Ff Soil Question

[Snakeskins]

So the pH of the water that comes from my tap is 7.9. Could fox farm ocean forest soil provide the compensation needed for optimal cannabis growth?

 

[DrMcSkunkins]

So the pH of the water that comes from my tap is 7.9. Could fox farm ocean forest soil provide the compensation needed for optimal cannabis growth?

For the first month or 6 weeks, but you still need to Ph your water down to between 6.3 and 6.8

 

[Snakeskins]

For the first month or 6 weeks, but you still need to Ph your water down to between 6.3 and 6.8

Which brings me to my next question. What about the happy frog soil that compensates for improper pH levels. I already have the ff trio nutrients afterall.

 

[DrMcSkunkins]

Happy frog is a bit milder and better for seed starting.

 

[Snakeskins]

Thanks and Damn it! I was looking for any excuse not to order anymore junk to put in the water. I thought I would just buy ff soil and ff nutrients and that would be the end of it. So next order... 420 scope and pH down I guess

 

[MIMedGrower]

So the pH of the water that comes from my tap is 7.9. Could fox farm ocean forest soil provide the compensation needed for optimal cannabis growth?

I have no problem using un ph'd .3 ec well water that is 8.0 ph from seed/clone transplanted up through veg.

And in flower I add pure Blend Pro and also never need to ph or add lime etc.

I do mix in 20% large perlite.

It is about your waters alkalinity not the ph.

But high ph can be an indicator of high calcium. Just not always like in my deep well.

 

[jmpnjackhash]

Thanks and Damn it! I was looking for any excuse not to order anymore junk to put in the water. I thought I would just buy ff soil and ff nutrients and that would be the end of it. So next order... 420 scope and pH down I guess

You need to pickup the PH up also,my water was 7.6-8.0 ph,
adding the FF nutes the PH drops too low.

 

[Snakeskins]

You need to pickup the PH up also,my water was 7.6-8.0 ph,
adding the FF nutes the PH drops too low.

We're you using the ff soil too?

 

[jumpincactus]

Thanks and Damn it! I was looking for any excuse not to order anymore junk to put in the water. I thought I would just buy ff soil and ff nutrients and that would be the end of it. So next order... 420 scope and pH down I guess

you should also have something to ph Up as well. You will have time after adding nutes that you may require both up n down to hit your target feed/ water ph.

 

[jmpnjackhash]

We're you using the ff soil too?

Yes,ocean forest

 

[MIMedGrower]

you should also have something to ph Up as well. You will have time after adding nutes that you may require both up n down to hit your target feed/ water ph.

Adding acid to buffered soil like ocean forest if the source water is not high in alkalinity will neutralize the oyster shell/or lime buffer and just eventually acidify the rizosphere.

Adding too much calcium will do the opposite.

The buffer in the soil is what adjusts your feed water.

I have moderately hard well water and my Grow was very problematic until I stopped needlessly adjusting ph.

Any Greenhouse type site will confirm this info.

And my favorite breeder knew I was using ph down when he saw my pics. He asked why my soul was so acidic when he saw the plant pics.

 

[Perception]

@Snakeskins i recently popped some seeds in root riot, and then transplanted in to solo cups with FFOF, and they loved it. Not saying it's the right thing to do, but worked great for me. I just added some lava rock and rice hulls for extra aeration.

 

[Perception]

(Apologies, I misread before and thought you were talking about popping seeds in FFOF vs Happy frog)

Per your original question: My water PH is 8.0, but my water ppm isn't very high - at about 48ppm. As I understand it, water with lower total dissolved solids (Measured in PPM) will have less of an effect on the soil PH. I still lower my water PH to about 6.5 using about 3/4 a cap of vinegar per my 5 gallon water bubbler (used to evaporate chlorine for at least 24 hours before using), just to be safe. But you might want to check the ppm of your water to determine how much buffering capability it has. I bought a $15 TDS/EC meter on Amazon over a year ago and it has been consistently accurate for me.

In the Rev's book, True Living Organics, he recommends PH-adjusting any water over 60ppm.

I'm still learning about water/soil PH as well, and I've been using FFOF with no amendments added to the mix initially. I recently started PHing my water, and while it might be a placebo effect, I feel like I noticed a positive difference in plant health immediately after I started doing it.

