PH is 0 in my soil

ya i know this is really bad. so i thought i would spice up the soil in the garden for summer.it seemed really clay like so i put a bag in a half perlite, 3/4 yard compost, blood meal, bone meal, and some lime. its a simi raised bed 8ft wide by 12 long. i tilled it all in and it looks great drains great and all that but put the PH tester in it and the PH is 0 in many spots and some go up to a low 5. i want to put my babys in there in a couple weeks, how can i fix this. more lime, wood ash just go add some soil from the store? ekkk help of any kind please
 

YungMoolaBaby

Well-Known Member
What kind of lime are you using? The only lime you should be using with cannabis is dolomite lime. Anything else will severely acidify your medium.
 

whiteflour

Well-Known Member
First off what kind of ph tester are you using? If it's one of those $15 soil meters forget it. Better off taking a bag of dirt to your county extension office or forestry commission for a real test. I'd gather your soil is in the 5-6 range and is probably just fine. Those cheap meters usually need the dirt to be a soup, and by that time your getting as much ph from water as your are dirt.
 
the bag says garden lime. that it stablize ph at 6.5 in 2 months. and ya the ph tester is from walmart haha i added two cups of the lime with a spreader. the thing thats weird is the ph tester will say 1-3 ph then move it less then an inch and its 4-6. are those hot spots. i read if i take the lime and let it set in a bowl of water then add it that it works faster. my plants arnt in the soil but are root bound in bags so i need to fix it quick. what would adding FFOF do.
 

whiteflour

Well-Known Member
You're probably just getting the meter onto a chunk of something acidic. Trust me if it was 0 you wouldn't be able to stick your finger in it, that's the acidity of battery acid lol. I wouldn't waste money on FFOF unless you are going to plant in it. It's soil not a soil additive. You'll be better off buying composted steer manure, chicken manure, guano, etc than spend a bunch of money on dirt mixed those products, but won't cover an area half the size.
 

Wetdog

Well-Known Member
the bag says garden lime. that it stablize ph at 6.5 in 2 months. and ya the ph tester is from walmart haha i added two cups of the lime with a spreader. the thing thats weird is the ph tester will say 1-3 ph then move it less then an inch and its 4-6. are those hot spots. i read if i take the lime and let it set in a bowl of water then add it that it works faster. my plants arnt in the soil but are root bound in bags so i need to fix it quick. what would adding FFOF do.
Add more lime. My bed is right at the same size (6'x11'), and I used about 6 cups of lime. Work it in well with a shovel, then water well and you are as GTG as you are going to get.

Throw the tester away, it is worse than useless.

Wet
 

trichlone fiend

New Member
...I think the problem is your pH meter. Some of those bags of lime they sell are not rapid release, btw.... some take months to become active. Did you get the rapid release?

I wouldn't stress too hard on your pH in soil. Add the lime, your pH should stay in check.
The soil in my yard was clay (redish), I mixed petemoss, perlite, and rapid release dolomite lime...and they love it.
I use organic fertilizers only in my garden (earthworm castings, guano, kelp as a compost tea) and have never had a pH issue.
 
ya im going to add a lil more lime im scared of the stuff really and burning my plants. then just run the tiller through it again. i did add 3/4 yard compost and bone&blood meal. im hoping everything will be okay becuase its just soil and my walmart PH tester is pointless. but to all that repleys thanks a bunch. and i think just out of paranoa im going to dig my holes and fill with FFOF just in case like half bag of FFOF per hole.
 

stowandgrow

Active Member
ya im going to add a lil more lime im scared of the stuff really and burning my plants. then just run the tiller through it again. i did add 3/4 yard compost and bone&blood meal. im hoping everything will be okay becuase its just soil and my walmart PH tester is pointless. but to all that repleys thanks a bunch. and i think just out of paranoa im going to dig my holes and fill with FFOF just in case like half bag of FFOF per hole.
That shit is $20.00+ per bag.
 
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