Fish emulsion & low pH

[Guest]

Does anyone worry about this? How do you buffer the low pH of fish emulsion, besides adding limestone/base cations/organic material?

Are there any other ways, besides adding pH up to your fert solution?

Thanks

 

[BurnOne]

The best way to deal with pH in organic growing is to use a proper grow medium. Peat or coir based mixes with compost for humus and dolomite for pH adjustment is the foundation for an organic grow. With the proper medium, organic nutes with extreme pH can be dealt with at the root level (literally). pH adjustment of nute solutions and teas isn't necessary.
Burn1

 

[Guest]

Burn one what do you think about ocean forest and 1 tbls pulverized dolomite per soil gallon.Fish emulsion is kinda drastic but ferts like PBP and tiger bloom?Do you think adjustment with ph up is necessary?

 

[3BM]

A great technique for ferts with really low pH is to bubble the mixed solution over night. This usually brings it up around 6 which is great. I use EJ this way, since it starts in the 4's generally. Add it concentrated to 4 gals of water, bubble overnight and dilute as needed the next day. This is a nice alternative to pH up in these cases. Hope that helps.

 

[Suby]

Hey there Gels,

I agree with B1, a healthy soil mix will contain elements that will fight a drastic sway in ph and buffer the soil.
If your worried about ph then bubble it in a tea with a handfull of kelp meal and some casting and a TBS of mollasses, it will introduce a soil boost and some humics which will help buffer the soil.
Try using a variety of organic ferts into your mix, alfalfa teas are also very good and are less prone to low ph, fish ferts have their place thoughbut the cheaper ones are high in salt wich can build up similar to using chemical ferts.
A good mix will have a soil structure rich in humates, that's why a healthy soil can bare more ph abuse, make sure you have some plain waterings in there too.

S

 

[Guest]

Good info,I did a thread in indoor soil about using powdered dolomite and the need to adjust nutrient ph when doing so.The bubbling is a great idea unless you have massive plantage lol,too bad LK took most of their humic acids out of their formula.Fox Farm has a granulated additive out now that comes in a cereal box ,I'm trying the fruit and flower,its called peace of mind.It contains mycorrhizae and humic acids.Something in my gut about the exponentiality of water/nute ph tells me a 5 range with adequeute dolomite and other additives would probably be fine.On the other hand fish emulsion usually drive my PH down to 4 or below,and that was my tap!I recently switched to R/o so I know the swing is even worse.Pouring a 3-4 ph nute solution on my girls even with bufferend soil is like..scratching fingernails across a chalkboard?Hell I dont know what its like,except it feels wrong.I feel like I'm pouring battery acid on my girls when taking a second for adjustment is such a non-hassle.This is a very cool subject though,unfortuanely I cant see any real parameters being drawn like 5 ph is good with a tablespoon of dolomite,there's just too many variables in the mix.I've been using the ph up this grow with the r/o water,even with limed soil.I just couldnt do it lol!

 

[Verite]

Ive used Peruvian Seabird Guano as a ph up subst for years and it works fine.

 

[vonforne]

Does anyone worry about this? How do you buffer the low pH of fish emulsion, besides adding limestone/base cations/organic material?

Are there any other ways, besides adding pH up to your fert solution?

Thanks

Or you could incorperate Mushroom compost to your soil mix. It contains chalk. MC is alkaline which is to say it will help off set the peat, which is acidic. I also use MC in tea mixtures also.

As B1 said a good soil structure is the best way to go and for me it is using the Mushroom compost. Besides the off setting of the peat it contains some other good ingredients that the plant will benefit from.

V

PS About the fish mix. I find that making my own "Emulsions" is much better than store bought. They contain very little BB compared to home-made. Commercial emulsions are made from left over parts. Home-made contain whole fish parts and retain most of the oil compounds and such. It will also have a higher Ca ratio than store bought emulsions.

I posted a "How to" in the OFC on this.