Soil PH too Low

[psiclown]

Hello first post on this site. I am a newbie outdoor grower (green house actually). The PH of my water is around 7.2. My soil PH is around 5.5. My soil consists of CA Supersoil, Vermiculite, and Perlite. I use Jack's Classic 20-20-20 every third watering. Some of the big fan leaves are starting to droop a little and are slightly discolored. I'm sure this is the PH issue. I have read about adding hydrated lime but to raise it but that it can also be toxic and bipolar for PH testing. They are planted in 10 Gallon Containers. I would like to avoid transplanting. Can I just dig some dolomite lime in the soil with my hands or is there a better way of getting the PH back to where it needs to be?

Thanks peeps! :rastasmoke:

psiclown Reviewed by psiclown on 07-13-2010. Soil PH too Low Hello first post on this site. I am a newbie outdoor grower (green house actually). The PH of my water is around 7.2. My soil PH is around 5.5. My soil consists of CA Supersoil, Vermiculite, and Perlite. I use Jack's Classic 20-20-20 every third watering. Some of the big fan leaves are starting to droop a little and are slightly discolored. I'm sure this is the PH issue. I have read about adding hydrated lime but to raise it but that it can also be toxic and bipolar for PH testing. Rating: 5

[Rusty Trichome]

What's your runoff, and how are you testing both the water and the soil?

Adding undisolved lime is a bad idea. I'd make double sure it's a necessary step, and that it's not a misdiagnosis before doing something that drastic and stressful.

With an N-P-K of 20-20-20, likely Jack's directions are for a 2 week period or more. Does it say on the bottle? (sure you're not overdosing 'em?) Doesn't Supersoil already haves some nutrients? If so, when was your last transplant. (how long between last transplant and first nutrient application?)

Is the container (rootball) shaded? If not you might be fryting the roots.

Perhaps a picture? What do the leaf margins look like? Healthy and green, or brown and curling? Is there any 'bronzing' (bronze discoloration) of the leaves? Are they fading to yellow, or just a different shade of green? Any necrotic (dead or dying) spots?

[stra8outtaWeed]

are you over watering? that can cause a drop in ph with soil if it becomes too wet....making leaves droop and lockout available nutrients

[psiclown]

I'll get a close up tonight when I get home. The tubs are dug in the ground so zero light. I use the paper strips to test the water and a prong soil ph tester. The run off PH is the same as the soil PH. I water them every other day with 2 gallons split between them all. Maybe I'm underwatering and need a flush. I transplanted the clones after they were nice and rooted directly into the 10 gallon pots. I'll verify the fertilizer directions tonight as well. I didn't start with nutes until a month after transplanting. The smaller Blue Cheeses were planted in Mid May and the tall SC a few weeks prior to that.

Pics of my set up.

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[psiclown]

Yeah...I was looking at the wrong directions for nuting. Supposed to be an every other week application. OOPS. I'll flush these ladies tonight.

Also does the SC look stretched? I just realized that this huge growth happened a couple weeks after attaching a shade cloth to the top. It was getting hot as shit in there but I have recently added a wall unit a/c. The corrogated plastic is clear and I was trying to knock down the heat and go for more indirect light but it might be overboard. Whatcha think?

Thanks for the replies so far. :thumbsup:

[Rusty Trichome]

Have you looked at the "Dealing with heat" thread? (in my signature)

If you restrict light, you risk internode stretching.

Are those pots draining under your shed? If so, do you have a moisture barrier or other mold protection?

[GetThisOrDie]

Sweet room you built!

They do look like they are stretching. I dont know wtf you are going to do with that one thats at the ceiling already lol.

Do they get enough light in there? I mean having it between the houses and the fence so close its got to kill the light that they are getting. They need direct sunlight not indirect!

[GetThisOrDie]

Had a patch of ladies outdoors one year and one was planted in an area that got nearly 3 hours less direct light than the others because of a big tree...

That plant turned out tiny and the smoke was not as strong. Just from a couple hours difference.

What direction is south in comparison to your greenhouse? Should be facing that clear wall but thats where your house is instead lol.

What strain did you say that super tall one is?

[psiclown]

I have a limited area where I can grow. My house backs up to an active bike trail with people walking and riding constantly. That's the only place I could put it. I think I am going to enclose it and make it an indoor shed after this harvest.

I have about 6" of pea gravel under the pots in the holes they sit in.

The tall one is Strawberry Cough.

I might end up just moving the tall one outside.

Sun shade is coming down today.

I'll check out that dealing with heat thread right meow.

Thanks for the input guys. :stoned:

[psiclown]

I decided to move them all outside and hide them in my grape vines I have growing against the fence. They blend in perfectly and get full sun throughout the entire day. They already look happier this morning. Gonna use the green house as a drying room this season and then convert it to an all indoor application. The big SC is so stretched I might just clone the crap out of it. I have a Jamaican Grape that has started to take off that will probably end up yielding more even though its a a couple months behind.

I appreciate the info guys.

:rasta: