Organic grows and pH question

Trying2Grow · May 7, 2025

Hey guys!

So, I’ll try to be concise.

1. I’m new to this
2. My base is:
-ProMix BX
-Gaia Green Worm Castings (25%)
-Gaia Green all-purpose 4-4-4, and bloom for top dressing later, with some epsom salts on standby for mag.

3. I have access to very high quality spring water, but the pH is 8 according to the fancy study they did:

https://people.ales.ualberta.ca/williamshotyk/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2018/03/Elmvale_Groundwater_Observatory_EGO_17_2_13.pdf

My question is: Do I need to pH this down? My first plant is already using it, but growth seems slow, otherwise healthy.

If so, how do I adjust it without harming the soil’s microbiome?

I don’t really want to spent $100+ on a pH pen and more on potentially harmful up/down adjusters.

The cheap soil meter I have says my soil pH is around 6.7, but who knows how accurate that is…

JIMKSI64 · May 7, 2025

You do not need to adjust pH in water if you can drink it. The pH load of water is kinda of a lie. It measures 8 but 3ml of pH down or up will move pH up or down bigly in water.

When you add nutes this changes. If you mix the nutes in water you need to pH the water. Some added nutes especially if it has a sugar component hammer pH down a lot and this will require balancing, normally around 6.3-6.5 but this varies with nute instructions. I am not familiar with gia green pH requirements.
pH pen
A quality pH pen will make the grow and a cheap one will break your heart. Lost my first grow due to a $20 pH pen. Now run an apera 60 kit.

Trying2Grow · May 7, 2025

JIMKSI64 said:
You do not need to adjust pH in water if you can drink it. The pH load of water is kinda of a lie. It measures 8 but 3ml of pH down or up will move pH up or down bigly in water.

When you add nutes this changes. If you mix the nutes in water you need to pH the water. Some added nutes especially if it has a sugar component hammer pH down a lot and this will require balancing, normally around 6.3-6.5 but this varies with nute instructions. I am not familiar with gia green pH requirements.
pH pen
A quality pH pen will make the grow and a cheap one will break your heart. Lost my first grow due to a $20 pH pen. Now run an apera 60 kit.

Thank you! Good to know and that makes sense… given these can grow outside in highly acidic rain I figured the soil must adjust a lot. And I’ll probably change my tune but I don’t see hydro in the near future right now so I’ll save the money.

You mentioned sugary nuts lowering pH… would something like molasses lower the soil pH too?

Organic grows and pH question

Organic grows and pH question

Trying2Grow

JIMKSI64

Trying2Grow

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