soil question

hi guys, i understand how mediums work for hydroponics and the likes...

but with soil i'm curious as to whether you can just use ph adjusted water to water the plants, instead of using lime and other stuff (while still keeping an eye on runoff ph)

also in one of the growfaq soil ph section it mentions that as time goes on the ph of the runoff water will become lower, is this because of the stuff in the soil or the ph of the water being used?

the reason i ask is my tap water is around ph 8, and i water my chillis and tomatoes with this water as well (garden hose), so is this going to cause issues with the plants, or does the soil neutralize it?

sorry if this is an already answered and/or stupid question as well..

regards

most soil buffers, meaning you don't have to alter ph; the dirt will do that for you. be wary of peat based soils which have a low 5-5.5 ph.

KP2 said:

most soil buffers, meaning you don't have to alter ph; the dirt will do that for you. be wary of peat based soils which have a low 5-5.5 ph.

Click to expand...

how long will the buffer last though, then is it possible to adjust the watering water or is it needed to add lime etc

thanks for your reply!

regards

Buffering capacity will be stronger with the addition of lime, but most soil in acceptably buffered without it..
What you use for pH up/down will also affect the buffering capacity a bit.. (Phosphoric acid tends to react to form excellent buffers @6.5-7.0 for instance..)
The reason your pH will typically drop is due to the soil life.. Microorganisms tend to create acids as waste products.. MJ actually likes the pH at its roots to be in the 5-6 range like hydro aims for, but if you aim for that reading in soil, the areas immediately at the roots will actually be lower than the rest of the soil.. Hydro doesn't have as many of the pH dropping beasties, so the job is left up to the grower..
Micro-organisms are hugely beneficial.. They help process nutrients, and even expand the size of the root system.. Carb-loading isn't actually about feeding the plant 'directly' at all.. The purpose is to feed the soil life so they can do beneficial tasks for the plant..