PH and fert mixing

I want to make sure I'm on the right track here, I always wait till AFTER I mix all my ferts and sugars and what-not together, then check the PH to 6.5 or so, then apply to plant. Or should I PH the water first , then add ferts and stuff,then into plant...this last just seems counter productive. Thanks for all the positive comments nerds.

right the first time

yeah add the nutrients before you test the PH... Wooolf

it was a conversation I was having with a friend , some people just don't or WON'T listen, thanks for your responses

ok 100 posts, sorry I HAD to do it.

so...I went to a new Hydro/Grow place and the dude says , we're talking about PH and he says "don't worry about PH if you grow in soil"

this guy owns the store along with a big ass custom soil yard, he really seems to know his shit, what am I missing here ?

anyway I'm going with SS so it doesn't really matter, I was just curious

it depends on what your water is currently at... If your water is already between 6-7.5, then its probably fine. BUT, if not, then sure, you can ignore your off PH, and they will probably be ok... maybe... But they WILL do better if you water them with around neutral PH.

good choice...but im pretty sure you always want your water right at around 6.5 when watering.. Wooolf

k question about mixing organic ferts and pH: I make a bloom compost tea using Roots Organic nutrients which ends up being around 5.0 pH once it is mature and ready. I am finding that I have to add a whole lot of pH up to the mix to raise the pH even a little bit, for example a 4 gallon batch needs upwards of 40ml (almost 3 TBSP) of pH up to reach 6.5 pH. This amount of pH up changes my ppm from around 450 to around 600 - is this a problem??? I know that 600ppm by itself wouldn't be an issue, it's just the fact that 150 of those parts per million are pH up, which can't be good to build up in the soil... Is there a natural pH up that would be better for this? Is there a better way to get around this? Any bloom amendments that have a very high pH? any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks

I'm still fine tuning this part, myself... I use General Organics CaMg+ in my water because it has VERY low levels of minerals. When I add even a half dose of the CaMg+, it drops my pH to about 4.5 or 5. I have some Earth Juice Natural Up (potassium bicarbonate), but it takes a shitload of that stuff to raise the pH.

Lately I've been adding a little DynaGro ProTekt (potassium silicate) to bring the pH up a little (and supply silica) when I am using the CaMg+. Doing that about every other watering with my XJ-13 youngsters (in 2-gal smart pots of Roots w/ added dol. lime). They seem to like it.

SpicySativa said:

I'm still fine tuning this part, myself... I use General Organics CaMg+ in my water because it has VERY low levels of minerals. When I add even a half dose of the CaMg+, it drops my pH to about 4.5 or 5. I have some Earth Juice Natural Up (potassium bicarbonate), but it takes a shitload of that stuff to raise the pH.

Lately I've been adding a little DynaGro ProTekt (potassium silicate) to bring the pH up a little (and supply silica) when I am using the CaMg+. Doing that about every other watering with my XJ-13 youngsters (in 2-gal smart pots of Roots w/ added dol. lime). They seem to like it.

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that is because you are starting with H2O with very low dissolved solids (like R/O)...there is nothing in the water to buffer the PH......it is always best to start with water with a ppm of around 100 whenever possible.....( i mix well water and R/O to achieve this)......that is where dolomite comes in as an additive to the soil....but in most ground water, then buffer is already included.....my well water has a ppm of 220, and in order to lower the natural PH of 7.6, i would have to add a shit load of ACV or PH down to lower it to 6.5......whereas R/O would only need a few drops....but again, if you can start with water 100-150 ppm, you can add your Cal/Mg and be golden...6.0-6.5 and TDS of around 300.

so lets say my tap water is pure trash poison and i can't mix it with my RO, what should I cut my RO with to add alkalinity and ppm? I don't necessarily have a source of high pH low tds decent water (such as well water). is there a buffer I can add straight to my water? thanks for all the help

nugbuckets said:

that is because you are starting with H2O with very low dissolved solids (like R/O)...there is nothing in the water to buffer the PH......it is always best to start with water with a ppm of around 100 whenever possible.....( i mix well water and R/O to achieve this)......that is where dolomite comes in as an additive to the soil....but in most ground water, then buffer is already included.....my well water has a ppm of 220, and in order to lower the natural PH of 7.6, i would have to add a shit load of ACV or PH down to lower it to 6.5......whereas R/O would only need a few drops....but again, if you can start with water 100-150 ppm, you can add your Cal/Mg and be golden...6.0-6.5 and TDS of around 300.

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Good point about the buffering ability. The "problem" is, my water comes out of the tap with only about 30 ppm (plus chloramines, which I remove using a Small Boy with upgraded catalytic carbon). Like you say, it has VERY low carbonate levels, and therefore very low buffering ability. My soil has dolomite line in it, actually a little more than Subcool's recipe calls for. Maybe I don't need to worry about using water/CaMg+ with a pH of 4.5 or 5?

thanks guys for the info, Understanding what affects PH is giving me insight as to how the plant uptakes food and such. I have a head injury like Rick Simpson , it takes me lots of repetition for the light to come on, if it ever does....keep posting , and stay lit

to think that when I was in High school I took 4 years of Horticulture , I used to know ALL this stuff, now I have to relearn it again....it just doesn't seem fair...cry...(lol)

another question: can I safely use baking powder for a PH up ?

MrGreenTooth said:

another question: can I safely use baking powder for a PH up ?

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Nope. Are you thinking of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), or baking powder (sodium bicarbonate plus cream of tartar)? Either way, the answer is no. You do not want to introduce excess sodium to your soil.

Baking SODA can be used once or twice in a pinch, but it's not the best idea.

yes soda I ment , well, that's why I asked, thanks

No problemo. Glad to help.