Indoor Booey's NL Auto Fem Grow Journal

[babab00ey]

My ph is really all over the place lately! I keep adjusting it daily. Its always between 6 and 7 though. The first week the ph was very high. I got my meter on the 6th day I think. I cant test the runoff water from the pots beacuse there is none! If I did that Id overwater and kill them.
I want to LST them in about another week.

 

[babab00ey]

Week 2 day 5 from sprout
All is looking good. Its very hot so I have the lights off for 6-8 hours a day.
Both are still pretty bushy width wise and not much growing upwards.
Leaves looking stiffer since I dont water much anymore. these pots are not good with evaping water.
Soil stays moist for days! Only watering a little every 3 days form now on...with a lill nutes.
Pics coming sunday!!

 

[AutoBlaze]

Is your PH meter a soil PH meter? When they are seedlings they really don't need much water at all. On all of mine I just left them in a rockwool cube, and watered them with an eyedropper. I only watered just enough to dampen the cube. I would then only rewater once the cube dried out. So about every three days. I also kept them under a humidity dome until they got their third set of leaves.

 

[babab00ey]

I have a milwaukee martini ph meter. I meter the soil and the water all the time. things are going according to plan right now.
I try not to transplant autos at all. Im growing in the same pot Ill harvest them from. I do have 5 in small dixies in the yard though. Ill have to transplant them by cutting the bottom off and putting them halfway in some of the same soil.
Theyre my backups...just in case, and to sub for the males.
My northerns look so chill right now! I LST'd them last night.

 

[babab00ey]

Ok, this doesnt make sense! How is my soil ph 4.9-5.2?? Geez...I cant keep adjusting with ph water everyday because theyre only 3 weeks old!
Whats going on..is this normal?

 

[YUMYUMSYRUP]

No i dont think its normal to move all over the place like that...i mean from 4.9 to 8+ thats crazy....

 

[roadsidevendor1]

i recently had the same problem with my soil
i think peat based soil decomposes when wet
lowering ph
after a miserable night of repeated flushings ang ph testing
i got it above 6.0,but i shocked my sprouts worse with the overwatering
the leafs are all twisted and shriveled and growth has stopped completely.
hope it gets back on track once the soil dries out.
but i think flushing was the only option i had at the time
without transplanting and possibly damaging the root system.

 

[Joe Dirt]

Something doesn't fit...

OF is a buffered soil mix (already pH'd to mid 6's). It doesn't need any help being at proper pH levels. It's what I use, and the pH doesn't just arbitrarily start bouncing all over the place unless something is being put in it that is jacking with the pH.

Your soil pH meter could be off and giving erroneous readings... This is very possible. If you want proof, go to ebay or Amazon, or anywhere on the net that sells soil pH meters, and look at the reviews. If it's giving bad readings, buffering the water just makes things that much worse. If the soil mix is flushed and you start relying on you water pH meter to get the right pH going in, things might just correct themselves.

these pots are not good with evaping water.
Soil stays moist for days! Only watering a little every 3 days form now on...with a lill nutes.

P.S. When you start seedlings in a large pot, it is going to take a while for the pot to dry. There aren't any roots to drink the water. Rather than start watering on a schedule that could cause problems, let the pot dry even if it takes a week or more. This will help promote root growth. If you see that it is getting too dry around the seedling, maybe just spray pH'd water around the plant as needed. ALSO, adding nutes, this early, when you are under watering can cause problems.

 

[babab00ey]

Thanks Joe!
What do you think...should i just water with 6.5? or keep adjusting?
they look fine for now.
I think I will heed your advice and let it dry for a week or more! but if the soil is low like that Ill have to mist with high ph everyday!

 

[babab00ey]

My girls are now almost a month old!! Their bottom leaves are starting to yellow. Is this normal? The ph is low but I adjust daily.
I might just clip them tomorrow if they yellow more. Im half way done and I dont want to F things up now. They have both started to flower.