Ph Question - Tap Water Is 8.9 -clackimus Coots Organic Soil

[Wonder Dawg]

I never said I wouldn't have to adjust the PH but with my Soil, adding ph down would kill all Thebes's microbes that I've been building up.

If you read above I had mentioned I used citric acid and usually adding a pinch to 5 gallons brings it down from 9.0 to 7.0 which is what I use.

Try dissolving it in a little warm water first. Your readings will be more accurate.

 

[HazePhase]

Try dissolving it in a little warm water first. Your readings will be more accurate.

Yeah that is one thing I need to adjust. I bubble my water for 24+ hours before using but it sits in the basement and makes the water cold. I should look into a heater or to try and store in my grow room. Starting to prep 2 five gallon buckets ahead of time instead of one now.

Thx for tip!

 

[Perception]

The notion that organic soils don't need pHing is hogwash and one of the many examples of stoner think that gets passed around like a pipe.

LoL.

I bought in to the "you don't need to PH organic soil, and root exudates handle it" mantra. I'm now on my second year and I'm sick and tired of miscellaneous problems, so I'm about to start testing PH. Never have before.

But I like your thinking here. If the root zone is PH'd, what about the other 99% of the soil. If the rest of the soil is off on PH, then your microbe population could be off. Good point on the plant expending energy to regulate PH as well.

 

[Organikz]

The truth is pH of input water has no bearing on the soil pH. Adjust it all you want. My pH sits at 7 no matter what I put in. Believe me...i have watered with 5pH to bring it down...nothing.

Think of your soil as your reverse osmosis filter. It's loaded with carbon if you're doing it right. Carbon is neutral at 7.

pH is influenced by dissolved solids. This includes minerals (lime). In a living soil environment microbes absorb and store minerals. Anything that is causing a higher pH is immediately grabbed up.

The soil also has the ability to neutralize chlorine or chloramine which is more than likely in your water rather than chlorine. I don't know specifically why this is but if it weren't true there wouldn't be a single microbe in my container.

This is what I've gathered from what I have learned and observed.

 

[Organikz]

If you are experiencing high pH it might be an imbalance in liming amendment and humic acid. If it keeps rising you can buy granular humic acid since you can't take lime out.

Btw your soil surface pH means nothing. You need a probe to know the pH of the rhizosphere.

 

[Homesteader]

If your rhizosphere pH is reading 6.3 but the surrounding soil is 7.0, you don't think that will effect your quality and yield? Your plant will literally use half the soil and build half the mass due to the decreased reservoir of nutrients from soil your roots are not utilizing.
Know your pH! water AND soil. Once you know your mixes pH and your waters makeup, it is only checked every so often.

 

[m8ty]

Man that tap water is way too alkaline, hard water like that makes it difficult to lower the pH, and usually the pH will creep back up, test it for your self, squeeze a lemon and add it to a gallon of tap water, then keep testing the pH every hour or two and write down your results so you can see how the buffers in that tap water are raising the PH even after you add the PH down (lemon juice)

You need an R.O. Filter or get filtered water from the water machine at the market store, around here it's. 30 cents a gallon a the water machine, pshit, I believe a lemon cost more than 30 cents.

Question: What are you using to test for PH? And how many lemons did it take to bring down the PH?

 

[leadsled]

M8ty is correct about alkalinity.
Probably an excess of bicarbonate in the water, therefore excess alkalinity and that is why the PH is elevated.
What is in the water is very important as is alkalinity.

Can drop the ph and aerate to help remove bicarbonate. Otherwise the bicarbonate can grab free calcium and form more calcium bicarbonate further raising ph and causing nutrient issues.
more detailed explanation on alkalinity.
http://www.greenhousegrower.com/pro...ant-nutrition-irrigation-water-alkalinity-ph/

 

[Organikz]

If your rhizosphere pH is reading 6.3 but the surrounding soil is 7.0, you don't think that will effect your quality and yield? Your plant will literally use half the soil and build half the mass due to the decreased reservoir of nutrients from soil your roots are not utilizing.
Know your pH! water AND soil. Once you know your mixes pH and your waters makeup, it is only checked every so often.

I should have specified. I'm speaking in terms of right after watering. Your surface soil pH will be closer to you input. It is neutralized as it runs through the soil. The minerals are being leached off by carbon and microbes as the water is traveling through the humus layer. Not to mention microbes feeding and releasing enzymes and humic acid in the process. Ultimately your humus layer should be loaded with carbon and microbial life.

Like I said this is just my experience. I could waterlog my soil with water pHd to 6 and the rhizo pH doesn't budge. Maybe you have had different experiences.

 

[Organikz]

Try this
Check the pH of your water. Put a couple teaspoons EWC in a quart. Check pH. Wait a few minutes and check again. This is the microbes becoming active. Now throw a little kelp meal in and wait an hour and check the pH

 

[Perception]

more detailed explanation on alkalinity.
http://www.greenhousegrower.com/pro...ant-nutrition-irrigation-water-alkalinity-ph/

Good article

 

[Juicebox]

Been using lemon juice or baking soda for years with no issues....i refuse to pay for ph up or down