Foxfarm and Ph

[spyvy]

Hello all. Ok i came across some Foxfarm OF / Happy Frog /and Light warrior/ plan on mixing together at = parts. This is my first 100% organic grows. I Will be using Earth Juice Grow & Bloom . My concern is from what I have been reading there are PH issues with Foxfarm soils so i need advise ..ok here we go

ok reading in organic grow forums one says never ph anything just water and feed without ever PH anything the soil will buffer the ph on its own and they say no problems .

next ones read check your runoff , then ph water and feed to adjust ph so runoff = out. meaning 6.3 to 6.5

next one reads only ph water going in and pay no attention to run off. meaning in 6.3 to 6.5 in

next one says add dolmite lime to balance the ph

I have tried them all except the never PH anything .... and doing all the others always had PH issues always testing soil PH and PH ing the water and feed to 6.3 to 6.5
so if your using Foxfarm soils can i get some help on this way to many questions and no correct answers im reading my brains out and still unsure thanks alot in advance for your responce

 

[CC Dobbs]

Excuse me, is there a restroom around here?

 

[spyvy]

Excuse me, is there a restroom around here?

why you need one ??

 

[May11th]

Think he wants to puke

 

[spyvy]

well guess this is not a place to ask questions . Pull your panties out of you ass . Just asked a question and get your bullshit reply s. If you took time to read that and respond with that crap why are you here not to help no one I see . So now i need a bathroom .

 

[vostok]

Hello all. Ok i came across some Foxfarm OF / Happy Frog /and Light warrior/ plan on mixing together at = parts. This is my first 100% organic grows. I Will be using Earth Juice Grow & Bloom . My concern is from what I have been reading there are PH issues with Foxfarm soils so i need advise ..ok here we go

ok reading in organic grow forums one says never ph anything just water and feed without ever PH anything the soil will buffer the ph on its own and they say no problems .

next ones read check your runoff , then ph water and feed to adjust ph so runoff = out. meaning 6.3 to 6.5

next one reads only ph water going in and pay no attention to run off. meaning in 6.3 to 6.5 in

next one says add dolmite lime to balance the ph

I have tried them all except the never PH anything .... and doing all the others always had PH issues always testing soil PH and PH ing the water and feed to 6.3 to 6.5
so if your using Foxfarm soils can i get some help on this way to many questions and no correct answers im reading my brains out and still unsure thanks alot in advance for your responce

Stick to just one organic.® brand avoid mixing other brands to your shit ...and above all please explain
"How do you read the potential hydrogen of your soil mix...?" above all Why?​

 

[Nullis]

You read differing, seemingly opposing guidelines because every grower has different methods and operate under different paradigms.

The true living/natural/organic paradigm preaches no liquid pH adjusters because they aren't necessary (and they really aren't). Dolomitic limestone is useful because it neutralizes acidity while supplying calcium and magnesium (as is the case with dolomitic), and it does this long term. You see, nobody uses liquid pH up in their vegetable garden or on their lawn.

Potting mix isn't actually soil. It might contain compost or earthworm castings, but potting mix is based mainly upon materials that tend to be somewhat or slightly acidic. That includes coco coir, but the real culprit is sphagnum peat moss which by itself tends a have a pH of about 4.5. So, some form of limestone is added to potting mix (or powdered oyster shell which is also calcium carbonate) to neutralize the acidity of the peat. However, potting mixes are designed to grow all kinds of plants, from blueberries to zucchini. The pH can be anywhere from 5.5 to 6. For this reason it helps to add more pulverized limestone and I'd recommend dolomitic (1 heaping tbsp per gallon). This will prevent the potting mix from harboring reserve acidity, which is exactly what happen to sphagnum peat moss over time for reasons which relate to the Cation Exchange Capacity of the material.

Lime isn't very soluble in water, so it sticks around in the mix as precipitate and works over time to neutralize acidity. By itself, it has a pH of about 8 and is difficult to over do. pH Up on the other hand can be over done, and it only works temporarily. The real problem is that pH Up is for hydroponics. It has no real place in soil/organic growing, but people have come to suppose that when growing cannabis pH is oh so important because in hydro, it is so that must be true for soil too, right? Nope.

In soil, the pH of the rhizosphere changes all the time and you don't really need to worry about it. What you do need to do is have your soil set up adequately from the start, and don't even introduce pH up, because it tends to throw everything off and then you think you need to keep using it when you really don't.

