Soil PH?

[troutie]

ok got a couple of soil ph testers today..... after testing them found ph levels of 6.3 and 6.5 ... is this ok?

many thanks troutie

 

[dannyboy602]

6.8 to 7.0 is better. A little dolomite lime and water will bump it up a little.

 

[jesus of Cannabis]

 

[Toolage 87]

How do you go about testing the PH level of your soil?

I know you can test the run off but I kinda prefer to know the soil more then the run off since there's stuff in the soil that might give a different reading over the run off.

 

[troutie]

ok thanks guys...... wondered why flowering had stalled

 

[troutie]

How do you go about testing the PH level of your soil?

I know you can test the run off but I kinda prefer to know the soil more then the run off since there's stuff in the soil that might give a different reading over the run off.

went to local hardward store ...and bought a cheap ph tester ...plastic dial thing with 2 probes that go in the soil..... it also checks for water content in the soil

 

[troutie]

your chart shows i'm somewhere near right... thanks buddy

 

[jesus of Cannabis]

if you plan on growing anything of substance those plastic green 2 pronged POS wont really work. you need to get your pH dialed in and you need to watch your ppm's and thats another probe. Spend the money the first time and save money in the long run and time and energy.

 

[Toolage 87]

Thanks but how do I go about testing the PH of the soil its self and not the run off?

I am using a Digital PH Pen not one of those cheap prong kind of testers.

 

[troutie]

if you plan on growing anything of substance those plastic green 2 pronged POS wont really work. you need to get your pH dialed in and you need to watch your ppm's and thats another probe. Spend the money the first time and save money in the long run and time and energy.

i dont mind spending the cash ... but i need to find out which ones are ok ...and which are "POS" .... being new i aing got a clue

 

[Toolage 87]

i dont mind spending the cash ... but i need to find out which ones are ok ...and which are "POS" .... being new i aing got a clue

Digital PH meters are good but you have to watch what brand is good and not. You also need to buy stuff called PH 7.0 to calibrate it.

 

[troutie]

Digital PH meters are good but you have to watch what brand is good and not. You also need to buy stuff called PH 7.0 to calibrate it.

do i have to test the run off water with the digital type?.... or is it straight in the soil?

 

[Toolage 87]

do i have to test the run off water with the digital type?.... or is it straight in the soil?

Digital PH pens are used to test the PH of water. It can't test the PH of soil by sticking it into it.

 

[troutie]

thats cool ...at least i know now... will invest in a couple of those.... im not running any additional CO2 ... so would it be safe to assume that with airated water would avarage between the 4-600 ppm mark?

 

[Bwpz]

From the FoxFarm Blog:

Helpful Hint: testing for pH in soil is very different than when you test in water. Testing the runoff from a container is not always accurate as the water just drains out nutrients. If you want to use your current pH instrument instead of one calibrated for soil, you must test your pH with a slurry test. Take ½ cup of soil and mix with 1 cup of water. Let it sit for 30 minutes and test away. We recommend that everyone test their pH as it is a top cause for many plant problems, but spend the extra money on a better meter and keep the tip clean.

Someone posted this earlier, very helpful.

 

[troutie]

From the FoxFarm Blog:

Someone posted this earlier, very helpful.

yeah not bad.. copied to my note pad .... thanks bud

 

[Toolage 87]

From the FoxFarm Blog:

Someone posted this earlier, very helpful.

thank you very much. I knew testing the run off wasn't accurate. Now the question is how do you change the PH level of the soil once you find out if its to high or to low?

 

[Bwpz]

thank you very much. I knew testing the run off wasn't accurate. Now the question is how do you change the PH level of the soil once you find out if its to high or to low?

Alter what you put into the soil.

 

[Bonzi Lighthouse]

Unless your water is way out of wack, do not even worry about PH in soil, all you will do is fuck everything up trying to adjust it.

 

[Wetdog]

thank you very much. I knew testing the run off wasn't accurate. Now the question is how do you change the PH level of the soil once you find out if its to high or to low?

Reply #2 had the answer. Add some dolomite lime to your mix.

Not only does it keep your pH buffered in the correct 'range', it also supplies cal/mag. Does all this for ~$5/40lb bag at Lowes or HD.

Wet