pH @ 5.9 - Soil

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I got an actual pH meter finally!

Nutrient mix was adjusted to 6.5 going in and the runoff ended up at 5.9

I need to flush. The next feeding is already set for 100% h2o. The ladies typically share 2 gallons of water between the 4 of them, a half gallon each. Now, I just need to know how much to water it, and what is the best water to flush with.

I have both distilled and R/O water. I was thinking about flushing with 2 gallons of water (1 gal. distilled, 1 gal. R/O) to each pot. (pots are 5 gal.) Should I add all of the 2 gal. at once? Over an hour? A couple hours? I have a feeling that flooding a plant like that would do more harm than good. BUT, I don't know shit about this, I have never flushed before.

What about the pH of the water? where should I aim for going in? 7.1, to even the 5.9 out to 6.5? Or pH starting @ 6.5? Also, I've heard that R/O can be harmful to soil by leaching out the nutrients due to it's "0 qualities" Or was that hydro?

Either way....I need some help.

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From my little hidden thread in the Grow Logs...

Seeing as how the boards are a little slow today, I have done some more research, and have made a preemptive decision: each lady will get 10 gallons of half/half distilled/R.O. water. The water will be applied over the course of a day, as spread-out as possible; I don't want to drown them. The pH will be at 7.0, I will try to check the run-off after each application to see how they are reacting. I have a feeling that it *shouldn't* take too much to get the pH back up to the 6.5 range; as I already have a healthy amount of prilled dolomite lime in the mix. (1.5 cups of lime to 1.5 cu. ft. of soil) I would imagine that the lime will easily bump pH after 10 gallons of water.

I will be doing this in a couple of days, as I just fed last night with nutes. (when & where I discovered my run-off problem) ...So I have a couple of days to get some responses/advice before I follow through.

Stinky? Rhizome? Reaper? Pharma? Opie? Weedhound?

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Ahhh.....the boards really have been slowing down like LIP said.....:(

That's too bad,....though, it may be a good thing. I really think that the changes, the whining, and departures may shake the forums of the "n00bs" that people have been "hating on" lately. - "For every action, there is an opposite and equal reaction."

That sounds good to me......but I'd ph your water to 6.8ish going in. The norm is 3 to 5 times the amount of water for the size of your pot ....if you have a one gallon pot you should flush with 3 gals...etc.

You want the water to go through fairly fast. If it were me I would add a gallon as quickly as possible...wait for it to drain and do the next one. Water sitting in there isn't flushing things....it's just sitting there mostly and not helpful.

Check the ph of your runoff as you go.....if ph normalizes after three gallons then stop.....a normal soil runoff ph is what you are aiming for here so more than that won't do anyone any good.

Stinky tells me that the very last flush you do (once eveything is normal) should be with 1/4 strength ferts......then let the plant dry out.

Thank-you Hound!

Do it all at once. You goal is the FLUSH out the bad shit, not to just get it wet.
Use tap water. The CaCO3 dissolved in most tap water will help neutralize acids. Adjust the pH of your flush solution to 7.5. Check runoff after the first couple gallons.
The final flush should be with a solution of 1/4 strength complete fert at pH 6.8-7.0 (since you are starting low and a slight drop will continue).
I'm guessing you're in a peat-based medium and have been in the same pot for at least 8 weeks?

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Originally Posted by stinkyattic

I'm guessing you're in a peat-based medium and have been in the same pot for at least 8 weeks?

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Yep. They were transplanted into Fox Farms Ocean forest 7 weeks ago. The second ingredient is sphagnum peat moss. I'm starting to think that I'm gonna want to mix my own soil next time...

I'm also assuming that I should let my tap sit out for a day to let the chlorine out, right? Thanks for the help.

Edit: I think I'm gonna go the Agway/perlite route next time, for sure.

maybe i missed it in your thread, but why are you flushing? i hit the link to your grow thread and didn't see any problems with your plants. if you're flushing just because your runoff ph isn't 6.5, then i would advise against it.

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Originally Posted by Bongojaz

maybe i missed it in your thread, but why are you flushing? i hit the link to your grow thread and didn't see any problems with your plants. if you're flushing just because your runoff ph isn't 6.5, then i would advise against it.

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The thing is, our runoff pH is indicative of the soil pH. A pH of 5.9 is not ideal for nutrient uptake in soil. Correcting the pH of the soil will help prevent problems before they happen and result in bigger, healthier plants.

Norkali - I grow in coco. The things I do in coco would probably drown a soil plant. Of course I know the procedure for flushing plants in soil, but there are dirt farmers on this forum who deal with your kind of issues on a regular basis and I figure that you're better off to hear from them.

PC :smokin:

^^^you should never chase ph, especially if your plants aren't displaying any issues. if you ph "everything" you put in/on your plants correctly, then ph should never be an issue. instead of a large flush, i suggest when you water/feed, always allow for some runoff. this will act as a mini-flush, and eliminate the need for a flush altogether, until the harvest time flush. i'm also a coco fan and will never go back to soil!

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Originally Posted by Bongojaz

^^^you should never chase ph, especially if your plants aren't displaying any issues. if you ph "everything" you put in/on your plants correctly, then ph should never be an issue. instead of a large flush, i suggest when you water/feed, always allow for some runoff. this will act as a mini-flush, and eliminate the need for a flush altogether, until the harvest time flush. i'm also a coco fan and will never go back to soil!

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Well, I don't grow in soil, so ..... :wtf:

Have you read the information that Canna products has on the web for using their coco nutes? Canna claims that pH measurements from coco runoff are meaningless. I check my runoff occasionally, but more for curiosity than anything else.

PC :smokin:

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!

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Originally Posted by Weedhound

Because nobody else IN THE ENTIRE WORLD eats purple Tootsie Pops.....:D

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lol. :S2: