"Runoff pH is useless" or "Keep an open mind"?

[Wizzlebiz]

I have not experienced my plants uptaking salts immediately. Recently, when I gave nutes on a 5-day schedule (trying to kill a larve in the soil with H2O2), I got 500 EC units (microS/cm) of buildup requiring more frequent flushes. If I waited 10 days between nutes (no dryness wilt yet occurring), there is little runoff EC buildup (over EC in). I believe this salt buildup is related to overwatering wilt.



The entire potting mix is sort of a sponge, it's essentially made of many tiny pockets holding nutrient solution. So, if I haven't had a complete drying cycle and I irrigate again w/nutes (5-days), then I'm flushing some old nutes out to be displaced by new nutes, and the EC goes up over EC in (if I keep doing this, the plant may get salt or overwatering wilt). But if I wait longer before irrigating (recently, 10 days), then the plant has uptaken more of the salts judging by reduced salt buildup measured by runoff EC.

I need some clarification of your statement. Are you stating you only have to water once every 10 days?


Outside of that salts cake up as they dry. Running water through dried salts doesn't immediately dissolve them. On top of that we have got to recognize there is no possible way it is flushing the same amount as what you are putting in.

 

[hotrodharley]

How long before Dumbo starts another thread touting the extreme importance of regularly checking medium pH? Or invades other threads to educate? Lol.

 

[hotrodharley]

This is a cuckoo. I don't get it.

View attachment 5033132

Someone else is in his nest. Another guy hammering his hen Want me to try drawing you a picture? Know anything about cuckoos?

 

[OneMoreRip]

Because in organic soil, there's different organic matter in it that buffer it. Unless you're not growing organically.

the person who I asked said because of salt pockets in the soil, in case you were interested

again though, i can make my organic soil 4s-7s with the different components i have, what would be ideal? and without test it, how would i achieve ideal, if there is?

 

[hotrodharley]

the person who I asked said because of salt pockets in the soil, in case you were interested

again though, i can make my organic soil 4s-7s with the different components i have, what would be ideal? and without test it, how would i achieve ideal, if there is?

By doing runoff pH tests endlessly and posting your results.

 

[PadawanWarrior]

Someone else is in his nest. Another guy hammering his hen Want me to try drawing you a picture? Know anything about cuckoos?

I'm just having fun with you. I really want to see your cabin and setup. I honestly think that's cool as fuck you're living in a cabin in Alaska.

 

[OneMoreRip]

You are always going to have to re-ammend organic soil over time, no way around that.

for ph, for feed or something else? I do agree for feed but if your medium's major components keep ph in optimum, i believe that would be better than having to rely on a buffer like dolomite lime or similar

 

[PadawanWarrior]

for ph, for feed or something else? I do agree for feed but if your medium's major compents keep ph in optium, i believe that would be better than having to rely on a buffer like dolomite lime or similar

Of course you have to replenish nutrients in used soil. I'm actually about to top dress one of mine in a few minutes. I made a mix of Gro-Kashi, Karanja, Chicken Shit, Kelp, Basalt, Langbeinite, compost, and pumice; and will cover that with extra Oly Mountain Compost, EWC, Vermicompost, and pumice.

 

[OneMoreRip]

thread

Of course you have to replenish nutrients in used soil. I'm actually about to top dress one of mine in a few minutes. I made a mix of Gro-Kashi, Karanja, Chicken Shit, Kelp, Basalt, Langbeinite, compost, and pumice; and will cover that with extra Oly Mountain Compost, EWC, Vermicompost, and pumice.

I was asking the one who made the statement, because I believe they were implying for ph.

just alfalfa pellets for me (along with whatever they have in my premix soils, that i used mixing a decent size batch of soil for myself), soon just gonna use harvested weed plants and see how that goes. I have a feeling, it (old weed plants), is optimum.

 

[simpleleaf]

I need some clarification of your statement. Are you stating you only have to water once every 10 days?

