Soil ph is way to low?5.2!!!

S

SolamonCain

New Member
Somehow my souls ph is way to low like 5.3,They are wilting!They are 1 month old,will they survive a transplant?I've tried hydrated lime to no effect,what can I do?
 
Flush with a very light nut mix (15-25% normal) bring to 7.5 ph .
Keep flushing till your in your happy spot .

Answering the questions above will get you better answers . And might figure out why it happened in the 1st place .
 
Go buy a bag of 1/2 decent potting mix. One recommended for tomatoes is fine. Make sure it has NO slow release or wetting agents. Just a boring old plain potting mix recommended for tomatoes. Buy a bag of Perlite and mix in anywhere between 30-50% perlite to soil.
Replant, water lightly (water only no nutes).

Go to pub.
 
Sorry I'm just getting back but I've been busy.yep I know it's to low.That's my problem.I'm in a SUPER SOIL mix.I did a slurry test at first and it was 6.5,I added a little binocular,eggshells,kelp meal,and bat guano,and the only thing I can think of is I started it composting again(cooking)?IDK?I've been trying hydrated lime,delimited lime and even a little of Olympus UP,a ph up product that's made of yep u guessed it Lime.So now it's up a tad but no where near where I need to be.So any suggestions,or should I just report them in proper ph soil?
 
They are from 3 -4weeks old.They aren't recently transplanted.I try to keep the soil moist,the only thing I give them besides rain water that I test periodically,is a boogie brew compost tea.I used Dr.Earth black bag and Amazon bloom E.J. potting soil mixed with a bag of purple cow compost,ancient forest,and a sack of Super Soil additives(tga subcool)type.I know nothing of uploading pictures or I would,I'll have to get my little nephew to show this old hippie,lol.
 
I've been measuring my ph with a rapitest electronic ph meter the one with different plants programmed in it.and a cheaper one with two metal probes.that one says I'm at around 7,while the electric one says from5.7-5.9?I also use litmus paper and check the run out of the bottom which comes out 6-7 every time?Plants are only showing a little distortion,contorted growth but other than that are little bushes.And I don't drink but this is making me wonder,lol
 
Id say the soil may be a little hot, hence the "distorted, contorted growth".

Don't keep the soil moist. Wet and dry periods are best.

Contrary to popular belief from people who don't grow in soil. PH is rarely the problem.
 
Lucky Luke said:
[soil] PH is rarely the problem.
Click to expand...

What that man said. I've got a brand new really nice pH tester that I've never used. I also like his suggestion to get some actual dirt. No offense my friend, but why are you making your life difficult with UBERSOIL® when you're not yet sure how to tell what's wrong with a plant? Someone told you it was the next best thing probably, and if so - stop talking to that person for about a year. They're a bad influence and nearly killed your plants.

Without pics I agree with LL... that soil concoction is likely doing more harm than good. Unless you're watering with vinegar there's no other reason for the pH to change from 6.5 to nearly 5.

...and yes, they can survive a transplant. They're remarkably resilient plants. You've likely not done any worse to them than supercropping does and they will work hard to come back once you give them a happy place to grow. At worst it may set you back a week while they recover, if you get this diagnosed and corrected quickly.
 
SolamonCain said:
Sorry I'm just getting back but I've been busy.yep I know it's to low.That's my problem.I'm in a SUPER SOIL mix.I did a slurry test at first and it was 6.5,I added a little binocular,eggshells,kelp meal,and bat guano,and the only thing I can think of is I started it composting again(cooking)?IDK?I've been trying hydrated lime,delimited lime and even a little of Olympus UP,a ph up product that's made of yep u guessed it Lime.So now it's up a tad but no where near where I need to be.So any suggestions,or should I just report them in proper ph soil?
Click to expand...

Its a rich mix dude.
Sounds like it has a very high water holding capacity as well.

Wet soil, is a hot soil.
Wet soil, is a hot soil.
Wet soil, is a hot soil.
Wet soil, is a hot soil.
Wet soil, is a hot soil.
Wet soil, is a hot soil.
Wet soil, is a hot soil.

Green organic matter + water = lower ph, and higher dissolved solids. (green matter, is why you compost, or "cook" your soil)

This is why wet and dry cycles are important. The ph swings. From lower, to higher. Aeration raises the ph between watering.

Anaerobic bacteria create an acidic environment.
Aerobic bacteria don't.
Sounds to me like an anaerobic soil.

How good is your drainage, and aeration?

