How to correct ph issues
- Thread starter aeviaanah
- Start date
doc111
Well-Known Member
I think either of those will work. I've been using Ocean Forest as well and it's been a pretty good soil until recently. I've had those same little buggers in my soil too and they don't appear to harm anything but why risk it? Either the neem or permethrin should work to get rid of them. Just make sure you re-apply it a couple of times so you break the life cycle. Best of luck my friend and hit me up if you need anything.
aeviaanah
Well-Known Member
this is odd. i took all plants to tub and flushed with ph balanced plain water, around 2 gallons for every 3 gallon pot. i then took and made up a gallon with permethrin....let that sit in the root zone for a while and then i flushed another gallon or so. i then watered with some calmag, fox farm big grow, and fox farm bloom...around a half dose of each.I think either of those will work. I've been using Ocean Forest as well and it's been a pretty good soil until recently. I've had those same little buggers in my soil too and they don't appear to harm anything but why risk it? Either the neem or permethrin should work to get rid of them. Just make sure you re-apply it a couple of times so you break the life cycle. Best of luck my friend and hit me up if you need anything.
sound good? i hope i didnt stress them out too much. ill let you know in the mornin
doc111
Well-Known Member
Fox Farm soils aren't sterilized so it is possible to have critters in the soil. I'm thinking of switching to pro-mix or sunshine or something that is sterilized. These critters may be harmless but I don't like the idea of anything crawling around in my soil. Flushing the soil always causes a bit of stress but your plants should be fine. They'll probably droop for a day or 2 but just let them dry out a bit and they should be ok.
doc111
Well-Known Member
I don't know how much luck you'll have getting rid of those fuckers. I've been battling with them and the only thing I've been able to do is keep the numbers in check. They don't seem to have any real affect. My yields are great and I can't complain about the quality either. I just hate the idea of crawlies in my soil! I think you'll be just fine. How are they looking this morning?
you bring up something I've been wondering about, to test the runoff, say in a 2 gallon pot, if I ran one gallon thru the soil, you say to test the end of the runoff? would it be more accurate to save all the runoff and test it? or just the last of it?
doc111
Well-Known Member
There needs to be a sticky explaining why testing runoff in soil is a highly inaccurate way for testing pH.
Perky leaves is a good thing. Glad to hear they made it through the initial shock.
whats a better way of testing soil ph?There needs to be a sticky explaining why testing runoff in soil is a highly inaccurate way for testing pH.
Perky leaves is a good thing. Glad to hear they made it through the initial shock.
doc111
Well-Known Member
litmus paper or a soil pH test kit. You can find them at any garden center, Lowe's, Home Depot, most hardware stores, etc. They also have pH probes for testing soil pH.
The thing with soil, especially high quality planting mixes, is that they come with the correct pH for growing MOST plants. Usually they contain oyster shell or some sort of garden/dolomite lime mixed in. Soil is a potent buffer, especially when they contain some sort of lime. Buffer has a lot of different definitions depending on the context used but in the case of horticulture it means something which resists changes in pH. Buffer capacity of soil will vary depending on the pH of the solutions being added and the components in the soil which react with the acids or bases in solution. Soil cannot buffer indefinitely but since we rarely reuse soil and our plants finish so quickly it is rare to see the buffering capacity of soil met. It's a good practice to pH your water/nute solutions with soil, just in case.
doc111
Well-Known Member
You should be good to go then! Just don't overdo the dolomite lime.
doc111
Well-Known Member
Generally speaking, they are plenty accurate for most soil applications. Obviously, they aren't the most accurate things in the world (I have one similar to that one and it cost like $5) but they should give you an idea if your soil is totally out of whack.
Spanishfly
Well-Known Member
DISSOLVE dolomite lime in water??? You sure you have done this??