regarding amount of dolomite lime to raise pH?

[catsnplants]

I am in week 4 of flowering and I'm noticing what I have figured out to be a nutrient lockout.
The pH of the soil is <=5 (I know) in the top layer, and 5-6 a bit further down.
I know dolomite time will take some time to break down and affect pH, but I have little choice right now.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to how much I should add to raise the pH throughout? It's a 65 gallon (246L) smart pot that's approximately 18" (46 cm) deep. Thanks for any help!

 

[youraveragehorticulturist]

Tell us about your growing style. What's in your soil, have you been feeding your plant in any way?

Do you have some compost or worm castings?

 

[catsnplants]

Okay, I blended it about 8 months ago when I was very ignorant to a good soil composition.
It's roughly:
50% sphagnum peat moss
35% organic bag soil (with aeration)
15% vermiculite/coco/hydroton

amended with
4-4-4 gaia green
hen manure
bone meal
few dozen nightcrawlers

I flowered 4 plants in it and amended with more of the same
I grew some sweat pea cover crops and have 4 plants that veg'd for about 6 weeks and are now in week 4 of flower. At the beginning of flower I amended again.

I have occasionally used lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and twice I used a microbial inoculation. I just use soft tap water, keeping soil moist.
I do not have compost or worm castings, although there is some in the 4-4-4, but I would like to get some.

I think the problem is that the bag soils were sphagnum peat moss based and it's caused the soil to get very acidic over time.

 

[Richard Drysift]

What you are missing is compost. A few dozen crawlers won’t make enough compost to make much of a difference. A thousand red wigglers in a bin would do the trick but worms of any kind will not last forever inside a container. Source some vermicompost or even better yet start a worm bin at home. Most baller move a grower can make imo.
I would do a top dress with worm castings, kelp meal, and fish bone meal which should go to work faster to bump up the ph than plain old dry D-lime. If you still have lockout issues try hydrating your D-lime or epsom salt...mix 1 tsp per gal of water...bubble for an hour or so and water it in. Should get them over the finish line but if they are still getting pale or yellowing off too fast consider a dose of mild soluble npk like fish emulsion. Lime the soil well after harvest. Consider amending w/crushed oyster shell at that time to the mix globally which will help buffer the ph at the root zone for next run.

 

[Aussieaceae]

I am in week 4 of flowering and I'm noticing what I have figured out to be a nutrient lockout.
The pH of the soil is <=5 (I know) in the top layer, and 5-6 a bit further down.
I know dolomite time will take some time to break down and affect pH, but I have little choice right now.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to how much I should add to raise the pH throughout? It's a 65 gallon (246L) smart pot that's approximately 18" (46 cm) deep. Thanks for any help!

Okay, I blended it about 8 months ago when I was very ignorant to a good soil composition.
It's roughly:
50% sphagnum peat moss
35% organic bag soil (with aeration)
15% vermiculite/coco/hydroton

amended with
4-4-4 gaia green
hen manure
bone meal
few dozen nightcrawlers

I flowered 4 plants in it and amended with more of the same
I grew some sweat pea cover crops and have 4 plants that veg'd for about 6 weeks and are now in week 4 of flower. At the beginning of flower I amended again.

I have occasionally used lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and twice I used a microbial inoculation. I just use soft tap water, keeping soil moist.
I do not have compost or worm castings, although there is some in the 4-4-4, but I would like to get some.

I think the problem is that the bag soils were sphagnum peat moss based and it's caused the soil to get very acidic over time.

Overwatering has a tendency to do that if there's an anaerobic environment in the soil. Might also be an explanation for why the ph is higher further down than the top, if the top has been staying damper than the bottom of the pot, since you say you're keeping it moist.
Just suggesting to dry it out some, you never know.

 

[Northwood]

And don't forget that your worms need to be fed or they just perish instead of multiply and thrive in your grow soil. They're like very other creature and have their preferences too just like bacteria and fungi. You cannot inoculate without feeding and providing a good environment to sustain and grow the populations.

 

[Northwood]

worms of any kind will not last forever inside a container.

So how many years do mine have left? I bought my red wriggles about 12 years ago. They've lived generations inside containers of various sorts, and in my grow soil itself. Can I get another 10 years from them you think? They've kinda spread around the community too, as many friends have my worms in containers now.

 

[Richard Drysift]

So how many years do mine have left? I bought my red wriggles about 12 years ago. They've lived generations inside containers of various sorts, and in my grow soil itself. Can I get another 10 years from them you think? They've kinda spread around the community too, as many friends have my worms in containers now.

Guess you are just awesome like that. Mine always seem to die before harvest time. My point was that the OP needs compost in their mix. I’ll shut up now.

