Does pH change over time?

adultswiivi

adultswiivi

Active Member
I let tap water sit out and evap. For a few days. Then I add my nutes and always have to pH up to 6.5 from 4.0 do I need to check pH of my gallon of water/nutes every time I feed?? Or will it remain at 6.5??

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FuckJeffGoldbloom

FuckJeffGoldbloom

Well-Known Member
Good methods make for a good grower... get into the habit of always checking the PH, and/or as you add nutes, the PH can change.

Better smart than sorry.

But I know plenty of growers, hempy growers for example that never check the PH, since they believe they are dialed in.

But overall I like to always know what i'm feeding my girls, PH is one of those vital things you dont want to really mess up
 
qwizoking

qwizoking

Well-Known Member
Yes... either up or down depending on some shit I don't know...has to do with the roots uptake cations and anions in your nutes etc

I've never checked ph...ever, but it does matter..you should learn to read your plants and adjust accordingly
 
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Ckma

Member
hes talking about just plain water sitting out not being used in the hydro yet presumably to remove chlorine im assuming... answer is yes it will fluctuate when free standing so check it every time
 
qwizoking

qwizoking

Well-Known Member
Yes it will.. in a perfect world distilled water has a neural ph of 7..over time it absorbs co2 ions and the ph will lower to about 5..you can bring it back up by boiling out the trapped co2
Same principle for all water..distilled is just more "deionized" than others
 
Adjorr

Adjorr

Well-Known Member
as soon as I stop checking my ph because I think I have it dialed in is exactly the time I start having issues. always check ur ph right before giving it to ur plants
 
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spek9

Well-Known Member
I agree; test pH frequently. I've gone from hand-watering (mixing water every feed) to oasis auto-drip systems, and I check my pH in the res prior to every feeding.

pH is one of those things that if you get wrong and water all of your plants, your entire crop can suffer.

-spek
 
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plaguedog

Active Member
If you have a stable, good soil mix, pH will not be a problem. If you are running hydo, the pH is much more important. I use a good mix and have never had a pH problem and I have never had to check the pH....
 
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spek9

Well-Known Member
plaguedog said:
If you have a stable, good soil mix, pH will not be a problem. If you are running hydo, the pH is much more important. I use a good mix and have never had a pH problem and I have never had to check the pH....
Click to expand...
This is incorrect. pH is equally important in soil. Nute uptake is the same whether hydro or soil... the plants require a specific pH range to be able to absorb nutes.

pH is one of the largest factors to a successful grow in hydro and in soil. Not everyone's tap water is within a decent range.

-spek
 
Adjorr

Adjorr

Well-Known Member
plaguedog said:
If you have a stable, good soil mix, pH will not be a problem. If you are running hydo, the pH is much more important. I use a good mix and have never had a pH problem and I have never had to check the pH....
Click to expand...
not if u keep pouring water into its that's outside the proper ph range, over time the ph of the soil will rise or fall based on whats been added to it. Having a good stable soil is the start to a good grow, but u shouldn't just assume its going to stay the same ph no matter what u put into it. always ph check ur water imho
 
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plaguedog

Active Member
If you have a real bad water source you can have issues. I've been growing for years and NEVER have had a pH issue. Of course everyone has different sources. But adding amendments like Dolomite lime, or EWC can help keep it in balance. It takes a long time to change the pH of a good soil/soiless mix, usually longer then a pot plants life span..... Do you guys know the difference between high pH and high alkalinity? There is a difference.

And I would like to know how you are all testing the SOIL ph, not the run-off.

HUGE DIFFERENCE.
 
AimAim

AimAim

Well-Known Member
spek9 said:
This is incorrect. pH is equally important in soil. Nute uptake is the same whether hydro or soil... the plants require a specific pH range to be able to absorb nutes. pH is one of the largest factors to a successful grow in hydro and in soil. Not everyone's tap water is within a decent range.-spek
Click to expand...

You are missing the point. A good buffered soil will handle all you put in it.

Read the following from a RIUer who explains it well. It does not matter (within reason) the pH of what you put in, nor what runs out. The soil itself will buffer the soil solution to a perfect pH

https://www.rollitup.org/blogs/blog17764-ph-your-tap-water-soil.html
 
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plaguedog

Active Member
http://www.greenhousegrower.com/crop-inputs/fertilization/understanding-plant-nutrition-limestone-and-ph/
http://www.greenhousegrower.com/uncategorized/understanding-plant-nutrition-limestone-calcium-and-magnesium/
http://www.greenhousegrower.com/crop-inputs/fertilization/understanding-plant-nutrition-nutrient-sources-media-cation-exchange-capacity/

Just a few articles on what we are talking about here. In general, unless you are reusing your soil/soiless mix the buffering capabilities of the mix stop pH drift from happening over the short period of time we are growing these plants.
 
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plaguedog

Active Member
Adjorr said:
not if u keep pouring water into its that's outside the proper ph range, over time the ph of the soil will rise or fall based on whats been added to it. Having a good stable soil is the start to a good grow, but u shouldn't just assume its going to stay the same ph no matter what u put into it. always ph check ur water imho
Click to expand...
Another pot forum myth.... Do some research, starting with some of the links I or AImAim provided you with.

There is a reason companies like Premier (Pro-Mix) etc.. add dolomite lime to peat based container mixes, to help stabilize pH and buffer pH over the course of a container grow. Also EWC is a great natural buffer as well because of all the humic acid is naturally provides, which again, help the mix buffer pH levels.
 
adultswiivi

adultswiivi

Active Member
So in my next grow if I use lime in the soil it will help me maintain a more neutral level if I under and or over pH what I put in?

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