Sunshine mix #4 Confused about the right PH

[faintfuzzies]

Hi every one im new here so i am not sure if im posting at the right place , If im not be accept my apollogies.

Im using sunshine mix #4 and my question is what should i set my nutes ph at . I have been told by 3 different places that it should be 5.8, 6.0 , 6.3 so as you can imagine im scratching my head and im just not sure . I did set my plain water for germination and first 2 weeks of growth at 6.0 and figured it was kinda in the ball parkbut i will soon have a few set of leaves soon and once i have that i was told to start feeding super light veg mix and work my way up as the plants grow.

If someone can clear this up for me that would be wonderful.

Thanks for reading and your info you may have !

Confused on PH

Faint

 

[blahman]

Your posting in the coco section, sunshine mix #4 is soil. But to answer your question, I've done a number of grows with sunshine #4 the first few I did at 6.0 and near the end I'd have a few plants lock up. When I went up to 6.3 I no longer had this issue, although my yield only increased marginally. If I was doing sunshine again I'd definitely stick around 6.3-6.5 good luck!

 

[faintfuzzies]

I figured i was in wrong forum. sorry about that .

Thank you very much for your info and tips. Its a big help , I will put your info to good use , some nice sticky Buds , I hope if all goes well.. so far i think im off to a decent start !

Thanks again !

Faint

 

[grapeman]

Sunshine #4 is a peat based mix. Peat tends to the acidic. For a no worry easy success, you need to mix dolomite lime into the mix before planting. The dolomite lime will buffer your PH and keep it where the plants love it (as long as you pay attention to your ferts).

See the recipes on the below link. The first page of this "extensive" thread will give you 2 great soil recipes. Many will tell you that the bag says it has dolomite lime or this or that. Mix your own for success. Any questions, post them there and you will get your answers from guys who have failed and learned not to.

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=53792

 

[faintfuzzies]

Im not sure if this matters but when i posted i forgot to mention that this sunshine mix is advanced #4 does this matter when you say to add lime?

Thank you

Faint

 

[rives]

I use SS#4, and try and keep my runoff in the 6.3-6.5 region, and it works well for me. My inbound tap water runs 6.9-7.0. I don't know about the "Advanced" formulation, you might check out their website and see if it is different or just a marketing ploy. The only time that I added dolomitic lime, it took the pH way too high - they have already added dolomitic lime to the mix. Try saturating a sample of the mix and letting it sit for an hour, then adding enough nutrient mix to get about an ounce of runoff, and pH this sample. This reading will tell you where you need to take your inbound pH.

*edit* If you need to add more lime, be sure and use the powdered dolomitic lime, which I have had a difficult time finding. The pelletized lime releases too slowly to have much of an impact initially, and then releases way too much later on. I even tried grinding it up with a mortar & pestle, and still got wild results.

 

[faintfuzzies]

I went for advance nutes because of advise from hydro store , after the fact i find that i might have just bought product labels and big hype , Im not sure i never used it .I find that i could have bought way cheaper and just as good or better. I wil run the advance now since i have it ,next time i might go a different road, The way i figure it I should have gone organic being im using the sunshine mix advance #4 . It does not make sense now( after the fact ) to use chemicals with a product like sunshine. maybe im worng i would love to hear every ones thoughts about that .

RIVE thanks for the info

Faint

 

[rives]

I initially bought the SS#4 because I wanted to do a just-add-water organic mix. The problem that I had with it was that it ran out of steam about 3-4 weeks into flowering and I was befuddled about how to determine what to add to it - it seemed unlikely that the whole range of nutrients had given up at the same time, and I was worried about feeding too much of whatever was left.

I next tried the GH 3-part line (actually only using Bloom & Micro) and the Lucas Formula, which I had good success with. I should mention here that I use Blumats and am frequently out of town for 10-14 days at a time. These absent periods made it difficult to keep a nutrient mix made up, my reservoir simply isn't that big.

I next went to the CRFs (constant release fertilizers), initially using a Jackson & Perkins Rose Food that supposedly had close to the ideal NPK mix, but I found that I was constantly fighting a P deficit. I have now gone to Osmocote Plus, and am just finishing up the first run with it. It appears to be a better NPK ratio (apologies to Spurr!), as the plants have made it all the way through with no apparent problems.

