Quote Originally Posted by Kaparski
I tend to disagree. PH is very handy but you could go without it with no problem. Just add Epsom Salt and Dolomite Lime to your nuts and itll do the balancing for you, just be sure to know when PH is becoming a concern and act accordingly. Take a look at some pics, itll help.
Dolomite in the water won't do squat...its meant for buffering the pH in the soil...put that stuff direct to water and all ya get is a kind of mud. For anyone using strips or test dropper test kits, clarity of the water is key. If its muddy, theres no telling the results of a test witht eh strips or droppers.. As well as...the catch of using dolomite is that the soil will forever be buffering back to neutral or higher, which is outside the desired pH range a soil grower should be striving for....so anyone adding it...do it in small amounts. I recommend 1/2 of what the manufacturer suggests. Think of dolomite as a safety net for the new grower to prevent things from getting too acidic.

Hydrated lime is the one to add to water for an immediate raise in the pH. In very small amounts until the desired pH is reached. Put too much in, then you'll have to lower the pH.


Epsom salts should be used for magnesium deficiencies. The amount needed to lower pH puts the roots in big time danger of lockout. Definetely not a thing to use every watering to lower the pH. Also, most typical nutes already have ample amounts of magnesium. Epsom salts are more a home remedy for an ailing plant than a practical means of lowering pH.