How do you manage to adjust your pH without over-watering your plants?

[LoveGreen]

I've always wanted the answer to this particular question and though the answer seems obvious, I wanted to know how you guys manage. How do you manage to adjust your pH without over-watering your plants?

For example, if my pH is 7 and I want it at 6, I adjust the water to 5.6 or so and water the plants. Depending on the run-off, I readjust the pH and continue to do so until the pH is good. After checking the run-off again (after maybe an hour) I find that I have to re-adjust the pH. Everything's good and the pH stabilizes, but my problem is that I over-water the plants during this process.

So, how do you guys do it? Or am I missing something?

 

[iwltfum]

I usually bubble my water while making the nutes.

The thing about it is, you kind of have to find the balance that works for your set up and adjust for how much the plant is filling out the pot. If its drinking less, you'll have to start just a bit lower so it's only a little bit higher when you have to water next (assuming it takes a couple days). If its drinking more, then you wont have to account for as much of a change generally (because you'll be watering it more often and it won't have time to change). The trick is getting to the point that you don't have to add extra water to the pot just to get it to the right pH, if you do it right, your pH will come out 5.8 -6.0 every time you water.

 

[iwltfum]

Are you letting your waste water drain?

 

[Weaselcracker]

Are you growing in soil?

 

[LoveGreen]

I'm growing in coco mixed with perlite. It has an excellent draining system, but I end up over watering whenever I need to adjust the pH. I guess I should start taking notes?

 

[iwltfum]

What do you mean by over watering. are the plants showing signs of over watering? If so then it's probably a case of watering too often (unless you're letting water sit in a tray under the pot for a long period of time)
If it's about the fact that alof of water is draining, then it's probably not that big of a deal minus the wasted nutes.

 

[Weaselcracker]

When I first read the post I was a bit confused, I get confused easily . But it sounds like you are spending a bunch of time trying to adjust the ph of the coco growing medium itself, right? Someone else who knows coco better than me will hopefully come along , I haven't used it much. But my understanding is that it's probably best to not worry about the ph of the coco itself, and just make sure to adjust everything going in to it to about 5.8.
I don't see why the ph of the coco would want to change much as long as it's being given ph balanced solution/water.
I grow mostly in sunshine mix/ promix. I rarely bigger to check the ph of the runoff- only if there is some sort of problem.
If you do have to adjust the ph of the medium, a high ppm solution will do it faster than a low ppm solution.

 

[LoveGreen]

Sorry for the confusion. Maybe I didn't explain better. Okay, so if for example, if I want an optimal pH of 5.8 for coco, I begin by adjusting the water. After I water it, the run off is usually 6.5 or so. Then I re-adjust again, and water them. My tap water is 7.3, so I adjust it and then I check run-off. While adjusting the pH (I haven't taken down notes and I need to kick myself for it), I supply more water to the plants and though I drain off any excess water in the pots, the plants begin to droop. I even check the soil to see if there's a lot of water but it's really dry at the top and I feel like my adjustments to pH is costing the plants.

My problem is that if I check my plants after a while, like say 30 minutes, I see that the pH would be 6.3 or so again. I don't know why that is because I haven't even used nutes yet. So what do you guys do?

 

[LoveGreen]

In other words, my plants are probably going through a flush each time I try to adjust the pH!!! So, do you guys adjust the water to like maybe 5.5 and water your plants growing in coco? Or 6.0 pH water maybe?

 

[Weaselcracker]

My suspicion is that you should probably not worry about it. From what I read- coco has a natural ph of between 5.8 and 6.8. I think fighting against it's natural ph will be difficult and probably a waste of time. My 2c would be to just balance all water and nutrient solution to 5.8 before applying, and don't worry about the runoff.

 

[iwltfum]

In other words, my plants are probably going through a flush each time I try to adjust the pH!!! So, do you guys adjust the water to like maybe 5.5 and water your plants growing in coco? Or 6.0 pH water maybe?

Thanks for the clarification. There are a couple options, some of them may not work based on your set up or plant size. The first option being to adjust down for how much the pH goes up, this will take a couple tries, but at least its not going above 6.5 or 7 so your very close.
Another option would be to water more often, so your pH doesn't have a chance to change that much. It also sounds like you could be watering too often (possibly causing your plants to droop?). Another option would be to start adding small amount of nutes so your pH is inclined to stay (more) stable.

Maybe we should be discussing the two issues separately. I really don't think the drooping has anything to do with the pH in this case.

 

[LoveGreen]

Thanks for the answers guys. You're amazing. This was the first transplant to a 1 gallon pot from a cup and I have managed to make the leaves droop because I had to run the water through them at least thrice. I think Weaselcracker is right because I keep fighting the pH and make my plants go crazy. To be honest, I feel that they will grow just fine if I don't love them to death, like what I'm doing now. Iwltfum, I'll also check the exact number of pH I need and right now, it's about 5.6 or so. This means that if I water them with 5.6 pH, I get 6.2 or 6.3, and since I want 5.8, I'll go even lower. I'm tempted to just adjust to 5.8 and let it be, as weasel suggested because I fear my plants don't like being messed with.

 

[iwltfum]

Thanks for the answers guys. You're amazing. This was the first transplant to a 1 gallon pot from a cup and I have managed to make the leaves droop because I had to run the water through them at least thrice. I think Weaselcracker is right because I keep fighting the pH and make my plants go crazy. To be honest, I feel that they will grow just fine if I don't love them to death, like what I'm doing now. Iwltfum, I'll also check the exact number of pH I need and right now, it's about 5.6 or so. This means that if I water them with 5.6 pH, I get 6.2 or 6.3, and since I want 5.8, I'll go even lower. I'm tempted to just adjust to 5.8 and let it be, as weasel suggested because I fear my plants don't like being messed with.

At some point you kind of have to expect it to chance slightly, but if its within the range why mess with it? I get the feeling after looking at the pH range chart that's often posted on here that the plant (no matter whether its in hydro or organics) will actually benefit from the slight fluctuation within the correct range.

I only meant if your pH is way out of wack, then to bring it down, you can add lower pH water, but you wouldn't want to run too much or your pH will end up being too low, because you will have essentially flushed the old pH out and replaced it with the new pH. It's a matter of dilution, not flooding.

 

[Nathanlrs]

From what I remember when my friend was using coco he was just bubbling his tap water for 24 hours and then filling his watering can up , adding his nutes then ph'd his water and watered till there was a slight runoff from the pot. I never once saw him ph his runoff or excessively worry about it and his shit was the best I've ever smoked. I personally don't worry to much about ph runoff and I've got a soil grow going and it's absolutely fine, looks healthy and growing nice.

 

[iwltfum]

From what I remember when my friend was using coco he was just bubbling his tap water for 24 hours and then filling his watering can up , adding his nutes then ph'd his water and watered till there was a slight runoff from the pot. I never once saw him ph his runoff or excessively worry about it and his shit was the best I've ever smoked. I personally don't worry to much about ph runoff and I've got a soil grow going and it's absolutely fine, looks healthy and growing nice.

Agreed, if your doing everything right, the pH of your run off isn't that important as long as the pants are healthy.

My organic soil plants seem to adjust their own pH naturally to the right level. As long as the pH of the water is within 5-7, the run off comes out at 6.2 or 6.3 every time. I think that has something to do with the fungal/bacterial ratio, but I'm not sure

 

[LoveGreen]

Thanks guys. I watered today since it had been a few days and the plants were dry at the top. I adjusted the ph and the run off was at 6.4 and that's it. I didn't try to readjust it or anything. Thankfully, they are not drooping