PH levels too high. I'm screwed I think

[Chester B. Green]

yeah, I'm fucked. Both my ladies are almost done with week #7 of flowering and I checked the PH level eearlier today and noticed that the PH reading came out between 7.2 and 7.6 - Which some people will tell you that when growing in soil, a PH level of 7.0 is good.. but I like mine right around 6.7 to 7.0

Now, usually.. this wouldnt be a problem since I have a local hydro store here in town. HOWEVER.. the moron at the hydro store doesn't have any PH 'UP' or 'DOWN' in stock and doesn't expect to get any until around the end of Jan. 2012!!!

I'm screwed!!

So, I figured my last attempt would be to come here and ask you professionals if there is anything else that I could use or get to lower the PH levels.

I use 'Aquafina' bottled water for my watering needs because its got a low PH level.. but I don't think that alone will bring the soils PH level down.. but I mean, I'm already using a LOW PH level water to water the soil with..

ughh I dunno, I'm at a lost right at this point.. :|

anyone have any ideas?

thanks.

 

[voltron]

Re: PH levels too high.. I'm screwed I think..

yeah, I'm fucked. Both my ladies are almost done with week #7 of flowering and I checked the PH level eearlier today and noticed that the PH reading came out between 7.2 and 7.6 - Which some people will tell you that when growing in soil, a PH level of 7.0 is good.. but I like mine right around 6.7 to 7.0

Now, usually.. this wouldnt be a problem since I have a local hydro store here in town. HOWEVER.. the moron at the hydro store doesn't have any PH 'UP' or 'DOWN' in stock and doesn't expect to get any until around the end of Jan. 2012!!!

I'm screwed!!

So, I figured my last attempt would be to come here and ask you professionals if there is anything else that I could use or get to lower the PH levels.

I use 'Aquafina' bottled water for my watering needs because its got a low PH level.. but I don't think that alone will bring the soils PH level down.. but I mean, I'm already using a LOW PH level water to water the soil with..

ughh I dunno, I'm at a lost right at this point.. :|

anyone have any ideas?

thanks.

Hey potroast, check this link out, it will give you several options to choose from while you wait for your downer How Can I Raise or Lower the pH of my Soil Mix? Hope this helps! How much longer are your ladies going? Are they showing ill effects to the 7.2 ph? Goodluck.

 

[Chester B. Green]

Re: PH levels too high.. I'm screwed I think..

Hey potroast, check this link out, it will give you several options to choose from while you wait for your downer How Can I Raise or Lower the pH of my Soil Mix? Hope this helps! How much longer are your ladies going? Are they showing ill effects to the 7.2 ph? Goodluck.

Hey Voltron!!!! My dude, thank YOU SO much man. You've no idea how much that helps me. I sincerely appreciate your help.. really do. I also appreciate everyone else that has helped me so far.. its appreciated more than you guys probably even realize.

Yeah, I'm letting these two ladies go 10 to 11 weeks just to make sure they're done. But, I might be harvesting a little earlier, as I'll be checking them at the end of each week from now until they're ready and if they show signs that they're ready before weeks #10 or #11.. then of course I'll harvest them at that point.

They're looking really good considering the PH level is a little high for soil.. but I am starting to see some of the negative effects of the high PH level. For example.. the very end tips of the fan leafs are starting to crisp up; ;

I don't really see anything else that would be caused by the high PH levels.. but I know if I don't get it fixed, and fixed SOON.. I know these ladies won't make it.. and even if they do.. they won't be at the level I want them.. its fucking depressing (excuse my French).. uggghh. So sad right now.. :|

BUT! With your help.. I think I can fix it.

Have you ever tried any of those items to lower PH levels? I was thinking of trying the sawdust one.. see if that does anything.

The main problem I have around my area.. is nobody carries the Dolomite Lime.. so I'd have to order that off the interweb which I don't want to do really.. as it brings unwanted attention to my residence.

