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What PH is optimal for an indoor soil grow?
- Thread starter Immune
- Start date
thelaughingman
Active member
PH should be based on you're medium and nuts...peace :
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It depends on what PH soil a breeding project has become acclimated to over the years.
Same for Ec.
Same for Ec.
Those are the things you will best figure out when dialing in your strain.
The right answers would be:Yes & Much!
But then again, some strains don't seem to bother much, others seem to be real picky, all comes down to the origins of the plants medium history they have been bred on.
A friend of mines ones went to Nepal and took PH probes at 12 different places all over the country where he saw some wild cannabis growing.
The PH reader showed flatout 6.0 at all spots, but I forgot at what time of the year he d' done that as often times PH will shift during the course of the year.
During my 10+ breeders career, I came to notice that plants adept rather quickly to newly offered ph conditions when using the survival of the fittest methode in large numbers.
Ofcourse the preordeal genes remain rather importend in setting the boundaries out of wich it becomes real hard to stray away and still achieve optimal results.
Still these boundaries could be anywhere between 4.5 & 8 when stubbornly exposing a strain over a prelonged period of time to these kinds of extremes.
But ofcourse it should speak for itself not to try this at home unless you've got an exellent life expectancy^^, lol
DungeonMaster
New member
It may be good to let the PH "swing" a bit depending on what phase of the life cycle you are in. the lower range (near 5.8) is what some people do for the veg stage as the plant will readily take up more N. later in the flowering stage i have read and heard people talk about bumping the Ph up a bit more to 6.2 or 6.3 so the plant will take up more Phosphates. This is a lot easier done with indoor rather than outdoor gardening of course. it will take a while as noted above for you to figure out what works best with the strain you are growing. growing the same strain over a few cycles will give you the chance to dial in what works best and get which will get weight up.
From what I have learned over the years is PH is dependent on a few factors. Strain, nute line, water quality, media and user. Yes I said user, the way you water and how much you water can effect the PH needed for optimum growth. But the PH window is pretty tight so...
Does PH matter Yes! Your best bet is to run sample grows of different PH ranges and record your results.
Bsafe
Does PH matter Yes! Your best bet is to run sample grows of different PH ranges and record your results.
Bsafe
moonymonkey
Active member
water does afect ph.large volume,ph numbers vary,alot of buffering there.basiclly its the drainage,afecting that large volume,an density can play its role.steping in anthr direction,contolled exsperiments,plants growing in ph 4.5,allit need were a few certain nutrients..cant rember but iron.plant grow in funny places for alot of reasons,were they should not.ph can b arrived at diff. ways..peace moon/
good subject! i've been wondering about this myself.
i have hard water now (with a ~7.7 ph) so i'm shooting for 6.3 when preparing the nutrient solution - the additional rising of the ph (due to the hard water) should still leave me in a safe zone ph-wise. (i use luke-warm water straight from the tap, vinnegar to lower ph)
no idea if that makes actually sense but it seems appropriate to me, but my experience on this subject is too limited to even vote in the poll.
any input about this from more educated sources is appreciated!
i have hard water now (with a ~7.7 ph) so i'm shooting for 6.3 when preparing the nutrient solution - the additional rising of the ph (due to the hard water) should still leave me in a safe zone ph-wise. (i use luke-warm water straight from the tap, vinnegar to lower ph)
no idea if that makes actually sense but it seems appropriate to me, but my experience on this subject is too limited to even vote in the poll.
any input about this from more educated sources is appreciated!
my soil is about ph8...but i water with rain = ph 5.4 and add a little lemon juice so probs about 5.
It works for me.
It works for me.
haven't checked ph in years . thats the joy of organics
FunTimesIndeed
Member
I'm with you supermanlives. I spend my time tracking down high end worm castings and tending my own compost stuff, no time for pH LOL.
got a good source of organic casting as my wormbin don't provide enough . all my soil has worms. if I stop seeing worms or have any plant issues they I might check ph. my soil lives too
ive not used a ph pen in years, this is in a mix of bat special and coir and never had any trouble what so ever, phing in soil (as long as it good soil) in over rated imo, i use a all kinds of feeds and boosters chem and organic.
no ph .. no problem lol
no ph .. no problem lol
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^^^
but what if the tap water ph is close to 8, like mine?
i would love not to have to ph, but i seriously doubt that there is any way (except growing outdoors).
but what if the tap water ph is close to 8, like mine?
i would love not to have to ph, but i seriously doubt that there is any way (except growing outdoors).
