Reusing sunshine mix #4
- Thread starter Cbd1981
- Start date
crimsonecho
Well-Known Member
You should take a ph reading of your medium first. Slurry test is reliable way to do so.
getogrow
Well-Known Member
no, just add lime an lots of other goodies and if you have time , let all of it sit together for a month or so ...then you have new soil. You can reuse right away , its just better to have reused already "cooked" an ready. i would not worry about ph, the lime will fix it without you bothering with it.
Cbd1981
Well-Known Member
How much lime? Just follow directions on bag?
Chip Green
Well-Known Member
Uhhhh....
Lime is used to RAISE the pH, not lower it.
That being said, the soil is most likely just fine as it is.
Lime is used to RAISE the pH, not lower it.
That being said, the soil is most likely just fine as it is.
getogrow
Well-Known Member
No , the lime is a buffer , it will raise or lower. if my memory is right.
a heaping handful to about 5/10 gallons of soil will work. your not gonna overdo it so dont worry.
getogrow
Well-Known Member
Ideally , you want to flush the mix out with regular water , then stir it up real good till it drys out some, then add all your stuff to it, add a bit of water with molasses , stir the mix up every few days/weeks till you use it.
If your last plant were very healthy then no need in flushing the soil....just use the other steps, if you do it right , your soil will be healthier every time.
If your last plant were very healthy then no need in flushing the soil....just use the other steps, if you do it right , your soil will be healthier every time.
hotrodharley
Well-Known Member
“What is the purpose of lime in the soil?
The effects of agricultural lime on soil are: it increases the pH of acidic soil (the lower the pH the more acidic the soil); in other words, soil acidity is reduced and alkalinity increased. it provides a source of calcium and magnesium for plants. it permits improved water penetration for acidic soils,”
hotrodharley
Well-Known Member
Don’t add lime. Lime is for when the peat is fresh and the pH is around 5.
MidwestGorilla219
Well-Known Member
What is your water source? Hard water often has a ph between 7.5 and 8 and can swing soil ph into that range over time. I also would not add lime, I would mix some sphagnum peat moss and compost/wormcastings into the top 12 inches of soil.
Cbd1981
Well-Known Member
Water is tap water from my well and the ph of that is always around 8.
kratos015
Well-Known Member
Be cautious with that water. I'm on a well too and actually had to stop using amendments with Calcium in them because of how calcified my well water is. The Calcium in well water is actually not water soluble, so what happens every time you water is the Calcium in the well water will stay in your soil in the form of salts. Well water will cause excess Calcium to be in your soil, which will eventually cause pH issues because your pH will always be at around 8 (my well water's pH is also
. I had the pleasure of dealing with this for ~2 years, so I got to find out about this the hard way. In fact, the only reason I realized the Calcium was a problem was because the bottoms of my fabric pots were showing the same scaling that my faucets get. Eventually I realized the excess Calcium was causing issues for me.
Remember how I mentioned the Calcium isn't water soluble and will build up in the form of salts? That salt build up is pretty much dolomite lime, so every time I watered was like simultaneously top dressing with lime. Needless to say I had all sorts of problems that had me scratching my head for years. My soil had loads of Calcium in it from the Gypsum, Crab Meal, and Oyster Shell Flour as the soil buffer.
I finally dealt with that and found a way to make my well water work for me. I made an entirely new batch of soil, omitting all forms of Calcium when mixing my new soil. No lime, no OSF, no Gypsum, absolutely no Calcium in the soil mix. My theory was that my water will act as the pH buffer, due to it effectively being dolomite lime infused water. I used peat moss (very acidic, ~3-3.5pH) and no lime/calcium inputs, and my calcified well water (8pH) and I haven't had a single issue every since. My pH is constantly around 6.5 now, perfect.
Did you notice any "phantom" deficiencies in your last grow using well water? Signs of Ca, Mg, K, P, and N deficiencies were common place for me, combined with stunted growth.
I'd personally recommend not even dumping your old pots. Simply grab yourself some compost and some organic amendments of your choice and top dress the pots with them, keeping the soil consistently moist until you're ready to use it again.