I've used Earth Juice before for some time, and I used it without pH up (lime was necessary, pH Up wasn't). Earth Juice Grow is acidic by itself, and it will cause a drop in the pH of the soil solution but this rebounds shortly. Check out the EJ feeding chart, which mentions pH adjustment is not necessary. What you can/may want to do depending on the soil you're growing in, or if you didn't add lime: aerate the solution with an aquarium air pump/stone for 36-72 hours before applying. Before long you'll see that the pH of the solution goes up to about 6+, depending on how long you keep it aerating for.

 

[Zzyphr]

You read differing, seemingly opposing guidelines because every grower has different methods and operate under different paradigms.

The true living/natural/organic paradigm preaches no liquid pH adjusters because they aren't necessary (and they really aren't). Dolomitic limestone is useful because it neutralizes acidity while supplying calcium and magnesium (as is the case with dolomitic), and it does this long term. You see, nobody uses liquid pH up in their vegetable garden or on their lawn.

Potting mix isn't actually soil. It might contain compost or earthworm castings, but potting mix is based mainly upon materials that tend to be somewhat or slightly acidic. That includes coco coir, but the real culprit is sphagnum peat moss which by itself tends a have a pH of about 4.5. So, some form of limestone is added to potting mix (or powdered oyster shell which is also calcium carbonate) to neutralize the acidity of the peat. However, potting mixes are designed to grow all kinds of plants, from blueberries to zucchini. The pH can be anywhere from 5.5 to 6. For this reason it helps to add more pulverized limestone and I'd recommend dolomitic (1 heaping tbsp per gallon). This will prevent the potting mix from harboring reserve acidity, which is exactly what happen to sphagnum peat moss over time for reasons which relate to the Cation Exchange Capacity of the material.

Lime isn't very soluble in water, so it sticks around in the mix as precipitate and works over time to neutralize acidity. By itself, it has a pH of about 8 and is difficult to over do. pH Up on the other hand can be over done, and it only works temporarily. The real problem is that pH Up is for hydroponics. It has no real place in soil/organic growing, but people have come to suppose that when growing cannabis pH is oh so important because in hydro, it is so that must be true for soil too, right? Nope.

In soil, the pH of the rhizosphere changes all the time and you don't really need to worry about it. What you do need to do is have your soil set up adequately from the start, and don't even introduce pH up, because it tends to throw everything off and then you think you need to keep using it when you really don't.

I've used Earth Juice before for some time, and I used it without pH up (lime was necessary, pH Up wasn't). Earth Juice Grow is acidic by itself, and it will cause a drop in the pH of the soil solution but this rebounds shortly. Check out the EJ feeding chart, which mentions pH adjustment is not necessary. What you can/may want to do depending on the soil you're growing in, or if you didn't add lime: aerate the solution with an aquarium air pump/stone for 36-72 hours before applying. Before long you'll see that the pH of the solution goes up to about 6+, depending on how long you keep it aerating for.

Thanks for this explanation. Your EJ description is my setup, however I find the Ph climbing past 6+ after about 24-36 hours. Will find very little Ph movement in 24 (3.4-4.1), but then 12 hours later its gone from 4.1 to 7.5. Also, with 4 x 1 gal containers, the Ph varies over the same period. How to normalize and/or make predicable? 24 hours and stop, wait another 24? Bubble for 24 and just feed? or? Thanks.

 

[Nullis]

Aerate and use immediately. Never stop aerating and let sit around, it will become anaerobic. Maybe after 20 hours it'll be closer to neutral. Either way it should be fine to use, the soil should manage. Pretty sure I used blackstrap molasses with the Earth Juice also.

 

[Zzyphr]

Aerate and use immediately. Never stop aerating and let sit around, it will become anaerobic. Maybe after 20 hours it'll be closer to neutral. Either way it should be fine to use, the soil should manage. Pretty sure I used blackstrap molasses with the Earth Juice also.

Understand and thanks. Using hibrix molassas for the last 4 weeks of flower. Longer?

 

[Nullis]

You can use it in veg/early flower also it feeds soil biota and provides minerals.

 

[Zzyphr]

Nullis, Thanks a bunch. The Ph/bubbling variability was driving me batty.
Will update feeding schedule to include earlier.
Trying to improve every grow.