Billy the Mountain
Well-Known Member
If you add pH calibration powder to distilled water, you no longer have distilled water, but have created pH calibration fluid.
Carry on.
Potassium Deficiency or Overwatering?
- Thread starter jimbonorman
- Start date
Carry on.
Budzbuddha
Well-Known Member
No drama. Even if your meter calibrates at 6.86 setting . This product still works.
Available at amazon / hydroshops.
No internet rabbit holes.
Available at amazon / hydroshops.
No internet rabbit holes.
jimbonorman
Well-Known Member
@Budzbuddha any advice on how to handle acidic soil? the run-off is roughly 1.0 lower than the intake...
Budzbuddha
Well-Known Member
This is my 2¢ only - overwatering is one way that a soil can become acidic - mostly from leaching elements out like magnesium and calcium.
‘Again I would top dress with cups of fresh soil / water that in and not water excessively to cause “ runoff “. I never water enough to purge a container just enough to rehydrate it. It isn’t a Drain to Waste type situation.
Adding garden lime is probably a more integrated option .
Budzbuddha
Well-Known Member
You can also try a simple Epsom salt Foliar spray go help green them up. ( mag )
or aerate some EWC as a tea / soil drench ( it works much faster as a tea - water soluble ) than just mixing into soil . That will boost your container soil too.
or aerate some EWC as a tea / soil drench ( it works much faster as a tea - water soluble ) than just mixing into soil . That will boost your container soil too.
Budzbuddha
Well-Known Member
Good luck on your grow.
Maybe start another set in case they dont really recover. Fresh containers and all.
Maybe start another set in case they dont really recover. Fresh containers and all.
jimbonorman
Well-Known Member
Cousin Bo
Well-Known Member
Try to find out what's in your tap water. If it's city water you should be able to find a report online. 9.3 is pretty high for tap water. Runoff isn't a really accurate way to measure soil ph, but it could help figure it out. Say since your runoff came out at 5.5 after 6.5 water going in, the soil ph could be around 4.5.
If your water really is 9.3 it probably has plenty calcium carbonate and potassium carbonate that would raise the soil ph over time. If I was you I would water with your plain 9.3 tap water and forget about the liquid lime for now. Don't add acid to lower the water ph and see how they like it. You should also check the runoff ph for fun. Since you've been adding a bunch of acid to lower the ph this whole time I would expect the soil ph to be lower.
jimbonorman
Well-Known Member
I like the way you think. I’m going to run tap water through it from now on and check runoffs until it’s bumped up to…7ish - does that seem right?
Cousin Bo
Well-Known Member
Sounds like a good plan. 6.2-6.8 is the range you're aiming for.
jimbonorman
Well-Known Member
Still a bit of a mystery how the soil ph dropped. Others chimed in earlier on this thread saying how their batch of FFOF was low out of the bag, but I already used this bag of dirt in the spring/summer and didn't encounter this issue. Things appeared to be going well before I left for vacation, so I'm inclined to point the finger at the blumat irrigation system...I wonder if the reservoir ph was lower than I thought and it brought the soil ph down, but I also wonder if the soil ph slowly falls over time if I keep a bag long enough? 
Def going to try different soil next time...
Def going to try different soil next time...
tstick
Well-Known Member
Hello again!Still a bit of a mystery how the soil ph dropped. Others chimed in earlier on this thread saying how their batch of FFOF was low out of the bag, but I already used this bag of dirt in the spring/summer and didn't encounter this issue. Things appeared to be going well before I left for vacation, so I'm inclined to point the finger at the blumat irrigation system...I wonder if the reservoir ph was lower than I thought and it brought the soil ph down, but I also wonder if the soil ph slowly falls over time if I keep a bag long enough?
Def going to try different soil next time...
tstick
Well-Known Member
1. Add 1 TBSP of dolomite lime to every gallon of soil and mix in well. I also added a few TBSP of chestnut-shell bio-char. I completely abandoned the "organic" approach to fertilizer and started using the Jack's 3-2-1 system.
2. Make sure that you pH the incoming water slightly high until your runoff comes into compliance and then adjust incoming pH to ~6.0-6.5 thereafter.
3. Carry on.
2. Make sure that you pH the incoming water slightly high until your runoff comes into compliance and then adjust incoming pH to ~6.0-6.5 thereafter.
3. Carry on.
Cousin Bo
Well-Known Member
If you keep adding acid to the soil the buffer will wear out and the soil ph will drop. FFOF uses oyster shell flour but I'm sure yours is all gone now. The ph won't drop from the bag just sitting there. When you started there was probably enough OSF and now there is none so it makes sense that it would get worse over time as you add acid. Lots of people hate on FFOF but I've never had a problem with it.Still a bit of a mystery how the soil ph dropped. Others chimed in earlier on this thread saying how their batch of FFOF was low out of the bag, but I already used this bag of dirt in the spring/summer and didn't encounter this issue. Things appeared to be going well before I left for vacation, so I'm inclined to point the finger at the blumat irrigation system...I wonder if the reservoir ph was lower than I thought and it brought the soil ph down, but I also wonder if the soil ph slowly falls over time if I keep a bag long enough?
Def going to try different soil next time...
jimbonorman
Well-Known Member
Well I've had a few waterings with just 9.3 out of the tap and the run-off is slowly creeping up. Today it hit 6.15. Still a little early to see a big bounce back but I think the yellowing is slowing down. Still, I want to try a EWC tea. @Budzbuddha is it possible to use too much EWC and create nutrient burn?
Cousin Bo
Well-Known Member
No you can't burn plants with EWC or EWC tea. EWC or tea is always a good thing.
jimbonorman
Well-Known Member
Cool. I dropped quite a bit of EWC in my bucket and this stuff is looking like a double venti dark roast. Was worried I should dilute it but I'll just pour it on tomorrow then. Thanks!
Cousin Bo
Well-Known Member
If you already added a lot don't add much more. Too much isn't good. It can make the soil too dense.
jimbonorman
Well-Known Member
Sorry, to be clear - I mean I added 1-2 cups into my water bucket...which is maybe half a gallon. Letting it steep overnight before pouring it into the pots tomorrow...
Cousin Bo
Well-Known Member
That's fine. Add an air pump if you can and a little molasses.