At some point I would like to get back to the organic just-add-water scenario, and I think that the GH regimen had the potential to do better with a little tuning. For now, however, the combination of the Blumats, a self-topping reservoir, and CRF's makes for a near-painless grow that enables me to be gone for the periods that are necessary. I've been pulling from 9-12 ounces from 3 plants in a scrog format under PL-L's initially and a Lumigrow ES330 led fixture more recently.

Hope some of this helps, and good luck with your grow!

 

[grapeman]

Im not sure if this matters but when i posted i forgot to mention that this sunshine mix is advanced #4 does this matter when you say to add lime?

Thank you

Faint

If you check the link I provided to you above, you will see that the 2 most used soil mixes (LC#1 & LC#2) are peat based and one of the bases you can use is "Sunshine Mix#4". It then provides a step by step instruction set and the correct ratios to add.

Yes, you will need Dolomite Lime in your Sunshine Mix. Click the link and figure out your correct mixing ratios.

 

[grapeman]

I use SS#4, and try and keep my runoff in the 6.3-6.5 region, and it works well for me. My inbound tap water runs 6.9-7.0. I don't know about the "Advanced" formulation, you might check out their website and see if it is different or just a marketing ploy. The only time that I added dolomitic lime, it took the pH way too high - they have already added dolomitic lime to the mix. Try saturating a sample of the mix and letting it sit for an hour, then adding enough nutrient mix to get about an ounce of runoff, and pH this sample. This reading will tell you where you need to take your inbound pH.

*edit* If you need to add more lime, be sure and use the powdered dolomitic lime, which I have had a difficult time finding. The pelletized lime releases too slowly to have much of an impact initially, and then releases way too much later on. I even tried grinding it up with a mortar & pestle, and still got wild results.

You need dolomite lime in your mix. And if you think you will successful without the other ingredients shown in the link I provided, you will be posting here again asking what went wrong. Along with your dolomite lime, you should add earthworm castings to your base of sunshine mix #4. All in the correct ratios.

 

[chefro420]

Love SS#4 . Ph for SS#4 depends on what your adding to it for amendments if any . Then also what type of nutes you plan on using if any . I personally run mine 5.8-6.5 depending on whats added and the nute line .

 

[rives]

You need dolomite lime in your mix. And if you think you will successful without the other ingredients shown in the link I provided, you will be posting here again asking what went wrong. Along with your dolomite lime, you should add earthworm castings to your base of sunshine mix #4. All in the correct ratios.

Grapeman, I was relating my direct experience with SS#4 - it's is all that I have used for the last 2 years, and have gone through multiple bales of it. As I said in my second post above, I initially started using it because I wanted a mix that I only needed to add water to, so I used the Vic's Super Soil recipe. It is pretty similar to the LC's Soilless Mix in your link, and uses the same proportion of dolomitic lime. This was the mix that ran out of steam a few weeks into flowering. I don't recall what the pH was of that mix was and don't have a record of it, but the nutrient level didn't hold up for whatever reason. I had been extremely careful to maintain the recommended ratios.

Since that time I have been using the SS#4 with the chemical fert's noted above, and with no added dolomitic lime the runoff consistently tests in the range of 6.3-6.5 with an inbound pH of 6.9-7.0 using a BlueLab pH tester. The one time that I tried adding dolomitic lime at the recommended level, I wound up with my pH in the low to mid 7's.

 

[grapeman]

Grapeman, I was relating my direct experience with SS#4 - it's is all that I have used for the last 2 years, and have gone through multiple bales of it. As I said in my second post above, I initially started using it because I wanted a mix that I only needed to add water to, so I used the Vic's Super Soil recipe. It is pretty similar to the LC's Soilless Mix in your link, and uses the same proportion of dolomitic lime. This was the mix that ran out of steam a few weeks into flowering. I don't recall what the pH was of that mix was and don't have a record of it, but the nutrient level didn't hold up for whatever reason. I had been extremely careful to maintain the recommended ratios.

Since that time I have been using the SS#4 with the chemical fert's noted above, and with no added dolomitic lime the runoff consistently tests in the range of 6.3-6.5 with an inbound pH of 6.9-7.0 using a BlueLab pH tester. The one time that I tried adding dolomitic lime at the recommended level, I wound up with my pH in the low to mid 7's.

No Problem my man. I just thought that this guy sounds like he is doing his first grow and I thought that if he followed the simple directions in the "Organic for Beginners" thread, he would be successful on his first grow then could build from there and avoid most of the learning curve the rest of us had to follow.

