PH setup

[xlzxlz]

Hi guys,

I recently bought Cali OG Kush seeds that have already germinated and the soil I am using currently has a PH of 7 and was wondering if that was normal or if I should lower that value with some PH down before putting my seeds. I bought this soil which had a good NPK ratio. Thanks for the help.

 

[Dwight Monk]

Personally I don't worry/care about what the PH of the soil is and just check/control the PH of the water I use for feeding them. May get some folks that will chime in that do worry about that, but IMHO it is overly micro managing them (as they would never live in the wild if they were that particular). Problem with the soils with nutrients/chemicals in them is you have no control over when they release as they are "time release nutrients", that and you want a different NPK ratio for Flower and with those kind of soils you are stuck with whatever you have. May be some folks have got those to work but they have caused nothing but grief to others, as each strain has different wants/needs when it comes to Nutes, some can handle a lot and others you have to only give them a little and just plain water much of the time.

 

[Old Salt]

Other than perlite, I'd pass on any Miracle-Gro products. I tried them and found very poor growth. After three months I had 6" (16cm) tall plants with few leaves and hard stalks. I now use 40l coco cuir with two 9l bags of perlite.

The coco cuir has a ph of 7.1 after expanding the bricks with ph 5.6 water. The mix is flushed with ph 5.6 water until the runoff matches the feed water. I alternate half strength General Hydroponics Flora series nutrients, CalMagic, and Rapid Start; with ph 5.6 water. Growth has been excellent in 4 gal (15l) caged grow bags.

The advantages of this grow medium are that it is re-usable, less water and nutrients are required than hydroponics. Start-up costs are less than hydroponics, and comparable to soil.

Check this site, and others. You'll find that Miracle-Gro products are NOT recommended for marijuana. Get a soil mix designed for the plant, or switch mediums for good results.

 

[Guy Cavallero]

Personally I don't worry/care about what the PH of the soil is and just check/control the PH of the water I use for feeding them. May get some folks that will chime in that do worry about that, but IMHO it is overly micro managing them (as they would never live in the wild if they were that particular). Problem with the soils with nutrients/chemicals in them is you have no control over when they release as they are "time release nutrients", that and you want a different NPK ratio for Flower and with those kind of soils you are stuck with whatever you have. May be some folks have got those to work but they have caused nothing but grief to others, as each strain has different wants/needs when it comes to Nutes, some can handle a lot and others you have to only give them a little and just plain water much of the time.

I agree and yet kind of disagree with Dwight. As he said some would LOL. I agree with both of these guys that Miracle Grow soil is a bad idea for exactly the reason reasons that they explained..... Time release nutrients at a ratio that is uncontrollable by you.

I on the other hand, use Fox farm ocean forest soil. When sold to me it was explained that it was a natural way for me to grow from seedling all the way to the end of my flower period. As an experiment, I decided to try it with two of my plants and this was false. The reason that I disagree with Dwight is because PH does matter in your soil has my PH was quite obviously on the low side because I was feeding my plants water that had a pH of 6.7, which is ideal for growing marijuana. I noticed though that I was getting spotting that were Rusty colored on my leaves which led me to believe that I may have had a pH problem. With the help of some of the others, I checked the runoff out of the bottom of my soil and it was at a value of 6.1 meaning that the soil was somewhere in between, likely at about 6.4. This is low for calcium and magnesium uptake, so I raised my pH up to 7.1 in order to bring my runoff into a better Zone and ultimately get a better number for my mean between the two of 6.7. This might be a little overwhelming for a new grower but, I wanted to point out the importance of pH. What you put in, definitely directly affects your soil.

Check out my grow journal if you'd like to see my battle with PH and how it was alleviated without losing my plants.

 

[xlzxlz]

Hi guys,

Sorry for the delayed response. After some research I was able to find some soil options and due to urgency the best and fastest was "Fox Farm Ocean Forest" which I bought with the trio of "Grow Big", "Big Bloom" & "Tiger Bloom". I hope 1 week on Miracle Growth was not long enough to kill my seeds. At the moment plant #1 never continued the growth outside the seed (may be dead), plant #2 grew about 3 inches with four small leaves as well as plant #3. I will keep posted to see if I can rescue them.

Also I have photos but for some reason it doesnt allow me to upload them. Can someone instruct me on how to do it?

Thanks guys,

 

[Ozarkwizard]

Sure appreciate the info. Could you also share your watering schedule? Thanks in advance!!

Other than perlite, I'd pass on
any Miracle-Gro products. I tried them and found very poor growth. After three months I had 6" (16cm) tall plants with few leaves and hard stalks. I now use 40l coco cuir with two 9l bags of perlite.

The coco cuir has a ph of 7.1 after expanding the bricks with ph 5.6 water. The mix is flushed with ph 5.6 water until the runoff matches the feed water. I alternate half strength General Hydroponics Flora series nutrients, CalMagic, and Rapid Start; with ph 5.6 water. Growth has been excellent in 4 gal (15l) caged grow bags.

The advantages of this grow medium are that it is re-usable, less water and nutrients are required than hydroponics. Start-up costs are less than hydroponics, and comparable to soil.

Check this site, and others. You'll find that Miracle-Gro products are NOT recommended for marijuana. Get a soil mix designed for the plant, or switch mediums for good results.

 

[Old Salt]

Sure appreciate the info. Could you also share your watering schedule? Thanks in advance!!

These are the label instructions, I'm using them at 50% strength alternating with an equal volume of water:

You can see the results by following the link in my signature to my grow journal. I put together a nutrient calculator using MS Excel to compute what needed to be added for a specific volume of water for each phase. The volume needed goes up as your grow progresses.

Note that discussions with knowledgeable folks at a local hydroponics shop revealed that I shouldn't be alternating feeding and watering. The plants should be fed every time. They suggest dropping the nutrient concentration in half from what I'm currently using. That's 25% of the label instructions.

 

[Ozarkwizard]

Thanks very much. Does the fluid flow constantly? Or is it on some kind of flow schedule? Thanks again!!

These are the label instructions, I'm using them at 50% strength alternating with an equal volume of water:

You can see the results by following the link in my signature to my grow journal. I put together a nutrient calculator using MS Excel to compute what needed to be added for a specific volume of water for each phase. The volume needed goes up as your grow progresses.

Note that discussions with knowledgeable folks at a local hydroponics shop revealed that I shouldn't be alternating feeding and watering. The plants should be fed every time. They suggest dropping the nutrient concentration in half from what I'm currently using. That's 25% of the label instructions.

 

[Old Salt]

I'm growing in coco, so they get it in batches. I water or feed enough to give me 20% runoff daily. It takes a while for the liquid to permeate through the coco, so some care is needed not to give too much. The grow bags are raised one inch in their cages so they're not sitting in the runoff.

 

[Ozarkwizard]

That's awesome. Thanks very much!!

 

[Mr NiceGuy420]

I agree and yet kind of disagree with Dwight. As he said some would LOL. I agree with both of these guys that Miracle Grow soil is a bad idea for exactly the reason reasons that they explained..... Time release nutrients at a ratio that is uncontrollable by you.

I on the other hand, use Fox farm ocean forest soil. When sold to me it was explained that it was a natural way for me to grow from seedling all the way to the end of my flower period. As an experiment, I decided to try it with two of my plants and this was false. The reason that I disagree with Dwight is because PH does matter in your soil has my PH was quite obviously on the low side because I was feeding my plants water that had a pH of 6.7, which is ideal for growing marijuana. I noticed though that I was getting spotting that were Rusty colored on my leaves which led me to believe that I may have had a pH problem. With the help of some of the others, I checked the runoff out of the bottom of my soil and it was at a value of 6.1 meaning that the soil was somewhere in between, likely at about 6.4. This is low for calcium and magnesium uptake, so I raised my pH up to 7.1 in order to bring my runoff into a better Zone and ultimately get a better number for my mean between the two of 6.7. This might be a little overwhelming for a new grower but, I wanted to point out the importance of pH. What you put in, definitely directly affects your soil.

Check out my grow journal if you'd like to see my battle with PH and how it was alleviated without losing my plants.

Agree. And can second the PH values on fox farm ocean forest. You will not notice this until about week 4 of veg once the soil PH buffers take hold (peat moss in soil FFOF and oyster shells) as well as kicked back nutrients increase acidity(lower PH than 7). I reccomend 1 TSP of dolomite lime (powered preferred over pellets as it is faster acting) per gallon of FFOF soil. Dolomite line is a natural PH buffer to approx 7. Additionally dolomite lime will increase available calcium and magnesium in your soil. Great for a grower using R.O. water. Solves the rusty spot (calcium deficiency) in a jiffy. If you notcie these spots... try to flush you soil out properly then water back with 3 -5ml per gallon calmag and a lite does of base nutrients.

If you over do dolomite lime (which is unlikley if you follow the 1 TSP per gallon of soil method) you will likley gradually see a potassium deficiency develope due to the toxic (too much) calcium and magnesium environment. Again, its really hard to over do calciuma nd magnesium.... but sonehow i managed in the past . .

Good luck! . . .