SunshineSupergirl
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I have pH meter for water and soil test kits for runoffs and soil.PH your water after adding your nutrient to the water. I don't put straight PH up or PH down in my feed water. I Dilute the ph up or ph down in water before adding it.
Some will tell you in an organic grow there is no need to PH at all. That's true until you over feed your soil and your bacteria over takes your micro biology and the soil becomes anaerobic.
A cheap EC meter will tell you alot about your soil conditions by a measurement of a large sample of run off water for your plants .
There are a ton of learning threads here click the link below and scroll down, there are over 16 pages of threads.
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Yes it is different. This is the meter I like. It does pretty much that i need in one meter.. You can purchase extra replacement heads and calibration solutions and different probes for it.I have pH meter for water and soil test kits for runoffs and soil.
EC meter is different?
pH up and down are not buffers. Whoever told you that was confused. Soil can be a buffer.I was always told to PH the water 1st. The reasoning "it acts as a buffer", so that's what I did for a while. To this day I don't know what was meant by acts like a buffer, but that's what everyone said?
I'd ph the water, and check it after the nutes were put in. I don't believe I needed to adjust after the nutes (salts) were put in. I'm sure if it needed adjusting I'd adjust.
I quit doing that. I just add my nutes, and I'm usually in range. If not I'll adjust from there. When I use the Lucas Formula I don't even check.
I've been adding diamectous Earth, especially at the beginning which has some silica in it, when I was having a problem with gnats and a few other creepy crawlies, thankfully have had not seen any insects for a while.I use silica 1st. then the rest of the Dyna-Gro, then I Ph down as silica and the nutes raise the Ph. Cheers SS
I don't think I have any potassium silicate.You can acidify before nutes or after. As you noticed, the nutes will also lower the pH. Acidifying after the nutes is the easiest method. The downside of this easy method is your tap water still has bicarbonate which causes the media pH to rise over time which could cause nutrient lockouts.
However, the one of the main reasons for adding acid is to neutralize the bicarbonate in tap water because it is the main culprit for rising media pH over time. To do this, acidify plain water to 4 pH to neutralize most of the bicarbonate. Then add nutes. Then pH UP to your target feeding pH with potassium silicate.
Wouldn't it be better just to skip the lemon juice and just add plain water to the existing fertilizer?You can acidify before nutes or after. As you noticed, the nutes will also lower the pH. Acidifying after the nutes is the easiest method. The downside of this easy method is your tap water still has bicarbonate which causes the media pH to rise over time which could cause nutrient lockouts.
However, the one of the main reasons for adding acid is to neutralize the bicarbonate in tap water because it is the main culprit for rising media pH over time. To do this, acidify plain water to 4 pH to neutralize most of the bicarbonate. Then add nutes. Then pH UP to your target feeding pH with potassium silicate.
If you pH to 4, you would need something to raise the pH to the desired level after adding nutes. It doesn't have to be potassium silicate, but that is a good choice because it is something the plant can use. You probably don't have to pH to 4 and adjust. The main reason to do that is if you have high bicarbonate water and grow in peat, coco or hydro.I don't think I have any potassium silicate.
I have potassium soap salts for bug control.
I can get the water down to 4ph, but in regards to liquid versus dry fertilizer, that still drives the pH down, though.
Do I have to have the potassium silicate?
Yeah I have soil.If you pH to 4, you would need something to raise the pH to the desired level after adding nutes. It doesn't have to be potassium silicate, but that is a good choice because it is something the plant can use. You probably don't have to pH to 4 and adjust. The main reason to do that is if you have high bicarbonate water and grow in peat, coco or hydro.
It sounds like you are in soil? If so, I wouldn't bother doing what I described unless you have problematic water.
Wouldn't it be better just to skip the lemon juice and just add plain water to the existing fertilizer?
My liquid fertilizer already lowers the pH so, wouldn't it be better for me just to skip using lemon for that particular feeding?
If I add the amount of fertilizer to the water that the instructions are asking for it also lowers the pH way down to blow something like 4.75.
Should I not be worried about pH and just go ahead and add the amount of nutrients that it needs?
It was actually a well known grower who had told me that, so I did for a but, and it just didn't seem to make a difference, and like you said, that really was a blanket statement. I do like the Lucas Formula, as I've gotten lazy in my old age. I only use city water. I haven't had ph issues since.pH up and down are not buffers. Whoever told you that was confused. Soil can be a buffer.
I agree with your method — nutrients and additives can change pH. Adjust afterwards.
I am skeptical of the blanket statement by some organic growers, saying irrigation water doesn't have to be adjusted for pH. That doesn't fly if you have a lot of minerals in your water. Soil is a buffer, but all buffers have a capacity. Once that capacity has been reached it can't help you.
If someone lives in an area that has good water, they don't know what it's like to live in an area without it.It was actually a well known grower who had told me that, so I did for a but, and it just didn't seem to make a difference, and like you said, that really was a blanket statement. I do like the Lucas Formula, as I've gotten lazy in my old age. I only use city water. I haven't had ph issues since.
.It's kind of funny how 1 "known " breeder/grower can say something like that, and so many of us followed (include me) lol
Currently I use Dyna -Gro ProTeKt, but may try Power-Si someday. Cheers SSI've been adding diamectous Earth, especially at the beginning which has some silica in it, when I was having a problem with gnats and a few other creepy crawlies, thankfully have had not seen any insects for a while.
What kind of silica do you add?
Currently I use Dyna -Gro ProTeKt, but may try Power-Si someday. Cheers SS
EC measures dissolved solids using an electrical current. It's a measurement similar to ppm.I have pH meter for water and soil test kits for runoffs and soil.
EC meter is different?
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