Indoor Organic-experimental-tobacco&more-lowWatt-0maintenance(?)-12/12-breeding-outdoor-etc.

[Peacefulgarden]

Hi

just doing a little testing with Epsom salts for my coco grows and my back yard soil grow as well, need to bring down the pH for both.

water used for everything is 6.0 though I did use 7.0 pH hot water to help dissolve the salts fast. Then I mixed that into the coco, that would be working against the salts bringing down pH, so I’m not concerned.

In this experiment I used 1 gallon of coco mixed with 1/2 cup of epsom salt. Also cross referenced with coco straight from the bag which measures at 6.3~pH. Aside from high ph water for disolving the salts, I used 6.0 pH water because that was what I wanted to get to.

set up - dissolved salts into ~cup warm water

Mixed into coco

coco straight from bag

6.0 pH water, to be used for testing.

Results

untreated

Treated (1/2 cup dissolved Epsom salts mixed into 1 gallon coco)

Edit: just did the same with soil from my back yard and it took 3 times the amount. Makes sense when factoring in that the back yard soil weighs about 3 times as much.

 

[Peacefulgarden]

I’m not sure but gypsum seems nearly as good as if not better than Epsom salts. Didn’t take ~ real amount measurements just small cup of coco mixed with 2 heavy sprinkles of gypsum, I guess 1/16 cup gypsum and 1 cup coco maybe little less on both of those.

This was runoff reading right after mixing. I believe in a few hours and couple days for the small pellets to dissolve and pH will come down more.

need to get some coco ready anyways so tomorrow I will see if the gypsum dissolves in water for more even and fast acting appcliation or I will just make the pellets into powder. Both seem good to me. Should use this in my back yard dirt grow as well

should have taken pic of pellets but there is one visible at top of pot, in the coco. They are pretty small but need time to dissolve I think

edit, had some gypsum sitting in water and it does dissolve/break down fast enough. Will mix up some coco to hit tomorrow. I think I should do a side by side with the porti pot, one with Epsom and the other gypsum. Then I need one more with both.

edit so I don’t forget, I have 1/2 cup gypsum soaking to test in 1 gallon of coco

 

[Peacefulgarden]

Gypsum test. 1 gallon coco 1/2 cup gypsum.

the gypsum used (not endorsement, I want to test wood chips, pine needles and stuff like that I believe would be best, for highest quality soil.

start ph same as last post also got ec this time before and after also ec on the gallon I ph’downed with salts.

I disolved the gypsum in hot water and had to let it sit a few hours longer to break down/dissolve enough I mixed It into ~75 ml 6.1pH water. Once dissolved and mixed into water, I mixed it into the coco very well. I then tested the run of as usual. Starting water 6.1pH.

from earlier today (I think), coco is 6.2, from the bag.

Here is starting ec.

here is pH after 1/2 cup gypsum mixed into 1 gallon coco.

Here is pH after 1/2 cup salt (1 gallon coco still,always)

here is ec after gypsum (I think it's just the tap water used that is causing e.c. rise. I do not think the gypsum did).

Here is ec after salt (angain, some of the ec rise from water used but this time, most of ec rise is from the salt).

 

[elcoloan]

intereseting results. did you see peices like this one: https://www.pthorticulture.com/en/t...epsom-salt-decreases-the-ph-of-growing-media/

 

[Peacefulgarden]

intereseting results. did you see peices like this one: https://www.pthorticulture.com/en/t...epsom-salt-decreases-the-ph-of-growing-media/

yeah a few of them and it/they seem/s like bullshit to me.

They say salt is helping seedlings, and all the stuff I see where they are using it around seedlings it enough to lower/effect pH. If the pH of the medium was good before used, it would now be bad, if it was to high to start (very typical), it would likely be closer to or in good pH now. Very simple.

Same with when people use it around other plants, and it 'greens up', they are using enough to effect pH, and a plant in good pH vs a plant in bad pH is very easy to notice. one is green and vibrant, the other is dying as much as growing.