Right now, yes. On the last up-pot, I unintentionally skipped a smaller size I would have typically used.

I do not have heaters or any great temperature control, but I live where wintertime temps are mild without any freezing, so the plants survive with vegetative photoperiod. During summer time, and particularly when atmospheric humidity goes down, watering interval frequency increases quite a bit. Temperature control is something I could improve!

Outside of that salts cake up as they dry. Running water through dried salts doesn't immediately dissolve them.

That's plausible.

On top of that we have got to recognize there is no possible way it is flushing the same amount as what you are putting in.

Agreed.

 

[PadawanWarrior]

thread


I was asking the one who made the statement, because I believe they were implying for ph.

just alfalfa pellets for me (along with whatever they have in my premix soils, that i used mixing a decent size batch of soil for myself), soon just gonna use harvested weed plants and see how that goes. I have a feeling, it (old weed plants), is optimum.

I use alfalfa too.

I think I get what you're trying to say with the pH thing. If the microbes are good and the soil is balanced there's no worries about pH, yes. But it it possible for even organic soil to get too acidic or alkaline.

 

[Hollatchaboy]

the person who I asked said because of salt pockets in the soil, in case you were interested

again though, i can make my organic soil 4s-7s with the different components i have, what would be ideal? and without test it, how would i achieve ideal, if there is?

 

[Bukvičák]

He's a fucking idiot focused on one thing. You need to know medium pH GOING IN! You have to be a putz checking pH trying to explain why you can't grow anything worth a damn. He's a broken record.

Hes in every thread advising calibrate pH pen and check runoff, does no matter anything else…

 

[PJ Diaz]

for ph, for feed or something else? I do agree for feed but if your medium's major components keep ph in optimum, i believe that would be better than having to rely on a buffer like dolomite lime or similar

Depends if you're talking about field soil or potting soil-type mix. Potting mix lacks the minerals found in field soil, which help to buffer ph.

 

[Hollatchaboy]

If you're using salts, yes I get it, but that's not a living organic soil. You don't have to ph living soil.

 

[Hollatchaboy]

What is a cuck? Is this a political thing?

Pretty much. Lol

 

[simpleleaf]

It is true that 3 things are different. 1. What PH mix you put in. 2. What does your soil buffer that mix at? 3. Runoff and slurry tests are useless. I don't have much experience in Coco, but in soil, I've had to feed in as high as 11.5 ph to correct 5.1 PH to get it to buffer at mid 6's... I've found that you need to double the PH, PLUS! how ever much you want to raise it at the root zone. The only way you'll know what's going on in the root zone is to actually measure the root zone. I use an Apera 8500 Swiss glass direct soil probe at about 5 inches into the soil. This gives me a digital reading within a 100th of a point. And yes, you do need to check at least 3 spots in the pot to get an average. But... that's just me. I've only done it to 100's of plants, and I can tell you that what comes out is not what's going on in the root zone. We do get quite a bit of runoff every feeding, (and we feed every time. .. no plain water breaks from clone till harvest)...and I suppose this keeps the salts flushed, which is why your run off reading is going to be inaccurate.

It's interesting you think slurry tests are useless, then you mention this awesome pH tool for taking direct measurements. It's always nice to know what tools are worthwhile investments. Thanks.

 

[OneMoreRip]

Hes in every thread advising calibrate pH pen and check runoff, does no matter anything else…

I just believe ph is first place to start if root zone issue and no glaring issues. you are more than welcome to try and convince me otherwise.

it's simple to check and from what i know has an optimum range so that nutrient uptake can work properly.

 

[OneMoreRip]

Depends if you're talking about field soil or potting soil-type mix. Potting mix lacks the minerals found in field soil, which help to buffer ph.

endless variables

 

[OneMoreRip]

If you're using salts, yes I get it, but that's not a living organic soil. You don't have to ph living soil.

got a link? not sure exact definition and find it hard to believe that a plant would not care about ph just because it was dubbed 'living organic' by someone. I would like to read about that and see it in action