tap waters just over 7 mate and has touched 8 at times but that before i add everything ,base feed, cal mag, pk boosters,enzymes, carbs ect,
god knows what ph the feed mix is when its added to the plants , even without added fungi and bacteria as used in organics to break the nutes down i can use an all chems nutes line up without ph'ing and still get very good crops , ive had a big argument in the local hydro strore, he was telling me there no way i can grow buds and plants well with out ph'ing soil, the guy was a douche!
i just said i must be magic and walked out lol
im not alone i have freinds who dont ph and never had an issue, just ime mate, maybe worth trying
so far my fave pot filler is 50/50 bat special with canna coir
the last 2 are cherry fuel, a sort of begining and end, the only glitch was when i have then to much pk to soon but the quickly recovered ,
the small plants look a bit dry as im just about to feed them
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Sgt.scrogger
New member
If you use hydroponic ph up and down to adjust your water/nutes for soil you destroy the microheard and the organisms in your soil which feed your plant and therefor will be growing hydroponically is this correct ? Also I've heard it's worse to have big leaps in ph than to have the wrong ph. Now this does sound reasonable.
Soil is a buffer so there is no need to adjust the ph.
I've gone ph mad, I've spoken to a number of hydroponic shops saying there is no need to adjust ph in soil and it says the exact thing in the HESI product catalogue.
So can someone help me out on this as I had a grand daddy purps showing strange leave patterns I check the run off and it was at 3.3 I ph'd my tap water down to 6.5 for 7.6 and this corrected my problem. So that tells me the soil wasn't doing it job or does it ?
I am worried about ph'ing my water/nutrient solution before I add it to my plants incase I damage them or the final yield.
Back to the big leaps in ph, I use HESI which states on the bottle it contains ph correctors now it does work because I've checked the water before and after adding nutes.
So when I feed with nutrients my ph is around 6.9 which I would think is ok if the soil is doing what it's suppose to. But what about when I use plain water the ph is 7.6 ?
I'm lost with it all please help.
Soil is a buffer so there is no need to adjust the ph.
I've gone ph mad, I've spoken to a number of hydroponic shops saying there is no need to adjust ph in soil and it says the exact thing in the HESI product catalogue.
So can someone help me out on this as I had a grand daddy purps showing strange leave patterns I check the run off and it was at 3.3 I ph'd my tap water down to 6.5 for 7.6 and this corrected my problem. So that tells me the soil wasn't doing it job or does it ?
I am worried about ph'ing my water/nutrient solution before I add it to my plants incase I damage them or the final yield.
Back to the big leaps in ph, I use HESI which states on the bottle it contains ph correctors now it does work because I've checked the water before and after adding nutes.
So when I feed with nutrients my ph is around 6.9 which I would think is ok if the soil is doing what it's suppose to. But what about when I use plain water the ph is 7.6 ?
I'm lost with it all please help.
Sgt.scrogger
New member
I see a lot of people concerned about the pH of their soils, and concerned about the pH of their tap water, and this is a good thing, however there is a whole lot of misinformation and misconceptions floating around, especially concerning the use of you tap water.
First you need to understand that water contains minerals that are essential for the plants, and a good source of these is tap water. In soil, the use of RO (reverse osmosis) water or distilled water can lead to many mineral deficiencies in your plants. I highly discourage the use of either RO or distilled when in soil. Water that has a high pH is rich in calcium carbonate, and water that has a lower pH has less. Don't freak out if you have tap water with a high pH. You can still use your tap water.
The ideal pH of soil should be between 6.5 and 7. Plants can tolerate a fairly wide range before nutrient lock out will occur, so don't panic if you do have a pH fluctuation. As pH will remain stable in soil, if you use only your nutrient water or tap water and don't start experimenting with a lot of additives you may hear about.
There are only 2 pH values that you need to concern yourself with. The pH of your SOIL is the first, and most important. Too many people are concerned mainly with the pH of the water/nutrient solution going in. As the watering solution sits in contact with the soil, the soil will change (or buffer) the pH of that solution to that of the surrounding soil. Run-off water is not really that good an indicator of the soil pH because it has “just run through” the soil, and did not have a chance to be affected by the soil.
The soil has it's own pH value and that is the important one you need to worry about. The pH of the soil is much more stable than that of any water that runs through it. To determine the pH of your soil, You must take a sample from as close to the root zone as possible, by gently digging down along one side and obtaining 2 or 3 tablespoons of soil. Then, put the sample into a container large enough to insert your pH meter. Add enough DISTILLED water to make a loose mud or a slurry, mix it up well, and then let it set for a half hour or so. Then test the mix with your meter. This is the pH of the soil. Any water that passes through the soil will be brought closer to this value the longer it sits in contact with the soil. Even if your tap water is 8.5, the soil WILL buffer that to the value of the soil. Of course, over a period of time, the use of high pH water will raise the pH of the soil, but not during the time it takes to grow our plants.
