Quote Originally Posted by stinkyattic
Your water is a likely culprit- if it is acidic to begin with, or quite soft, with lots of organic acids in it like tannins, you will find that your soil goes bad FAST. The real kicker if you happen to have organic acids is that you wouldn't necessarily notice them since many common ones in surface waters buffer in the high-6 range and go unnoticed until you see soil problems.
I'd deal with your issue like this:
-Maintain a frequent re-potting schedule so fresh roots always find fresh soil, being sure to do a good flush with pH adjusted water a couple days before repotting.
-Check the hardness of your water and its pH to try to get a sense for how it might be interacting with the soil.
-Plan to water with a nutrient solution that you KNOW to be of correct pH for your garden, and if your water is soft, run CalMag.
I re-pot about three times from clone to flower, an I repot once more after 1-2 weeks in flower. Do you suggest more frequent repotting in flower?

- My water is from a well and is fairly hard. TDS 190-250 (varies by season) and the pH is usually 7.0 to 7.4 or 7.6 depending on season. I correct tap to pH 6.7 w/ GH's pH Down when feeding plain water. When I add my nutes to un-treated tap water, I need to use a bit of pH UP to get back to 6.7. White crust on fixtures, some rust in the washer, that kind of thing.

I have an R/O filter, I was previously using that water and adding CalMagPlus at 1tsp/gallon as a base. Using the tap seemed simpler...should I try the RO+CMP again?

Thanks!
FatSean Reviewed by FatSean on . Ways to keep soil from going acid. Hi everyone. My name is fatsean and I have a pH problem. My potting soil likes to go acidic after a few weeks of flower. I use tthis stuff, it's got the best texture of the slim selection of locally available non-fertilized soils. I'm currently working with powdered Lime product to address my pH issues. (Thanks Rusty!) I am experimenting with mixing quantities of it into my soil, and I am also trying to top-dress with it to address pH lockout issues noticed in flower. What happens is Rating: 5