PH adjusting water

[TheDude#1]

Hey all,

Well just wondering what your thoughts are towards adjusting the PH of you water? Is this necessary? Can you feed your plants plain tap water without adjusting PH? Or does it have to be adjusted? And if you are adjusting PH what has it to be adjusted to and what PH should your run off water and soil be?
Also what is the optimum PH of soil to be to ensure all essential nute's are absorbed? And at what PH levels (upper and lower) are nute's locked out?

If anyone has any opinions, information or can answer any of the above for me i'd be grateful to hear from you,
Cheers folks!

 

[Weedninja]

Generally, you want your water pH to be at the optimum soil pH. One exception to this rule is listed below:

When soil growers refer to their soil, what they are usually referring to is a peat-based, soil-less mix that contains some form of lime to counteract the acidity of the peat. The alkalinity of the lime wears away much sooner than the acidity of the peat. You can minimize this by using water that has a pH that is slightly higher than your optimum pH.

Here's a chart that I found that people seem to like when I post. The left is for hydro and the right is for soil:

 

[TheDude#1]

Cheers for the info m8! I take it then from that the optimum range for soil is 6.5PH, so would you feed them water PH adjusted to 6.5 or adjust the PH of your water untill your run off is coming out at 6.5PH, i take it the 2 can vary?

 

[dr-dank]

ideally, you will have things such that what goes in is what comes out.

In my case, when I was in soil, I would typcally water at 6.6 and see a 6.0 run off. Math would say the medium was 6.3.

If the run off was 5.6, I would rase the incomming water closer to 7. Never above 7, or below 6.5 going in, and never had to use any ph down. When adjusting medium PH try not to make any large swings. Shoot for a few tenths of a point with each adjustment, and keep pouring water though until the out matches the in.

HTHs

 

[Weedninja]

ideally, you will have things such that what goes in is what comes out.

In my case, when I was in soil, I would typcally water at 6.6 and see a 6.0 run off. Math would say the medium was 6.3.

If the run off was 5.6, I would rase the incomming water closer to 7. Never above 7, or below 6.5 going in, and never had to use any ph down. When adjusting medium PH try not to make any large swings. Shoot for a few tenths of a point with each adjustment, and keep pouring water though until the out matches the in.

HTHs

Well said Dr. D. I just want to add that the whole reason that we even bother with runoff testing is that modern science has yet to invent an accurate pH meter that is inserted into the soil.

 

[TheDude#1]

Cheers again guys for the info!!!
Ive got my PH all checked and it seems to be fine!

 

[10k]

Oh man, that straight square bar graph style pH chart is very misleading and wayyy off as far as elemental uptake v pH levels.

Especially the Hydro side of it. arrrrgh !

 

[MynameStitch]

Dude: It depends which kind of soil your using....

For soiless mixtures, like peat based mix along with bone blood meal and worm castings this is an example of "soil-less" mixtures and the pH can range that of hydro around 5.5 to 6.3

Reason for the range is due to the fact the strain they are growing and the kind of mixture they are using along with additives.

Now if your using soil, then the mixture can range from 6.3-7.0
Best range is around 6.5 like Dr. Dank has stated.

 

[TheDude#1]

Cheers again mate, i seem to have a good PH run off of 6.5, so at least i know ive got that sorted eh!!!

 

[MynameStitch]

Well thats good to hear, pH adjusting is not fun :/
Especially when you have multiple strains and some don't like sitting in the same pH as the others :/