Hydrohelper, "player"? really? Yes, Phosphorus is more available at a lower PH. I never said it wasn't. What does that have to do with the amount of swing? In fact, where did Phosphorus come into this at all? I certainly never brought it up. I missed where this was all about P, but even if it is, P is not perceptibly more available at 5.8 than it is at 6.0. And I suppose, since you're inclined to mock me for suggesting that a wider swing than .2 is advisable in hydro, then I suppose I'll bite in the hopes that you'll reward your plants with regular excursions below 5.8 and above 6.0. Mn and a few other micros aren't readily available until 5.2 or so in hydro. Zinc and Copper are also common deficiencies for plants that don't spend any time below 5.5. They can also pick up a load of P while they're down here getting their micros. On the other end, K, Ca and Mg all hang out up around 6.5. In fact, 5.8-6.0 is where Ca and Mg are least available, which is probably a big reason so many people put so much
CalMag in their tanks.
So to answer your question bluntly:
Cannabis doesn't want one specific PH all the time, therefore it's rather
mindless to make them live in one. Whether you want to see it as "problems of a 5.8-6.0 ph", or instead open your mind to the idea that perhaps there is advantages in a much larger swing. Stop LOL-ing so much, and grow better weed.
Sure, it'll do fine if it spends it's whole life between 5.8 and 6.0. "Fine" however, is nowhere near living up to it's potential. If this was paint by numbers, and you could just put everything to some predefined setting, then the best growers in the country would be the best because they could read instructions. I think we both know that's not the case. Regardless of what the "Super Frosty Bible of Dankness" says in Chapter 4 (or anywhere else the number 5.8 is published as the ideal), there are things that Cannabis needs that are available below that, and things that are available above that. This is a scientific fact that cannot be argued away. 5.8 is not the super-walmart of PH's where all nutrients are available at Rollback prices. You have to hit up Target down at 5.2 to get a few things walmart doesn't stock. Then you have to head over to Costco way up at 6.3 to get the best deal on other things.
Try a cycle with a 1 point drift just for kicks. You'll like the results.