 

[MIMedGrower]

(Apologies, I misread before and thought you were talking about popping seeds in FFOF vs Happy frog)

Per your original question: My water PH is 8.0, but my water ppm isn't very high - at about 48ppm. As I understand it, water with lower total dissolved solids (Measured in PPM) will have less of an effect on the soil PH. I still lower my water PH to about 6.5 using about 3/4 a cap of vinegar per my 5 gallon water bubbler (used to evaporate chlorine for at least 24 hours before using), just to be safe. But you might want to check the ppm of your water to determine how much buffering capability it has. I bought a $15 TDS/EC meter on Amazon over a year ago and it has been consistently accurate for me.

In the Rev's book, True Living Organics, he recommends PH-adjusting any water over 60ppm.

I'm still learning about water/soil PH as well, and I've been using FFOF with no amendments added to the mix initially. I recently started PHing my water, and while it might be a placebo effect, I feel like I noticed a positive difference in plant health immediately after I started doing it.

I used vinegar this way in of for quite a while.

I think it is recommended to not shock the micro life.

But vinegar wears down almost immediately and changes composition so it is not actually acidifying the soil and is harmless unless overdone.

When I stopped using it I still kept making gains.

 

[Perception]

I used vinegar this way in of for quite a while.

I think it is recommended to not shock the micro life.

But vinegar wears down almost immediately and changes composition so it is not actually acidifying the soil and is harmless unless overdone.

When I stopped using it I still kept making gains.

Yep, the jury is still out as to whether or not it's making a difference! What was your water ppm?

 

[MIMedGrower]

Yep, the jury is still out as to whether or not it's making a difference! What was your water ppm?

100 or .2 ec at the old house.

Now my new well gives .3 but still no need for ph adjustment in my garden.

 

[Snakeskins]

you should also have something to ph Up as well. You will have time after adding nutes that you may require both up n down to hit your target feed/ water ph.

(Apologies, I misread before and thought you were talking about popping seeds in FFOF vs Happy frog)

Per your original question: My water PH is 8.0, but my water ppm isn't very high - at about 48ppm. As I understand it, water with lower total dissolved solids (Measured in PPM) will have less of an effect on the soil PH. I still lower my water PH to about 6.5 using about 3/4 a cap of vinegar per my 5 gallon water bubbler (used to evaporate chlorine for at least 24 hours before using), just to be safe. But you might want to check the ppm of your water to determine how much buffering capability it has. I bought a $15 TDS/EC meter on Amazon over a year ago and it has been consistently accurate for me.

In the Rev's book, True Living Organics, he recommends PH-adjusting any water over 60ppm.

I'm still learning about water/soil PH as well, and I've been using FFOF with no amendments added to the mix initially. I recently started PHing my water, and while it might be a placebo effect, I feel like I noticed a positive difference in plant health immediately after I started doing it.

Thanks for the check @Perception. I don't know if water hardness plays a role but the first thing google told me was that my water hardness is 302 ppm, categorized as very hard. With that number being well over 60, is that a good enough reason to use pH down?

 

[Perception]

I would imagine so, but I don't have the experience to back it up. Just research I have done. Depending on how organic you want to go, you might want to explore options other than PH down (from what I've read). Alas, I don't know all the alternative solutions.

I've been using vinegar which seems to work fine, but you should do some research on it first. I've only just started doing this though, so hopefully some of the pros will chime in.

 

[Snakeskins]

I'm gonna swing over to the hydro store today and pickup the ff soil and pH down product I need. The pH down is a bit pricey being around 17 dollars a quart. But Ive read things about vinegar and lemon juice. Particularly that they would lose their acidic properties over a length of time. The natural stuff seems too iffy for me for my second grow. Plus I might get a digital water tester to take readings easier. All I had before was a pool water testing kit.

 

[MIMedGrower]

Thanks for the check @Perception. I don't know if water hardness plays a role but the first thing google told me was that my water hardness is 302 ppm, categorized as very hard. With that number being well over 60, is that a good enough reason to use pH down?

Water that hard may need filtration. I would mix that water with 50% ro water and then still not adjust ph.

I would at least start with nutrients made for hard water. The calcium in the water will build up quickly and if you get a rising ec in the pots I would use a good ph down if no filter is available.