rainwater to ph down or not

hi it just rained here so started filling tanks up for summer but when i took a ph reading it was 8.2ph should i ph down it and what is a good ph level for water to be. also the water is for 2 day old seedlings have have just sprouted

Without knowing what medium you are growing in, its hard to recommed a range - either way, 8.2 is outside of an ideal range, so I would lower it, down to 6.5 or there abouts, for a nice average where neuts can be absorbed. Slightly higher in some scenarios, lower in others. post more info about your soil / medium, neuts and general plan, and myself and other can give you some pointers. Happy growing!

hi im growing in nute free seed raising mix in jiffy pots at moment in my propagation dome with t5 light on top of it. germinated them in hot water cupboard then when tap root came out put in seed raising and they are about 3cm high now

i have green dream from flairform but not using it yet when should i start feeding them

From the manufactures website, they state the following:

STEP 2. pH Control Check pH is between 5.0 and 6.5. Check pH using the PH TEST KIT and adjust using PH UP or DOWN.

5.0 is right on the edge, so I would personally aim for 6.0 - 6.5 with these neuts. Read the instructions and follow them for the best results.


As for the rain water - great choice, its filled with all the good stuff, but be careful good stuff goes bad failry quickly. You have months to go, so try to find a reliable water source, and always test and adjust it.

Happy growing!

Novicegrowernz said:

i have green dream from flairform but not using it yet when should i start feeding them

Click to expand...

Post a pic if you can, seedling dont need any food for the first week or so, feeding should start as per the instructions for the neuts you have chosen. Just bear in mind that its easy to go up, but hard to fix to much - they dont need much right now, just some basics to get started

says 5ml per litre so will start at 1ml per litre. i will upload pictures in 15 minutes as im charging phone for a bit to take pics. the seeds are 20 x sqecial queen #1 , 3 x white widow and 3 x bubba kush for planting out in late spring here in nz. yeah when we have rain here we flush tanks so water is good quality as i also grow lots of tomatoes in summer here. so if i ph water to 6.2ph for one feed and then say 6.6ph next would that work

There is plenty of bark in your mix, which explains your high PH reading intially. I would water with PH adjusted rain water, to around 6.5 on the next round, and be sure to check your run off - dont feed for now, they just dont need it - they look happy and healthy at the moment. Dont over water, let them dry up nicely before you water again. Temps are spot on! try to keep it that way, and dont keep that lid on too long - seedlings will need some air movement soon after sprouting. Overall you are looking real good so far! What medium do you plan to transplant too, in a few weeks?

biofert organic mix with perlite nute free. i try to stay away from anything with slow release and this mix is awesome