COCO Impossible to properly PH!! Hate it...

[davegc]

The Lime doesn't "raise" pH as much as buffer it to a consistent level. It should hold the pH right around 6.8 to 7.0.

I'm using Roots Organics Cocopalms, which says it's naturally buffered with lime powder. My tap water is around 90 EC and 7-8 ph.
I'm new and apparently missing something. Everything I've read says to keep the ph in the 5.5-6.5 range with coco.
The roots organics site says "Roots Organics Cocopalms has a near perfect natural pH level (5.2 to 6.3) for optimum nutrient uptake..."
I've poured 30 gallons of ph 4-4.5 water through the 6 gallon planter, and I cannot get the runoff below 6.7ph.

I thought I somehow might have "broken" the coco in my 6 gallon pot, so I started from scratch. Fresh, fluffy coco from the bag into a pot. Fresh ph-downed (to 4.0) water. I still get 6.7-6.8 runoff, as your bolded statement says. Why "should it hold" the ph outside of the usable range?

wtf?

 

[ismann]

99% of the time coco issues are cal-mag or pH going in. You have to buffer coco by soaking it in water + cal-mag over night (after rinsing the shit out of it - I don't care what brand coco it is). Other than that, I've only ever used GH Flora micro, bloom (Lucas formula) + cal-mag and pH in between 5.5 and 6.5 and never had any issues. My run off is maybe 10-20% and never pH what comes out... no need.

 

[PJ Diaz]

I'm using Roots Organics Cocopalms, which says it's naturally buffered with lime powder. My tap water is around 90 EC and 7-8 ph.
I'm new and apparently missing something. Everything I've read says to keep the ph in the 5.5-6.5 range with coco.
The roots organics site says "Roots Organics Cocopalms has a near perfect natural pH level (5.2 to 6.3) for optimum nutrient uptake..."
I've poured 30 gallons of ph 4-4.5 water through the 6 gallon planter, and I cannot get the runoff below 6.7ph.

I thought I somehow might have "broken" the coco in my 6 gallon pot, so I started from scratch. Fresh, fluffy coco from the bag into a pot. Fresh ph-downed (to 4.0) water. I still get 6.7-6.8 runoff, as your bolded statement says. Why "should it hold" the ph outside of the usable range?

wtf?

Putting lime into coco seems backwards to me. I'd get a different brand of coco.

 

[bk78]

Holy necro