PH problems with FFOF, anyone??

[smpaz420]

I have been using FFOF from the start, have had a few problems with ph but now i have been adding lime when i mix up the dirt. My problem is about halfway through the flowering cycle the ph drops, i have been just adding lime to the water when i just give them water and it seems to be keeping it up around 6.5 to 7. Does anyone else have these problems?

[Goober328]

I do Hempy Buckets and use one capful of cheap lemon juice per gallon of tap water. Puts it right on the money as far as Ph goes. Should also work in dirt. Might need to use a little more or less depending on how high is the Ph of your water supply. Trick would be to check it then see how much it take to bring it into range. Then you dont have to check in anymore.

Goober

[smpaz420]

i always ph the water and nutes going in thats what does not make any sense to me. about a month in if i dont add any more lime it always drops down below 6. Its not really a huge deal a bag of lime last like 6 months and only costs 3 bucks, i was just wondering if anyone else has to add lime to their soil to keep it in the right ph range.

[demoreal]

Sounds about right, the soil buffers are getting all used up. There are a few papers out there on that stuff. You can check the thread on pH management in my sig. What you are experiencing is normal.

[WashougalWonder]

I am trying to keep my plants on a repotting schedule that replenishes soil every 4-6 weeks and it seems to be working that way. Also monitoring closely my water PH as it does change dramatically at time. I use just a sprinkle of baking soda to buffer in later stages. I suppose I could add some dolomite lime to the OF, but I am lazy.

[bigtopsfinn]

Haven't tried FF myself, but I've seen many people around here having trouble with low ph in Ocean Forest recently. Maybe it's just because a lot are using it, maybe it's noob grower error, maybe the quality of the product has gone down, who knows...

Can't wait to try coco :jointsmile:

[soiljunkie]

i use Ocean For in my soil mix. (that i'll be happy to share w/ you). i dont have any issues w/ bad ph. But i use crushed oyster shells for ph buffer and calcium. its has a slower release than than the lime and should work for a little longer for ya.

[smpaz420]

thanks for the replies everyone. I think i will stick to the lime, its works good. I was just wondering if this was normal, and as long as i keep up with adding lime everything is fine. Thanks again.