abductee]

Dude your right...I thought the same thing at first...like rust colored nute burn??!?!? I never saw that too.

But here's the thing I don't know if your looking at the roots organics potting soil or their 707 brand coco which are entirely different from one another.

I'm using the potting soil version and light warrior which is sphagnum moss, peat, and coco

when i looked up "roots potting soil" it said it was a mix of coco. they also have pure coco fiber listed. Its just a coco fiber blended into a potting soil, but im guessing it would be mostly coco.

I looked here