HippyInEngland
Smoke Free Zone.
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PH And Plant Problems
PH is measured on a scale from 1.0 to 14.0. Pure water has a pH of 7.0 and is considered pH neutral. pH below 7.0 is considered to be acidic and pH higher than 7.0 is considered to be alkaline.
A substance that decreases PH (PH-down) is called an acid while a substance that increases PH (PH-up) is called a base. A substance that helps nutrient solutions resist PH changes when an acid or base is added, is called a buffer.
A PH difference of 1.0 is equal to a ten times increase or decrease in PH. That is, a nutrient solution with a PH of 6.0 is ten times as acidic as a nutrient solution with a PH of 7.0. A PH difference of 2.0 is equal to a hundred times increase or decrease in PH.
It is very important to keep the PH level within certain limits when growing marijuana. Even first time marijuana growers need to monitor the PH of their nutrient solution or soil and keep it within optimum levels.
The PH level of your hydroponics nutrient solution or soil will determine how well your plants are able to absorb nutrients. If the PH level is out of the proper range, the growth rate of the plants will slow down or stop.
Checking The PH Level Of Marijuana
There are several means of checking the PH level of your hydroponic or soil garden.
PH Meter: used to measure the PH of water, hydroponic nutrient solution, hydroponic media, and soil.
PH Test Kit: used to measure the PH of liquids like water or hydroponic nutrient solution.
Soil PH Meter: used to measure the PH of soil.
Soil Test Kit: used to measure the PH, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium levels of soil.
There are also soil PH test kits available that just measure the PH level of soil.
First time hydroponic marijuana growers should get a simple PH test kit to check PH levels. They are cheap, easy to use, and can be used multiple times. However, you will eventually run out of PH test liquid and have to buy a new kit.
They work by putting a small amount of nutrient solution in a container then adding a few drops of PH test liquid and mixing them together.
The combined mixture will turn colour. This colour is then matched with the colour on a PH chart (included with the test kit) to determine the PH level of the nutrient solution.
A PH meter can be used to measure the PH of water, hydroponic nutrient solution, hydroponic media, and soil.
If you have been growing hydroponic marijuana for a few years and you are tired of buying and re-buying test kits, it might be best to invest in a PH meter.
A PH meter is long lasting, and in general they give more accurate results than other methods of measuring PH.
But the price may make them out of reach for first time growers on a budget.
They also have probes and batteries that eventually will need to be replaced.
For accurate measurements always follow the manufactures instructions for calibrating, cleaning, and using a PH meter.
Calibrating the meter is especially important because all measurements will be wrong if the unit is wrongly calibrated.
Because PH meters can measure the PH of water, hydroponic nutrient solution, hydroponic media, and soil they are strongly recommended for growers who use hydroponics to grow indoors and soil to grow outdoors.
Soil growers should get a soil pH meter to measure the PH level of soil in their garden.
They work by inserting the probes of the unit directly into the soil you are growing in, and taking a reading. Follow the manufacturers instructions included with the soil PH meter you use, and you will get years of accurate measurements.
An alternative for soil growers is a soil test kit.
These are easy to use and reliable kits that contain separate tests for PH, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
They give instant results on the soil conditions in your garden.
A single soil test kit will have a certain number of tests that can be performed before you run out and have to buy another.
For example, one company makes a soil test kit that can be used to check PH, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium levels in soil 10 times.
PH And Hydroponic Marijuana
When growing hydroponic marijuana the PH of the nutrient solution should be between 5.5 and 6.8.
In most cases optimal PH is about 5.8 to 6.3 but this may vary slightly depending on the particular marijuana strain and the growing conditions you provide.
Some growers report good results with PH as low as 5.0.
You can experiment to see what works best for your particular plants but always keep the PH between 5.0 and 7.0.
Measure the PH right after you add the nutrient solution to the reservoir (mix well first) because the nutrients will change the PH level of the water.
Check the PH level at least once a week (every second day is recommended).
If your hydroponic system requires media to support plant roots, different hydroponic media manufacturers might recommend a specific PH level for their particular media. Follow the manufacturers instructions.
I do not lay claim to having all this info as my personal knowledge, it has been sourced from many area's, I give thanks to all places I visited to collect this information to help growers understand the importance of PH.
I give my sincere thanks to all the sites I borrowed from.
eace:
PH is measured on a scale from 1.0 to 14.0. Pure water has a pH of 7.0 and is considered pH neutral. pH below 7.0 is considered to be acidic and pH higher than 7.0 is considered to be alkaline.
A substance that decreases PH (PH-down) is called an acid while a substance that increases PH (PH-up) is called a base. A substance that helps nutrient solutions resist PH changes when an acid or base is added, is called a buffer.
A PH difference of 1.0 is equal to a ten times increase or decrease in PH. That is, a nutrient solution with a PH of 6.0 is ten times as acidic as a nutrient solution with a PH of 7.0. A PH difference of 2.0 is equal to a hundred times increase or decrease in PH.
It is very important to keep the PH level within certain limits when growing marijuana. Even first time marijuana growers need to monitor the PH of their nutrient solution or soil and keep it within optimum levels.
The PH level of your hydroponics nutrient solution or soil will determine how well your plants are able to absorb nutrients. If the PH level is out of the proper range, the growth rate of the plants will slow down or stop.
Checking The PH Level Of Marijuana
There are several means of checking the PH level of your hydroponic or soil garden.
PH Meter: used to measure the PH of water, hydroponic nutrient solution, hydroponic media, and soil.
PH Test Kit: used to measure the PH of liquids like water or hydroponic nutrient solution.
Soil PH Meter: used to measure the PH of soil.
Soil Test Kit: used to measure the PH, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium levels of soil.
There are also soil PH test kits available that just measure the PH level of soil.
First time hydroponic marijuana growers should get a simple PH test kit to check PH levels. They are cheap, easy to use, and can be used multiple times. However, you will eventually run out of PH test liquid and have to buy a new kit.
They work by putting a small amount of nutrient solution in a container then adding a few drops of PH test liquid and mixing them together.
The combined mixture will turn colour. This colour is then matched with the colour on a PH chart (included with the test kit) to determine the PH level of the nutrient solution.
A PH meter can be used to measure the PH of water, hydroponic nutrient solution, hydroponic media, and soil.
If you have been growing hydroponic marijuana for a few years and you are tired of buying and re-buying test kits, it might be best to invest in a PH meter.
A PH meter is long lasting, and in general they give more accurate results than other methods of measuring PH.
But the price may make them out of reach for first time growers on a budget.
They also have probes and batteries that eventually will need to be replaced.
For accurate measurements always follow the manufactures instructions for calibrating, cleaning, and using a PH meter.
Calibrating the meter is especially important because all measurements will be wrong if the unit is wrongly calibrated.
Because PH meters can measure the PH of water, hydroponic nutrient solution, hydroponic media, and soil they are strongly recommended for growers who use hydroponics to grow indoors and soil to grow outdoors.
Soil growers should get a soil pH meter to measure the PH level of soil in their garden.
They work by inserting the probes of the unit directly into the soil you are growing in, and taking a reading. Follow the manufacturers instructions included with the soil PH meter you use, and you will get years of accurate measurements.
An alternative for soil growers is a soil test kit.
These are easy to use and reliable kits that contain separate tests for PH, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
They give instant results on the soil conditions in your garden.
A single soil test kit will have a certain number of tests that can be performed before you run out and have to buy another.
For example, one company makes a soil test kit that can be used to check PH, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium levels in soil 10 times.
PH And Hydroponic Marijuana
When growing hydroponic marijuana the PH of the nutrient solution should be between 5.5 and 6.8.
In most cases optimal PH is about 5.8 to 6.3 but this may vary slightly depending on the particular marijuana strain and the growing conditions you provide.
Some growers report good results with PH as low as 5.0.
You can experiment to see what works best for your particular plants but always keep the PH between 5.0 and 7.0.
Measure the PH right after you add the nutrient solution to the reservoir (mix well first) because the nutrients will change the PH level of the water.
Check the PH level at least once a week (every second day is recommended).
If your hydroponic system requires media to support plant roots, different hydroponic media manufacturers might recommend a specific PH level for their particular media. Follow the manufacturers instructions.
I do not lay claim to having all this info as my personal knowledge, it has been sourced from many area's, I give thanks to all places I visited to collect this information to help growers understand the importance of PH.
I give my sincere thanks to all the sites I borrowed from.
eace:
