organic soil questions?

[d50fan91]

hey this is my first ive been on here lurking around reading as much as i can and have learned an incredible amount but i am curious to know if this would be a good choice for soil it is Master Nursery Gardeners Gold organic potting soil it contains sphagnum peat moss and or reed sedge peat, bark fines, composted manures, composted shell fish,perlite,peat humos, and dolomite lime for ph, my question is, i have a ph aquarium kit and when checking ph i am getting a ph of 6.0 or less it turns yellow so im guessing it could be lower, but ive noticed slow grow in most of the plants there pretty healthy new green shoots in all, 6 plants are 4 weeks old and 6 are 3 weeks old, so im thinking that N could be getting locked out, i have PHed the water to 6.8 and im getting 6.0 from run off, would i put a higher phed water in to the plant to get a run off that is within the soil range? sorry for the long post if any one can help it would appreciated thanks alot.

[d50fan91]

i think i am on the right track i just want some reassurance from other growers i am a newb and this is my first real grow so any comments would really help thanks again everyone.

[stinkyattic]

I don't know that soil, but yes, if you water at a higher pH than you want, on a soil whose runoff is LOWER than you want, you should be able to approximate the pH you DO want. Try 7.5 for now, and next time, add some more lime to that soil because all that peaty shit and bark is lowering your pH.

[d50fan91]

thank you stinky i was pretty sure thats what i had to do i read the flushing sticky twice already, but your input is very helpful , what do you do if the water is off colored and messes with true color. is there any thing i can do about this? thanks again

[stinkyattic]

You can rinse off a coffee filter and then filter the water through it (you HAVE to rinse the filter first!), or you can just let it settle. A lot of the color comes from particulates that can settle out of the water column. If it still is a LITTLE yellow, you just have to estimate how much more yellow it makes the indicator, and estimate. Luckily, it is as much an art as a science, and you will be fine.

[d50fan91]

thank you very much nice lady :thumbsup:

[michaelpeg]

hope this isn't thread jacking but i have a question somewhat related, stinky could you please tell me how to determine how much lime to add?

[stinkyattic]

That depends on how much acidic junk is in the soil, and how much lime it came packaged with. Have a look around the organic section for some soil mixes. I think Texas Grass has posted up some good ones.

You are looking for ratios of lime : peat and should try to mimic them.

[michaelpeg]

thanks will try and find texas grass' post on organic soils