 

[faintfuzzies]

This is my first grow that is not hydroponics(I did a few grows many years ago). I understand hydroponics completely. soil or soilless confuses me for some reason . right now I have preseedlings that are doing very well in plastic cups with sunshine advance #4 with a 1/4 strength seeding nute , I set ph to 6.3 . I am using advanced nutes line, but i dont have the whole line / very $$$$ . Like i said they look healthy now but will they do well if i dont do the worm casting lime and soil mixture. , this is why i post because you all done this before ihave not

Thanks to everyone who replied and offered info.

Faint

 

[MIway]

ff~ ss#4 is soilless... in that it doesn't have any of the organic amendments like guano or castings or whatnot... and the advanced is cut with coir, along with peat, as the base... it also has dl & mycos added. soilless is just hydro with a peat base, but no organics fortified... treat it like hydro, but with the special tweaks that peat requires... just like hempy's are unique from rw from rocks from water... u get the idea. each medium is a bit particular w the feed regiments & buildups.

if u'r not amending it with organics like gm was pointing you towards, then you won't need to cut in more dl... it's lighlty buffered as is. just run your feed in the 6.5 range & watch your run-off like rives suggested. worst case, you'll need to water feed in some finely ground dl with a watering or two in early flower. u should be good to go bro.

 

[faintfuzzies]

Thanks man , I did call advanced nutes and they say the opposite , they told me to treat it like soil and set ph 6.3. i think the is issue is you can do alot of things with sunshine and treat it in all different ways depending on what nutes and admendment are being used.. maybe this is why i am so confused about setting the ph when using sunshine .. wel anyway i did set it to 6.3 3 week or more ago and i have not had many issue since some slight here and theres but nothing major . thanks for your input

 

[faintfuzzies]

ff~ ss#4 is soilless... in that it doesn't have any of the organic amendments like guano or castings or whatnot... and the advanced is cut with coir, along with peat, as the base... it also has dl & mycos added. soilless is just hydro with a peat base, but no organics fortified... treat it like hydro, but with the special tweaks that peat requires... just like hempy's are unique from rw from rocks from water... u get the idea. each medium is a bit particular w the feed regiments & buildups.

if u'r not amending it with organics like gm was pointing you towards, then you won't need to cut in more dl... it's lighlty buffered as is. just run your feed in the 6.5 range & watch your run-off like rives suggested. worst case, you'll need to water feed in some finely ground dl with a watering or two in early flower. u should be good to go bro.

Im in second day of flowering under the SV light and i noticed the growing shoots limeish green and more toward the middle to end of leaf greens up . would this be because of no DL ? Im thinking im going to flush tomorrow and start from scratch with nuites again . if i should add DL how much do i add to my nutes ?

 

[stagehand099]

Im in second day of flowering under the SV light and i noticed the growing shoots limeish green and more toward the middle to end of leaf greens up . would this be because of no DL ? Im thinking im going to flush tomorrow and start from scratch with nuites again . if i should add DL how much do i add to my nutes ?

Hey fuzzies, the plants always get a bit lime-green in the first 3-7 days in flower. I would wait a few days and re-evaluate the situation.

For Rives (if you're reading this thread):

Hey, I so respect your advice to folks on electrical issues. Rightious of you to help and emphacize safety as you do. But please don't use Osmocote on your girls, man! That stuff will make your buds taste like the worst beasters. Get back to organics or almost organics with something like LC's mix or at least Pure Blend Pro. When the LC's gives up in flower, feed with top-dressed guanos, etc. If you are commited to chem nutes or trying to cut costs, GH 3 part is much better than Osmocote. Jacks Professional is cheap enough. Your buds will be so much nicer if you get off the Miracle grow products like Osmocote. Just my opinion....

stagehand

 

[rives]

Stagehand, I appreciate the input. The problem is, at this point in my life, I need to be able to leave my grow for about 10 days at a time. The cost of the nutes really isn't a factor for me, and as I said up above, I can't fit a reservoir into my area large enough to handle the necessary length of time with pre-mixed nutes. I would like to get back to the organic methods, but at this point I can't be top dressing in a timely fashion if they run out of steam. I haven't tried the Osmocote crop yet (it is just about to finish curing), but the other CRF's that I've used in the past didn't seem to adversely affect the bud quality after a lengthy cure. I agree that I am probably leaving both some quality and quantity on the table, but I think it will have to wait until I can be near my grow on a consistent basis.