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 Inverted
CNC Machinist/Greenthumb
 
Registered: 06/01/08
Posts: 9,953
Loc: North Star 
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 Testing PH Questions 
#332436 - 12/16/09 04:54 PM (15 years, 13 days ago) |
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My first question is should I be testing the runoff? And is this a much more accurate view of the PH the plant is experiencing than testing the water in the jug? I think i'm just being stupid on this one...
Okay so I think I may have a combination of Ammonium N overload, with possible Low-PH issues.
So I have really high PH tap water around here (7.6-8.2) and have never had a problem using my water at that high of a level. I don't know why but it seems like the less I worry about my PH the better my plants do.
Now I think this is caused by my specific medium, as well as nutrient contributions to PH fluctuations.
I use mostly just Sphagnum Peat Moss and Perlite, with a little bit of compost mixed in. Now I've always had great results with this simple mix and I think that this must balance out the PH in the mix when I water because I think the peat moss has a Low PH correct? Whatever I was doing it seems like my plants were happy.
The last 2 weeks I decided that PH improvement might help move things along a little faster so I bought a bunch of Distilled water, and combined with my bloom nutrients, the mix was a PH of flat 6.0, a whole 2 points lower than normal. I heard that was a reasonable level and have been using it at that until now. I have observed the standard "Clawing" in new vegetative growth and also some VERY dark leaves.
I'm cutting back on the nutrients and think that going back to tap water might be the best solution, i'm also flushing with tap water.
I think I may have had a good balance before, and using the nutrients also helped bump down the PH in the soil keeping everything at a reasonable level. I need to stop doing everything I read, and just do what has been working for me... The harder I try the more they seem to slow down. In years past, the more I left them alone, the better they did.
The next gallon I pour through, i'm going to test the water running off, as I think I will get a different reading than before pouring. Is it really necessary?
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Don't criticize what you can't understand
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coda
Registered: 04/20/08
Posts: 4,736
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 Re: Testing PH Questions [Re: Inverted]
#332445 - 12/16/09 05:18 PM (15 years, 13 days ago) |
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Testing runoff is a poor way of determining Ph. At the very least buy a soil Ph kit and take a sample of your soil to test.
It's always good to Ph test your solution before watering. Keep in mind that if you're using consistent amounts (IE you always water with 1 ML of Food to 1 gal of water) you won't need to test your solution more then once or twice. However if you increase/decrease or add a new nute to the solution, you should test it again.
Quote:
The last 2 weeks I decided that PH improvement might help move things along a little faster so I bought a bunch of Distilled water, and combined with my bloom nutrients, the mix was a PH of flat 6.0, a whole 2 points lower than normal. I heard that was a reasonable level and have been using it at that until now. I have observed the standard "Clawing" in new vegetative growth and also some VERY dark leaves.
To me this sounds like an overload of N due to a possible PH problem which is not letting the plants absorb the nutes properly, and thus letting the levels build up to a toxic point. A good solid flush with water may help rid you of any excess nutrient build up and help raise the Ph to a level that's suitable for good growth.
Are the tips of your leaves yellowing and dying as well? That's another solid sign of nute overload.
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MFDoom666: sobriety kills my buzz every time.
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Inverted
CNC Machinist/Greenthumb
Registered: 06/01/08
Posts: 9,953
Loc: North Star
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Re: Testing PH Questions [Re: coda]
#332523 - 12/16/09 09:22 PM (15 years, 13 days ago) |
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That's the thing, they leaves look very healthy except for the clawing. It's only minor on one plant and more profound on another, but others are just fine and I use the EXACT same watering/nutes for all of the plants.
I'm just going to keep flushing and do what I know has been working great.
Now I think my Indicas will need another 2 weeks to finish because of this stupid mistake I've made. Oh well.
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Don't criticize what you can't understand
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 Lucid
Monster Plant Creator
Registered: 07/18/08
Posts: 1,082
Loc: Canada-ish.
Last seen: 8 years, 5 months
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Re: Testing PH Questions [Re: Inverted]
#332728 - 12/17/09 10:53 AM (15 years, 12 days ago) |
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dude fix your plants!
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Inverted
CNC Machinist/Greenthumb
Registered: 06/01/08
Posts: 9,953
Loc: North Star
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Re: Testing PH Questions [Re: Lucid]
#332755 - 12/17/09 11:48 AM (15 years, 12 days ago) |
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Quote:
Lucid said:
dude fix your plants!
Why did you even post this? Thanks that was helpful...
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Don't criticize what you can't understand
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coda
Registered: 04/20/08
Posts: 4,736
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Re: Testing PH Questions [Re: Inverted]
#332910 - 12/17/09 04:54 PM (15 years, 12 days ago) |
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Quote:
It's only minor on one plant and more profound on another, but others are just fine and I use the EXACT same watering/nutes for all of the plants.
I'm having the same problem right now, it's not major or anything, but some of my AF plants are showing some signs of clawing while others are perfectly fine.  Not much you can do but keep your eye on the problem plants and see if it gets worse or not.
At the extreme you could separate the sick plants from the healthy and give them a lighter feeding then the others. This can let them recover and get back up to full speed while you don't hold back the rest of your plants.
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MFDoom666: sobriety kills my buzz every time.
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