However, you'll need to take the lime from your last grow into consideration. If the lime hasn't fully decomposed yet (and it likely hasn't) then you may want to look into making new soil with zero Calcium inputs, or getting RO water some how. You won't have much luck using pH down in the well water, the calcium content in the water will pretty much always keep it buffered at 7.5-8 no matter what you do. The amount of money you'd end up spending on pH down is better used to get yourself a RO system, or simply making a new soil.
Cbd1981
Well-Known Member
No stunted growth here!Be cautious with that water. I'm on a well too and actually had to stop using amendments with Calcium in them because of how calcified my well water is. The Calcium in well water is actually not water soluble, so what happens every time you water is the Calcium in the well water will stay in your soil in the form of salts. Well water will cause excess Calcium to be in your soil, which will eventually cause pH issues because your pH will always be at around 8 (my well water's pH is also
In fact, the only reason I realized the Calcium was a problem was because the bottoms of my fabric pots were showing the same scaling that my faucets get. Eventually I realized the excess Calcium was causing issues for me.
Remember how I mentioned the Calcium isn't water soluble and will build up in the form of salts? That salt build up is pretty much dolomite lime, so every time I watered was like simultaneously top dressing with lime. Needless to say I had all sorts of problems that had me scratching my head for years. My soil had loads of Calcium in it from the Gypsum, Crab Meal, and Oyster Shell Flour as the soil buffer.
I finally dealt with that and found a way to make my well water work for me. I made an entirely new batch of soil, omitting all forms of Calcium when mixing my new soil. No lime, no OSF, no Gypsum, absolutely no Calcium in the soil mix. My theory was that my water will act as the pH buffer, due to it effectively being dolomite lime infused water. I used peat moss (very acidic, ~3-3.5pH) and no lime/calcium inputs, and my calcified well water (8pH) and I haven't had a single issue every since. My pH is constantly around 6.5 now, perfect.
Did you notice any "phantom" deficiencies in your last grow using well water? Signs of Ca, Mg, K, P, and N deficiencies were common place for me, combined with stunted growth.
I'd personally recommend not even dumping your old pots. Simply grab yourself some compost and some organic amendments of your choice and top dress the pots with them, keeping the soil consistently moist until you're ready to use it again.
However, you'll need to take the lime from your last grow into consideration. If the lime hasn't fully decomposed yet (and it likely hasn't) then you may want to look into making new soil with zero Calcium inputs, or getting RO water some how. You won't have much luck using pH down in the well water, the calcium content in the water will pretty much always keep it buffered at 7.5-8 no matter what you do. The amount of money you'd end up spending on pH down is better used to get yourself a RO system, or simply making a new soil.
getogrow
Well-Known Member
your fine with well water and adding lime.... hes reusing old peat and growing outdoors in pots that have been outdoors.
you watered with a ph of around 8 all year , its NOT going to change the soil's ph. you guys are wasting lots of time and money on a weed. ph is for hydro period.
that said , yes just add some good comppost/castings and whatever you did last year and you will be 100% satisfied. next year amend the soil in the fall after harvest....be nice and ready for the next year
you watered with a ph of around 8 all year , its NOT going to change the soil's ph. you guys are wasting lots of time and money on a weed. ph is for hydro period.
that said , yes just add some good comppost/castings and whatever you did last year and you will be 100% satisfied. next year amend the soil in the fall after harvest....be nice and ready for the next year
getogrow
Well-Known Member
thanks for reminding me. i watch and old guy waste enough lime in each plant for me to do a tote or two...he does that in fresh promix/sunshine , so i know your not going to overdo the lime.
hotrodharley
Well-Known Member
Lime is in short supply here (Alaska) because of so much peat used. Including me. Fresh peat. I find my resused has a more neutral pH.
getogrow
Well-Known Member
i read somwhere that peat moss is around 5 on the ph.... but i read that sphagnum peat is closer to neutral ? i havent had a frsh bag of peat in so long , i cant test it.