Adjusting PH levels in soil

After carrying out a PH test on my soil yesterday it came back as high PH approx PH 7. I realise that the PH should be between 5 - 6.5 for healthy feeding and to get the most out of my plants. The problem is I have no idea how to bring the PH down and to raise the PH if necessary. Does anyone have any ideas on what additives I should be adding to try balance. Currently I have several flowering females within the soil mixtures as well so don't want to jeopardize the crop Your help is needed. Cheers

You can use lemon juice to bring it down. Reg water to bring it up it sounds like.

Cheers buddy, I heard that as well but thought it was a hoax, but will give it a try. Rep for you

Don't worry about Ph with soil dude. Generally speaking, if you can drink the water you can water a soil grow with it. Imagine having 50 outdoor plants like many do across the state of Ca. Nobody is ph'ing 400 of gallons a week. Just water it with tap water and kick back.

My PH is 8 and my plants are fine.

Sweet as, I understand that buddy just wanting to know how to reduce it if need be. I feed with guano and a very very small portion of potash to grow bulky buds, so generally I've been told if the PH is within 5-6.5 the plant will hugely increase its intake meaning that the buds will also plumb up. Cheers

My ph runs 6.5-7.2 most of the time.

Hey Stumps, how much lemon we talking mixed with water, half per plant or more?? I will re-check the PH again after but just want some type of guideline. Cheers

colem8 said:

Sweet as, I understand that buddy just wanting to know how to reduce it if need be. I feed with guano and a very very small portion of potash to grow bulky buds, so generally I've been told if the PH is within 5-6.5 the plant will hugely increase its intake meaning that the buds will also plumb up. Cheers

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Fair enough.

Potash should be in your nutes.

Dubsfan, yeah it is this is more like a potash superthrive if you like. I only use a small amount so the buds dont get too fluffy.

I use 2 caps for a gal of water give or take and that drops it .5-1. my water starts at 7.3-6

Cool brotha, will give it a go. Let ya know how it goes, i'll do the test tomorrow. Cheers

Can you test before you water? If so try to hit 6.5 on your water and that wil start bringing it down slow. I never bring my soil ph down past 6.5 and it jumps around some but thats ok.

buy some ph up and ph down.
create some acidic water with a ph of 6-6.5.
water your plants.
measure the ph of the runoff.
continue to water with acidic water until ph is reached.

i have been fighting acidic (4.9) soil with this method.
it has taken a few waterings, but they are finally up to 6.2.
it works.

Stumps, I measured the PH prior to water and it is around 7-7.5. I'll give the lemon a go now and see if theres much dif.

DubRules, I didn't want to have to cart my ass to the shops to get PH up/down if I could get away with an alternative method. Il give the lemon a go if it doesnt work then yes il get some PH up/down. Thanks for your help though, rep for you. Cheers

4.9 definately requires some attention. Sounds like you have it under control Dub...nice name

pH is a scale from 1 to 14 that measures acid-to-alkaline balance. One is the most acidic, 7 is neutral and 14 is most alkaline. Every full point change in pH signifies a 10-fold increase or decrease in acidity or alkalinity. For example, soil or water with a pH of 5 is 10 times more acid than water or soil with a pH of 6. Water with a pH of 5 is 100 times more acidic than water with a pH of 7. With a 10-fold difference between each point on the scale, accurate measurement and control is essential to a strong healthy garden. Cannabis grows best in soil with a pH from 6.5 – 7. Within this range, marijuana can properly absorb and process available nutrients most efficiently. If the pH is too low (acidic), acid salts bind nutrients chemically, and the roots are unable to absorb them. An alkaline soil with a high pH causes nutrients to become unavailable. Toxic salt build up that limits water intake by roots also becomes a problem. Hydroponic solutions perform best in a pH range a little lower than for soil. The ideal pH range for hydroponics is from 5.8 – 6.8. Some growers run the pH at lower levels and report no problems with nutrient uptake.

The pH level is much more important in organic soil gardens than in chemical hydroponic gardens. The pH dictates the environment of bacteria necessary to the uptake of organic nutrients.Cannabis will grow in almost any soil*, but it flourishes when the pH is between 6.5 and 7. Commercial potting soil almost never has a pH above 7.5. A lower pH is more common, even as low as 5.5. Some potting soils purchased at a nursery are pH balanced and near a neutral 7. However, most potting soils have a tendency to be acidic. The easiest way to stabilize soil pH is to mix in one cup of fine dolomite lime per cubic foot of potting soil. Mix dolomite lime thoroughly into dry soil. Remix the soil in the container after it has been watered. A few growers place charcoal in the bottom of containers to absorb excess salts and maintain sweet soil if plants are grown more than a few months.

I can't name one person in Ca that I know that Ph's their water with any soil grow at all. I'm not denying what you are saying, but we all know where the best climate and herb is. It's in Ca and specifically in NorCal. I spent 19 years in the 707 area code. It's dank paradise. I don't see anyone mixing 50gal barrels to water there 3lb plants.

They just don't.

I know what all the scientists say. They aren't growing pounds. In the end, where the best herb in the world is grown in soil...there is litteraly no Ph'ing going on.

My experience has been that Ph in Hydro is far more important than is soil. The exact opposite of your view.

Hey Dubs, whats the soil like in CA and the humidity etc usually average at?? Just curious. Where Im at it gets pretty dam hot and also pretty dam cold, real temp changes. cheers