Major problem need help *1st SOIL*

[Roullette]

ok i have a ph issue. im using Foxfarm Happy frog mixed with 30% extra perlite. and using half strength of thier recommended nutes.

Im getting a nute deff and its cause of PH. i was using the dropper ph test but its very unreliable so i bought a sunleaves ph pro.

Im getting little rust spots on the leaves that slowly turn yellow indicating amag/cal def. im phing the water at 6.5 and and checking the run off and its coming out at 4.8.

so i have been slowly bumping up the ph to see if i can get the run off that i want.

well now im phing the water at 10.0 and the run off is coming out at 5.25. thats a HUGE gap.

Any tip from me to get my run off to 6.3-6.8? they are slowly getting worse but want to stop it before its gets rediculous

 

[Roullette]

alos i havent added any nutes for a while i also have added clearx to help break up any salt deposites.

the def it is howing isnt starting from the bottom up ill get a rusty looking leaf say one on bottom one on middle. its showing up randomly on the plant. but since im getting a low run off its got to be PH issue

 

[The Ruiner]

sounds like mag-lock out due to high salinity. I would flush very well, test the water going in and coming out. go from there.

 

[Medi 1]

your medioum is fuked now. never move the pH to bring the medium up. it has lime in it that does that for you. so your either never letting it dry right or watering to often. stick to 6.3 and next time its bone dry run water through till the pH rises to about 6.5. then leavfe it till bone dry every time. almost to droop then water or feed with about 15% run off each time so the food dont build up and drop the ph causing the burns. little rust spots are more than likely rust disease, i see alot think thats cal deff. its not. cl will fix it but its a disease caused by poor care usualy and letting them get deff.
most of us have enough cal in our water for them not to need to use it unless in coco. and the cal in our tap usulay blocks whatever extra cal we add anyways. 2 diff types.

 

[The Ruiner]

nevermind...what nutes are you feeding?

 

[Roullette]

i have flushed it out the past 3 days with 25 gallons of RO water and still have this issue of a low PH. i checked the PPm of the run off the 1st day and it was at 1500 PPM. plants are about 1.5 feet tall aprox 1 1/2 months old.

also i am using 5 gallon buckets. so ive been reading 2 gallons of water per 1 gallon of soil. making it 10 gals of water per 5 gal

 

[The Ruiner]

my RO water is at ph 6, if you are feeding that high, and you have nutes in the dirt already you are probably overdoing it. split the water: 1/2 tap (evaporated) 1/2 RO to bring the ph up initially.

 

[Roullette]

ok 1st off the lime is only a stablizer to bring it to 7.0 and not to exceed. if the PH is lower then 7.0 lime will do me no good

 

[Roullette]

and im am not using regular water i am using R.O water PPm of .05

 

[Medi 1]

you flushed for 3 days or did this 3 days ago. and ya using RO water depending on what filter it has will remove any cal from the water. and most RO filters dont take out the chlormaine so is a waste if thats what the purpose is. they will only partialy remove it. ppm of food dont matter thats not what burns. its lack of foods that burn. the Fox farm soil is how for food also.

 

[The Ruiner]

sometimes the RO water can react really badly with the p2o5 causing the ph to plummet. I was dealing with this for about a month until I decided that 1/2 and 1/2 was working better.

 

[Medi 1]

you obviously dont understand why the lime is in the mix then. it will bring the low pH back up if you didnt kill it with all the waterings., thats its job

 

[Roullette]

also. my soil drys out by morning. i have a moister tester that goes in about 10" down. im def not over watering i have a shit load of perlite in the mix.

 

[Medi 1]

definatly not watering enough if a pot dries over night. i use 2 gal pots and i water on monday i need to again on thurs. in 1 gal i get 1 day off between.

and it wasnt an insult sayin about not understanding lime.
and toss that meter out,. they suk. lift the pots to see that they are almost as dry as the first day it went in a pot before watering, and not the finger method either. needs to be dry right to bottom each time. them meters dont tell the whole mediums moisture, only a cm around the probe so to get a half true reading you need to jam it and break the roots all over to get an even reading.

 

[jawbrodt]

A better method of raising your PH, would be to PH your water at 6.5, then flush until your PH comes out at 6.5. Adding some dolomite lime will help keep the PH up,(1 tbsp per gallon of water) but should be used cautiously if your plants are still babies. Too much, and it can cause their foliage to become twisted, and gnarly-looking.

 

[Medi 1]

ya so dont do it. moving oh up that way is wrong...sorry. doing the other way wont damage anything at all.

 

[The Ruiner]

A better method of raising your PH, would be to PH your water at 6.5, then flush until your PH comes out at 6.5. Adding some dolomite lime will help keep the PH up,(1 tbsp per gallon of water) but should be used cautiously if your plants are still babies. Too much, and it can cause their foliage to become twisted, and gnarly-looking.

I think some asshole just said something like that... oh yeah, me.

 

[Roullette]

ok riddle me this. i add 4ml per 1 gal of their big grow and 14.5 ml of their big bloom (half strenght per their recommendations). i PH the water out at 6.5ish. i would water them with nuted water wait a full day where the top 4 inches of the soil is bone dry. then water then with RO water PHed at 6.5 . then a month goes by i get these def signs. so i flshed the buckets.

 

[jawbrodt]

P.S. Flush until your runoff is below 200 PPM. If not, you're not being thorough enough to do the job sufficiently. Also, after some closer reading, I'd go with the lime. They are old enough now.

 

[Medi 1]

ya your watering wrong is why it dropped ph. like i said its never dry down lower so it pulled ph down. and slows root growth with no o2 down there always wet.