weednurd420
Well-Known Member
Dose nutrients Raise or lower soil pH over time
CAN YOU ANSWER THIS SOIL QUESTION?
- Thread starter weednurd420
- Start date
weednurd420
Well-Known Member
Any 1
Most all nurients (that I know of) tend to be acidic, therefore they lower soil pH. On the other hand, most soils include a dose of Lime to counteract (buffer) the acidic action of the nutes. It can get to be quite a balancing act untill you get the whole pH thing dialed in.
Dankfactory
Well-Known Member
This is essentially like asking" Will I get sick if a Spider bites me?"
The short answer to a pointless question: Nobody can answer this. There are simply too many variables to consider. Homeostasis of the soil itself. User-error in over salting the media leading to lockout. Potential pythium due to grower error in relation to watering technique, which will in itself inhibit nutrient uptake even in a perfectly balanced medium.
Etc. Etc. Etc.
The short answer to a pointless question: Nobody can answer this. There are simply too many variables to consider. Homeostasis of the soil itself. User-error in over salting the media leading to lockout. Potential pythium due to grower error in relation to watering technique, which will in itself inhibit nutrient uptake even in a perfectly balanced medium.
Etc. Etc. Etc.
weednurd420
Well-Known Member
its not pointless if I don't know lol if I don't know the answer to that question How do you expect me to know it is a question no one can answer Its like expecting A baby to know how to walk as soon as it comes out the vagina. do you know how long it Will Take lime to raise my soil pH and how much to use I got a 5 gal 3 ga smart pot and a 2 gallon pot my soil is sitting on 5.0 I checked the run off with a pH pen
Just feed mild nutes and use a volume sufficient to get about 2-3 gallons of runoff from the 5gal container, and 1 gallon from the 2 gallon container.
You can cultivate dolomite lime into the top soil using a fork. The dolomite should be sand or flour textured, not pellets. If you buy pelletized dolomite, mash it into smaller bits (hopefully fine powder). Spread a tablespoon for every gallon of soil over the top, cultivate it in and water/feed. You can do this a couple times to get 2 tbsp/gal into the soil.
Dolomite takes about 10 days to have an effect.
You can also ph your nutes higher to help pull the soil ph higher. Say, 7.2 or 7.5.
But, if your acidic soil is a result of overfeeding (salt buildup), you'll be fighting a never-ending battle until you flush and reduce the amount of nutes you feed (or, feed with more runoff each time).
weednurd420
Well-Known Member
I never give moor then half the recommend dose of food to my plants How often do I do this and my water is 7.5 with out using pH down so I just won't use pH down til it is back at 6.5 ty
Like I said, it can be quite a balancing act; especially when it's done "after the fact" as a catch-up move. Ideally you should have mixed 1 or 2 Tblsp. of "Dolomite Lime" per gallon of soil (assuming the soil has no lime added already). I would guess about 2 Tblsp. of Dolomite per gallon of soil should be "Top Dressed" in. Dolomite creats a chemical reaction, so the results should be rather quick - followed by a bit of a "settleing in period". Keep checking the pH of your runoff untill you get it to where you want it to be. You can either add more Dolomite, or scoop some back out; as the case may be. It's a balancing act!
Edit - Oops, I see that AZ 2000 has alreadt replied while I was sidetracked.
weednurd420
Well-Known Member
I never added any thing kuz I used fox farm ocean forest And when I checked its pH it was 6.5 on the dot... It usaly always is.I never mix my own soil
If you don't get 20% runoff, even half-strength nutes could lead to salt buildup. Depends on how balanced the fertilizer is, how much it meets what the plant needs. If the plant doesn't use some nutrients, they'll build up.
20% runoff is good to do when starting. Eliminates some variables. After you dial in your soil and nutrients, you can experiment with no runoff. But, I haven't been happy with no runoff. I continue to mix up enough for significant runoff. If your nutes are expensive and you don't want to waste them, consider less expensive nutes for your next grow.
