I need help, I can't figure this one out!

R

Ratzilla

Member

Veteran

• Jul 23, 2016

• #21

Maybe this will give you thought!

Wicked pH divers
Blood meal, Bird Guano's,Fish emulsion and
Earth juice.

pH divers
Cotton seed meal, Soy bean meal, Alfalfa, Coffee,Bat Guano's
All manures, Molasses and Fulvic acid.

pH Risers
Bone meal, Dolomite, Oyster shell, Egg shells, Wood ashes,
Big Bloom and Humic acid.

Know that most of these things take time to become available for uptake and breakdown depending on soil life.
With good life 3-7 days before seeing effects I opine.

I also have negative thought on what the soils pH maybe with reading taken with meters intended to be used with liquids.
I also opine that as the soil around the plant dries out that the pH goes up.
I have found that readings will vary with depth and wetness of your holes.
Wetter ,deeper readings will read lower ph.
I am a organic gardener who believes that the fungus takes the pH down.
As the plant transition into flowering mode that the plant will stop feeding the bacteria which likes higher pH to the pH lowering fungus.
Ratz
Top dressing and teas can give you some control.

 

R

Ratzilla

Member

Veteran

• Jul 23, 2016

• #22

Send a sample out to Loganlabs!
I think it is only $25 they will tell you everything in 4-5 days.
The standard soil test is what you want.

http://loganlabs.com/

Ratz

 

R

Ratzilla

Member

Veteran

• Jul 23, 2016

• #23

I am of the opinion that with a balance medium the ph. will balance it self out to a perfect 6.2-6.4.
Knowing what your base saturation % levels are will go far in correcting any imbalances to get you where you want to go.
Ratz

 

C

cbcool

Member

• Jul 23, 2016

• #24

You know it's funny you say that, cause I was just thinking the same thing, instead of guessing what's throwing the pH off and just trying to add this or that to bring it down. I should have it tested instead, that way I'll know for sure what's going on and what I need to do.

I was going to try to avoid spending any more money this season, cause I'm broke, but $30 is cheaper then losing my plants or ending up with poor quality medicine.

 

R

Ratzilla

Member

Veteran

• Jul 23, 2016

• #25

LOL My Buddy!!!
Pride and being prideful are totally two different things .
Of this I am sure.
Ratz

 

C

cbcool

Member

• Jul 23, 2016

• #26

Should I take a sample from just one plant or should I take samples from multiple plants and mix them together to make one sample?

 

C

cbcool

Member

• Jul 23, 2016

• #27

Ratzilla said:

LOL My Buddy!!!
Pride and being prideful are totally two different things .
Of this I am sure.
Ratz

Click to expand...

This quite true!

 

corky1968

Active member

Veteran

• Jul 23, 2016

• #28

As long as the pH of the water is good it will all work out eventually.

There's no need for a serious drop and rise in pH as that's only going to stress your plants.

 

OgRastaman

Member

• Jul 24, 2016

• #29

Ph the water it will bring it down after a few waterings i would drop your water to 6.0

 

C

cbcool

Member

• Jul 24, 2016

• #30

Corky and OG, that was kind of where my thought process was at, so that makes me feel better about it. Im still going to get the soil tested, because obviously something is not right in there and I'd like to know what it is.

Hopefully with the analysis, it will help me and maybe some others, better recognize a problem in the future. I'm going to pack up a sample in the morning to ship out on Monday, if I'm lucky I'll have results by next Friday. I'll keep everyone updated through the process and post the results here when I get them.

Thank you all again for the help and input, Otherwise I may have gone a different direction and made things worse, I was no where near thinking it was soil pH issues. I would not have gone that route without everyone's help, so thank you all once more

 

C

cbcool

Member

• Jul 26, 2016

• #31

I packaged up my soil sample to send out in the morning, I decided to go with Colorado analytical labs, they're a few dollars more then Logan but they do a full soil nutrient analysis plus a breakdown of the analysis and custom recommendations on what to do to adjust the soil back to optimum .

I also tested plant sap pH this morning, I don't know if I did it right, but I took all the veg from thinning a plant and cut off all the leaves, gave them a quick rinse and patted dry. I placed the leaves in a blender to break them down and took the pulp and pressed the juice into a test tube.

I got a reading of pH 7.2 which makes sense with my high soil pH!? I'm assuming I have high Ca, K, Na in my plant tissue, I'm new and still learning trying to figure out all the plant chemistry, if it were mining and precious metals it would be a non issue but the plant chemistry interaction is still a bit confusing for me.

 

corky1968

Active member

Veteran

• Jul 26, 2016

• #32

I wouldn't worry about testing plant sap.

Just give the plants the right pH water.

A pH reading between 6.2 and 6.6 is good. Give or take a little.

Did they tell you how much for the soil test and how long it would take?

 

C

cbcool

Member

• Jul 26, 2016

• #33

Hey corky, ya it's $58 per sample and that includes full macro micro, organic matter, cec, the works plus an interpretation of the data and recommendations. They said average turnaround time is five days from receiving the sample but sometimes less or more depending on the time of the year and backlog.

 

C

cbcool

Member

• Jul 26, 2016

• #34

Here's the info from the website

Colorado Analytical offers a number of test packages for the evaluation of topsoil quality and greenhouse suitability. Nutrient soil packages come complete with warnings about possible problems, as well as fertilizer and organic amendment recommendations. These test packages are ideal for all types of growers including landscapers and homeowners. Greenhouse soil nutrient test reports include a general interpretation of each value for most greenhouse crops. A 12:1 Spurway extract analysis is utilized for soil-less media samples.
Complete Nutrient Test

Complete Spurway for Soil-Less Media

pH
Conductivity
Texture (field)
CEC (estimate)
Lime (qualitative)
Organic Matter
Nitrogen Nitrate
Phosphorus
Potassium
Calcium
Magnesium
Sodium
Iron
Zinc
Manganese
Copper
Boron
Sulfate-Sulfur
Fertilizer
Recommendations

 

C

cbcool

Member

• Jul 26, 2016

• #35

corky1968 said:

Justgive the plants the right pH water.

A pH reading between 6.2 and 6.6 is good. Give or take a little.

Click to expand...

I've been watering with pH 6.2 water, I'll probably test soil pH again on Thursday or Friday and then again five days later, until I get the soil analysis back. Hopefully i get it back before then.

 

corky1968

Active member

Veteran

• Jul 26, 2016

• #36

Then water with pH 6.2 water like you are now and just wait
until you get your soil test results before changing anything.

 

C

cbcool

Member

• Jul 26, 2016

• #37

That's what I was hoping to hear, thanks corky, il keep on keeping on, for now!

 

C

cbcool

Member

• Jul 29, 2016

• #38

So I sent my sample off to the lab on Tuesday, I pulled and made a composite from four different holes, they should receive the sample tomorrow, hopefully I'll have results by the first part of the week.

I've been ph'ing my water to 6.1-6.3, the girls seem to be doing better, still stretching and stacking but a few yellowing/burnt fan leaves down low in the middle. I may do another soil pH test to see what it's at before the analysis results come in.

 

corky1968

Active member

Veteran

• Jul 29, 2016

• #39

Don't mess with the pH LOL.

It going where it supposed to I bet.

Once the results are in then you'll know for sure what's up.

 

C

cbcool

Member

• Jul 29, 2016

• #40

I didn't plan on messing with it , just wanted to monitor to see if the soil is coming down or not. Once I get the results then I'll hopefully have a better idea of what's going on in there.