P.H'ing
- Thread starter DSinatra
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RockinDaGanja
Well-Known Member
Theres really no set number. You want your ph to drift a little. For instance ceartain nutrients are absorbed with lower ph like your micro nutrients iron, boron, zinc.
Your npk get absorbed with higher ph. Someone with more knowledge could probabley explain it a little better
Your npk get absorbed with higher ph. Someone with more knowledge could probabley explain it a little better
RockinDaGanja
Well-Known Member
This might help.
In soil I don't think it matters much. If your nutes aren't strong they won't require much ph-up to move that solution's ph. Likewise, if your soil has a good amount of dolomite (I use 1-1/2 to 2 tbsp/gal), it's going to move your nutrient ph more than your nutrient ph will move the soil.
If overfeeding then the nutrient solution's ph could pull the soil ph more. But, this is a vicious cycle. Strong nutrient solution requires much more ph-up, adding more K, making the nutrients stronger (and less balanced). You're going to have acidic soil from salt buildup more than the ph of the nutrient solution.
It probably has something to do with the ph your nutrients produce. I'd be nervous about unph'ed nutrient solution if it was 5.2. If the nutes are in the 5.8-6.8 range, I don't think it matters.
Something I recently noticed: calmag appears to contribute a lot of acidity to nutrients. I was replacing my RO water's lost minerals using 2ml (4ml in flower) calmag. My final ph (using Grow More Sea Grow) was ~6.2 in flower. I stopped using calmag, mixing tap water with RO to get a starting point of ~150ppm. My final ph is now ~6.6. It appears calmag is considerably acidic.
I agree with rockin. When I phed my nutrients, I varied the ph +/- 0.2 But, if you monitor your soil's ph using a soil probe, the ph rises a full point as it dries. Mine is 5.6-5.8 after watering, and 6.6-6.8 when time to feed water again. That adds to my perception that nutrient ph isn't as critical in soil (if your soil is good.).
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DSinatra
Well-Known Member
Thats what mine is at right now. Same thing last night. I thought it would of degassed and raised the ph but it didn't. Maybe because my nutes are Damn near organic? I'll have to check again tomorrow
churchhaze
Well-Known Member
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DSinatra
Well-Known Member
churchhaze
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panhead
Well-Known Member
I dont ever " Set " ph at any special number , if your nutes are mixed right the ph shouldnt need much adjustment , after i do a rez change as long as the rez is within the 5-6 range i dont fuk with it .
Ive also found that if my rez keeps wanting to go up or down & drift its usually for a reason where the plants need better access to a certain nute & i let it drift around , i'll let it go down into the low 4 range & up into the high 6 range for a day or 2 if it wants , most times the low/high ph will resolve itself & be back within the 5.5 range in a day or so without my intervention .
Ive also found that if my rez keeps wanting to go up or down & drift its usually for a reason where the plants need better access to a certain nute & i let it drift around , i'll let it go down into the low 4 range & up into the high 6 range for a day or 2 if it wants , most times the low/high ph will resolve itself & be back within the 5.5 range in a day or so without my intervention .
King Arthur
Well-Known Member
I am with you, I don't know if you feel like using the ph up and down cause any problems but I don't think they help as much as people think. I let my PH do its own thing, I have been in the habbit of keeping the plants happy and not worrying about how much gets pumped into them. I am doing a trial run on my hydro tray and I am at week 8 with 0 tank changes and everything is still looking healthy. I think that the nutrient companies taught a lot of my generation the wrong way to grow or a different way. Some people do great with advanced nutrients, some do great with the lucas formula. WHo knows.
For me, when the runoff ph went below 5.4 I was facing salt buildup, nutrient lockout. But, as mentioned in another thread in the "general" area a few minutes ago: runoff ph is hugely inaccurate. I wouldn't place much value on it unless you measured every feeding for 4 weeks. Then the *trend* would signify something. (As mentioned in that other post, google for "NCSU pour thru method" to understand why casual runoff measurement isn't reliable.).
