Correcting soil Ph the "right" way

[funkervogt]

Hey All,

I was watering/feeding some plants the other day and decided to test the runoff Ph because the plants were showing signs of mag/cal def. Watering with 6.3, the plants were leaking ~5.5... not good.

I want to correct this the next watering without flushing if possible. I was thinking of adding powdered lime on the top, watering, and letting the sediment float through.

Is there a good way to do this besides flushing?

Thanks,
FV

 

[funkervogt]

 

[Hank Hemp]

nothing wrong with adding dolomite like you mentioned.

 

[slackx]

Ph Up and Ph Down..mixed into your watering can.Dolomite lime is more to keep ph balanced right around 6.8-7.0. I wouldn't go adding too many things at once i'd let the lime set in for about a week before you adjust the PH of your water, do things slowly so you dont go overboard! Good luck! Remember do small jumps you dont wanna end up with a ph of like 8+!

 

[Hank Hemp]

I would water with a healthy dose of dodomite lime and be happy but that's just me.

 

[guest2012y]

I would water with a healthy dose of dodomite lime and be happy but that's just me.

YEP!.....it works but if it's not in the mix,as soon as the soil goes drier again it stops working...water again to make it work again. But the problem won't go away until the soil mix has 1 to 2 tablespoons dolomite lime per gallon in it. It will bail you out for a minute.

 

[Hank Hemp]

so how are you going to fix thr young man's soil? P hydroide?

 

[guest2012y]

so how are you going to fix thr young man's soil? P hydroide?

I myself,if it were my plant, I would transplant into a soil mix with that amount of dolomite. That's just what I would do........there may be someone with another idea.

 

[moonie]

A tablespoon of fresh lemon juice (not concentrate) to a gallon of water

 

[niluola]

What if you've balanced the ph of the solution you're watering with, but runoff ph is still way too high? Is dolomite the answer to this also?

 

[guest2012y]

What if you've balanced the ph of the solution you're watering with, but runoff ph is still way too high? Is dolomite the answer to this also?

Why do you think it's high? What are you using to feed,soil mix,nutes? Is your ph meter calibrated? Are there signs of ph problems? Generally dolomite will keep the ph from getting to low,but the ph of dolomite is 7.0.......that's why there is a recommened amount to use. Over time dolomite gradually increases the ph of the medium. Usually the medium has peat...peat is acidic so the dolomite helps keep it in check. I don't know why your ph is too high. My guess is that it's what you are using to feed with or what's in your mix.

 

[Big Foot]

A tablespoon of fresh lemon juice (not concentrate) to a gallon of water

ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm........no.

 

[CLDBD]

Dolomite lime saved my grows. Or should I say it got them to another level. I always had low ph problems after about a month and could not fix it with ph up. Even if I did raise the ph of the water it would go in and be high then drop down big time when it dried so it would have wild swings. I even tried adding dolomite to the top of the soil and removing a couple of inches of soil from the top and scratching dolomite in. I finally started adding it to my soil while planting and the problem is gone. Depending on the stage of growth I would attack it differently. If you are late in flower I would flush the soil to get it back in range if you are very early in flower or in veg I would transplant and get as much loose soil off as you can. Good luck. Ph can be frustrating at times.

 

[moonie]

ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm........no.

I've done it, many of my friends have used it. I also use a thin coating of used coffee gounds to the top layer of soil to lower the ph a bit. there's other methods other than ph up and down, there's alot of natural ways as well. To each his own.

 

[CLDBD]

I've done it, many of my friends have used it. I also use a thin coating of used coffee gounds to the top layer of soil to lower the ph a bit. there's other methods other than ph up and down, there's alot of natural ways as well. To each his own.

Natural is always a good thing but I think the reason he said no is because you suggested using lemon juice (natural and not all that stable ph down)for a "currently" low ph problem. That would just make it worse.

 

[niluola]

Why do you think it's high?

I have a drop tester w/ according reference. I know it's not the most accurate, but has worked well before. This is the first time I'm having these problems.

What are you using to feed,soil mix,nutes?

Biobizz soil (with some dolomite lime added, not much though), Biobizz nutes and now once added a pinch of epsom to try and fix what appears to be mag def (growing Jack Herer, famous for mag/cal needs). Using tap water with high ph, vinegar to lower it down.

Are there signs of ph problems? Generally dolomite will keep the ph from getting to low,but the ph of dolomite is 7.0.......that's why there is a recommened amount to use. Over time dolomite gradually increases the ph of the medium. Usually the medium has peat...peat is acidic so the dolomite helps keep it in check. I don't know why your ph is too high. My guess is that it's what you are using to feed with or what's in your mix.

Yeah, there's signs of ph lockout...I can't understand what's happening either. Been growing great crops w/ no real problems and now this. It's not pests, that's for sure. The only thing I know is I'm watering with a ph neutral solution (not overfeeding) and runoff is as high as the tapwater before lowering it with vinegar.

There is one option though...it's pretty darn cold where I live and so at floor-level warmth can be an issue. Do you think too cold roots could affect the runoff ph? In any case, next grow is going to be completely self-mixed organic soil, that's for sure.

btw, thanks for taking the time here. I've been thinking about going to the Infirmary-section w/ this problem, but seeing how chaotic it is and how little people actually get help from there (which is understandable due to circumstances) I've been trying to post on threads related to soil ph, so we might benefit from this kind of exchange of knowledge.