pH Question, +rep for help

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DannyGreenEyes

Well-Known Member
I'm 3 weeks into my first grow and I have a newbie pH question. I recently discovered that my probe type pH tester is only good to use on dirt and went and bought some pH test strips for aquariums. Now that I have the right pH readings and discovered my water is 6.0 or lower, I started doing research on it. I've heard 5 theories. (I'm growing in dirt)

1) 6.3 is best setting for water
2) 6.5 is best setting for water
3) 7.0 is best setting for water
4) The dirt pH determines the right pH for water, when added together the dirt & water's pH should be 12.5
5) Dont test the water, test the run off and adjust the water so the run off is 6.3

I have no idea what to beleive. +rep for good advice.
 
Boneman

Boneman

Well-Known Member
6.5 for soil...period! Test your PH after mixing up all the nutes and just before feeding it to your plants.

 
J

johnny12r

Well-Known Member
i have that meter my soil is 7 to 7.5 i was told 6.5 was best my water was at 8 so i've been watering with 6.2 for 2 weeks now and they look so much better
 
D

DannyGreenEyes

Well-Known Member
If you're still in veg and want to try to adjust the dirt pH down some, use gypsum or iron sulphate. Dilute it in water (1 teaspoon disolved into 1.3 galons (5 L) of water). You're not supposed to start with dirt over a 7.25 because if you use the added elements required to get an acceptable level it will cause a chemical reaction and adversely affect your plant growth. So I wouln't try to lower it more than .25.

Transplanting would be better if possible, 6pH to 7pH is the best range for dirt, some like to keep it above 6.5pH.

Hope that helps.
 
DrGreenFinger

DrGreenFinger

Well-Known Member
DannyGreenEyes said:
Dude, Cervantes says between 6.5 & 7 is best for soil http://www.marijuanagrowing.com/dhtml/knowledgebase.php?faqid=13
One thing I found with growing is there are no absolutes. I'm sure some strains do better at 7.0 and some do better at 6.5. My guess is it would depend on genetics (the soil in the area where the strain originated).
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Boneman gave it to you straight up, Bro. No disrespect to Jorge (I have both of his videos), but I'll tell ya how you can be sure. You have heard, literally, everyone say that MJ likes the ph slightly acidic. 7.0 is neutral, so slightly acidic would be...? ;-)

Everyone makes mistakes, I have caught Jorge (and others) on a few things. All in all his videos are full of info, but not perfect. Boneman gave you everything you needed. Check out the FAQ. :peace:
 
D

DannyGreenEyes

Well-Known Member
DrGreenFinger said:
Boneman gave it to you straight up, Bro. No disrespect to Jorge (I have both of his videos), but I'll tell ya how you can be sure. You have heard, literally, everyone say that MJ likes the ph slightly acidic. 7.0 is neutral, so slightly acidic would be...? ;-)

Everyone makes mistakes, I have caught Jorge (and others) on a few things. All in all his videos are full of info, but not perfect. Boneman gave you everything you needed. Check out the FAQ. :peace:
Click to expand...

You're really going to make me blow your mind to make this point, aren't you? OK

Ever hear of a guy named Seymour Buds? He wrote a book called Buds for Less http://www.seemorebuds.com/book.php
He has a papercliped thread dedicated to himself on this stie, he's considered somewhat of a guru https://www.rollitup.org/cfl,growing/40884-buds-less-cfl-book.html

Now I'm gonna blow your mind. In his book Buds for Less he takes the reader through a CFL grow. In 75 days he got 8 buds off of 3 plants using eight 32w CFLs. He uses Miracle Grow soil with a 5.1 pH and to adjust for the low pH he uses water with a 7.4 pH.

Now most people will tell you that both pH levels are way out of line and you'll never get a good grow using it, but like I said, he got 8oz. in 75 days using only eight 32w CFLs. And that includes curing time.

So you tell me, are there any absolutes?

