Hard Water to blame?

[bigweedo]

If I bump up the feed the pH will sky rocket down to a pretty low pH. If I doubled the feed, and got it to 800ppm it would be around 5.5 pH i'm assuming.

 

[ozzydiodude]

whats in you soil mix? is there lime in it?/ if so add nutes at 5.8 or less and the lime will do its job of balancing the ph

 

[bigweedo]

It's black gold. Can I sprinkle some lime on the to layer and have it get watered in? Or is this something I have to do pre planting into container?

 

[Hushpuppy]

You can top dress with it but if you can work it into the soil before watering it in, it will do better, otherwise it will clump on top.

I personally would get pH adjuster and set the pH if the nutrient isn't organic. But it should work to use the lime as well.

 

[Hushpuppy]

I just went and looked up the EarthJuice. Is this the brand you are using? http://hydrobuilder.com/seablast-grow-40-lbs.html
If so then it is organic according to this and pH may be the issue as it should be about 6.7ish for organic

 

[bigweedo]

Wow, you're right...I guess never trust the hydro store guy. Never going to that place again haha.

So, I am new to organics. What do I need to do to get the pH up? Can I use pH up? Or do I need to use another organic product?

Thanks for all your help guys, I really appreciate it!

 

[Hushpuppy]

I would do 3 things right away. I would get some Mychorrizae from one of the hydro stores and make a microbe tea to add to the soil on next watering. 2, I would get some molasses to add to the microbe tea as that feeds the microbes to get them wound up for working. 3, get some dolomite lime and top dress the soil with about 3-5TbSP. then try to stir it into the soil if there is enough soil over the roots to allow it. I listed the 3 functions backwards though. Make up the tea and aerate it for up to 12hrs before adding it to the soil. While the tea is aerating, add the lime to the soil and mix it into the soil as much as possible without damaging roots. Then add the tea.

With organics you don't need to do much with pH adjuster other than the lime to buffer the soil. The microbes will do the rest of the work of controlling the pH and feeding the plant. With the added microbes and molasses to activate them(so to speak), all of the feeding that you do going forward will be chelated by the microbes and taken to the plant. With organics, its all about maintaining a healthy microbe herd in the soil and then supplying all of the raw materials that they need for feeding the plants

You don't have to add the lime every time you feed/water but since you didn't have it mixed in with the soil initially, I would recommend adding a couple TBSP every 3rd feed/water. Also, if you aren't doing it already, I would feed, water, feed, water, etc. At this point, you probably won't need to add anymore microbe tea after the first add, but keep the mycho for the next grow and add it along with the lime when you are setting up your soil.

 

[DrFever]

Some examples of Home remedies to raise/lower pH are as follows:
1.Lemon juice. 1/4 tbsp can bring a gallon of tap-water from 7.4 to 6.3.
2.Phosphoric acid. lowers pH and provides Phosphor too!
3.Nitric acid. lowers pH.
4.Hydrochloric acid. strongest way to lower pH
5.Hydrated lime. flush soil with a teaspoon per gallon of water to raise pH.
6.Baking Soda. eats acids to raise pH.
7.Calcium carbonate. raises pH (very strong)
8.Potassium silicate. raises pH.

What are signs of a PH fluctuation in my Cannabis plant?

A Cannabis plant can show signs of a pH flux in several ways. The leaves may begin to turn yellow or brown, dry up and/or shrivel on the sides into a straw like shape. Keep in mind however that other deficiencies and disorders may show the same signs of damage, so don't jump to conclusions until you do some testing and adjusting to your plants and their growing medium.

Some things to remember(I didn't write these ones)

1.Always test the pH of raw water and drainage water with a pH meter.
2.Raw water pH above 6.0 helps keep fertilizer mixes from becoming too acidic.
3.The pH level is much more important in organic soil gardens than in chemical
hydroponic gardens. The pH dictates the environment of bacteria necessary to the
uptake of organic nutrients.

 

[Hushpuppy]

I disagree with the last statement #3. pH is critical for both applications as the plants will not take in nutrients with incorrect pH in either system. It is typically less of an issue for organic growers as the microbe herd will take care of the pH if it is not waay off.

 

[trillions of atoms]

Yup...that num three is bass ackwards.

 

[DrFever]

 

[Surfer Joe]

Hi All,

I have hard water (just tested 115 PPM out of tap.) It seems like I run into the same problem at 3 weeks into flowering. My plants start to yellow and turn crazy colors. Daytime and night time temps are in the high 60's and low 70's. pH is 6.5, seems like everything is good.





I'm starting to think my hard water is causing nutrient lock out. Plant stems and leaf veins are turning a weird red. I've attached a picture, does it seem like it is a calcium def?

Please help!:icon_smile:

My tap water is 290ppm and I have not had any problems so far in the soil or the hydro plant.

 

[Hushpuppy]

That definitely doesn't sound like calcium deficiency. Having heavy water isn't necessarily a problem depending on what it is that is making it heavy. Most often, especially in Europe, the high mineral comes from calcitic lime deposits that dissolve lots of calcium into the water. I know high calcium will cause something else to lock out but I can't remember what it is. I want to say it is phosphorous, which would account for the issue showing up around the 3rd week of flower as that is when the plant starts using a lot of phosphorous more.

 

[shuggy4105]

Potassium and Boron can get locked out with too much Calcium.
How have they responded so far, and to what?
I live in a hard water area, lime is the buffer I use to keep ph in check.
Green Mojo comin at ya bro