Soil depleted of nutes - ph @ 7.2 - lockout present - what should I do ??

[Dreamscape]

hey all

i'm on the verge of having a breakdown over here...

After flushing my plants the soil pH is still over 7

Cal/Mag and other pH lockout deficiencies are present ...

I definitely have Lockout issues - but I also think the soil is depleted of nutes as well (MoonshineManMix)


my question is ... should I just continue to flush until the pH is at around 6.5 and THEN add some cal/mag ??

or should I just start adding my floranova feed in hopes that it will bring the soil pH back down ??

Should I flush then feed the floranova + the cal/mag ??

The plants haven't really filled out the smart pots just yet so I dont think transplanting is the best thing to do at this point , but i'm also a beginner so i could be wrong.

please help if you can

thanks
~ dream

 

[maryjohn]

Aerated compost tea and stop flushing if that involves too much water. 7.2 should be fine in a normal organic grow. Nutes may be locked out but the microherd has keys.

What size pot how big the plant?

 

[habeeb]

you can't flush out dolomite, from what I know. are you sure it's lockout issues?

I would just feed lower PH till your plants look better then lift back up the PH

 

[BurnOne]

 

[JackTheGrower]

Well i don't get it either but yeah liquid kelp is a great tonic.. Do you have some kelp?

That help cure the stress for your plants.

Your style is somewhat chemical it looks..

Soil is the host for life. The pH isn't a true reflection of the conditions on your plant roots in a healthy soil.

So as MJ suggested dilute the chemical in your soil with some brew of natural liquid like a good compost leach or perhaps a weak kelp brew..

Then go with some standards like top dressing? I would also water with kelp as you see fit.. Then some minerals like Azomite top dressed.

Or you could get some ground coffee and top dress and water.. That would lower the pH and add nitrogen however, you still need to feed IMO..

Sorry for your distress..

 

[Dreamscape]

thanks to everyone for the help

i'm currently in 1 gallon smart pots ... I'm not 100% positive its lockout issues because i'm a beginner. But I have been testing the soil pH for the past couple of waterings and its been above 7.0 for quite a number of days now.

So maybe its just that it needs some food and not just lockout? Again i'm a beginner so I had just naturally assumed that when the soil pH is around 7.2 and higher that its instant lockout.

I dont have any kelp and i dont have any bubbling equipment or compost teas. I was hoping they would be ready for a transplant by the time the nutes started running out so I didn't have to use the floranova feed but that doesn't seem to be the case ...


do you guys think i should foliar feed with cal/mag AND floranova grow ... or just one or the other ??

thanks again everyone

 

[big_daddy]

thanks to everyone for the help

i'm currently in 1 gallon smart pots ... I'm not 100% positive its lockout issues because i'm a beginner. But I have been testing the soil pH for the past couple of waterings and its been above 7.0 for quite a number of days now.

So maybe its just that it needs some food and not just lockout? Again i'm a beginner so I had just naturally assumed that when the soil pH is around 7.2 and higher that its instant lockout.

I dont have any kelp and i dont have any bubbling equipment or compost teas. I was hoping they would be ready for a transplant by the time the nutes started running out so I didn't have to use the floranova feed but that doesn't seem to be the case ...


do you guys think i should foliar feed with cal/mag AND floranova grow ... or just one or the other ??

thanks again everyone

Try testing the pH of the runoff, rather than the soil. A proper organic soil mix should buffer pH without having to use pH up/down in your nutrient solution.

 

[Dreamscape]

Did that ... still overly alkaline above 7. And there is also dolomite lime in my soil as well.

Last night I fed with 5 ml/gal Cal/Mag + and woke up to a couple of the plants looking a bit burned by it - leave tips curling up and in , especially on the ones that were already rusted and showing major deficiencies.


At this point i'm contemplating a few things :

1.) Foliar feeding at some point in the next hour or so with either Floranova grow or Cal/Mag +.

2.) Waiting another couple of days and then feeding with either floranova grow or Cal/Mag+ at a lower pH.

3.) Waiting another couple of days and then foliar feed allowing them time to soak in the cal/mag I fed them before lights out last night.

4.) pluck all plants from their 1 gallon smart pots and either

A.) clear out old soil not connected to the root ball and back fill with fresh MSMix.

B.) depending on how large the root ball is inside of the smart pot transplanting to either a 2 gallon smart pot or 3 gallon. (only have 4 2gallon smart pots though and 8 plants)


... what do you guys think??

 

[Dreamscape]

??

 

[maryjohn]

You should wait. If it needs a transplant it needs a bare-root transplant.

Try tea or leach like burn said. A few handfuls of compost in a bucket, stir, and pour.

When it's working, there will be changes in the root zone that unlock the nutes, and if it's working properly there won't be runoff.

 

[Weird Jimmy]

try a product like humboldt prozyme or earth juice catalyst. I would also try using a good humic and fulvic acid; Humboldt and Advanced Nutrients both make good products.

All that stuff should help free up some nutes, and help make the root zone a healthier place.

 

[maryjohn]

what exactly is a prozyme?

 

[Weird Jimmy]

what exactly is a prozyme?

It's an enzyme product from Humboldt Nutrients. It's a catalyst that helps break down nutrients and carbs so your plants have an easier time absorbing and using them. I guess it also breaks down dead roots. Good product, a little pricey.

 

[maryjohn]

sounds like complete bullshit. A handful of compost has tons of enzymes and enzyme factories called microbes. If you are breaking down old roots a bit of bokashi or EM-1, maybe some worms dropped in the pot will do it all. Temperature is important; cold dirt does not break down quickly.

please don't buy that crap, or at least stop buying it. And whoever sold it to you is not to be trusted. Hit up a real garden center.

 

[BIOJenn]

flush the soil with PH'd water till the runoff reads at a good PH..then water with good nutes at a good ppm and again make shur its ph'd

 

[maryjohn]

flush the soil with PH'd water till the runoff reads at a good PH..then water with good nutes at a good ppm and again make shur its ph'd

this is the organic forum...

 

[Sir_Nugget]

dude... if your soil has a pH of 7 due to lime.. water it with RO water, that should bring the pH down if your RO water has a low pH like 4-5... Also, try feeding via a tea, and feed yor micro herd,

 

[Weird Jimmy]

sounds like complete bullshit. A handful of compost has tons of enzymes and enzyme factories called microbes. If you are breaking down old roots a bit of bokashi or EM-1, maybe some worms dropped in the pot will do it all. Temperature is important; cold dirt does not break down quickly.

please don't buy that crap, or at least stop buying it. And whoever sold it to you is not to be trusted. Hit up a real garden center.

Do you use any bottled supplements? Or are you strictly soil mix and compost teas?

This website's the best, I love reading everyone's opinions and being able to ask all the questions I want

 

[Mr. Hugeblunts]

IDK why this is in the organic forum when the OP is not growing organic.

He is using floranova and cal-mag...

 

[maryjohn]

Lol I figured they were organic. I'm not familiar with hydro store details.

OP: go organic!

Weird Jimmy: I use very little from a bottle, just neptunes harvest. It's made from menhaden, so it is my last bottle. Bad karma there. The rest is my trash or dry amendments.