BTW, in the book he says "the pH of the soil determines the pH of the water". If you look on his thread I've asked the question, because he never comes out and says it, I asked if what he meant is as long as you get a 12.5 when you add both the soil's pH and the water's pH, or average a 6.25pH between the two pHs, then everything will be OK? And if that's the case, is it best to pH both the dirt and water at around 6.2 ro 6.3. I'm still waiting on an answer.
 
Boneman

Boneman

Well-Known Member
DannyGreenEyes said:
I'm 3 weeks into my first grow and I have a newbie pH question. I've heard 5 theories. (I'm growing in dirt)

1) 6.3 is best setting for water
2) 6.5 is best setting for water
3) 7.0 is best setting for water
4) The dirt pH determines the right pH for water, when added together the dirt & water's pH should be 12.5
5) Dont test the water, test the run off and adjust the water so the run off is 6.3

I have no idea what to beleive. +rep for good advice.
Click to expand...
Here is your 1st post minus a whole bunch of the extra words. Now go read your next few posts and it 100% does not make sense. Here you are asking a n00b ph question trying to figure out which is correct then in the next posts your giving almost scientific advice about ph and such. What gives here? Do you have a problem or are you just trying to cause trouble?
Nothing is absolute here but we try to give the most absolute answers based on experience and visual aids. I, not all that long ago, did a complete grow between 7.0 and 7.5 and it was successful. I did have a few problems with deficiencies that I didnt have once I got a digi PH probe and stuck to 6.5 soil and 5.8 hydro.
6.5 is where you need to be to avoid most problems..thats your answer
 
DrGreenFinger

DrGreenFinger

Well-Known Member
DannyGreenEyes said:
You're really going to make me blow your mind to make this point, aren't you? OK

Ever hear of a guy named Seymour Buds? He wrote a book called Buds for Less http://www.seemorebuds.com/book.php
He has a papercliped thread dedicated to himself on this stie, he's considered somewhat of a guru https://www.rollitup.org/cfl,growing/40884-buds-less-cfl-book.html

Now I'm gonna blow your mind. In his book Buds for Less he takes the reader through a CFL grow. In 75 days he got 8 buds off of 3 plants using eight 32w CFLs. He uses Miracle Grow soil with a 5.1 pH and to adjust for the low pH he uses water with a 7.4 pH.

Now most people will tell you that both pH levels are way out of line and you'll never get a good grow using it, but like I said, he got 8oz. in 75 days using only eight 32w CFLs. And that includes curing time.

So you tell me, are there any absolutes?

BTW, in the book he says "the pH of the soil determines the pH of the water". If you look on his thread I've asked the question, because he never comes out and says it, I asked if what he meant is as long as you get a 12.5 when you add both the soil's pH and the water's pH, or average a 6.25pH between the two pHs, then everything will be OK? And if that's the case, is it best to pH both the dirt and water at around 6.2 ro 6.3. I'm still waiting on an answer.
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LOL! Actually, I have all 3 See More Buds videos. The link in my signature leads to an emulation attempt of the massive grow in his 1st video. Garden Knowm (See More Buds) commented in the thread. Irregardless, as you mentioned, many things will work depending on strain. I have seen Grapefruit Haze grow in a 90+ degree room, close to a 1K bulb (inches away, literally), as well as in very humid conditions. The point is that it is not IDEAL. We strive for perfect conditions to MAXIMIZE growth. The grow you are referencing was a demonstration of what could be done, not what should be done. So, in this discussion there are actually at least two absolutes. 1) 7.0 is neutral ph. 2) MJ thrives on a slightly acidic ph.

Your link to the cfl grow is broken.

You got your answer, did you rep the help? He took the time to post graphs and all to assist you. :peace::peace::peace:
 
D

DannyGreenEyes

Well-Known Member
strain stalker said:
...I've been told to water with ph balanced water until the runoff is "in range" to set your ph correctly in soil/less.
Click to expand...

If you're saying Soil, then no. 6.3 to 6.5 is a good range for water you use to feed your plant, don't forget to balance after adding any fertilizer you plan on using, and balance right before watering.

If you're saying soiless (hydro of some kind) then the water you want to test is in the cube that the roots are in. I never did a hydro grow myself, but I read that for some reason the pH readings are different in the cubes than it is in the tub.