Also they talk about the plant doing whatever, using the epsom salts up, changing it to this or that with its roots and in the process of using the elements in the salt, I have put excess in there just to alter pH, not for the plant to use. The plant can and will use what it wants from it and the rest will keep pH down. if pH rise because the plant is using so much, I can add more

Quote from article
"In almost all cases, Epsom salt has little influence on the pH of the growing medium."

We can see in my test above that is not even close to true.

pH is mandatoiry for good plant growth, that's why so many say it's not and/or overlook it so often and there is so much bad science around it.

one of the links they have on that page is to “myth- gypsum will lower pH”. Again they will say it won’t and again obviously a lie.

 

[Peacefulgarden]

That reminds me of another thing I was reading though, that pest do not like acidic soils.

Just from looking at my plants right now, all the nats are near 2 plants I have that have not been transplanted into lower pH soil. Their soil is ~6.5. but I did poke holes in thier soil and get some epsom salts to the bottom of their pots recently, so it should be going down, maybe 6.0, median pH of their soil, but pH at surface still high.

I just amended the tops of them with Epsom salts, dry still, I need to mist them in to disolve. Will post results if nats go away or not.

 

[Peacefulgarden]

New upgraded porti pot. Now known as ‘the grow boss’ (until I think of something else).

Currently having a grow off in it, trying different growing methods, using what I like to call ‘Res in a res technology’.

trying different ways of pH’ing down coco, before starting the grow, and some other stuff

Here are the watering cords, tied a loose knot in the end so it won’t come through on accident, that’s the end going to the bottom of the pots

A quick look at my new ‘res in a res technology’, salt nutes on outside, plain water in the jar, strings will go into appropriate liquid for each pot.

Banana Dance, coco organic, using epsom salts and gypsum to get pH to about 5.7 (1/4 cup each, epsom and gypsum x 1 gallon soil). Devil Cream, using epsom salts to get pH to about 5.8 (1/2 cup salt x 1 gallon soil).

Organic mix, dried leaves/stems and ph’ed coco

Cream Caramel, in organic soil pH ~5.8. Red Hot Cookies, in salt + gypsum pH ~5.7 (1/4 cup each, epsom and gypsum x 1 gallon soil)

Banana Dance, using dead tree bark and dead tree branches to lower pH, pH unknown (about 1/4 pot is bark and branches (see pic below). Peach Tree, using apple cider vinegar to lower pH of coco to about 5.5 (unsure on amount, only mixed small amount, I guess 10ml x 1 gal coco).

Dead tree branches and bark used

Bloody Skunk, using gypsum to get pH to pH 5.6 (1/2 cup gypsum x 1 gallon coco). Repeat of Banana Dance.

need to do more testing with apple cider vinegar, the stuff seems amazing at lowering pH.

 

[Peacefulgarden]

Playing with lime, trying to raise pH. Starting pH 4.0 ish. Added 1.5 cups dolomite lime (about 5 gallons of soil. This time I disolved the lime pellets in water so shouldn’t have to wait for them to break down.

Gonna retest in a few hours.

Edit: Been a few hours and now it’s 5.6 pH. Few hours later 5.5 pH. I think I will add 1/8 - 1/4 cup more and call it good. Eh, gonna wait till the morning, retest and decide from there

modified squeeze test to now use a rag. Put handful of soil in rag and squeeze out juice for testing. Helps to keep debris out of liquid for testing.

 

[Mañ'O'Green]

Is apple cider vinegar going to attract fruit flies and other pests? You may have a fatal flaw in your system in the use of metal cans. If the interior coating has a scratch and the nutrient solution comes in contact. It will leach toxic levels of metal and stunt or kill the plant.

 

[Peacefulgarden]

Is apple cider vinegar going to attract fruit flies and other pests? You may have a fatal flaw in your system in the use of metal cans. If the interior coating has a scratch and the nutrient solution comes in contact. It will leach toxic levels of metal and stunt or kill the plant.

Those are good things to consider and I didn’t think of either till now.

I only had to use a very small amount of vinegar and the cans were new and in pretty good shape, though I didn’t pay much attention to the insides.

Thanks and will keep a look out for those