ph problems

[mr-natural78]

I have a few seedlings going in 20oz cups with holes poked in them. They are under a 400w MH. My medium is a 3 cubic foot bale of compressed spragnum peat moss that I mixed with 16 dry qrts of perlite and 8 dry qrts of vermiculite. I also added FF Marine Cuisine Dry Mix fet (10-7-7) at the rate of 1 Tbs per 1 gallon of medium when I mixed it all together. I just got a soil tester and tested the soil that my seedlings are in and they tested between 5.5 and 6. Is that OK until I transplant them into 5 gallon nursery pots or should I adjust it now? I have a 2lb bag of hydrated lime and a bad of pelitized dolomite lime. I was thinking of adding 1 Tbs of hydrated lime to a gallon of water and watering my seedlings with it at their next watering to return the ph to neutral. Would that be ok to do? I was also thinking I should add the pelletized dolomite lime to my remaining medium before transplanting my seedlings to the 5 gallon pots. Should I crush the pellitized dolomite lime or use it as is? And what would be a recommended mixture? 1/4 cup per gallon? 1/2 cup per gallon? Would adding the lime keep my ph balanced? The FF Marine Cuisine is intended for acid loving plants. It is just what I had on hand. Would it be ok to use as I have described or should I buy something else? I would rather use what I have....growing on a budget. I also plan to start feeding FF liquid nutes (Grow Big and Big Bloom) in a few weeks. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Screwnuts33]

That is pretty acidic for a "soil" grow.

[CocoJoe]

Originally Posted by mr-natural78

I was also thinking I should add the pelletized dolomite lime to my remaining medium before transplanting my seedlings to the 5 gallon pots. Should I crush the pellitized dolomite lime or use it as is? And what would be a recommended mixture? 1/4 cup per gallon? 1/2 cup per gallon? Would adding the lime keep my ph balanced? The FF Marine Cuisine is intended for acid loving plants. It is just what I had on hand. Would it be ok to use as I have described or should I buy something else? I would rather use what I have....growing on a budget. I also plan to start feeding FF liquid nutes (Grow Big and Big Bloom) in a few weeks. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hi, What screwnuts33 says and yes. I don't use peat moss as a medium. Think there is a problem of acidity with it. I am not sure on that one. I think you have answered your question. Add the dolomite as directed, before you upcan. Your plants look ok? Big Bloom rocks for flowering. Much Luck!

[Joe Coffee]

Originally Posted by cocoJoe

Hi, What screwnuts33 says and yes. I don't use peat moss as a medium. Think there is a problem of acidity with it.

I sure am not an expert yet but I came to the same conclusion about peat moss with my first set of grow plants. I repotted the plants and mixed lime in with the water to offset the acidity. Oh Yeah and I bought a PH meter from Home Depot. No more peat moss for me...

[mr-natural78]

They look ok but I am still concerned about the acidity being as high as it is. I guess I don't have much choice but to try to correct it with lime. I've just never used it and am a little hesitant. I don't want to f*ck something up.

[Screwnuts33]

Originally Posted by mr-natural78

They look ok but I am still concerned about the acidity being as high as it is. I guess I don't have much choice but to try to correct it with lime. I've just never used it and am a little hesitant. I don't want to f*ck something up.

Start with a weak solution and check your run off. Add extra a little at a time. You don't want to do a drastic change. Ease them into it.

[mr-natural78]

Gotcha...thanks.

[mr-natural78]

ok. I've remixed all my medium and will be transplanting soon. I added some compost and regular garden soil to my mix. I'm now at about 30% compost, 30% soil, and 30% peat moss. I've also added dolomite lime pellets. That will hopefully keep my ph under control once I transplant to bigger pots. I also mixed one tablespoon of hydrated lime to one gallon of water and watered my seedlings in styrofoam cups with it. My ph in them is now running 6.25-6.75 in various cups. I think I'm good now. I'm thinking of starting a grow journal but I don't have a digital camera. I still use 35mm. Probably not a good idea to take those pics to walgreens or something for developing. If I pic up a cheap digital I will start a journal. Thanks for the help. Great website.

[mr-natural78]

Originally Posted by cocoJoe

Hi, What screwnuts33 says and yes. I don't use peat moss as a medium. Think there is a problem of acidity with it. I am not sure on that one. I think you have answered your question. Add the dolomite as directed, before you upcan. Your plants look ok? Big Bloom rocks for flowering. Much Luck!

Originally Posted by Joe Coffee

I sure am not an expert yet but I came to the same conclusion about peat moss with my first set of grow plants. I repotted the plants and mixed lime in with the water to offset the acidity. Oh Yeah and I bought a PH meter from Home Depot. No more peat moss for me...

I don't see why people don't like peat moss. Most potting mixes I have seen contain it in various amounts. Pro-mix...Miracle Grow...sunshine mix.....whatever. Every bag of mix I have seen contains peat moss, perlite (sometimes sand), and compost in various amounts. Most are 50-75% peat moss.

[Screwnuts33]

The PH problems you are having are exactly why people shy away from peat. Look at the high end soil (Fox Farms Ocean), the type of peat and amount of peat makes all the difference.

[mr-natural78]

Originally Posted by Screwnuts33

The PH problems you are having are exactly why people shy away from peat. Look at the high end soil (Fox Farms Ocean), the type of peat and amount of peat makes all the difference.

hmmmm.....maybe I should look into it more. I know most packages just say canadian spragnum peat moss. The ones with higher percentages of peat moss also list lime as an ingredient to stabilize the ph. I just can't see buying the high end packages like FF when you can buy canadian spragnum peat moss, perlite, lime, compost, or whatever pretty cheap and mix it all yourself. I have never looked at the ingrediets on the FF soils. I think I will check into that.

[mr-natural78]

Well, I checked Fox Farms website. It does list peat moss as an ingredient in their soils...though it doesn't say how much. I think I will stick with mixing my own. Just so much cheaper and all the ingredients are available at most garden shops or home depot.