If you're using aero, or any other hydro where the roots aren't in a cube, then I really don't know. I would guess you'd get the best reading from one of the sprayers or drippers, but I really don't know for sure.
 
D

DannyGreenEyes

Well-Known Member
Boneman said:
Here is your 1st post minus a whole bunch of the extra words. Now go read your next few posts and it 100% does not make sense. Here you are asking a n00b ph question trying to figure out which is correct then in the next posts your giving almost scientific advice about ph and such. What gives here? Do you have a problem or are you just trying to cause trouble?
Nothing is absolute here but we try to give the most absolute answers based on experience and visual aids. I, not all that long ago, did a complete grow between 7.0 and 7.5 and it was successful. I did have a few problems with deficiencies that I didnt have once I got a digi PH probe and stuck to 6.5 soil and 5.8 hydro.
6.5 is where you need to be to avoid most problems..thats your answer
Click to expand...

It's not like I didn't do a bunch of research on this recently, and I'm a very fast learner. But I simply don't know what to beleive. Cervantes is trusted and he says one thing. Seymour Buds is trusted and he seems to say something else. The testing the run off came from a user with a "Mr Ganja" rating, but has since been debunked. The 6.3 & 6.5 came from 2 other users with a "Mr. Ganja" rating, as well as a lot of others and seem to be the most popular opinions.

So I'm trying to sort it out so I know which rule to use. That's all.

My test strips only go up to 7, so I can now definately rule out using a 7.0ph (you have actually done the test) because I can't be sure that the pH isn't set at over 7 with these test strips. (even if you didn't use a 7.0 pH, you tested at a little over 7 and since I can't be sure if the water is 7 or over, it's automatically a bad idea, though I might come back and retest this once I have a digital pH meter that can give me accurate readings at ranges over 7.0. I probably wont though if I'm getting fantastic results with the pH levels I'm using.
Thanks for helping me narrow it down a bit +rep

So now the list is down to 6.3 which has been giving me better results than I was getting, 6.5 which I haven't tried yet, or adjusting the pH of the water based on the pH of the dirt which I'm waiting on an answer for in Seymour Buds thread.

Oh, and I learned about raising & lowering the pH in soil from the second book I bought early on called Marijuana Home Grower's Journal. That book doesn't say anything about pH for water in soil grows though.
 
D

DannyGreenEyes

Well-Known Member
DrGreenFinger said:
LOL! Actually, I have all 3 See More Buds videos. The link in my signature leads to an emulation attempt of the massive grow in his 1st video. Garden Knowm (See More Buds) commented in the thread. Irregardless, as you mentioned, many things will work depending on strain. I have seen Grapefruit Haze grow in a 90+ degree room, close to a 1K bulb (inches away, literally), as well as in very humid conditions. The point is that it is not IDEAL. We strive for perfect conditions to MAXIMIZE growth. The grow you are referencing was a demonstration of what could be done, not what should be done. So, in this discussion there are actually at least two absolutes. 1) 7.0 is neutral ph. 2) MJ thrives on a slightly acidic ph.

Your link to the cfl grow is broken.

You got your answer, did you rep the help? He took the time to post graphs and all to assist you. :peace::peace::peace:
Click to expand...
Here's the link again, not sure what happened with the last one. https://www.rollitup.org/cfl-growing/40884-buds-less-cfl-book.html

Going by that rule (MJ likes slightly acidic pH) 6.3 or 6.5 could be correct, and you are right, I'll probably have to test each for myself to see how my plants react. Thanks +rep

But in that book (Seymour's) he specifically said that "the pH level of the soil determines the proper pH for the water". And he used water at 7.4pH and I didn't see a single nute deficiency on the plants leaves, or any other problems like a pH fluctuation. So this really intrigues me because with a 7.0 soil I might get the best results from water with a 5.5pH. I just don't want to try it untill I know more about what he meant. If this theory isn't sound I might end up with deficiencies or I might end up changing the pH of my soil.

