What's up guys!? Yet another day for me and another problem. So I was looking at my vegetive plants and I noticed on 1, the edges turning lighter green and also very slight brown edges on a few leaves at the top . After research I think I have determined that this is a magnesium nutrient deficiency. This is my very first time growing, I could be very wrong. I checked the pH levels of my run off and it's very low compared to what I'm actually watering with. I normally balance pH level the water to 5.8. I took the run off on all of my plants after watering/flushing and I'm getting extreme lows down to 4.8 to 5.5 pH. What I did do today is I flushed all of them with a relatively high pH level water (9) as this was the only way to get the run off to a decent level pH, which is barely making it to 6 but I stopped there. However the top soil pH is showing 6.2 pH. Can anyone help me with this? I feel like my plans have magnesium deficiency and the reason why I am not considering feeding nutrients is because I know the soil is packed with nutrients plus I use a little Foxfarm fertilizer. Do you guys think this is magnesium deficiency ? (pic included) and also should I pay much attention to the pH balance of the runoff? Should I pay much attention to the pH level of the top soil? And lastly, how much higher should I make the pH of water when trying to raise pH? Overall, please share your opinions with me on what u think the issue is and whether I'm headed in the right direction or not? If you can answer all questions that would be super! P.S Is it possible to have a nutrient deficiency and nutrient burn at the same time?
PH level low in Foxfarm Soil
- Thread starter Flowrif
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- #2
Listersmeghead
Well-Known Member
Hi flowrif.
Reading the ph of runoff water from soil is misleading, all you have to worry about is the ph of the liquid going into the plant, runoff will tell you nothing.
Right, the correct ph for soil feeding is 6.3, if you do that each time you'll be ok.
Now, some soils have a buffer in them, this is usually set around ph 7. So when your soil dried it tried to return to 7, that's why your top soil is different.
This is useful because when you water at 6.3 ph it then rises to 7 as it dries meaning your plant picks up all the nutrient zones along the way.
Reading the ph of runoff water from soil is misleading, all you have to worry about is the ph of the liquid going into the plant, runoff will tell you nothing.
Right, the correct ph for soil feeding is 6.3, if you do that each time you'll be ok.
Now, some soils have a buffer in them, this is usually set around ph 7. So when your soil dried it tried to return to 7, that's why your top soil is different.
This is useful because when you water at 6.3 ph it then rises to 7 as it dries meaning your plant picks up all the nutrient zones along the way.
Listersmeghead
Well-Known Member
Fox farm has a feeding chart ,it's a good idea to give it a look and follow it.
That'll tell you what to do week by week.
By the way, she looks well alright, hit the right ph, let her dry out between watering and have a look at Fox farm feed chart.
That'll tell you what to do week by week.
By the way, she looks well alright, hit the right ph, let her dry out between watering and have a look at Fox farm feed chart.
Emilya Green
Well-Known Member
Hi FLowrif and welcome to the forum!
First, its not a screw up to use nutrients even on day one... I do, and so do lots of others who wish to get high yield out of their gardens, rather than relying on the barely enough just to survive nutrients that are preloaded into our soils.
Your major problem is your understanding of pH and how you are managing it. First of all, your target pH should be 6.3. 5.8 is down in the hydro range and is probably part of your problem. Make sure all of your fluids are at 6.3 at the moment they hit the soil, and you will be perfect. Don't worry about the soil pH... it was set correctly at the factory to around 6.8, so that your fluid pH will drift upwards when you apply it at 6.3. This is how the system was designed to work.
Next, runoff pH in soil is totally meaningless. You are reading the pH of all the organics that fall out with the runoff water, and like coffee out of a percolator, the more runoff you produce, the weaker it will be. The pH of that sludge coming out at the bottom is influenced by a lot of broken down sphagnum moss coming out of the soil, and that is going to always drive it toward the acidic... so it is no surprise that your reading of that meaningless fluid is in the 4's.
Adjust your incoming pH to 6.3 and keep everything else the same... I bet your deficiency goes away all by itself.
First, its not a screw up to use nutrients even on day one... I do, and so do lots of others who wish to get high yield out of their gardens, rather than relying on the barely enough just to survive nutrients that are preloaded into our soils.
Your major problem is your understanding of pH and how you are managing it. First of all, your target pH should be 6.3. 5.8 is down in the hydro range and is probably part of your problem. Make sure all of your fluids are at 6.3 at the moment they hit the soil, and you will be perfect. Don't worry about the soil pH... it was set correctly at the factory to around 6.8, so that your fluid pH will drift upwards when you apply it at 6.3. This is how the system was designed to work.
Next, runoff pH in soil is totally meaningless. You are reading the pH of all the organics that fall out with the runoff water, and like coffee out of a percolator, the more runoff you produce, the weaker it will be. The pH of that sludge coming out at the bottom is influenced by a lot of broken down sphagnum moss coming out of the soil, and that is going to always drive it toward the acidic... so it is no surprise that your reading of that meaningless fluid is in the 4's.
Adjust your incoming pH to 6.3 and keep everything else the same... I bet your deficiency goes away all by itself.
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- #6
Wow so do u think I screwed up by adding 9 pH water? I can answer that myself I think...smh... something definitely going on with the leaves tho
Listersmeghead
Well-Known Member
It won't kill it. Just hit the 6.3 with liquid going in and she will thrive.
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- #8
Ty 4 response. Wow so do u think I screwed up by adding 9 pH water? That was dumb of me
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- #9
Thanks alot
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- #10
Makes sense
Emilya Green
Well-Known Member
all you did is inactivate any response to nutes from synthetic nutes... but since you havent yet applied any synthetic nutes, the pH of your fluid is inconsequential. It is still water, and happily used by your plants, and any readily available nitrogen built into the soil, is still there and still readily available. Your pH mishap didn't change a thing and as a matter of fact, you can stop adjusting pH until you start adding nutrients.
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- #12
Ty 4 the welcome btw...