Do I just mix a little sawdust into the soil?? I wonder if sawdust would lower the PH levels of h20?

Well, anyhow.. again, I appreciate your help bro.. more than you realize!!

Holla at me if you ever need anything!

And with that said, I guess I better get cracking and see if I can fix this PH problem.

One last thing, I heard that ashes (like from my fireplace) would lower the PH level too.. anyone ever heard of that one?? And does it really work?

thanks! & Happy Holidays everyone!

 

[Fuzzy Duck]

Re: PH levels too high.. I'm screwed I think..

PH is not that bad, well lets say its not critical at the moment at the very worst you may get a little Fe - iron defecency first.

Soil has a natural buffering effect

Depends on when that Ph test/recording was taken shortly after watering or 24 hours after watering... can have very different readings all together.


Now i use a hard water (alkline say pH 8.5 aprox) unmodified or plants watered with tap water my soil PH will drop to about PH 5.5 some 18 hours later it will rise to about PH 6.2


Now with tap water modified with a neutral buffering fertilizer (unknown Ph value due to no fancy EC/PH pen)
Shortly after watering the Ph will be near PH 6 to 6.2 some 18 hours later Ph will rise to about PH 6.4 to 6.6

I use a soil PH/moisture probe thing from a local garden centre to monitor these results & reflect my own experience only on the matter. Variable results may be achieved depending on fertilizer, hard/soft water areas.

Not a very good pic of soil ph/moisture probe... its basic but it works

 

[Chester B. Green]

Re: PH levels too high.. I'm screwed I think..

PH is not that bad, well lets say its not critical at the moment at the very worst you may get a little Fe - iron defecency first.

Soil has a natural buffering effect

Depends on when that Ph test/recording was taken shortly after watering or 24 hours after watering... can have very different readings all together.


Now i use a hard water (alkline say pH 8.5 aprox) unmodified or plants watered with tap water my soil PH will drop to about PH 5.5 some 18 hours later it will rise to about PH 6.2


Now with tap water modified with a neutral buffering fertilizer (unknown Ph value due to no fancy EC/PH pen)
Shortly after watering the Ph will be near PH 6 to 6.2 some 18 hours later Ph will rise to about PH 6.4 to 6.6

I use a soil PH/moisture probe thing from a local garden centre to monitor these results & reflect my own experience only on the matter. Variable results may be achieved depending on fertilizer, hard/soft water areas.

Not a very good pic of soil ph/moisture probe... its basic but it works

Nice, yeah I actually JUST bought one of those yesterday from Lowe's. Mine has three tests on it though instead of just two. Mine has a little optic light sensor as well as PH and Moisture sensors.

I think on my next watering I'm going to give both ladies enough water to give them a light flushing so that each one will throw out some runoff out the bottom of the pots and then I can collect the runoff and check the PH levels of that.. which I haven't done yet.

The PH reading of the soil, according to this tester thing.. is now right between 7.0 and 8.0 - which IMO means that its probably 7.5 or a little higher.. which again, I don't want. I need my PH levels around 6.7 to 7.0 MAX.

Thanks for the info though.

I did test my tap-water PH level this morning.. which came out to be between 6.8 and 7.2 - I don't know if that's good or bad for tap-water.

Total Alkalinity (ppm) was right at 40 - and according to the test strip bottle, which has a graph on the side to compare to.. is low.

And as far as 'Total Bromine' (ppm) it was sitting at 1 - which according to the chart on the side of this bottle.. is also low.


Then I tested Aquafina (bottled water)

Bromine levels of that test were pretty much not even present.. meaning there's no Bromine in it.. or if there is, its a VERY small amount.

PH levels of the Aquafina test were also very low. According to the test strip and the chart on the bottle.. the PH level of Aquafina is well below 6.0 - probably around 5.0 and maybe even a little lower than that.

Total Alkalinity (ppm) was very low as well. It's coming in below 40-ppm.


But anyhow, yeah thanks for the info buddy! Appreciate it.