Yeah, I must have +rep'd Boneman because it says I have to spread some rep around before I can do it again.
 
bluetick

bluetick

Well-Known Member
There are plenty of people on here that KNOW what's up, and more than that of those who WANT TO KNOW what's up. Eventually you'll figure out who knows what they are talking about and who does not. Boneman knows some things, so take his advice. I veg in 6.5 and then in flowering stages slowly take it up to 7.0.

By the way those strips you got there at the pet store are a BITCH to read accurately. Don't be surprised if your plant does some strange things due to it being too acidic, since the strips don't read accurately. The best move you can make is to get a pH tester to be positive.
 
D

DannyGreenEyes

Well-Known Member
DrGreenFinger said:
+ rep for that info, bro :joint:

i'm feelin' boneman. this is beginning to seem like the twilight zone...

no offense to anyone... :peace:
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None taken. You just have to know me to understand. I was reading Edgar Allen Poe, and understaning it when I was in the 3rd grade. As long as I understand something and have an interest in it, my mind just absorbs it.

The first book I read was Buds for Less, when I went back to it to read off the pH nute chart to answer someone's question a few days ago, I understood more because I knew more. And that's why I now have a question about his theory.

The second book I read was the Marijana Home Grower's Guide (also the last book I read so far) and it read like a text book, over 300 pages. I learned a lot from that book but it left out a lot of the basics like water or dirt's correct pH & nutes. (his section on nutes was more like a bunch of adds for different mfgs).

He also mentioned making Polyploidys and pointed to another book with step by step directions and the best colchicine formula to use. So I knew about making Super Plants (aka. Gold Plants) before I knew all the basics. Heck, I still don't know all the basics.

Here's another one for you. I've been worried about mites, aphids, and thrips because the average humidity here is 20%. I picked up an oil called Mite X that came highly recomended and I picked up a couple of UVB bulbs because I did some research and found out these little critters don't like UVB (plus it helps with mold/mildew).

I hadn't gotten around to turning on the UVB bulbs yet and a couple of days ago I had to get rid of thrips. I think they came in on some store bought Bananas because I hadn't been out in a couple of days. Anyway I stayed up all night getting rid of them and then I started looking into better prevention, and I turned on the UVB bulbs of course.

When I asked questions someone suggested Lady Bugs. Sounds crazy right? I originally thought they ate leaves, but I did some research anyway, and I'm getting some. Here's a thread on another site that I did on it. http://www.my-grow.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=731 It's a work in progress, I've only had 2 days to work on it so far. And I don't want to post it here until I've had them in my grow room for a while & fed them a few times so it's complete and everything is verified. But that's just how fast my mind works.

Plus I came down with a lower extremity adema last June and haven't been able to work since, so I have nothing better to do all day other than taking care of the plants and doing research to improve on what I'm doing so far.

I also built my own "ghetto" rooting station which I'll be doing a DIY thread on in a few days as soon as I can post my results.
 
D

DannyGreenEyes

Well-Known Member
bluetick said:
There are plenty of people on here that KNOW what's up, and more than that of those who WANT TO KNOW what's up. Eventually you'll figure out who knows what they are talking about and who does not. Boneman knows some things, so take his advice. I veg in 6.5 and then in flowering stages slowly take it up to 7.0.

By the way those strips you got there at the pet store are a BITCH to read accurately. Don't be surprised if your plant does some strange things due to it being too acidic, since the strips don't read accurately. The best move you can make is to get a pH tester to be positive.
Click to expand...
Yeah I know I have to upgrade, but for now it's all I can afford. I just got into this and can't work and I have to harvest before I run out of money. When I harvest I should make over $5k and I'll only have 2 more months to the next harvest, so I can upgrade then. Hoods are first though.
 
shnkrmn

shnkrmn

Well-Known Member
You stand to make 5K but consider a pH meter an 'upgrade'?

5K, Danny, 5K.

Spend 50 bucks (or less) on a meter. It's more important than getting hoods.
 
bluetick

bluetick

Well-Known Member
I agree. Without the proper pH tester, nothing else will matter. It HAS to be correct or everything else fails.
 
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