If you mix your own soils, the best time to get the pH value of the soil is after you have mixed the soil, and all amendments except lime. This is a good way to determine just how much lime to use, if any. Test your soil, and if it is low, add some lime and re test.
Now even though the soil will buffer the water, you will want to get the water/nutrient solution as close to the pH of the soil as you can to avoid shocking the plants, and any drift of the soil pH value. After you mix your watering solutions with any nutrients or additives you are going to use, test the pH and adjust it as necessary. I get my pH up or pH down at any aquarium store. If it's OK for fish, it's OK for the plants.
If you follow these steps, and don't go messing around adding a lot of different things that aren't needed in the first place, the pH of your soil will be stable throughout the entire grow. If you DO have a symptom of a deficiency show up in your plants, obviously check the soils pH again, just to rule that out. Remember, you are in soil, and pH is not nearly as critical as it is in hydroponics.
Hope this helps I found it online
First you need to understand that water contains minerals that are essential for the plants, and a good source of these is tap water. In soil, the use of RO (reverse osmosis) water or distilled water can lead to many mineral deficiencies in your plants. I highly discourage the use of either RO or distilled when in soil. Water that has a high pH is rich in calcium carbonate, and water that has a lower pH has less. Don't freak out if you have tap water with a high pH. You can still use your tap water.
The ideal pH of soil should be between 6.5 and 7. Plants can tolerate a fairly wide range before nutrient lock out will occur, so don't panic if you do have a pH fluctuation. As pH will remain stable in soil, if you use only your nutrient water or tap water and don't start experimenting with a lot of additives you may hear about.
There are only 2 pH values that you need to concern yourself with. The pH of your SOIL is the first, and most important. Too many people are concerned mainly with the pH of the water/nutrient solution going in. As the watering solution sits in contact with the soil, the soil will change (or buffer) the pH of that solution to that of the surrounding soil. Run-off water is not really that good an indicator of the soil pH because it has “just run through” the soil, and did not have a chance to be affected by the soil.
The soil has it's own pH value and that is the important one you need to worry about. The pH of the soil is much more stable than that of any water that runs through it. To determine the pH of your soil, You must take a sample from as close to the root zone as possible, by gently digging down along one side and obtaining 2 or 3 tablespoons of soil. Then, put the sample into a container large enough to insert your pH meter. Add enough DISTILLED water to make a loose mud or a slurry, mix it up well, and then let it set for a half hour or so. Then test the mix with your meter. This is the pH of the soil. Any water that passes through the soil will be brought closer to this value the longer it sits in contact with the soil. Even if your tap water is 8.5, the soil WILL buffer that to the value of the soil. Of course, over a period of time, the use of high pH water will raise the pH of the soil, but not during the time it takes to grow our plants.
If you mix your own soils, the best time to get the pH value of the soil is after you have mixed the soil, and all amendments except lime. This is a good way to determine just how much lime to use, if any. Test your soil, and if it is low, add some lime and re test.
Now even though the soil will buffer the water, you will want to get the water/nutrient solution as close to the pH of the soil as you can to avoid shocking the plants, and any drift of the soil pH value. After you mix your watering solutions with any nutrients or additives you are going to use, test the pH and adjust it as necessary. I get my pH up or pH down at any aquarium store. If it's OK for fish, it's OK for the plants.
If you follow these steps, and don't go messing around adding a lot of different things that aren't needed in the first place, the pH of your soil will be stable throughout the entire grow. If you DO have a symptom of a deficiency show up in your plants, obviously check the soils pH again, just to rule that out. Remember, you are in soil, and pH is not nearly as critical as it is in hydroponics.
Hope this helps I found it online
Y
YosemiteSam
pH is the tail that tries to way the dog. Ultimately your microbe activity and cation/anion balance will dictate pH. When those are right your pH will be right at 6.4...cause your base cation saturation of H will be 12%.
It does not matter what strain or what plant...even blueberries grow best with a pH of 6.4 from balanced soil
Focus on making the soil living and getting your cation/anion balance correct and stop worrying about trying to pH your water.
It does not matter what strain or what plant...even blueberries grow best with a pH of 6.4 from balanced soil
Focus on making the soil living and getting your cation/anion balance correct and stop worrying about trying to pH your water.
