sunshine mix #4 best ph? soil less. peat moss based

I know for soil you want 6.5 and hydro 5.5-5.8 what about soil-less mediums like sunshine #4 peat moss and limestone. What ph should my nutrient solution water be?
 

WhiteRooster

Active Member
Depends on what nutrients you are using Advanced Nutrients says to feed your plants at 6.3 and Fox Farm says to feed your plants between 6.5 and 6.8
 

SSHZ

Well-Known Member
I always add an additional 3 3/4 cups of dolomitic lime to each bale since they don't seem to put enough in for a 3 month grow. With that being said, 6.3-6.5 pH with 6.4 being best. The lime will cause a slow pH rise in the soil to 6.8 or slightly higher- ideal for marijuana. I use Botanicare but I've used everything at one time or another and found it doesn't matter at all. 6.4 pH going in always and you'll be set.
 

RodriguesIV

Active Member
I use sunshine mix and I have been battling low pH issues. I used to water with 6.3-6.6 but recently I added lime and now watering with above 7.0. Runoff is still coming out very low 6's but it's better than the high 4's it was before.
 
I mixed up reverse osmosis water and hard water to a ppm of 200 ph to 6.5 and watered them all. I also sprayed them with the same mixed water after the lights went out. Did a runoff test with one of the three,: water in 6.5 ph runoff was 5.4 even after
Flushing 2 quarts through the small pot. Assuming it is a deficiency how to fix it? Add more lime to sunshine mix when I transplant later this week? For the next group? Add lime to water? I plan to keep mixing my hard water with the R O water 150-200 ppm. Here is the worst spot on any of them this morning
 

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I use sunshine mix and I have been battling low pH issues. I used to water with 6.3-6.6 but recently I added lime and now watering with above 7.0. Runoff is still coming out very low 6's but it's better than the high 4's it was before.
Ideally what ph do you want your runoff? The same as it goes in? 6.5 in and 6.5 out? My cheap soil ph meter doesn't work so I can only test the water and runoff.
 

Wetdog

Well-Known Member
If you add enough lime (2tbl/gallon of container, or 1 cup/cf (7.5 gallons), of mix, there is really no need to worry about the pH of anything going in. Or, to worry about the run off pH.

If you don't have enough lime in a peat based mix, you will have pH problems no matter what you pH the water or nutes to.

What everyone seems to forget or ignore is, the soil/mix buffers the water to its pH, not the other way around.

Wet
 
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