Need help with ph asap!

[erockhardass]

Hi all,

My ladies are growing in 5 gallon grow bags with nearly 5 gallons of soil in each bag. I have tested the runoff of my ladies and the ph is only 4.5 to 5. I understand this is dangerously low, so I bought some pulverized garden lime which the guy at the store told me was dolomitic.

I am in week 4 of flowering and I need to know exactly how to apply the lime and in what amounts, and how often. I dont know whether to sprinkle on top of dirt and then water or to mix with water. I know that my tap water is about 7.5, and the runoff is 4.5, so clearly I have a problem.
I do not want to screw these up when they are this far along, so I need specific measurements.

PLEASE HELP!!!!!!

 

[erockhardass]

Re: Need help with ph asap!!!

Also, I watered on Monday night with FloraNova nutrients at 5 tsp. per 5 gallons of water. This is a pretty light treatment, but I have been adding nutrients about every 3rd watering. I wasnt sure if this would make a difference in how much or when to add the lime.

 

[Chek]

it is low, but in soil i wouldnt say dangerously... if it was hydroponics they'd be dead by now... I'd suggest simply getting your water at 6.5 and flushing the soil thouroughly (roughly 2gallons of PH balanced clean water per 1 gallon of soil) that's my suggestion. the lime I have used but only as a pre application to soil MONTHS before planting outside, not sure how to use it for your set up. Cheers and good luck brother

 

[Smokeyjoe]

I am dealing with a low PH also (another thread in pest problem etc) You can see the effects it has had on my plant.4.5-5 is extremely low for soil it should be about 6.5 (runoff). I ran 6.7 ph water through mine and got back 5.2 and you can see the results.

I also just purchased a bag of lime and started applying today. I was told to use powder as it is safer than hydrated but I got hydrated so I mashed it to powder myself.
I understand that for a 5gall pot 1-2 tbs would probably be appropriate. I would start with 1 tbs to be safe, give it a few days and check the runoff again to see, apply as needed. I spent a long time smashing it, get a cheap coffee grinder. Then just sprinkle said lime over the top of the soil in your pots and scratch it into the surface, then water it in and let it do its magic. Remember to give it a few days to affect change in the medium. Hope this has helped somewhat! Good luck!

 

[Chek]

to clarify I do think the runoff is way too low, just that it was salvageable if corrected early enough

 

[erockhardass]

So if I have 5 gallons of soil in each pot I should run 10 gallons through each one? Wont that have negative effects of overwatering? I really dont want them to end up dying from me trying to correct the PH. Any more advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Chek]

they'll be fine assuming they CAN run off... i guess sometimes i get ahead of myself i aplologzie for that. be sure they drain well before using that much water. assuming they have ample amount of drainage then yes thats how i would do it, however if smokey joe knows the correct use of the lime then perhaps his method will be more effective