Help with outdoor nutrient info

[SmokinAngel]

We have been lowering the ph of our water for our outdoor grow with vinegar, which works just great! However, now it is time to add nutrients and want to know if the vinegar will affect the nutrients? Anybody want to toss something out there? I'll listen to any help you can give. Also, need suggestions to rid ourselves of an overrambunctious herd of spider mites! Just sayin...

 

[JJ Bones]

Vinegar should still work out with your nutrients.

The best product to eliminate spider-mites is SNS-217. It works great, kills adults and dries out eggs. I recommend using it 2 times per week if you have a bad infestation.

We sell it @ our store if you need it we can ship ASAP.

 

[exile19]

read Cannabis Nutrient And Deficiency Table - Great!

 

[SmokinAngel]

Thanks, we had to go ahead and try it and all seems to be doing well! I have never heard of the stuff to get rid of the mighty nasty spider mites! Will definately be checking it out. Now on top of those which we just sprayed, we have discovered Budworms and are using Safer Brand Caterpillar Killer - stuff is the bomb! Found it last year when we found out what the heck those little worms were. Want something that wouldn't harm the plants or their product. Killed them little buggers deader than dead! We were so happy, as you can only imagine. Their website: Organic Gardening, Organic Pesticides & Insect Killer Products, just in case you needed to know. Tit for tat so to speak! Again thanks, and nice communicating with you! Smoke on...

 

[Jimmycricket]

Lowering the ph of your water is not the way to combat high soil PH levels.

If your soils PH is too high you should add sulfur to the soil. Whatever you soils PH is, the water you feed with does not change it for more then a few hours. Then the soils PH will go right back to were it wants to be naturally.

 

[SmokinAngel]

Thanks for your input. We ph's the soils before we put the garden in. It is the water that we use that has too high a ph! We start at around 8.0 and have to lower it to somewhere around and between 5.50 and 5.79. My question was about using vinegar as opposed to Ph Down. We recently went to a drip system of watering with 2 45 gal barrels and we were concerned that the vinegar would throw off the value of the nutes we are using... but after hearing from our local grow advisor, we went ahead and found no diference between using the vinegar and the Ph Down product. It takes a larger quantity of the vinegar to lower the ph in each of the barrels, but when you compare 23 cents per ounce to $1.25 per oz for the Ph Down and us are using 270 gallons a day... well you do the math. This is our 7th total grow, both indoor and outdoor, and our largest and best so far, so as you can see we've learned a little everytime and thanks to journaling each grow and help from the forums like the input we just got from you, it just keeps getting better!

 

[Fuzzy Duck]

The standard measurement of alkalinity and acidity is known as pH. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14. A pH of 7 is neutral, which is neither acid nor alkaline. Below 7 is acid and above 7 is alkaline. A pH of 5.5 is 10 times more acidic than a pH of 6.5. Conversely, a pH of 8.5 is 10 times more alkaline than a pH of 7.5. A soil test will determine pH.

The soil pH is important because it affects the availability of nutrients in the soil. Many plant nutrients are not readily available to plants in highly alkaline or acidic soils. These essential nutrients are most available to most plants at a pH between 6 to 7.5.

Consequently, most horticultural plants grow best in soils with a pH between 6 (slightly acid) and 7.5 (slightly alkaline). Most Iowa soils are in this range. If your soil is not, then you will need to make a choice. Either choose plants adapted to your soil's pH or alter your soil's pH to fit the plants.

But before attempting to raise or lower your soil's pH, you should first conduct a soil test to determine your current soil pH. Contact your local county Extension office for advice on collecting and sending a soil sample to a laboratory for analysis.

Some soils in Iowa (especially those in western Iowa) are slightly alkaline to very alkaline, with pH's that range from 7.2 to 9.5. This is due mainly to the limestone parent material from which the soils were formed. In addition, home builders may remove topsoil during construction and replace it with more alkaline subsoil. Alkaline building materials, such as limestone gravel and concrete, and high pH irrigation water may also contribute to a soil's alkalinity.

If your soil is alkaline, you can lower your soil's pH or make it more acidic by using several products. These include sphagnum peat, elemental sulfur, aluminum sulfate, iron sulfate, acidifying nitrogen, and organic mulches.

An excellent way to lower the pH of small beds or garden areas is the addition of sphagnum peat. (The pH of Canadian sphagnum peat generally ranges from 3.0 to 4.5.) Sphagnum peat is also a good source of organic matter. On small garden plots, add a one to two inch layer of sphagnum peat and work it into the top 8 to 12 inches of soil before planting. The addition of sphagnum peat to large areas would be cost prohibitive.

Granular sulfur is the safest, least expensive but slowest acting product to use when attempting to lower your soil's pH.

To avoid plant injury, don't exceed 2 pounds of sulfur per 100 square feet per application. Wait at least 3 months to make another application.

Aluminum sulfate and iron sulfate react more quickly with the soil than elemental sulfur. However, aluminum sulfate and iron sulfate must be applied at a 5 to 6 times greater rate. Do not apply more than 5 pounds per 100 square feet of aluminum or iron sulfate at any one time. Excessive amounts of these two sulfates can also injure plants.

Some types of fertilizers can help to acidify the soil and most of them are safe to apply. Acidifying fertilizers include ammonium sulfate, diammonium phosphate, monoammonium phosphate, urea, and ammonium nitrate. Read the label on the fertilizer bag to determine if it is an acidifying fertilizer.

Research suggests that wood chips as a surface mulch may actually allow greater nutrient absorption by some trees. Spread a layer about three inches thick at least out to the dripline. Each spring add more mulch to keep the depth at about three inches.

If the pH of your soil is greater than 7.5, then the soil may contain a large amount of free calcium carbonate. This compound strongly resists changes in soil pH. Lowering the pH becomes difficult or impractical on soils that have a pH above 7.5.

The pH of highly acidic soils can be raised by incorporating limestone into the soil. Hydrated lime works quicker, but over liming is more likely.
Wood ash will also raise the soil pH and make the soil more alkaline. Do not apply wood ash, limestone, hydrated lime, or other liming materials to alkaline soils.

Modifying a soil's pH is usually a slow process and may require repeat treatments. It is often most effective to use a combination of treatments. However, don't expect a quick fix or a miracle cure.

 

[SmokinAngel]

Thanks for taking the time to post this for me. I have printed it out so that after this crop comes out and we leave it fallow till spring we can start with the right pH in our soil base. Your's is the most simple to understand, and is greatly appreciatedf. Like I said before, we learn with each and every grow and, therefore, each is better than the last! Smoke on...

 

[HydroGrowTents]

Vinegar can really help lowering soil’s ph level. However, low soil’s ph might affect the growth of plants. Too much use of vinegar hinders the ability of the plants to absorb water and nutrients. If you are to use vinegar to stabilize your soil’s ph level, I would suggest to use household vinegar because its acid content is not that strong to cause damage to the soil and plants as well.

For spider mites, you have to get rid of it the soonest possible time to prevent damaging your plants. You can spray it with clean water, you can use spray nozzle to put pressure on water stream. Spider mites might also be present on your soil, so you better check your soil as well. Get rid of the eggs to prevent from laying. Spider mites can often be seen on the undersides of leaves.

Hope this would help

 

[SmokinAngel]

Thanks, every bit of knowledge helps!