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 double
Diesel
Registered: 02/12/11
Posts: 207
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 pH strips soil usage 
#619652 - 04/22/12 03:19 AM (12 years, 8 months ago) |
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hello everybody,
I'd like to know how it'd be manageable to check soil pH using only strips.
not the regular 1-14 strips which would let you know just the 6 ph range without much precision, but narrower range strips, like 5-9, which can show 6.4 and 6.7 ph as a color (being 6.5 the perfect soil pH).
could the soil be wetted and let the strip get wetted by capillarity? or should you water until water runs off from the bottom of pot?
if using distilled water with a pH of 7, what should be the pH of runoff water for the soil being 6.5?
Thank you 
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Hawksresurrection
Registered: 12/04/08
Posts: 13,464
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Re: pH strips soil usage [Re: double]
#619654 - 04/22/12 03:27 AM (12 years, 8 months ago) |
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In between 6.5-7.
I always measure my runoff to measure the soil pH.
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Dude she isn't as young as she use to be.
-niteowl
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double
Diesel
Registered: 02/12/11
Posts: 207
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So using distilled water with a neutral pH, we'd assume that the runoff has the same pH as the soil?
Say the runoff is too basic, would citric acid be a mellower choice to reduce pH by increasing acidity?
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Hawksresurrection
Registered: 12/04/08
Posts: 13,464
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Re: pH strips soil usage [Re: double]
#619696 - 04/22/12 01:02 PM (12 years, 8 months ago) |
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Quote:
double said:
So using distilled water with a neutral pH, we'd assume that the runoff has the same pH as the soil?
No, not at all. Neutral pH doesn't mean that the water runoff is the same as the soil. If you pH is 6.5, and you soil is 4, your runoff pH is probably going to be around 5-5.5. The only reason for the 6.5-7 answer above is because they are already the same ph.
Say the runoff is too basic, would citric acid be a mellower choice to reduce pH by increasing acidity?
Mellower? Don't know what you mean by that. But I've found that the bottled citric acid was a pain in the ass to get down how much use. I much prefer to just get pH up and down from the grow store.
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Dude she isn't as young as she use to be.
-niteowl
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double
Diesel
Registered: 02/12/11
Posts: 207
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Quote:
hawksapprentice said:Mellower? Don't know what you mean by that. But I've found that the bottled citric acid was a pain in the ass to get down how much use. I much prefer to just get pH up and down from the grow store.
Mellower as in disturbing the roots less than a more acidic substance used to change soil pH.
So as last word, should the runoff be within the 6.5-7 range in order for the soil to stay withing the narrow 6.5 line?
Thank you
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 the man
Registered: 04/20/08
Posts: 825
Last seen: 11 years, 10 months
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Re: pH strips soil usage [Re: double]
#619705 - 04/22/12 01:36 PM (12 years, 8 months ago) |
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ya def are chiller acids react dif. create a buffer etc.. anyway if your ph is WAY off try and get the stuff they use for blueberry bushes i believe. ITs like a powder and is alot cheaper and will actually do something for soil unlike the hydro ph down stuff(which would be fine for correcting yoru water).
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Hawksresurrection
Registered: 12/04/08
Posts: 13,464
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Re: pH strips soil usage [Re: double]
#619706 - 04/22/12 01:43 PM (12 years, 8 months ago) |
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Quote:
double said:
Quote:
hawksapprentice said:Mellower? Don't know what you mean by that. But I've found that the bottled citric acid was a pain in the ass to get down how much use. I much prefer to just get pH up and down from the grow store.
So as last word, should the runoff be within the 6.5-7 range in order for the soil to stay withing the narrow 6.5 line?
Again, this all depends on the starting pH of water. It all depends on how high or low it is. Sure if ideally it should be coming out as 6.5 or so. Remember this isn't extremely accurate, but is the best way I've found of getting a ballpark to where your soil is.
--------------------
Dude she isn't as young as she use to be.
-niteowl
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double
Diesel
Registered: 02/12/11
Posts: 207
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if soil pH is unknown, wouldn't it be a wise choice to throughly flush it with an aqueous citric acid solution of a known (calculated) pH, say 6.5 or 6?
Thank you
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