If you're in early to mid veg, it's too soon for soil acidification unless you're using a bad soil (for example, didn't add dolomite). But, 5.4 would concern me. You can sprinkle fine-textured dolomite on the soil at about 1 tsp/gal of soil, rake it into the top soil with a fork and water it in with your regular feeding. Do that 2-3 times (to get to 1tbsp/gal of dolomite added) and that could help. But, it's better to add 1-2 tbsp/gal dolomite to the soil before planting. Feed for sufficient runoff, like 20-30%. That may be unnecessary. But, if you're not sure what's happening, heavy runoff is good insurance.
I use bags of stuff called pro mix from the hydroponic store..should I use a drop of pH up when I'm getting 5.3-5.5 cause its been like this my last two waterings.. Multiple pots
Before watering its 6.2 should I make it 6.5 instead
I know its probably not that important
.but I wanna keep it right
Promix has dolomite, but not enough IMO. I would add 1.5-2 Tbsp/gal when potting. Right now you can top dress as I explained.
Yes, I would ph my nutrients higher to help hold the soil ph higher. I'd also water for 20% runoff.
You're in soilless which people common ph their nutrients to 5.8 in veg, 6.2 in flower. So, it's already expected to be a little lower than soil's recommended 6.5. But, still, 5.4 is on the low side (although I wouldn't read much into it without following it as a trend over a longer time). Topdressing some dolomite and watering for 20% runoff should be enough. I don't think you'd have to ph higher than 6.4 to help pull the soil higher. But, that depends on whether you see a trend where it keeps going lower. If it holds in the 5.4 range, I'd water at ph 5.8 to 6.0 in veg, 6.0-2.6 in flower.
Regarding whether to ph or not, remember that you're in soilless. Your medium doesn't have the minerals and organic compounds (and microbial life) to interact with the solution's ph. It's more like hydro. I've grown this way and had great results. But, 5.4 probably isn't too bad. Keep in mind that it rises as it dries. When it's time to water again, it could be as high as 6.6. (You can get a $60 Control Wizard Accurate 8 probe if you want to monitor your soil ph.).
I mix 20-25% Kellogg Patio Plus outdoor potting mix, and 20-25% perlite to my Promix HP. No vermiculite (although it could be useful if I grew under HPS whose radiant heat can dry soil faster). I treat it as soil, not soilless. But, it's a light soil.
Yes, I would ph my nutrients higher to help hold the soil ph higher. I'd also water for 20% runoff.
You're in soilless which people common ph their nutrients to 5.8 in veg, 6.2 in flower. So, it's already expected to be a little lower than soil's recommended 6.5. But, still, 5.4 is on the low side (although I wouldn't read much into it without following it as a trend over a longer time). Topdressing some dolomite and watering for 20% runoff should be enough. I don't think you'd have to ph higher than 6.4 to help pull the soil higher. But, that depends on whether you see a trend where it keeps going lower. If it holds in the 5.4 range, I'd water at ph 5.8 to 6.0 in veg, 6.0-2.6 in flower.
Regarding whether to ph or not, remember that you're in soilless. Your medium doesn't have the minerals and organic compounds (and microbial life) to interact with the solution's ph. It's more like hydro. I've grown this way and had great results. But, 5.4 probably isn't too bad. Keep in mind that it rises as it dries. When it's time to water again, it could be as high as 6.6. (You can get a $60 Control Wizard Accurate 8 probe if you want to monitor your soil ph.).
I mix 20-25% Kellogg Patio Plus outdoor potting mix, and 20-25% perlite to my Promix HP. No vermiculite (although it could be useful if I grew under HPS whose radiant heat can dry soil faster). I treat it as soil, not soilless. But, it's a light soil.
Ok true..so I'll just try n make my pH a little higher.. I was using 2l per 3gallon pot and had quite a bit of runoff so I switched to 1.5l per pot and didn't have any runoff..is it good to have runoff everyyytime? Last time I watered and had runoff I didn't have to water for 5 days lol
Typically yes, especially if using a new soil/nute combination and haven't dialed it in yet. When it's dialed in, in theory you should be able to feed exactly what the plant needs and there would be no salt build up (unused nutrients). In reality, the plant may use more N than PK, leaving an imbalance of nutrients behind. Displacing that with a fresh balance is good. (Like hydrogrowers who replenish their reservoir for awhile, then replace it with fresh nutes).
If you use a truly organic soil, feeding only water (and maybe teas occasionally), I don't think you'd want runoff. It's a different thing where microbes participate with the plant to provide just what the plant needs.