green_machine_two9er
Well-Known Member
The microbes hate that shit. Lol
Increasing Ph in Soil
- Thread starter Pimpjuice9906
- Start date
Hollatchaboy
Well-Known Member
Agreed. You want most soil at all times, just not saturated.
green_machine_two9er
Well-Known Member
O yeah. Nice little sexy warm wet breeding grounds.
If you pay attention you can smell/ taste/ see / touch even hear the life in a healthy contsiner.
It’s like an alchemy and husbandry all wrapped up. But the livestock that we maintain are microscopic. Mmmm gets me all fuzzy with the magic behind it
Pimpjuice9906
Well-Known Member
It's crazy reading it but it makes sense. A warm moist environment is the best for microbes. I was watering once a week. I was letting them dry completely. I thought it would force the roots to search for moisture. Which in turn created bigger plants. Boy I have much to learn.
What about root rot? If giving 5g = 80 cups = 4cups at 5%. Doesn't seem like much. How often are you doing this?
Hollatchaboy
Well-Known Member
Look into the sub irrigated planter thread. It works by filling a res, and wicking the water up into the soil. By doing that, it keeps the soil at the perfect moisture level. Plants grow faster and bigger. Almost hydro performance.
weedstoner420
Well-Known Member
OP, if you're doing living organic soil, it might help to do some reading about the soil food web, and how plants get nutrients in nature. Even if you're keeping it simple with Dr Earth and potting mix, it's helpful to know what's going on down there. I like Jeff Lowenfels' books (Teaming with Microbes, etc) but there are lots of resources out there that explain it.
Pimpjuice9906
Well-Known Member
Definitely need to review that. I've seen those bases but with top dressing you still need to provide some water from the top, no?
Pimpjuice9906
Well-Known Member
Yes I need to read more. I LOVE the science of it all to be honest with you. My assumptions were off. Like the moist soil environment makes all the sense in the world. Not saturated but moist. What throws me off is the idea of not worrying about the soil ph. Ph can reck havoc if not in check. I thought I needed to treat the low soil ph. That's what brought me down this rabbit hole.
Hollatchaboy
Well-Known Member
Not really. The water wicks to the top, and with mulch, or a cover, it stays moist up top.
Hollatchaboy
Well-Known Member
Soil works a lil different, especially living soil. The soil buffers the ph. It's not like coco or dwc.
weedstoner420
Well-Known Member
Yah soil food web science is fascinating stuff! Highly recommend the "Teaming with..." series as a starting point.
With regards to runoff pH, that's more relevant when you're in an inert medium like coco or perlite, where the plant absorbs the nutrients directly from the solution, and the runoff is a representative sample of that solution.
In organic soil, the microbes can actually change the pH in the rhizosphere (the area surrounding the roots themselves) to accommodate what the plant needs. Jeff Lowenfels explains it much better, but that's why people will say "pH doesn't matter in organic soil." It does to some extent, but it's not as critical as in hydro or drain-to-waste growing. And if you really want to know the pH of your soil, do a slurry test, don't get it from the runoff.
Pimpjuice9906
Well-Known Member
Where or how do I find d the sub irrigated planter thread?
weedstoner420
Well-Known Member
SIP thread -- (Sub-Irrigated Planter)
Sub-irrigated planter From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Sub-Irrigated Planter Sub-irrigated planter (SIP) is a generic name for a special type of planting box used in container gardening and commercial landscaping. A SIP is any method of watering plants where the water is introduced from...
www.rollitup.org
^^^ my personal favorite thread on this site...
weedstoner420
Well-Known Member
It's a pretty massive thread, lots of info, lots of different designs, some DIY, some ready-made for purchase. A few people (myself included) are still posting there. Here's the ones I use and love: https://www.agardenpatch.com/
Pimpjuice9906
Well-Known Member
Basically earth boxes
weedstoner420
Well-Known Member
Pretty much yeah. I prefer the Growbox design myself because you can see the water level at all times and not have to wait for overflow when you fill it up, but other than that they're pretty much the same
Pimpjuice9906
Well-Known Member
I can't believe these molded plastic containers cost so much. I could mass produce something for much less. @weedstoner420 @
weedstoner420
Well-Known Member
Hell yeah dude have at it! There's so many DIY builds in that thread it's ridiculous, from 3-gallon buckets to 27+ gallon totes. I actually think I'm in the minority having just ordered mine online...
Pimpjuice9906
Well-Known Member
Buds are getting bigger for sure. Waiting to see what the leaves look like in a couple of days. About to make a compost tea with compost and ewc.
Pimpjuice9906
Well-Known Member
Update.....
The 2 I gave .75 of a tablespoon of baking soda to seem to be doing better. They look healthier than the others. I watered with 4 cups 2 days ago. I would usually let them dry out. It would take so long to water them due to the hydrophobic nature of the dry soil.
Should I give them some water today? Should I top dress? @Budzbuddha @weedstoner420 @Hollatchaboy @green_machine_two9er
The 2 I gave .75 of a tablespoon of baking soda to seem to be doing better. They look healthier than the others. I watered with 4 cups 2 days ago. I would usually let them dry out. It would take so long to water them due to the hydrophobic nature of the dry soil.
Should I give them some water today? Should I top dress? @Budzbuddha @weedstoner420 @Hollatchaboy @green_machine_two9er
