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green as grass
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Will adding Lime have any knock on effects? It may balance pH but then cause other problems?
i know the lime will add calcium and other minerals so i dont think so.
Will adding Lime have any knock on effects? It may balance pH but then cause other problems?
flushing (as in putting loads of water through the soil) is pointless with organics and just gives you very wet soil and problems associated with that.
best to add dolomite lime to the soil mix at 5g per litre of soil. needs to be mixed in to the soil before you start. humus also buffer the pH so you want some good compost/EWC or similar
hydrated lime will raise your pH higher than 7 and is not usually a good idea.
you want to make sure your water source isnt way off - between 6 and 7 is good. if not then adjust it with citric acid to around 6.
measuring the pH of runoff doesnt really tell you anything about organic soil. it's totally different to using chem ferts. ive done many successful organic grows and never measured my runoff once.
A.
Agricultural lime (not hydrated lime) should be added at a rate of 1 cup per cu. ft. of soil. Or 1 tablespoon per gallon of pot. This helps raise pH and offset the lowering caused by the salts in the fertilizer. I use promix and water with 6.1-6.2 pH water. My r.o. water is always between 5.8-6.0. You want your run-off in the 6.7-6.8 area........ the pro-mix medium naturally turns acidic over time so it helps to raise your pH level slightly when you are later in flowering.
in your organic grows were you using dolmite lime?
i feed/water from the bottom.
how would i test my runoff?
and did i see someone say its bad to flush soil with a lot of water??? really?
If you think pH is a concern, go from the top next time you water. If your plants are happy, you may not want to bother.
How do you flush if you don't water from the top?