Have I effectively raised my soil pH?

[Agent 47]

My soil runoff was ~5.5, when tested with 7.0 water. I then flushed the soil with water that had a pH of 8.0, and measured the runoff at 6.8 pH.

My question is, have I effectively raised my pH, or have I messed it up by watering with pH so high? I have a big bag of lime, and didn't realize (until a few minutes ago) I could use that to raise my pH. In a day or two should I water again with 6.5-7.0 water, and check the runoff and if it's in range, do nothing?

 

[grapeman]

When I have forgotten to pre-mix my peat based soil with dolomite lime, I took a spoon and dug a moat in the soil around the plant several inches deep. In that moat I sprinkled the DL... around 3 tablespoons or so.

It took several weeks to see a positive effect and it was never as good as pre-mixing DL into your soil ahead of time, but it did the trick.

 

[señorsloth]

When I have forgotten to pre-mix my peat based soil with dolomite lime, I took a spoon and dug a moat in the soil around the plant several inches deep. In that moat I sprinkled the DL... around 3 tablespoons or so.

awesome idea! i can't really think of a better way to distribute lime after the soil is mixed!

when i first got all my happy frog i was surprised to find the soil ph was around 5. i guess it's all the peat in soil that makes it more acidic, i have been watering around 7ph every time to even this out, my runoff has steadily been in the 6 range the whole run. i bought a ph up and down kit but my tap water is like 7.5 to 8 so with maxi bloom it came out perfect and i never really needed to use the up or down.

 

[MIway]

My soil runoff was ~5.5, when tested with 7.0 water. I then flushed the soil with water that had a pH of 8.0, and measured the runoff at 6.8 pH.

My question is, have I effectively raised my pH, or have I messed it up by watering with pH so high? I have a big bag of lime, and didn't realize (until a few minutes ago) I could use that to raise my pH. In a day or two should I water again with 6.5-7.0 water, and check the runoff and if it's in range, do nothing?

How much solution did you run through her... lol... must've been a lot to effect the run-off so quickly...???


Next water... use the lime... solution by itself isn't going to do the trick... it's the peat that is acidic & you need something inside of the soil to buffer... ideally, that is.

Finely ground (pulverized) DL, constantly mixed in solution, goes in very well.

 

[Hank Hemp]

Listen to MIway, mix your dolomite in with your water and add when you water. Goes deeper quicker throughout the soil.

 

[Agent 47]

Thanks for the help guys. Yeah I really forgot what I was doing there. I had just purchased a pH meter that day for the first time. I've been doing outdoor organics for a while and have never used a pH meter. So I guess I over reacted.

This is also my first time doing indoors, and it's a perpetual harvest so my mind is all over the place. Once I thought about it, I'm like, "wait a minute, that's why I used lime in my soil that I'm cooking, to raise the pH!"

Got excited with my pH up and down and lost track of what really would be the real ...solution.

 

[señorsloth]

i wasn't aware that dolomite lime could be mixed with water? isn't it not very soluble and also slow release? that's why it's recommended that it be put into the soil beforehand, so that it can slowly leach into the moist soil over time. definitely something to do the next round, i got mine all set up and transplanted before i realized the ph was so low in fox farms soil, it says that it has DL already in the bag so i used it straight but when i recycle my soil i'll definitely be adding it.