Hello All
I have a few seedling on the go, maybe 2 weeks old (indica). I also have a plant maybe 5 weeks old, looks sativa dominant. The seedlings looked nitrogen deficient despite it being fresh soil mix with plenty of worm castings and blood n bone amendments (also coco coir, perlite, and some garden lime mixed in). I gave them a foliar spray of a generic fertilizer and they perked up immediately in colour. But it got me wondering why it was needed in the first place given the soil was fresh and should be fertile, so I grabbed a soil pH tester. The soil was very acidic, as low as 5. So applied a small amount of garden lime on the top of the soil and watered it in, but it only came up to around 5.5 in the few days after. I dusted off an old pH pen for hydro and I tested the local water supply. Its also really acidic at 5.5. What I am wondering is how should I address the soil pH. I will obviously need to make the water more alkaline before I water my plants, but if I am dissolving garden lime how high should I raise it to also address the soil pH. Do I keep top dressing and watering in lime, or should I fix it purely by raising the water pH with the lime? My 5 liter watering can has water I raised to 6.9 with the lime, should I just keep watering and retesting the soil with that until its fixed, then drop waterings back to 6.5? Or should I be slightly more aggressive?
I just noticed what I think are magnesium deficiencies in the older plants leaves, so I applied some Epsom salts as a foliar spray, but I suspect the main problem is nutrient lock out because of the soil pH. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.
I have a few seedling on the go, maybe 2 weeks old (indica). I also have a plant maybe 5 weeks old, looks sativa dominant. The seedlings looked nitrogen deficient despite it being fresh soil mix with plenty of worm castings and blood n bone amendments (also coco coir, perlite, and some garden lime mixed in). I gave them a foliar spray of a generic fertilizer and they perked up immediately in colour. But it got me wondering why it was needed in the first place given the soil was fresh and should be fertile, so I grabbed a soil pH tester. The soil was very acidic, as low as 5. So applied a small amount of garden lime on the top of the soil and watered it in, but it only came up to around 5.5 in the few days after. I dusted off an old pH pen for hydro and I tested the local water supply. Its also really acidic at 5.5. What I am wondering is how should I address the soil pH. I will obviously need to make the water more alkaline before I water my plants, but if I am dissolving garden lime how high should I raise it to also address the soil pH. Do I keep top dressing and watering in lime, or should I fix it purely by raising the water pH with the lime? My 5 liter watering can has water I raised to 6.9 with the lime, should I just keep watering and retesting the soil with that until its fixed, then drop waterings back to 6.5? Or should I be slightly more aggressive?
I just noticed what I think are magnesium deficiencies in the older plants leaves, so I applied some Epsom salts as a foliar spray, but I suspect the main problem is nutrient lock out because of the soil pH. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.