 

[Chester B. Green]

hey everyone, first and foremost.. I'd like to take this time to thank everyone that has helped me out so far. You know who you are.. but I want to give a huge thanks to all of you who indeed helped me.


I just have a few last questions.. and I'll have this PH thing taken care of for sure.

Alright, a good growing friend of mine mentioned to me that if I was in a pinch and could not get my hands on anything else (example: PH Down or PH Up or Dolomite Lime) he said if those are not available.. he said that Lemon Juice will bring the PH down.. but it works much like Vinegar or whatever.. and he said be careful with it and only ad very little to my water.

Here's my question though.. do I use this h20/lemon juice mixture to flush my medium.. or do I just water like I would normally??

Alright, now we're cooking...

k, now.. here's my second question. I took all my PH samples yesterday and recorded them for future reference (plus the records are good info for my journal/records). Here are my results:

Water PH: It's sitting between 5.0 to 5.5

Soil PH: 7.2 TO 7.8 (YEAH, its high.. er well, higher than I like it anyhow)

Run-Off PH: Its sitting at 5.5 to 6.0

reason I can't get exact results is because of the meters and test strips I'm currently using. They don't give an EXACT measurement.. which IMO sucks.. but its what I have to work with atm.. so it is what it is.

Anyhow.. if someone could look at those numbers and tell me what they think.. man, it would be GREATLY appreciated.

Also, let me know if the lemon juice does indeed work.. and rather I should only use it to flush with (water/L juice mix) or do I use the mixture to just water normally with.

Again, any help is greatly appreciated as I've never used Lemon Juice before.. and I don't feel like screwing up two beautiful specimines.. especially at 7.5 weeks into flowering. They're close to being ready.. last thing I want is more problems.. or possibly dead plants or a freaked up harvest.

Thanks in advance!

-proast.

 

[Chester B. Green]

Alright everyone.

For those of you who might be pondering on the idea of using a Lemon Juice/h2o mixture to lower your soils PH levels... the verdict is in.

I just executed a test/experiment that involved testing this idea.

I mixed in 1/8th tablespoon of Lemon Juice with my water (Aquafina) and then tested the mix with one of my PH test strips. It did indeed drop my PH levels. Now, keep in mind.. while it did indeed drop the waters PH level.. I'm not sure how it did once I poured some into the soil.. even though my PH probe is currently showing a nice slow and calm drop in the PH level of the soil. I plan on checking it every few hours today to see how effective this mix really is.

But again, as of right now.. my results show that Lemon Juice does INDEED drop the PH level of H2o and also seems to drop the PH level of soil.

I'm curious to see what my soils PH level is in 24 hours from now.

I love experimenting.. its in my blood. But then again, so is science. My favorite subject actually.

Oh and of course.. before I mixed the L-Juice with my water.. I took a controlled sample, meaning I took a PH sample of the water prior to adding the Lemon Juice. Before the Lemon Juice the water PH level was right around 6.0 to 6.2 - after mixing in the Lemon Juice.. I took another sample and tested it and it came out to be in the low 5.0 range which IMO, is great. The real question is.. is how long will the new reading stay before it rises again. That's the real question IMO.

I mean sure, lowering the PH is great if you are experiencing high PH levels. But what good does it do ya if your only able to lower the PH level for 24 hours or less.. you know? Need something that will not only lower the PH level.. but also stabilize the PH level.

Anyhow, just wanted to let everyone know that Lemon Juice DOES INDEED lower the PH values of both your water and your soil. But again, the question now is.. how long will these new readings last.

Will recheck the soil PH in 24 hours and come back with the results.

Thanks for everyones help!

peace and happy holidays everyone!

 

[voltron]

Sounds like you found out on your own, and that's always exciting

I was going to tell you I have used lemon juice not sawdust altho from research sawdust works using a lil at a time. But yeah LJ does just fine but you have to experiment with it. And since your ph is fine for now, your soil does its thing which will allow your girl to receive all necessary nutes that are provided within a range of ph levels. So by the next watering they will get good water and repeat the process. So good luck bro, sounds like you are on the right track.

 

[Chester B. Green]

Sounds like you found out on your own, and that's always exciting

I was going to tell you I have used lemon juice not sawdust altho from research sawdust works using a lil at a time. But yeah LJ does just fine but you have to experiment with it. And since your ph is fine for now, your soil does its thing which will allow your girl to receive all necessary nutes that are provided within a range of ph levels. So by the next watering they will get good water and repeat the process. So good luck bro, sounds like you are on the right track.

Yeah, like I said.. I'm going to be checking the PH levels of both ladies every few days for sure. I'm too close to a beautiful and lustful harvest to have things go sour on me you know? I'd probably cry.. yes cry, if my grow wound up fucking up during the last 2 or 3 weeks of flowering... lol. No joke either.. I'd cry. Grown ass man crying.. that would be me!

Let me ask you this though Voltron. When using Ljuice to lower PH levels.. how strong/weak should the water/ljuice mixture be? How many drops or ML's per gallon of water should you use?

When I first used it the other day, I used EXTREMELY small amounts of the Ljuice. In other words, the mixture was extremely light.

Anyhow, if you have a better idea than I do... of how much Ljuice per gallon of water I should use.. that would greatly help me out.

Thanks bro!

 

[voltron]

Yeah, I would say go lite and adjust it slowly to your desired level. It's hard to say exactly how much p/gal since our water is a lil different ph wise. You simply have to play with a gal and see how many drops get it to the level you want. Like I know that 21 drops of ph down ph my water fine for a dwc grow learned that from my first grow. That is also when I tried the ljuice I just don't have my notes as to how many drops of that it took tho is wasn't much at all. But basically I say that to say you simply have to try that on your end and record your results you should be able to do this even with the ph strips. You won't have the exact number but you will know what shade of green gives the results you want. Its just tough experimenting this close to harvest but you could get it right fairly quickly just test a gallon a lil at a time. But again if they look good now with the ph levels you were previously using they should be ok to finish. How are they doing so far? Sorry I couoldn't be of more help. Some others with more experience with ph will chime in to assist. But most don't worry too much at all with ph in soil. I currently have one with a couple more weeks left in soil and I haven't ph'd at all I mix some Advanced nutes with snowstorm ultra and cal/mag and she showed no signs of needing any adjustment just wanting more food, and I use the strips and my water shows up blue on the color chart lol so I really would guess at the exact number and still wouldn't be exact. For my hempies I need to adjust and I do that with the color chart as well. I found the color shade that my plants show no def and I know I'm good. I usually get a lil deficiency in the beginning but I get it right by the next watering or so just by adjusting slowly and water my girls and watch for the results. Maybe not the best way but it is getting the job done. Now I use fox farm ocean forest and just started with BPN organics I haven't check ph with that either and my vegging girl is ok so far after two waterings. Just give your soil what it needs and it should buffer ph for you, I've read a lil dolomite lime&sawdust to help with the buffering if needed. Keep em growing and they will reward you

 

[Chester B. Green]

Yeah, I would say go lite and adjust it slowly to your desired level. It's hard to say exactly how much p/gal since our water is a lil different ph wise. You simply have to play with a gal and see how many drops get it to the level you want. Like I know that 21 drops of ph down ph my water fine for a dwc grow learned that from my first grow. That is also when I tried the ljuice I just don't have my notes as to how many drops of that it took tho is wasn't much at all. But basically I say that to say you simply have to try that on your end and record your results you should be able to do this even with the ph strips. You won't have the exact number but you will know what shade of green gives the results you want. Its just tough experimenting this close to harvest but you could get it right fairly quickly just test a gallon a lil at a time. But again if they look good now with the ph levels you were previously using they should be ok to finish. How are they doing so far? Sorry I couoldn't be of more help. Some others with more experience with ph will chime in to assist. But most don't worry too much at all with ph in soil. I currently have one with a couple more weeks left in soil and I haven't ph'd at all I mix some Advanced nutes with snowstorm ultra and cal/mag and she showed no signs of needing any adjustment just wanting more food, and I use the strips and my water shows up blue on the color chart lol so I really would guess at the exact number and still wouldn't be exact. For my hempies I need to adjust and I do that with the color chart as well. I found the color shade that my plants show no def and I know I'm good. I usually get a lil deficiency in the beginning but I get it right by the next watering or so just by adjusting slowly and water my girls and watch for the results. Maybe not the best way but it is getting the job done. Now I use fox farm ocean forest and just started with BPN organics I haven't check ph with that either and my vegging girl is ok so far after two waterings. Just give your soil what it needs and it should buffer ph for you, I've read a lil dolomite lime&sawdust to help with the buffering if needed. Keep em growing and they will reward you

Yeh, I played with.. er well, that doesn't sound right. I experimented with the Lemon Juice over the weekend to see how it would do. I also mixed in some wood chips into the soil to hopefully help bring the PH level down just a little more. I flushed both ladies this past Friday with the water/juice mix. I grabbed two small vials of run-off from both ladies while they were being flushed so I could check the PH of that as well as the soil samples. PH seemed to still be at the same level.. maybe just a tad bit lower than what they were at.

Anyhow, let me get to the point here..

I rechecked both the runoff and soil PH levels yesterday and I'll be damned if it did indeed work! As of yesterday, my PH levels had dropped a fair amount considering I just flushed them two days prior.. as well as the juice and wood chips.

Anywho.. as of right now.. my soil samples for both ladies are almost the exact same levels.

Plant A: Soil PH - 6.8; RunOff PH - 5.5
Plant B: Soil ph - 6.7; RunOff PH - 5.8

So, with that said.. I'm happy with the current results.

I need to keep an eye on it though.. I don't want it dropping too low. Plus, since I put in some wood chips, into the soil.. that may react/lower the PH levels at a slower rate than the juice. Actually, I know it will be slower.. so I need to make sure I don't go too low with the PH levels.

Lastly, the main reason I like to keep my soil PH levels in check and as close to normal as possible.. is because if your PH levels are too out of whack.. it can cause major problems.. such as nute-lock-out as well as many other problems. I've heard it can also effect the ripening of the plant/trichs. But I checked the trichs on both ladies this morning. The Indica DOM ladies trichs are mostly cloudy (very cloudy) with an Amber trich here and there. For every hundred or so trichs, 90% of them are very cloudy with 10% of them being red/amber.. so she's getting very very close. I'm thinking around 10 to 14 more days for her.. then harvest her.

As for the Sativa Dom lady, her trichs are around 80% cloudy with 15% still clear and like maybe 5% red/amberish color.

I've looked up the flowering time for Blue Diesel and it says 60 to 65 days.. so that's about right because I think both of my ladies still have a good solid 10 to 14 days left before they'll be ready for harvesting. Plus, both of my ladies are on day #53 of flowering and they're just about ready for harvesting. So again, my estimate time for harvest is almost synched perfectly with the breeders advertised flowering time for the strain. 10 more day would put both plants exactly 63 days into flowering.. and 2 more weeks or 14 more days would put both ladies at 67 days total flowering time.

Pretty stoked about this harvest as I think its going to be one of my better harvests as far as strain goes. Hell, it might just be one of my best harvests to date.. just have to wait and see.. but that's the vibe I'm getting atm.

I'll def. be posting pics of the harvest.. including wet/dry weights from both ladies. It's gonna be great!

Thanks for the input and help everyone.. greatly appreciated as always.

Peace! (we need it more than ever before with the way things are going in today's society.)

P.S. - I hope everyone had a great Christmas and I hope everyone has a great new year. I'm getting FUBAR'D this weekend for New Years.. I was sober last year, but this years gonna be much different. Peace ppl..