[Ez Rider]

Nice to see so many people chiming in on this. Thanks to everyone I've been laying low for a few weeks, but I'm just a few weeks away from beginning my first flower run with the BIZZ. So far, the veg has looked really good. FishMix has a definite ODOR, but the ladies love it. After consideration, and talking with the BioBizz people, I've decided to PH my feed at ~6.3, using organic PH+. My feed is in the low 5's before adjustment. BioBizz says you want to avoid using PH-, because it kills the microbes. Hoping to have some pics to rival vStagger in a few months. Maybe I'll do a grow diary.

[Luxman]

Originally Posted by Ez Rider

Nice to see so many people chiming in on this. Thanks to everyone I've been laying low for a few weeks, but I'm just a few weeks away from beginning my first flower run with the BIZZ. So far, the veg has looked really good. FishMix has a definite ODOR, but the ladies love it. After consideration, and talking with the BioBizz people, I've decided to PH my feed at ~6.3, using organic PH+. My feed is in the low 5's before adjustment. BioBizz says you want to avoid using PH-, because it kills the microbes. Hoping to have some pics to rival vStagger in a few months. Maybe I'll do a grow diary.

Yes, the ladies DO love that smelly fish mix!

The folks at BioBizz have been really helpful. I realize that many people pride themselves over not adjusting ph and whatever works for you guys, but after talking to them I began to adjust all liquids to 6.4. From what I was told, you want to keep your soil ph between 6 and 6.5 for maximun P and cal mag uptake. If your soil mix stays this high already this requires less or no ph adjustment, but my mix (half Ocean Forest and half Sunshine #4) drops to mid to low 5 ph if I don't adjust, and that really translates to less on the scale at the end. I've done side-by-sides that confirm this.

I also started topdressing with soil sweet (lime) at the end of week 4 to counteract the lowering ph trend in my soil mix. I end up with a zone at the top that is about 6.8 and a zone at the bottom that runs 5.7 to 6.0 - that dual zone seems to really please the girls.

For those arguing that less is better: I know that you can grow fantastic plants on much less with organics. Note that I'm adding a pretty small amount of additional PK via the two guanos that I use; it's about diversity of food sources as well as bulk-building and resin-boosting. I would venture one thing to consider: you can't create something from nothing. The plant converts nutrients into flower mass, and minimal nutrients will not give the biggest yields IMO. If your particular strain likes less, though, go for it. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?

[Well]

I only use biobizz bloom right now, just felt like i wanted to try bio instedof CANNA.
Only on week 1 with biobizz, so not much to tell yet, but i think i will love it

[Chronic Future]

It's my first time with the bizz everything is looking good even my sfv og

[Breeder X]

My results with BioBizz have been good. Its pretty low smell, even the fish mix. I use BioBozz grow, fish, and bloom in an even spread in both veg and bloom phase. I start using 2.7 mL per gal (of each of the 3) for rooted cuttings and work up to 5.5 mL per gal by finish, which is low but I also supplement with 2 guano (mixed type) tea feedings during flowering phase. Initially the water/fertilizer mix had a pH of 5.6 but the soil pH always averaged 6.5, probably the effect of nitrate converting to ammonium in the soil. However, I ran into Iron deficiency problems, which required the use of a supplement that drops the water pH down to 4.5, so I am required to adjust the pH (but only because the supplement).

[Breeder X]

Originally Posted by Breeder X

Initially the water/fertilizer mix had a pH of 5.6 but the soil pH always averaged 6.5, probably the effect of nitrate converting to ammonium in the soil.

Sorry, I meant the pH probably raised from the organic Nitrogen(-NH2) converting to Ammonium (NH4) in the soil.

[Ez Rider]

So I'm into about week 3 of veg under 1K's, and the plants seem to be slowing down and getting a little pale. I've been ph'ing to ~6.2 before watering, and I've tried a few foliar's with fish mix. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but I haven't had a GOOD run since I started with organics. Biobizz info desk sort of disowned me when I mentioned using RO water, as they say this(RO water) is outside their experience. Any of you peoples using RO with the Bizz? How do you do it? I'm using BioBizz Light-Mix, straight out of the bag, in fabric pots in case anyone forgot/didn't know. Feeding per BioBizz schedule. I add GeneralOrganics ca/mg and nutes to my water, then ph to ~6.2 using ph+ crystals from earth juice. Maybe I should be going higher? Like maybe 6.4-6.5? It's in the mid 5's if I don't adjust, and the one time I watered without adjustment, the leaves all curled up for a day. Anyway, here's a few pics under a t5...