How long is your rich "supersoil" staying wet for?

How many times a week is it getting watered?

What did you add for drainage?

What did you add for aeration?

Before you used the "supersoil" did you hold some in your hands, feel its texture, and give it a smell?
Did it smell like dirt and humus?
Or did it smell like "shit", or sour?

How did the soil feel in your hands?
Loose, and spongy?
Or dense, and sticky?

Describe it.

:peace:
 
You can't learn unless you make mistakes. And I'm just your average Joe,trying to get bye,man.Ok,well lets see admiration,drainage is pretty good,I have roughly 35-40%different size,viticulture small very little bit. 1/8-1/4"perlit mostly,and larger size red lava cinders up to 3/4".and this is my 5 th grow INSIDE,(first with uber soil) dozens outside ,lost count.but this is a different game for me especially using organics.? So ya the soil looked good smelled good?I am from Southern Illinois Originally,where the dirt is dark black and fertile for as far down as you can dig,but im not in Kansas no more .I'm just gonna pop em out ,any suggestions on a decent organic soil to go with.
 
You make a good point about learning through mistakes. I apologize, I didn't mean to sound like I was criticizing your efforts. I'm not a fan of using all the fancy soil recipes and meant to sound critical of those, not of you or others who try them. People who hype them should be avoided lol.

I have used a lot of different organic soils and have always gone back to Happy Frog or Ocean Forest. Ocean Forest seems to be a little hot for me right out of the bag so Happy Frog is my favorite. I'm sure there are better ones but it works for me and the other brands I have available locally are crap. It is free of wetting agents so it's frustrating to hydrate sometimes but you can use an organic wetting agent like yucca, from the herbal stuff row at the grocery store.
 
SolamonCain said:
I'm just your average Joe,trying to get bye,man.

Ok,well lets,drainage is pretty good.

I have roughly 35-40%different size,viticulture small very little bit. 1/8-1/4"perlit mostly,and larger size red lava cinders up to 3/4"

5 th grow INSIDE,(first with uber soil) dozens outside , but this is a different game for me especially using organics?

So ya the soil looked good smelled good?

I'm just gonna pop em out ,any suggestions on a decent organic soil to go with.
Click to expand...

Wasn't having a go dude. Sorry if it seemed that way. Just trying to help you. Because you asked.
Everyone here is trying to help your situation. Not offend, or target you.
We're all people. Same as you. Sharing experiences.

Whats the water holding capacity like?
How many times in a week, is the soil being watered?
Runoff?
Pot size?
Pictures?
All very important things we need to know to help you.

Organics inside, generally need to be completely composted. For reasons stated.
If you've composted outside in the past, then you'll know what i mean about smell and texture. Also im sorry to phrase it that way, but shit stinks. Its strong stuff.
It needs to be composted first. Guano is strong.
If your mix still had clumps it wasnt ready.
Did you add any peat or spagmum moss, coir or the likes for a bit of texture? Adds spongyness. Helps with aeration too. But has a high water holding capacity.
You stated that all you can think its doing is composting again. But its because you didnt compost enough. Which imo is causing your ph issues and problems. Its still too hot in my opinion.
When its ready. It should smell airy like soil from outside. Should feel light, and loose as well. With no large clumps, or foul smells like sourness, ammonia or manure/shit. If there are clumps or smells, then it needs longer.
It should feel loose, and airy when ready, and ideally spongy when squeezed. It should have a fresh dirt, and humus smell. Smells like dirt. Barely any smell at all. Pleasant even.
This process takes months.

I think transplanting is a good idea.
Id just recommend a general potting mix tbh. Then feed with liquid organics.
Even a bagged soil like suggested above. One you only need to water in the beginning.
Im not saying dont use supersoil. But just compost it longer.
Tbh all that "supersoil" and "ubersoil" is just a clever marketing term for a rich compost.
If you've done composting before. Just treat it the same as compost.

:peace:
 
Tim that's a great post, thank you. I think my humor didn't translate well and I made OP think I was coming on strong so the tiny bit of defensiveness there was my fault not in response to your questions. And I misread the posts and thought the boogie juice was an attempt at correcting the problem which is NOT what he said so my reply isn't even spot on.

That said, I wanted to ask about part of your reply. If I understand it you're saying it didn't start composting again, it just never stopped? Do you think the 6.5 was accurate at one point or was the mix hot the whole time?
 