You don't ph the water, you ph the nutrient solution. If you've been phing the water to 6.5 followed by nutrients, that could be your problem. Typically, nutrients added to 7.5 water would result in something lower than 6.5, and you'd phup to 6.5. (I don't think ph'ing what you pour into the soil is too important. I've stopped phing. But, since you're new, it's probably better to ph your nutrient solution until you get some successful grows and can experiment with not phing. For example, I wouldn't recommend not ph'ing until you have the strength of nutes and quantity of runoff figured out so you don't get salt buildup. When you're at that point, not getting acidic soil, it could be a good idea to try not ph'ing and see how it works for you.).
weednurd420
Well-Known Member
I do like fox farm says to do except I only give half the recommended dose I dump my nutrient solution in First then I pH the water after adding the nutrients, and on days that I don't feed and just water I still pH my water to 6.5 like every thing I read says to do but if that's wrong pleases explain and I will listen
weednurd420
Well-Known Member
How much is 20% run off any way I do water till I get run off just don't know if it is 20% if I use 3 gal of water in my 5 gallon pot I usually Get a half gallon of run off back or less I only got to water every 4 days
You may only be adding 1/2 strength nutrients - BUT - - -. FF Ocean Forest is already full of nutes. You can grow all the way through veg without adding any additional nutes. Hell, you could probably up-pot just before flowering and do an entire grow without adding any nutes.
That's probably, at least part of the reason, why you have the excess nute build-up/pH problem to begin with.
That's probably, at least part of the reason, why you have the excess nute build-up/pH problem to begin with.
weednurd420
Well-Known Member
I have only been using there one and only organicnutrient solution Not got that far yet
weednurd420
Well-Known Member
Plants are doing good mabie my run off is 6.0 instead of 5.0 like the pH test pen says
When I think of 20%, I think of the volume of the container, not what I pour in. I have a #3 container. Many call it 3gal. It actually holds 2.5 gal (320oz). 20% of 2.5 gal is 64oz (which is 1/2 gal). In flower I pour 1.5gal to get that much runoff. If I pour 1gal, I don't get much runoff. (In veg, I pour 1 gal and get 10% runoff. By flower, I don't get that much runoff and increase the volume I feed to 1.5 gal.).
I don't measure the runoff, I just eyeball it. Too much doesn't hurt anything (unless you were doing 100% runoff, that might be stressful to the plant). Anywhere around 20%. Whether it's 10% or 30%. Some days I'll feed only a gallon and get little runoff. Another day I'll feed 2 gal and get 40%.
If your soil has nutes, I don't know how overwatering (for runoff) works. I use Pro-Mix HP with 20-25% soil and 20-25% perlite mixed in (plus 2 tbsp/gal dolomite). Very little nutrients in the resulting mix.
cannakis
Well-Known Member
http://groworganic.com/media/pdfs/FertilizerChartWeb2013.pdf
Look through that gives you time of dispersion and what is acidic neutral or basic.
Look through that gives you time of dispersion and what is acidic neutral or basic.
greasemonkeymann
Well-Known Member
mostly what makes ph an issue over time is because of the peat base, which is naturally acidic over time. So low ph is a concern if you don't use lime/crab meal/biochar/oyster meal/etc etc.
Nutrients applied in an organic manner don't really do much with your ph, Sure on their own some are somewhat acidic, but it's not really like that, after the soil ages and such the whole soil ecosystem regulates that stuff, the microbial population raises and lowers the ph over and over.
I don't own a ph tester, and haven't checked ph in this millennia.
this sorta belongs in the hydro section really. if you are doing organics, even remotely close to the correct way, ph isn't even on your radar.
kelp meal is SLIGHTLY acidic@ 6.3
obviously crab and shrimp meal would lean towards alkalinity over time
cannakis
Well-Known Member
I would have to disagree as I have before, but pH Does Matter even in soil, Peaceful Valley makes their own soils and composts, and they Specifically use a pH meter to check the soil. There is Literally a Picture on one of their catalogues with a guy sticking a Huge pH Meter in a Big Pile of soil they were making. pH does Matter, but like gmm says if you use the right recipe you will not have to worry about pH because there are a lot of people who have Already done the research, and know what does what etc... BUT! If you wish to create your own soil, or your soil is Too Acidic or Too Basic you Will have to Know what substances to Add to Lower or Raise your pH. The chart i provided above from groworganic.com says it all for the most part.
And fertilizers as someone said Are USUALLY Acidic, and Soil USUALLY Is Acidic BUT Can Sometimes can be Basic, and Soil Usually becomes More Acidic Over time... Though like my Soil, it becomes More Basic... All depends on the ingredients and environment.
weednurd420
Well-Known Member
Well I got me some very fine lime, how much do I use in my 5 gal smart pot and how much do I use in my 3 gal smart pot and in my 2 gal pot not 2 gal but close let me know for each pot, I'm going to just make sure my plane water and my water I put my food in is ph to 7.0 figure if the pH is going to drop It will do it slower with a pH of 7.0 in my water and food, or am I wrong