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I have to disagree there Bongo....just because you put things in soil at proper ph doesn't in ANY way mean its going to stay there. There are ALL SORTS of reactions to and in soil and the plant going on at any given time. Assuming your soil ph is the same as your water ph is a bad mistake imo. ALL good growers check and keep both adjusted to proper level. Can you do less......of course! But you will wasting something....be it time, energy, yield or your plant's health.
coco is an inert media......soil is not. BIG difference.
disagreeing is cool, we all do things differently. i just like to share what works for me. to me, it's never a good idea to try and chase ph, especially when she's looking good. in the end, each grow is a learning process. coco is not truly inert. here's a cut and past job from g. low's "integral hydroponics," a very good read for anyone considering coco.
COCO COIR
is a product derived from the husks of the coconut.
Visually it looks like peat.
It's air capacity is about 30%.
Coir is most suited as a run to waste medium.
Coir can become saturated and it is not truly inert medium.
This means that the nutrient will change over a short period (due to the nutrient collecting micro and macro elements as it passes through the coir.
Coir tends to release potassium and to withold calcium.
For this reason it is desirable to use a nutrient that is blended specifically for coir.
Coir has a remarkable capacity to protect the plants root system in times of heat.
It also tends to promote vigorous and healthy root development.
Plant growth tends to be very consistant with coir.
Coir is very tolerant of over and under watering, which makes it a very forgiving growing medium.
Coir has a very strong cation exchange ability, which means it can hold and release nutrient elements based on the plants needs.
Coir tends to retain nutrient salts. because of this, less nutrient (lower ec) is required.
On a less positive note, coir can also contain high levels of sodium (salt)....
If your growing in coir be aware that this can be a potential problem.
Either purchase a pre-flushed coir product or flush ph (5.5-6.0) stabilised water through the coir prior to use.
Measure the ec of the water and then measure the ec of the run off.
When they are the same, it is ready for use.
Large amounts of potassium are naturally present in coir.
Potassium competes with calcium and magnesium... buffering and plant nutrition needs to compensate for this!!
For this reason there are several nutrients that are specifically formulated with the coco coir's unique characteristics in mind.
By using a nutrient specifically formulated for the coir based system, you are ensuring that your plants are receiving the best possible nutritient package.
Thats all great.....I don't grow in coco so don't pretend to know much about it. If you are aware that coco isn't inert then you are CERTAINLY aware that soil isn't either and has it's OWN ph...which was the point of my last thread.
Bongo I'm not here to argue with you......not at ALL interested. But a statement such as "if you put everything IN soil at the proper ph you shouldn't ever have a ph issue" quite simply isn't a true statement and could be harmful to some noob growers to follow (again....SOIL......not coco!)
I am done with this thread.....having had my say here. ;)
just cause folks disagree, doesn't mean it's arguing. i thought you mentioned coco, my mistake. i re-read, it was pharmacan. yo, yes sir, i know about coco ph checking. you have to take some coco from the root zone to check ph. but i stopped checking my coco ph long ago. i too won't post here again. don't wanna hijack. relax houndman, this is supposed to be fun!
Soils change over time, especially commercial mixes that have to have lime added to them to TEMPORARILY stabilize the pH. Lime only lasts so long before its buffering capacity is used up. Therefore, yes, a soil grower WILL very often have to flush.
Stinky, I LOVE YOU!
after 5 gallons each the runoff was 6.7 on 3 of them, and 6.6 on the last (in the back, hard to evenly water without snapping colas!)
I'm about to mix the 1/4 strength feeding right now.
and HOLY SHIT! Why didn't anybody tell me about the fucking PURPLE TOOTSIE POP smell! As I turned around after checking the first pH runoff to face my plants, BLAM! It smelled like somebody had filled my closet with purple tootsie pops. EXACT smell. This is my first time actually being able to smell them
Because nobody else IN THE ENTIRE WORLD eats purple Tootsie Pops.....:D
^^^LOL^^^ i like the red ones!
lol. :S2:Quote:
Originally Posted by Weedhound