[Granger2]

Lookin good, EZ. Keep us informed. Have you tried your tap? Good luck. -granger

[Ez Rider]

Well, Granger2, nice to hear from you

No, I haven't tried the tap. They put chlorine and other nasties in the water supply here. Also the sodium count is ~200ppm according to the water report. Just for grins, I filled a bucket with tap last night and checked it with a meter today. PH is ~7.8 and tds is ~420. For curious parties, it's ~6.4ph and ~5tds after RO. Maybe I'll add BB to the tap, and see what the meter says...

Info I've received from BioBizz is a little confusing. If you look at the BB website, it'll tell you "no ph/ec adjustments are necessary".

When I contacted their info desk, they told me this: "There is normally no need to lower the pH. If your water is pH 6,4 add the Biobizz nutrients and see what pH level you get. This is because Biobizz products have a pH of 5,0 to 5,5. This will lower the pH a bit. We prefer you stay at around 6,0-6,3. If you end at 5,8 after adding Biobizz: that can work as well. The idea to use water with a pH of 7,0 is indeed a good advice because the pH after adding Biobizz would be around 6,5. The soil would do the rest. If you can avoid using pH down, do that for sure. It will only kill the bacteria in our products."

Another recommendation they gave was: "An old trick we used in Holland: Start with a pH of 5,8, slowly up it over the weeks to until you end in the final weeks around 6,5".

5.8-6.5 is a pretty wide range. The Light-Mix I'm using is peat cut with pearlite as far as I can tell. There's no compost or EWC in it, so I wonder if peat alone can really buffer the PH throughout this range. I've always been told that peat is naturally acidic. I have noticed that the lower the PH of my feed, the less the plants like it. The leaves will all droop for a day, before perking back up.

I'm thinking if I can get the ph issue dialed in, things will go very well indeed. I'll keep you(all) posted.

[Luxman]

Originally Posted by Ez Rider

Well, Granger2, nice to hear from you

No, I haven't tried the tap. They put chlorine and other nasties in the water supply here. Also the sodium count is ~200ppm according to the water report. Just for grins, I filled a bucket with tap last night and checked it with a meter today. PH is ~7.8 and tds is ~420. For curious parties, it's ~6.4ph and ~5tds after RO. Maybe I'll add BB to the tap, and see what the meter says...

Info I've received from BioBizz is a little confusing. If you look at the BB website, it'll tell you "no ph/ec adjustments are necessary".

When I contacted their info desk, they told me this: "There is normally no need to lower the pH. If your water is pH 6,4 add the Biobizz nutrients and see what pH level you get. This is because Biobizz products have a pH of 5,0 to 5,5. This will lower the pH a bit. We prefer you stay at around 6,0-6,3. If you end at 5,8 after adding Biobizz: that can work as well. The idea to use water with a pH of 7,0 is indeed a good advice because the pH after adding Biobizz would be around 6,5. The soil would do the rest. If you can avoid using pH down, do that for sure. It will only kill the bacteria in our products."

Another recommendation they gave was: "An old trick we used in Holland: Start with a pH of 5,8, slowly up it over the weeks to until you end in the final weeks around 6,5".

5.8-6.5 is a pretty wide range. The Light-Mix I'm using is peat cut with pearlite as far as I can tell. There's no compost or EWC in it, so I wonder if peat alone can really buffer the PH throughout this range. I've always been told that peat is naturally acidic. I have noticed that the lower the PH of my feed, the less the plants like it. The leaves will all droop for a day, before perking back up.

I'm thinking if I can get the ph issue dialed in, things will go very well indeed. I'll keep you(all) posted.

It really largely depends on what your soil mix is. That varies widely with their customers so they have good overall advice.

The ideal ph range for broad nutrient uptake in organic soil is from 6 to 6.5. Anything from 5.7 to 6.5 seems to work great for me, but YMMV.

Note that most nutrient uptake charts show P being mostly taken up from 6.3 on upwards; calcium and magnesium also get taken up at this higher ph level. Their advice to range upward with ph is likely because the buds want a PK boost during weeks 5-6 so they can bulk up. So if your ph is well below that level it may cause a slower uptake and an accumulation of these nutrients and eventual problems - although this is less of a problem with bio-organic nutrients because the microbes handle it all pretty well, and the molassis in BioBizz is a great cheleting agent.

I found it really helpful to test my soil's ph (not the runoff) at various times throughout flowering. I dig down into the root zone and get a sample and test it with a LaMott soil test kit. Amazon has them.

I use a mix of half FFOF and half Sunshine #4 organic, and at the start before even fertilizing it tests at around 6.0 ph, but even adding my Biobizz nutrients at 6.4 every time it ends up being in the mid-5 ph region by around the end of week 4.

At that time I topdress and mix into the top 4 inches some Lily Miller soil sweet (finely milled dolomite; I use 3/4-1 cup per #15 pot) and that brings it up to 6.4 or so in the top zone, and it stays a bit lower ph towards the bottom for a dual-zone ph effect. Seems to work well.