pH is 4.3 :(

H

Hobblebush

Active Member
I have mosquito dunks in my water for gnats and some liquid seaweed, my rain water is 5.3 just got a tester today.

I grow in soil and havent done a slurry yet, but ive heard mixed opinions on using baking soda to raise the pH due to its sodium content

Ive also heard that the soil will naturally buffer this, but the pH is REALLY low...

No visible issues with the plants, they seem happy for now.
 
xtsho

xtsho

Well-Known Member
If the pH of your soil was actually 4.3 you'd be having issues. Are you sure the testing method you're using is accurate?
 
TreeFarmerCharlie

TreeFarmerCharlie

Well-Known Member
Are you testing with a pH test kit or a pH meter? If it’s a pH meter then did you calibrate it? I would do that before trusting the results.
 
P

peterstoke

Well-Known Member
Hobblebush said:
It is calibrated and working. It could be the mosquito dunks ???
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yes get rid of that gnat stuff, if you don't have gnats in your soil then there's nothing to worry about. but if you do have gnats then that probably means you are over watering and if you under water that will kill the gnats in the soil
 
xtsho

xtsho

Well-Known Member
Hobblebush said:
Putting the pH stick into the water that im going to use to water the plants. Not of run off or a slurry
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So what you want to water your plants with is 4.3? You need to raise it. You can raise it using baking soda but I wouldn't make a habit of it. Get yourself some decent pH up if you're going to be dealing with that low of a pH consistently. Potassium hydroxide is what many pH up products are.

And yes soil will buffer pH but probably not at those extremes.
 
H

Hobblebush

Active Member
peterstoke said:
yes get rid of that gnat stuff, if you don't have gnats in your soil then there's nothing to worry about. but if you do have gnats then that probably means you are over watering and if you under water that will kill the gnats in the soil
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I do have gnats... im underwatering as well, just wanted to get the larvae
 
H

Hobblebush

Active Member
xtsho said:
So what you want to water your plants with is 4.3? You need to raise it. You can raise it using baking soda but I wouldn't make a habit of it. Get yourself some decent pH up if you're going to be dealing with that low of a pH consistently. Potassium hydroxide is what many pH up products are.

And yes soil will buffer pH but probably not at those extremes.
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I was wondering if its safe to use baking soda because of the sodium, i think the dunks might have been making it acidic. Ive only watered once with that mix. the tap water is reading 8 for ph, it starts at 7.4 then climbs to 8 as i read it. Then i put it in the calibration solution and it reads a solid 7
 
xtsho

xtsho

Well-Known Member
The best thing to do is get rid of whatever is lowering the pH that much. You can get rid of gnats with a neem oil drench.
 
B

Budget Buds

Well-Known Member
Rain water is normally at or really close to 7.0. If your meter is calibrated then you have acidic rain and I wouldnt use it , it's going to throw your entire set up off. I'd invest in using distilled from a store or getting ro water.
 
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