Muddy
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About 2 years ago Fox Farms exhausted their original material source for their Ocean Forest product. Since then they have been having a lot of issues with their quality control. We have been, and still are, seeing some bags with very low pH, some as low as 4.5 right out of the bag. Since autos generally like a pH in the 6.3 - 6.5 range, this can obviously pose issues. The most common one is nutrient lockout. At this chart illustrates, various elements are best available to the plant at certain pH ranges. If the pH is out of range the plant will be unable to properly utilize the available nutrients.
Nutrient lockout can be identified by the changes in appearance it causes in the leaves. Small rust colored spots in conjunction with a browning at the tips and along the sides of the leaves are good indicators. There may also be a redish/purple discoloration on the main stalk or leaf stems in severe cases.
(photo to come)
In order to prevent have these issues it is highly recommended that you test the pH of the Ocean Forest before planting. The best way to do the pH test is by using a Control Wizard Accurate 8 soil probe. Take about a half gallon of the soil and place it in a pot or container with drainage holes at the bottom. Wet the soil with plain water pH balanced at 6.5 and let it sit over night. Clean the probe on the Accurate 8 and insert it into the soil. Let the reading stabilize for about 5 minutes. You now know the pH of your soil. If you don't own an Accurate 8, you can use a liquid pH tester like those made by Hanna, Oakton and others. Again fill a pot with some soil and add enough water, again pHed to 6.5, to the pot so that some runs out the bottom of the pot. Capture that run off water and use your digital tester to get a reading. Chances are the pH will be low.
In order to correct the low pH you will need to add dolomite, or as it's sometimes called, garden lime, to the mix. The rate will vary from 1 to 2 tablespoons per gallon of soil mixture depending on how low the pH is. Dolomite is slow acting and will take about 2 weeks to raise the pH. So this testing should be done far enough in advance so that your pH has risen to the proper level before planting your seeds. This will save you a lot of headaches later on in your grow. It's much easier to address the low pH before you start rather than trying to nurse a sick plant back to health.
Control Wizard Accurate 8 soil probe: http://www.horticulturesource.com/control-wizard-control-wizard-accurate-ph-8-p3015/
Hanna Combo Digital pH/TDS/PPM meter: http://www.plantlightinghydroponics.com/hanna-ph-ec-tds-c-ppm-tester-hi98129-p-437.html
When buying a Digital pH meter, don't forget the cleaning, storage and calibration solutions. All digital meters should be calibrated before use and periodically afterward. The cleaning and storage solutions will greatly extend the live of the glass electrodes that these meters contain.
Nutrient lockout can be identified by the changes in appearance it causes in the leaves. Small rust colored spots in conjunction with a browning at the tips and along the sides of the leaves are good indicators. There may also be a redish/purple discoloration on the main stalk or leaf stems in severe cases.
(photo to come)
In order to prevent have these issues it is highly recommended that you test the pH of the Ocean Forest before planting. The best way to do the pH test is by using a Control Wizard Accurate 8 soil probe. Take about a half gallon of the soil and place it in a pot or container with drainage holes at the bottom. Wet the soil with plain water pH balanced at 6.5 and let it sit over night. Clean the probe on the Accurate 8 and insert it into the soil. Let the reading stabilize for about 5 minutes. You now know the pH of your soil. If you don't own an Accurate 8, you can use a liquid pH tester like those made by Hanna, Oakton and others. Again fill a pot with some soil and add enough water, again pHed to 6.5, to the pot so that some runs out the bottom of the pot. Capture that run off water and use your digital tester to get a reading. Chances are the pH will be low.
In order to correct the low pH you will need to add dolomite, or as it's sometimes called, garden lime, to the mix. The rate will vary from 1 to 2 tablespoons per gallon of soil mixture depending on how low the pH is. Dolomite is slow acting and will take about 2 weeks to raise the pH. So this testing should be done far enough in advance so that your pH has risen to the proper level before planting your seeds. This will save you a lot of headaches later on in your grow. It's much easier to address the low pH before you start rather than trying to nurse a sick plant back to health.
Control Wizard Accurate 8 soil probe: http://www.horticulturesource.com/control-wizard-control-wizard-accurate-ph-8-p3015/
Hanna Combo Digital pH/TDS/PPM meter: http://www.plantlightinghydroponics.com/hanna-ph-ec-tds-c-ppm-tester-hi98129-p-437.html
When buying a Digital pH meter, don't forget the cleaning, storage and calibration solutions. All digital meters should be calibrated before use and periodically afterward. The cleaning and storage solutions will greatly extend the live of the glass electrodes that these meters contain.
soil mixing facilities on the east coast are less consistant than the west coast facility. Don't know how true it is but I imagine they need to source different ingreedients over there.
