Ph in soil?

[kennykilller]

so i just got a bag of bud soil and i didnt add anything yet. when i stuck the probes to the ph tester in the dirt it didnt drop below 7.2. i dont like the ph being so high. can some one tell me if its the ph in the water that drops the ph in the soil or do i need to add something to drop the ph in the soil or???? im almost ready to start up again but this time i dont wanna have to keep fighting a major ph problem. thx for the help

 

[Droopy Dog]

when i stuck the probes to the ph tester in the dirt it didnt drop below 7.2.

Stop right there.

If that *tester* with the probes didn't cost $250+, throw it away right now. The $10-$15 testers are so inaccurate they are worse than useless. You'll be trying to correct an incorrect pH reading.

The pH of any liquid added to the soil will affect the pH temporarily at best.

Just about all bagged soil mixes have a low pH or will have if they are peat based. Pulverized/ground lime (limestone), will not only keep your pH in the right range, but is also a great source of calcium. Mag too if you use dolomite lime.

If it really is high, garden sulfur will lower it. But, I really suspect a faulty meter reading.

DD

 

[kennykilller]

ouch 250 for a tester damn. how would you test the ph in your soil?

 

[Outspoken]

^^ Good Question, i'd like to know aswell!

 

[HydroGrowTents]

When testing your soil’s ph level, make sure it’s dry because if soil is wet, it might give you a false reading. I would suggest to check your soil more than once to verify the accuracy of your PH results.

PH is measured on a scale of 1 to 14.
7.0 is neutral.
Below 7 is acidic or sour
Above 7 is alkaline or sweet

If your soil’s ph is below 7 (acidic), add some lime. If above 7 (alkaline), add some sulfur. You also need to know the what elements are missing from your soil. You can ask help from your local Cooperative Extension office to run a test on your soil if you still have trouble determining your soil’s ph. Hope this would help.

 

[kennykilller]

we have a d and b and a walmart. what can i get that would help lower the ph in soil and help keep it in the 6.5 range. Help is much needed thx guys any help would b the shit. (i know sulfer but isnt there like blood meal or bone meal that i could add not sure witch one would do it or if there is anything that would work better()

 

[Droopy Dog]

ouch 250 for a tester damn. how would you test the ph in your soil?

That's $250 for a *soil* tester. A pH pen or meter for liquids can be had for much much cheaper.

A couple of things. First, trying for a target/set pH in soil is a fools errand. It will not only vary from spot to spot, but from day to day. What you want is to get it into an acceptable range, like say 6.3-7.1 or so. Second, I no longer check pH for my mix or anything added to the mix, like water, teas, any liquids.

You can check the runoff pH to get an idea of where you're at and that's about all runoff readings are good for. A soil test is much better, but cost more. You can also do a slurry test. I do a combo of the slurry test and runoff.

Water the plant till you get runoff and good saturation. Toss the runoff and let the plant sit for an hour or so. Then, add just enough water to get a bit of runoff, enough to test and test this. It still won't be as accurate as a soil test, but close enough to see if you're below 6.3 or over 7.1. That's all you really need to know to adjust the soil mix.

You then add your lime or sulfur, give it a couple of weeks to work and check again. The only times I've ever seen sulfur needed is growing in the ground in the far west where the soil is very alkaline. Bagged mixes and most organics are on the acidic side. Peat moss, the base of most bagged mixes, can be well under 5, especially when it starts to break down.

Just don't be in a big hurry. Nothing in organics happens fast, unless it's really bad. Don't add whatever and expect to see results the next day. Hydro maybe, but not soil.

DD

 

[Jimmycricket]

Keep in mind when you have good soil it is constantly trying to get back to 7. Usually my soil will be anywhere from 6.2-7, when you water it with nutes itll drop for awhile then it slowly climbs back up and its just a natural progression. The little microbes in your soil all do their part to keep the soil in the right zone like 6-7.5 or so. Giving them a SMALL amount of lime and sulfur helps to keep it near 7. If your soil has good stuff in it then PH really does not need to be worried about in soil.

Things like over watering, possibly underwatering, and over nuting are much more common problems then worrying about the PH of your soil.

Start with good soil that has lots of good stuff and you dont need to worry. Mother nature will help keep the PH in the right range.

 

[kennykilller]

thxs to all im sort of new to this so its all a bunch of reading, trial and error. im almost to the end of my first run. For using mg organic soil and me nute burning the hell out of it, it sure is still putting out good smelling stuff. just not as much as one would hope but i know better for next time.

 

[Jimmycricket]

MG organic is good stuff.

Its the MG slow release Chem stuff that isnt the greatest.

MG Organic soil along with perlite is the base of all my plants. I just add little conditioners like azomite, green sand, guanos and other things. I just mix it all together and its some great draining high nute soil and the PH is very stable going from 6-7 basically.

MG gets a bad rap because its easy to burn plants with their ferts, their slow release soil combined with other nutes is very unpredictable and chem bud in general never tastes as good as organic.

But the MG Organics line of soil and nutes is quite nice imho. Its cost effective and it works.

 

[kennykilller]

you dont say? thats what mine are in but only the soil and perlite. mmmm ok thxs for the info

 

[Jimmycricket]

you dont say? thats what mine are in but only the soil and perlite. mmmm ok thxs for the info

I hope you dont mean the MG perlite. That stuff is not so good. It has a lot of slow release chem ferts. The MG organic soil is good, the MG perlite is bad.

 

[kennykilller]

ya know...i will have to look. im not sure if i grabbed mg perlite or not. from what i gathered all mg stuff has slow release chem. in it but i could b wrong thxs jimmy u r much help