How to adjust your soils Ph

[ripsterafn]

How to adjust your soils Ph

To adjust pH, read the instructions on the bottle carefully. It is wise to use a clean syringe for measuring how much of the pH up/down formula you need to use.Carefully add the recommended amount to water and mix well. Then add this to your soil mixture and check your pH level with a reader. In general, 0.5 ml of pH up/down will move the solution by +/- 0.1 pH per three gallons of mixture. A normal-sized syringe will usually drop out anywhere between 0.1 ml and 0.5 ml at a time.

For example: Say you have a 3 gallon pot system and your soil tests at a level of 5.6 pH. You need to move this up to a stable 7 so you need to go +1.4 pH by using pH up.Here's how to do it. Simply fill a watering can with 3 gallons of water and test it using a pH meter to get the reading of the water. If it is 7 then all is fine. If not, you'll need to balance the water to 7 before adding the +1.4 pH up. So if you water has a pH of 6 then you need to add 2.4 pH up (1.4 pH + 1.0 pH up) to bring the soil mixture back to 7 after watering. 2.4 pH up roughly translates to about 12 ml of pH up. Use a meter to test the end results which should be +8.4 pH. Simply add this pH-treated water to the soil, which has a pH of 5.6, and it should balance back to 7 again. Check your soil's pH a day or two after treatment to confirm this.

Ok, now that was a piece from "The Cannabis Grow Bible 2nd edition" Written by Greg Green...

I did my own little test and here's what I did and the end results:

First, I took my last known run off pH tests (I check it every 2 days. Just a preference). I had 2 plants, separate pots, , and averaged them together for an average. My first pot read 5.82 and my second pot read 6.02.

So my average was 5.92.

Now my water tested 7.10. I call that my "base". Nothing but my water at this point.

Ok, now I know my "Goal" run off pH cause I choose it. I like my "Goal" to be around 6.25.

Now take our goal pH of 6.25 and subtract it from the average run off, which was 5.92. Which is a difference of .33

Now I want to add my pH up to my old base and change it to 7.43. Adding the .33 to the 7.10 = 7.43. This now becomes my new base to water my plants with...

After watering, I checked my run off pH. In the pot that was reading 5.82, is now reading 6.09

the other pot which had a reading of 6.02, now reads 6.31

So as you can see, they both raised up, one .27 and the other .29 which averages to .280. Which is damn close to where I figured it would be at .33 I missed it by -.05.

So now I simply water with a normal pH of 6.25 and continue to monitor and adj. when necessary...

[mopman]

Nice explanation mate

[Dust]

thanks for sharing your piece of info

[Sizla]

i use soil mixed with perlit and eggshells ( egshells i tested in my cup grow and they works perfect ) that way i have my soil stabilized ~~ PH 6,5-6,8 , while most of my fertilizers are acidic i can forget about PH for the whole grow ....

PH of water is not relay important in soil grows , the soil itself is a buffer so if you do a right mixture it wil keep its PH no mater what you pour into it ( ofcors within sensible borders )

[ripsterafn]

Nice explanation mate

thanks for sharing your piece of info

Thanks guys, I just hope this helps out somebody It did me...

i use soil mixed with perlit and eggshells ( egshells i tested in my cup grow and they works perfect ) that way i have my soil stabilized ~~ PH 6,5-6,8 , while most of my fertilizers are acidic i can forget about PH for the whole grow ....

PH of water is not relay important in soil grows , the soil itself is a buffer so if you do a right mixture it wil keep its PH no mater what you pour into it ( ofcors within sensible borders )

Sizla, how much perlit/egg shells per litter of soil?

Do you boil the eggs first?

Or just crack um and crush um?

I'd be more than willing to give this method a try

But as far as when your soil pH is off, my method does work... Now I would be very interested in how yours works? I always use Fox Farms Ocean Forest potting soil. It's normally pH'ed between 5.8 and 6.5.

I don't have any problems with it, once I get it where I want it. But for me, it'd be nice not to have to adj. my soil pH. So whatcha got for us?

[Sizla]

~~ 30% perlit and ~~ 10 % eggshells

I do not boil them , just crush them

for me its working , and eggshels - if youlike scrambled eggs you get for free : P so give it a try and let us know if it also worked for you !

the other benefit of using ( not boiled ) egg shells are the aminoacids from egg leftovers : P

[ripsterafn]

Well my friend, I'll be starting a new grow here within a month or less. So I just might try this in a pot or two... Thanks for the info and yeah, I love scrambled eggs

[rudytrainer]

[vdub]

Hello hunters,

I am a novis and still trying to figure this all out. Currently I don have any fancy way of measuring my PH, just the simple color matching kit that is probably not very accurate.

I also am using Fox Farm Ocean Forest Potting Soil. Two of my clones are about 20 inches tall and looking pretty healthy, but I am only recently starting to try and do this correctly. I was using distilled water that was P.H. 6.5 (was told not to use distilled on the plants when they are not babies anymore, oops gonna do tap water that has sat out for 48 hours from now on)....

Here is my question. I am using Fox Farm Grow Big nutes for veg every third watering at strength of 2tsp/gal. I measured the PH of the nut water and it was very low, like 4. I fed this to the plants and then collected the run off water and measured its PH, And to my surprise it was back up at 6.5. Is this good? correct? insane? ??? (besides the distilled water part, I wont use that any more, why is it bad tho? minerals stripped out?)

I have a friend who is mailing me a digital PH and EC meter that he is not using anymore, just don't have it yet. I think it measures water PH, not soil. Do I need a soil PH meter and EC meter? And any knowledge EC measuring how/when/where ect. I would love to hear. I know that the EC is about nutes or "salt" build up in the soil, or too low i guess. So is do the salts increase the EC? the run off water should be lower EC than water going in by a small amount?, but what levels in and out. (I think the meter i am getting is PPM)

Thanks for the info and great thread. I am learning so much on this site everyday. Thank you all!

I have a journal of my grow, so you can see what I'm talking about, if that helps you help me. Not sure what the proper etiquette is on posting links to my stuff in someone else's thread.

[Dust]

Well if your runoff water is at 6,5 it means your soil has been doing his buffer job nicely, don't know if we can say it is normal to water with a 4 solution, but with all those new products and PH perfect lines and etc.. you don't know anymore what is normal or not lolol, usually i would never water with a 4 solution, unless i need to balance my PH in the medium that could have been too high..

You don't need a Soil EC/ PH meter, if you measure your water before and after watering you will get al you need

I'll let the expert explain it with better words i can't find mine lol still sleeping i think

[ripsterafn]

Hello hunters,

Currently I don have any fancy way of measuring my PH, just the simple color matching kit that is probably not very accurate.

Those paper strips work just fine on un-nuted water. But once you add nutes to it, the nute will change the papers color, and give you a false reading... So be careful with those strips....

I also am using Fox Farm Ocean Forest Potting Soil. Two of my clones are about 20 inches tall and looking pretty healthy, but I am only recently starting to try and do this correctly. I was using distilled water that was P.H. 6.5 (was told not to use distilled on the plants when they are not babies anymore, oops gonna do tap water that has sat out for 48 hours from now on)....

Here is my question. I am using Fox Farm Grow Big nutes for veg every third watering at strength of 2tsp/gal.

On clones, I'd think the strength sounds to high. Only do 1/2 that and see how your plants react... I too, am using the FF nutes and I'm just now getting to full strength and my plants are almost done. So be careful again my friend... If the tips of the leaves start to burn, then you know it's to much...

I measured the PH of the nut water and it was very low, like 4. I fed this to the plants and then collected the run off water and measured its PH, And to my surprise it was back up at 6.5. Is this good? correct? insane? ???

With the nutes in the water, your paper reading was probably incorrect... What's your waters "base" pH? (water only) And where is the water coming from?

(besides the distilled water part, I wont use that any more, why is it bad tho? minerals stripped out?)

Distilled water doesn't conduct electricity very well. So when checking it's pH, a meter can't read it accurately... And your right, there's nothing in the water at all... So it doesn't help the plants. Just makes um wet

I have a friend who is mailing me a digital PH and EC meter that he is not using anymore, just don't have it yet. I think it measures water PH, not soil. Do I need a soil PH meter and EC meter?

I wouldn't bother with a soil meter. I've found out that there crap and don't read anywhere near what it's supposed to... On the pH meter your friend is sending you, make sure it's ATC (Automatic Temp. Compensation). If it's not. You'll have to make sure your watering temp. is around 77 ° F or the reading will be off... Also, when you go to calibrate the meter, if it wont hold it's calibration, then the metering part needs replaced. Buy you some pH buffering solutions 7.01 and 4.01. U will use these for a dual, high/low calibration...

And any knowledge EC measuring how/when/where ect. I would love to hear. I know that the EC is about nutes or "salt" build up in the soil, or too low i guess. So is do the salts increase the EC? the run off water should be lower EC than water going in by a small amount?, but what levels in and out. (I think the meter i am getting is PPM)

Can't help you with EC. readings. And your meter will probably only tell you the pH. So if you want to know your EC/PPM of your nutes, you'll need a EC or PPM meter...

Thanks for the info and great thread. I am learning so much on this site everyday. Thank you all!

Thank you for your interest and questions... I just hope this helps you out in your growing adventure...

I have a journal of my grow, so you can see what I'm talking about, if that helps you help me. Not sure what the proper etiquette is on posting links to my stuff in someone else's thread.

Post away my friend. Pics in this thread are just fine from everyone...