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Earth juice- can I accurately measure the pH or EC/TDS?

G

Guest

When using earth juice, either added directly to water, or bubbled in a tea of earth juice + molasses, can you accurate measure the pH and EC/TDS with digital meters?
 

3BM

Member
It measures pretty well, but not completely. Best to think of the readings as a marker. Start lower than you think, then see how they respond. Work your way up and watch them closely. If you see great results at a given number, regardless of whether that number is an exact reading, you can recreate those results next time.

In my experience, the meters will give a reading but the solution is always hotter than the reading implies. Stick with the "indicator" method and your pens will still help, while not goading you into over-ferting. Hope that makes sense.

3bm
 
G

Guest

Yeah I am really confused...

1 week ago I added 1tsp of EJ Grow, and 1tsp of molasses to 1gal of water and bubbled for 24 hours. The pH remained at 5, everyone said bubbling makes the pH normal with earth juice cuz theyre so acidic.

Well last night I added 1/2tsp of EJ Grow, and 1/2tsp of molasses to 1gal of water, the starting pH was 4.5. Bubbling for 12 hours made the pH 6.

So this makes me believe 1tsp of EJ grow per 1gal of water is way too strong to water with. You either need to use less ej grow, or dillute your tea once bubbled.
I also watered with that bubbled tea 1 week ago, the pH was 4.5 but i chose to water anyway just to try it... and it burned my plant. So I think it was too strong.
From now on im going to try diluting the tea into water, and watering with it every single watering. So for example add 2 cups of my bubbled tea to a gallon of plain water, every single watering.

I think im going to forget about measuring ec/tds



This is quite funny though... i nearly gave up on organics/earth juice because i couldnt get the damn pH stable once i added EJ... now last night i just bubbled that tea for 12 hours and it took the pH from 4.5 to 6... so i think im going to stick with EJ and see how it goes.

My plant looks like its been to hell and back with all the problems but w/e its good learning material
 
G

Guest

All I am asking is if you can accurately measure pH or EC with earth juice why is a pic needed?

Jiggy, I didn't feed the 4 little seedlings.. they havn't even germ'd yet. I am talking about the plant that is 8 weeks old in veg, and yes the FF OF soil has run out of nutes


The earth juice didn't bring my starting pH up... my tap pH is 7.8, when I added earth juice it went DOWN to 4.5. After 12 hours of bubbling the pH is 6.
This tea bubbling is 1/2tsp EJ Grow and 1/2tsp Molasses, and my pH is normal.
-Edit: After 24 hrs the tea's pH was 7 with the 1/2tsp grow, 1/2tsp molasses recipe.

When I did as you said, 1tsp EJ Grow, and 1tsp Molasses in 1gal water the pH was still 5 after 24hrs of bubbling. Also... I seem to notice something resembling burn after watering with this... before it was all deficiency on this plant, yellowing leaves from bottom up. After I fed with this recipe the upper leaves tip's look burnt, resembling overfert burn.

Now I am sure you and your friends can use lots of earth juice but im not sure starting at 1tsp/gal is a good starting point... probably need to work your way up there because it did burn mine.
 
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G

Guest

Jiggy, I did a test tea with 1tsp grow, 1tsp molasses and at 24 hours bubbling it was still 4.5 pH, but at 36 hours bubbling it seems to have gone to 5 to 5.5. So i'll be testing again at 48 hours bubbling

But again, I really think 1tsp grow is too much for my plant...it shows signs of nute burn, and that's the only nute ive been using. So I really think im going to try smaller, more frequent feedings


Jiggy, when using EJ Grow do you find you ever need to use their microblast product? or epsom salts? or any other secondary nutes? Do you use tap water?
 

wickedpete66

Active member
My ej formula per gallon is :
1 tbs grow
1tsp bloom
1tsp catalyst
1tsp micro blast

I bubble 2 gallons of this recipe ( 36 hours ph is around 7 and ec is .90) and 2 gallons of bubbled 24 hour tap water (ph 6.4 , ec .14) which makes a total of 4 gallons of tea ec.55 and ph 6.5 -6.7
 
G

Guest

wickedpete66 said:
My ej formula per gallon is :
1 tbs grow
1tsp bloom
1tsp catalyst
1tsp micro blast

I bubble 2 gallons of this recipe ( 36 hours ph is around 7 and ec is .90) and 2 gallons of bubbled 24 hour tap water (ph 6.4 , ec .14) which makes a total of 4 gallons of tea ec.55 and ph 6.5 -6.7

So your saying you mix the 2gal tea with 2gal tap water? And water with that?
 

wickedpete66

Active member
smelltheflowers said:
So your saying you mix the 2gal tea with 2gal tap water? And water with that?

ya pretty much, I bubble 2 gals of tea and always have 2 gal of bubble tap water on hand at all times. I use a 1 gal sprayer and dilute the tea with bubbled water trying to keep overall ec no higher than .80 and a ph no lower than 5.8.


 
G

Guest

is your meter accurate with the organic earth juice products?

would a TDS meter work for me? i dont have much cash to spend and there's a hanna tds meter for $40
 
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wickedpete66

Active member
smelltheflowers said:
is your meter accurate with the organic earth juice products?

would a TDS meter work for me? i dont have much cash to spend and there's a hanna tds meter for $40

its a Milwaukee model and its pretty accurate to within .01. One thing I have found over the years is as long as the ec is around .80. you will never have to worry about over ferting
 
G

Guest

i read something saying that the tds reading of organics is usually less than the actual ppm? is this true?

0.8 EC and no overfert...this is about 300-400 ppm right? would you feed with that every watering or every other? and how often do you typically water? once a week, once every 5 days, ???
 

wickedpete66

Active member
smelltheflowers said:
i read something saying that the tds reading of organics is usually less than the actual ppm? is this true?

0.8 EC and no overfert...this is about 300-400 ppm right? would you feed with that every watering or every other? and how often do you typically water? once a week, once every 5 days, ???

I water about every 4-5 days after a transplant , but once roots take in the new pots probably every 2-3 days. As fas as feedings go I will use anywhere from 0.8 to 1.0 on every 4-5 day schedule, but once I'm feeding every 2-3 I'll drop that to about 0.6 working my way up to 0.8. which usually doesn't happen till about 4 weeks into flower till about week 6. then just bubbled tap water for last 2 weeks
 
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