 

[catsnplants]

What you are missing is compost. A few dozen crawlers won’t make enough compost to make much of a difference. A thousand red wigglers in a bin would do the trick but worms of any kind will not last forever inside a container. Source some vermicompost or even better yet start a worm bin at home. Most baller move a grower can make imo.
I would do a top dress with worm castings, kelp meal, and fish bone meal which should go to work faster to bump up the ph than plain old dry D-lime. If you still have lockout issues try hydrating your D-lime or epsom salt...mix 1 tsp per gal of water...bubble for an hour or so and water it in. Should get them over the finish line but if they are still getting pale or yellowing off too fast consider a dose of mild soluble npk like fish emulsion. Lime the soil well after harvest. Consider amending w/crushed oyster shell at that time to the mix globally which will help buffer the ph at the root zone for next run.

I would love to keep a worm bin! But having them incorporated into my soil is the only way I can have them with my current place.
Thank you for the advice on bubbling the lime! I haven't seen that recommended elsewhere.

Overwatering has a tendency to do that if there's an anaerobic environment in the soil. Might also be an explanation for why the ph is higher further down than the top, if the top has been staying damper than the bottom of the pot, since you say you're keeping it moist.
Just suggesting to dry it out some, you never know.

Good point. I thought I was overwatering during veg, so I've cut back a bit, bit it's difficult to tell if it's helped yet.

And don't forget that your worms need to be fed or they just perish instead of multiply and thrive in your grow soil. They're like very other creature and have their preferences too just like bacteria and fungi. You cannot inoculate without feeding and providing a good environment to sustain and grow the populations.

That reminded me that I also put a variety of food scraps on down for the worms. Avocado, shredded cardboard, carrot peels, coffee grounds (stopped this one for now). Wormies have lots

 

[Aussieaceae]

I would love to keep a worm bin! But having them incorporated into my soil is the only way I can have them with my current place.
Thank you for the advice on bubbling the lime! I haven't seen that recommended elsewhere.

Good point. I thought I was overwatering during veg, so I've cut back a bit, bit it's difficult to tell if it's helped yet.

That reminded me that I also put a variety of food scraps on down for the worms. Avocado, shredded cardboard, carrot peels, coffee grounds (stopped this one for now). Wormies have lots

How recently did you put down the fresh scraps for the worms? General breakdown of this + frequent watering would maybe do it.

Should be plenty of top dressings for indoors, that worms will still love, but the organic material isn't so green.

 

[catsnplants]

How recently did you put down the fresh scraps for the worms? General breakdown of this + frequent watering would maybe do it.

Should be plenty of top dressings for indoors, that worms will still love, but the organic material isn't so green.

I put the scraps in regularly, a few times a week. What are some things you feed yours?

 

[Aussieaceae]

I put the scraps in regularly, a few times a week. What are some things you feed yours?

I grow outdoor. Would of suggested composted manure or similar, but the smell might get a bit much indoors. Blood and bone meal perhaps, or cold manure?

Edit: i think so long as it's covered with mulch, it shouldn't get smelly. Otherwise you're honestly probably better asking someone else as far indoor goes.

But regardless i really do think green material like that generally isn't a good idea. Indoors or out.
Said it yourself already, need a worm farm, or a composter.

 

[catsnplants]

I grow outdoor. Would of suggested composted manure or similar, but the smell might get a bit much indoors. Blood and bone meal perhaps, or cold manure?

I've got some castings from Black Swallow coming in the near future- that should help.
The smell isn't too bad with all the hen manure- but other types may not be so kind.

 

[Northwood]

Guess you are just awesome like that. Mine always seem to die before harvest time. My point was that the OP needs compost in their mix. I’ll shut up now.

I sincerely apologize for being an ass in my post. I'm really not like that normally, at least that's my excuse. Of course the primary message in your post is right. You can't just throw a bunch of earthworms in your grow container and they magically make compost or otherwise feed your plants.
But in no-till systems, the idea is to not just sustain a population of earthworms, but grow their populations to maximum sustainable levels and keep them there, including other forms of life in your soil - yeah even the springtails! lol

 

[catsnplants]

[update] so I decided to do 8 cups of dolomite lime and the problems have virtually stopped! It feels like the buds exploded in size after. If that's not just my imagination and biases, it could be because the soil is finally in the correct pH range.

View attachment 20200912_172511.jpg
View attachment 20200912_172555.jpg

Thank you all so much for your help! I read this forum a lot but this is my first post and my first (what I would consider) successful grow.

 

[Aussieaceae]

[update] so I decided to do 8 cups of dolomite lime and the problems have virtually stopped! It feels like the buds exploded in size after. If that's not just my imagination and biases, it could be because the soil is finally in the correct pH range.

View attachment 4682068
View attachment 4682069

Thank you all so much for your help! I read this forum a lot but this is my first post and my first (what I would consider) successful grow.

Great to hear! Looking good.