SunShine#4 Users - What pH water do you use?

[razzapiggy]

I've been using the stuff for years with admittedly lower yields than my friends using other mediums. I give my plants 5.8-6.0 pH, was told by the people at the hydro store that is absolutely fine and now I'm finding several extremely experienced and smart growers on this board saying I should be aiming for 6.3-6.8 pH

Can we get a definitive answer here? I'm not saying anyone is right or wrong, I just have contrasting information coming from several different very reliable sources and I'm utterly confused.

razzapiggy Reviewed by razzapiggy on 05-06-2009. SunShine#4 Users - What pH water do you use? I've been using the stuff for years with admittedly lower yields than my friends using other mediums. I give my plants 5.8-6.0 pH, was told by the people at the hydro store that is absolutely fine and now I'm finding several extremely experienced and smart growers on this board saying I should be aiming for 6.3-6.8 pH Can we get a definitive answer here? I'm not saying anyone is right or wrong, I just have contrasting information coming from several different very reliable sources and I'm Rating: 5

[LOC NAR on probation]

If it's soil then 6.3 to 6.8 is good. 5.2 to 5.8 for hydro.

[razzapiggy]

Guess that's where the tricky part comes in, it's soil-less mix... looks like soil, acts like soil, etc but it has no nutrients at all in it.

[earthcrushrplus]

hey Howzit?

[earthcrushrplus]

Hey razza, I think I am experiencing the same problems you are with Sunshine 4. I have been adjusting my water pH to 5.8-6.0 and have been having some real problems. The new growth comes out limey green-yellow and distorted. I flush with plain water and the problem stops after a few days and I get some really nice vigorous growth after the flush. Then I begin fertilizing real lightly, but end up with the same problems again. Then I talk to the hydro store guys and they told me that Sunshine 4 can tolerate hydro or soil pH, but that I should be adjusting my pH according to the ferts I use. For instance, I use House and Garden Basic-1 Component for my veg cycle. The Basic-1 instructions say to adjust pH to 6.5-7.0. Apparently, at this pH range, Basic-1 will work for soil or soilless media. I just figured that I would lower the pH to 5.8-6.0 since Sunshine 4 is a "soilless" mix, and that it acted more like a hydro media. Who knows, I'm going to flush tomorrow and water in the following days with pH 6.5-7.0 and see if the problems stop.

But if anyone out there has some more info on the Sunshine 4 pH question, it would be greatly appreciated.

[michaelpeg]

I would also like to know a definitive answer, i asked the same question, but about ph for an adult plant in seedling mix that was soilless and didn't get a 100% straight forward answer.

[phatsesh101]

i have covered this b4 but 1 more time i suppose
i too used to ph down my water to 5.8-6.0 which would result in a crash around week 5-6 that looked like an nitrogen problem then i found out that soilless mixes like coco and rockwool have a naturally nuetral ph of 7 and need to be ph controled whereas peat has a natural ph of about 5 so its too low to begin with, but the lime will act as a natural buffer which makes moore into a soil mix considering most soil mixes are 50% peat anyhow give or take

you want to treat #4 like soil
hers some pics at about week 4 flower

[Rusty Trichome]

Hey razza, I think I am experiencing the same problems you are with Sunshine 4. I have been adjusting my water pH to 5.8-6.0 and have been having some real problems. The new growth comes out limey green-yellow and distorted. I flush with plain water and the problem stops after a few days and I get some really nice vigorous growth after the flush. Then I begin fertilizing real lightly, but end up with the same problems again. Then I talk to the hydro store guys and they told me that Sunshine 4 can tolerate hydro or soil pH, but that I should be adjusting my pH according to the ferts I use. For instance, I use House and Garden Basic-1 Component for my veg cycle. The Basic-1 instructions say to adjust pH to 6.5-7.0. Apparently, at this pH range, Basic-1 will work for soil or soilless media. I just figured that I would lower the pH to 5.8-6.0 since Sunshine 4 is a "soilless" mix, and that it acted more like a hydro media. Who knows, I'm going to flush tomorrow and water in the following days with pH 6.5-7.0 and see if the problems stop.

But if anyone out there has some more info on the Sunshine 4 pH question, it would be greatly appreciated.

Hydro or soil ph? Sorry, you can't have it both ways. Either the soil needs buffering or not. Either the water needs adjusting or not. There is a difference, and the plants are letting you know something is off. I'm not a hydro guy, but I do know soil. (and peat based soil less mixes)

Perhaps if the lower ph isn't getting you anywhere, keeping it between 6.3 and 6.8 would help, as has been stated quite a few times over the past few days.

If I was wanting to learn how to cook a filet mignon with those nasty little onions, I'd check a food or recipe website. If I was wanting to learn which stars were arrested last night, I'd check a tabloid website. And were I in need of advise on which equipment or products to purchase for my growroom, perhaps I'd ask the employees at the hydro store. It just makes sense.

Along that same line of thought, I'd strongly recommend that if one is in need of advise about the proper growing of cannabis, to ask those that have practical experience, and have done so successfully themselves.
With so many members here at CanCom, misinformation is rare and usually pounced-upon by the insightful masses. (plus, we don't pressure you into buying stuff from us while you're here)