Do i really need to use a PH down if my tap water is a constant 7.0 i understand that it should be 5.5 to 6.5 however im growing in soil so does it really matter ive read alot about PH and i understand it however i just wanted to ask this specific question
i do not have a ppm meter... i was advised that is was not necessary for when growing in soil have a been mal informed?
[quote name='"CrazyFritter"'] i do not have a ppm meter... i was advised that is was not necessary for when growing in soil have a been mal informed?[/quote] It's not necessary if your growing organic in soil but it def helps to not over nute if using chem nutes..just was wondering because if the water is higher than 200 they recommend using ro water due to the calcium and other metals you don't know about..7.0 should be fine though cant have much calcium at that ph just make sure to let it sit overnight if it has chlorine added like city water or a community well
Oh and as far as should you adjust 7.0 down then I say yes..7.0 and higher can cause lockouts in soil..your nutes should lower it quite a bit you may even need ph up if it's too low..also if you're wondering about watering seedlings with plain water I've gave them 7.0 bottled water a few times with no prob but I still like to add a drop or three of ph down to get it to 6.5 just to avoid a cal/mag def
ok that makes sense when i pick up some good nutes ill then watch the ppm but my plants are still little so no nutes yet. and i have been letting it sit over night too. im thinking of going organic after have a successful harvest with nutrients thanks soo much
My tap water is consistantly around 7.2 and with AN nutes it drops it down to 6.5-6.6, with just water and PH down it takes a hair over 1 milileter of GH PH down to get it down to 6.5. I dont bother with PPM or EC in soil grows even when using chemical nutes. We have hard water and I rarely have to use anything like Calmag. Last I checked our PPM is right around 200. In Ocean Forest or Happy Frog soil if I keep the PH right around 6.5 I rarely have problems. To me the trick is learn how your water, nutes and soil work together and stick with it if it works well not changing anything if you dont need to to. Oh I also use molasses and when I do I need to use PH up which it takes more of the PH up to get it to 6.5. To me it seems that GH PH Up is not as strong as their PH down.
[quote name='"tplat"'] My tap water is consistantly around 7.2 and with AN nutes it drops it down to 6.5-6.6, with just water and PH down it takes a hair over 1 milileter of GH PH down to get it down to 6.5. I dont bother with PPM or EC in soil grows even when using chemical nutes. We have hard water and I rarely have to use anything like Calmag. Last I checked our PPM is right around 200. In Ocean Forest or Happy Frog soil if I keep the PH right around 6.5 I rarely have problems. To me the trick is learn how your water, nutes and soil work together and stick with it if it works well not changing anything if you dont need to to. Oh I also use molasses.[/quote] Yea once you know what all your numbers are its not really needed..good luck man keep us updated
Do you really even need to ask when you already gave the answer? You know what it should be, you know what it is.... is it what it should be? don't be lazy... fix it. You risk jail, high electrical bills and all the investment of time and money to set up the grow... Why not just add the extra 2ml of PH down?
not if your growing in a living, compost-based soil- complete with redworms and the micro-herd. I collect water out the tap, ph. 8-9. I bubble off the chlorine, and water my plants over the course of an hour. My 30 gallon smart pot, is suspended on a cage. It is a communal planter containing six happy plants who share the elements in the soil and transfer the elements between them with equilibrium. No deficiencies no diseases or insects. When I water it soaks up 5 gallons without any run-off. I water once a week for early veg.