The Importance of pH

Found a really simply diagram showing how plants uptake nutrients at certain pH levels. If you have any other input about pH; like how you do yours, what you use to correct your pH, do you even pH, etc....

Thanks.

It's importance is directly associated with the style/type of growing that is being done.

I'm in organic soil. I never ph

superbak3d said:

I'm in organic soil. I never ph

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Because you have a properly mixed soil. pH is unimportant until it's screwed up. So.. ultimately pH matters. It's like asking if water is important.

Headadead said:

Because you have a properly mixed soil. pH is unimportant until it's screwed up. So.. ultimately pH matters. It's like asking if water is important.

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The importance of PH is dependent on the grow medium.

My tap water has a PH ~7.2... I'm using those shitty aquarium testers with the glass tubes and the dropper solutions. My fish tank however has a low PH around 6.0 or lower.. as long as I test the ammonia in my tank.. couldn't I mix my tank water with tap water to create a better ph?

Yes it's important for coco and peat based mediums to ph around 5.8-6.2. For soil it isn't important unless it's completely out of the neutral range. Yes nutrients are available in certain ranges and an important thing to note is that too much of one nutrient can lockout another for example too much Ca can lock out Mg and vice versa BUT this cannot be righted by adding more Mg! One has to use less Ca for the Mg to become unlocked and available. I can post more on this later if anyone is interested.

sbga420 said:

My tap water has a PH ~7.2... I'm using those shitty aquarium testers with the glass tubes and the dropper solutions. My fish tank however has a low PH around 6.0 or lower.. as long as I test the ammonia in my tank.. couldn't I mix my tank water with tap water to create a better ph?

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MJ usually prefers a sub 7 pH so using aquarium water is fine. In fact, it is an excellent source of organic Nitrogen and beneficial bacteria. Same water used in an Aquaponics system. Yes, adding the fish tank water to the tap water will dilute and lower the pH of the solution. However, most tap water has chlorine in it which can defeat the purpose of beneficial bacteria. R.O. is a preferred method of water filtration.

Using soil definitely gives you a buffer in many areas. But with the AN "pH perfect" I never pH when I feed. Even with adding humics, great white, epsom, HiBrix, enzymes... i still don't pH. Its been a practice over time I guess by just using the EC/PPM I know where Im at. So say I want to hit them harder I would use say 1800ppm, no pH check. If they are young then maybe a 600ppm. Now I have used a ppm of 2k+ (meter only went to 2k) and they were slightly burnt. But since using a variety of nutrient lines and narrowing it down, pHing isn't something I do anymore. Haven't had any issues. No lockouts or deficiencies so things are on track, for about 2 years now.

I wanted to know if anyone has seen direct results of over/under pHing your feeding and how it has affected your final product.

Thanks...

Cobnobuler said:

It's importance is directly associated with the style/type of growing that is being done.

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Can you indulge a little more...?

Typically the problem isn't a whacked out ph but rather a lockout or deficiency caused by giving too much of a certain macro/micronutrient. Tap water comes out around neutral.

I believe many cannabis specific products such as ANs ph perfect is a waste of money. Just add one tablespoon of fine dolomite lime per gallon of root substrate and be done with it. Can almost guarantee you will see the same results.

Also with time and experience, you get to knowing what will raise or lower PH. For instance by now I know when I feed with a Silicate, I know thats going to push the PH up a little. I'll add 2 drops of PH down and I know that will bring it into range since I've done it so many times.. Again, I grow in soil and I worry almost nothing about PH.

Great input. Epsom salt raises your pH significantly but it has essential nutrients. AN so far has worked the best for me. Vegamatrix was good but weak and never really came to full fruition. Sense A/B was probably the lower end of the nutrients used so far. AN Connoisseur A/B has been a great base nutrient and is so simple to use. This is all growing in soil, an organic blend of mixed putting soil (composted soil/bat guano/and earthworm castings, mixed with coco and perlite). Botanicare was simple but more effort with a longer line of nutrients and the end result was, eh.

DesertGrow89 said:

Typically the problem isn't a whacked out ph but rather a lockout or deficiency caused by giving too much of a certain macro/micronutrient. Tap water comes out around neutral.

I believe many cannabis specific products such as ANs ph perfect is a waste of money. Just add one tablespoon of fine dolomite lime per gallon of root substrate and be done with it. Can almost guarantee you will see the same results.

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Adding the Dolomite Lime.... How does this effect the pH?

Doogan said:

Adding the Dolomite Lime.... How does this effect the pH?

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it acts as a buffer so anything too acidic gets reduced to a more neutral range.

It basically means you can throw your ph meter in the trash.

superbak3d said:

It basically means you can throw your ph meter in the trash.

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I believe this without a doubt.....But I know there are others that don't.

Doogan said:

Great input. Epsom salt raises your pH significantly but it has essential nutrients. AN so far has worked the best for me. Vegamatrix was good but weak and never really came to full fruition. Sense A/B was probably the lower end of the nutrients used so far. AN Connoisseur A/B has been a great base nutrient and is so simple to use. This is all growing in soil, an organic blend of mixed putting soil (composted soil/bat guano/and earthworm castings, mixed with coco and perlite). Botanicare was simple but more effort with a longer line of nutrients and the end result was, eh.

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Apple cider vinegar for ph down its dirt cheap I grow in a peat based mix and never need to raise.

All plants need their root zone to be in the proper ph range or Percent of Hydrogen available including the trees growing in your yard. Nobody adjusts ph of trees because it is the soil itself that regulates the availability of nutrients. It is the same for weed plants. You either balance the ph in the soil by using amendments when you build a mix or buy it already balanced. If not using soil like a hydroponic medium then the ph must be adjusted in range using nutrients/additives that contain ph buffers.
Having a mix or hydroponic solution that is in the proper ph range for plants to uptake nutrients is beyond super important. But then again if you buy any quality bagged soil the ph is typically balanced already. However once you add synthetic liquid nutrients that contain ph buffers to any organic mix that is already balanced the ph drops slightly for a time until it is washed out of the soil in subsequent waterings. Alotta peeps get ph issues because they use too much nutrient in a mix that has more than the plants need to begin with. So if you grow in soil use nutes sparingly if at all & don't worry about ph so much; the mix should remain balanced as long as you don't add anything weird. In hydroponics check the ph often because it is this measure that will tell you many things lik if you've got issues Iike bacteria or too weak a ppm.

What does the Yellow and Purple represent?

Citric acid for ph down. A little dab will do you. I add a little less than 1/4 teaspoon per gallon. It's worked for me.