Srirachi said:
Tim that's a great post, thank you. I think my humor didn't translate well and I made OP think I was coming on strong so the tiny bit of defensiveness there was my fault not in response to your questions. And I misread the posts and thought the boogie juice was an attempt at correcting the problem which is NOT what he said so my reply isn't even spot on.

That said, I wanted to ask about part of your reply. If I understand it you're saying it didn't start composting again, it just never stopped? Do you think the 6.5 was accurate at one point or was the mix hot the whole time?
Click to expand...

I thought OP's post was directed at myself TBH. I can come across as rude sometimes. I find it hard not to, on sites like this when being straight forward.

Yeah. I reckon it didn't stop composting. Water speeds up the decomposition process. More bacteria thrives, solids dissolve and leach nutrient etc. Green matter not only gets hot in the salt way. But also thermally. Decomposing matter generates a lot of heat. A lot of it is caused by an abundance of life, breaking the matter down. It can cause hot soil in both ways.
Im wondering more about the texture of the soil. Because if its silty, rich, and not very spongy the roots will have a hard time. Itll also hold a lot of water.

A picture is so important here imo. A picture paints a 1000 words as they say.
Also i find runoff isnt accurate for soil. It can swing either way.
You really cant beat the old fashion slurry and powder combo.

I think OP needs to give more info tbh. No picture isnt helping at all imho. Nor is the data.
Feels sometimes people withhold valuable info on purpose, and avoid giving the info when asked.
Not saying its the case here. But it happens in nearly every thread in this section. Whether by accident or on purpose.

Many problems can be fixed in only a post or two, if people listed all their growing information.

For instance right now, all we know here is-

plants are drooping
using a rich soil mix, with lots of amendments
no mention of pot size
no mention of watering frequency
no mention of volume per watering
no mention of the runoff volume
no mention of a wet and dry cycle.
no mention of soil recipe, or how long its been cooking for.

Meanwhile just about every means of a fix has been suggested. Even to the point of transplanting being recommended.
When it could just be the soils staying damp too often.
We need a picture, and more data.

:peace:
 
SolamonCain said:
Sorry I'm just getting back but I've been busy.yep I know it's to low.That's my problem.I'm in a SUPER SOIL mix.I did a slurry test at first and it was 6.5,I added a little binocular,eggshells,kelp meal,and bat guano,and the only thing I can think of is I started it composting again(cooking)?IDK?I've been trying hydrated lime,delimited lime and even a little of Olympus UP,a ph up product that's made of yep u guessed it Lime.So now it's up a tad but no where near where I need to be.So any suggestions,or should I just report them in proper ph soil?
Click to expand...
Did this super soil mix have a chance to properly age?
 
All great ideas guys. and gals? I thank you for the advice to help me out,I'm still learning after 26 years growing,and hope I never stop learning(but without the mistakes).I just got done reading TLO Organics,and there are several glaring discrepancies between what he says,Jorge says,Rosenthal,G.Green, and other books ive read .So the one thing that I have found is everyone has a slightly different opinion and way of growing.It can be difficult to tell the hype from truth especially when everyone is trying to sell you their product Again thanks!Truly....hurt feelings aside,you did help me,but I hope I never have to use this damn site again,no offense.LOL!!!
 
SolamonCain said:
I've been measuring my ph with a rapitest electronic ph meter the one with different plants programmed in it.and a cheaper one with two metal probes.that one says I'm at around 7,while the electric one says from5.7-5.9?I also use litmus paper and check the run out of the bottom which comes out 6-7 every time?Plants are only showing a little distortion,contorted growth but other than that are little bushes.And I don't drink but this is making me wonder,lol
Click to expand...

This is your problem throw that piece of crap out, better still smash it with a hammer and buy a real pH meter, pH your water to 6.5, flush your soil and the problems resolved. -good luck

SolamonCain said:
All great ideas guys. and gals? I thank you for the advice to help me out,I'm still learning after 26 years growing,and hope I never stop learning(but without the mistakes).I just got done reading TLO Organics,and there are several glaring discrepancies between what he says,Jorge says,Rosenthal,G.Green, and other books ive read .So the one thing that I have found is everyone has a slightly different opinion and way of growing.It can be difficult to tell the hype from truth especially when everyone is trying to sell you their product Again thanks!Truly....hurt feelings aside,you did help me,but I hope I never have to use this damn site again,no offense.LOL!!!
Click to expand...

..if you have been growing for "26 years" and don't recognize this simple problem and/or don't even have a proper meter, then there's something else going on here Jim, and it's deeper than your soil pH
 
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