Do you ph adjust your supply water on its reading or what comes out of the pot as runoff?

Flying Spaghetti Monster

Flying Spaghetti Monster

Active Member
After recently transplanting my seedlings to gallon pots I have noticed the runoff water ph is high, as in 8.0. My rainwater I am applying is around 6.5. Is it recommended in an organic grow to adjust your water by its ph or what comes out out of the pot as runoff?
 
Teag

Teag

Well-Known Member
Its actually not recommended to have runoff water in organic soils. Also in living organic grows the microbes control the PH and testing it is basically pointless. Some people even water with PH that is out of range and let the microbes fix it.
 
dandyrandy

dandyrandy

Well-Known Member
Over watering can be a problem when plants are small. I transplant into 3 gallon from 12 oz cups. I use promix. I initially wet the soil etc. I never water until it's pretty light to lift. The first few weeks they usually don't need watered. Then I only water based upon the size of the plant. Usually a pint or so per plant until they get a foot or so.
 
S

Spaz1313NewB

New Member
Cool, that's reassuring. Different question, I transplanted and rinsed roots carefully, but when I put in new pot & soil, only watered until ran thru, did not saturate soil. Just 14 oz water bottle, so next day, still looked droopy, added another 7-10 oz. Now up 2, 18 hrs light,will wait 4 more water until the nuckle in dirt is dry. Thanks again.
 
Flying Spaghetti Monster

Flying Spaghetti Monster

Active Member
dandyrandy said:
Over watering can be a problem when plants are small. I transplant into 3 gallon from 12 oz cups. I use promix. I initially wet the soil etc. I never water until it's pretty light to lift. The first few weeks they usually don't need watered. Then I only water based upon the size of the plant. Usually a pint or so per plant until they get a foot or so.
Click to expand...
I am learning to not kill my plants with kindness...ie frequent unnecessary watering. lol
 
Flying Spaghetti Monster

Flying Spaghetti Monster

Active Member
Ye
Teag said:
Its actually not recommended to have runoff water in organic soils. Also in living organic grows the microbes control the PH and testing it is basically pointless. Some people even water with PH that is out of range and let the microbes fix it.
Click to expand...
Yes, I now realize flushing nutes is not wise in an organic grow. Live and learn.
 
Richard Drysift

Richard Drysift

Well-Known Member
Flying Spaghetti Monster said:
After recently transplanting my seedlings to gallon pots I have noticed the runoff water ph is high, as in 8.0. My rainwater I am applying is around 6.5. Is it recommended in an organic grow to adjust your water by its ph or what comes out out of the pot as runoff?
Click to expand...
Been growing in living soils for years now. What is recommended is to do basically nothing at all about ph. Don't check it; don't sweat it. Just keep on adding back active organic materials like compost and/or worm castings; the microbes will do all the work.
You can do this either while plants are in the soil or when you recycle the used soil for another run. If you amend heavily by adding a lot of raw organic material and npk inputs to recycle the soil just throw in some dolomite lime and/or crushed oyster shell to the mix as a ph buffer and let it set for 30 days. Ph will normalize during "cook time."
 
Couch_Lock

Couch_Lock

Well-Known Member
my tap water is 7.7 Ph. I bought a sack of citric acid powder, use 1/8th of a tsp per GALLON of water, this brings the pH down to 5.9 or 6.0

Citric acid is cheap and is useful to reduce the ph of water. (soil grows here)
 
T

toomp

Well-Known Member
Flying Spaghetti Monster said:
After recently transplanting my seedlings to gallon pots I have noticed the runoff water ph is high, as in 8.0. My rainwater I am applying is around 6.5. Is it recommended in an organic grow to adjust your water by its ph or what comes out out of the pot as runoff?
Click to expand...
Did you use lime?
 
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