I personally have never had to ph my soil up or down, it’s a waste of time because soil naturally buffers ph which leads to you always chasing some magical number. I would concentrate on nute levels, environmental conditions, and any pest issues since you are outside.
I personally wet trim and then use drying rack for 4-5 days, then finish in paper bags for 24 hours. Buds get put in jars with daily burping for 1week followed by twice weekly burping. After 3 weeks bud should be ready for extended lid on periods which really dial in the smell and flavor.
No need to ph soil and unless your tap water is absurdly high ph no need to worry, soil buffers ph. Also why so long in veg? the plant is going to stretch at least twice it’s size once you flip to flower. I use FF soil and nute trio exclusively and never have to ph.
Have you ever been passed by a speeding driver only to catch up at the red light? Kinda what everyone is talking about here. I’m sticking with 12/12 and I’ll see you at the light.
So you are actually still on a 18/6 schedule just segmented into 6/2 blocks. Even though a straight 24 on schedule will work, plants do generally need a dark period as most growth happens during lights off.
My first question is why are you switching to soil when I presume you were using coco on your previous grows? Stick with what YOU know works by eliminating unknown variables.