Ok guys, sorry for the delay. You all now what too do. You have the knowledge, your just a bit timid in your execution. Everybody's garden has its own differences so you cannot duplicate what someone else does. Rather incorporate the basic techniques you have learned tweaking each until it works in your garden.
I know everybody loves R/O water, but guess what Not the best choice for container plants. Just too stripped. Nothing for beneficial to attach too. No trace elements plants can need. Nothing to help buffer the Ph. The list is almost endless. As Riddle has said, tap water is just fine in most cases for growing. Now 350 is pretty hard, actually anything over 200 is going to need a bit of special treatment. Even rainwater is pretty benign. I myself collect rainwater and mix 50/50 with my well water.(you can do the same with RO) Its 250+ppm and about 8.5 Ph(well) I shoot for about 125ppm give or take. But my well water alone grows just fine. I just have been mindful of the mediums Ph. The mineral content has a habit of slowly raising the mediums Ph. And you folks near some of those nice mountain rivers. I would be trying that water also. And its free!!!!!! Remember if you use R/O water for every gallon you get from the tap another gallon is rejected and just flushed down the drain. R/O water IMO is pretty wasteful, has no buffers or anything to offer a plant.
Lots of worm castings in your mix can save you lots of worries. They have the great ability of raising or lower Ph depending on the needs keeping it near neutral. Maybe this explains why Mother Nature never worries about phing rain, she got worms covering her ass! Also dolomite lime. These 2 items alone when incorporated into your medium will nearly eliminated about any ph problems.
And Big the only way to know for sure how hot your new medium is. Pop a seedling in it and grow. Then you will have a much better grasp on how it feeds and if you need to cut it or not. That way you are 'correcting' and not just 'guessing' And Lumi, Dan and the rest. Dont be scared to burn a plant a bit. Stop being armchair QBs, get in the game and start airing it out fromm time to time. You will each need to find the combination that play together well from your lineup..
...sorry
I'm going feed, then 'rain' + nute, then feed. I'll get these hogs plumped up yet.
