Soil PH or Nutrient Issue?

[DoobieGrows]

Ok great. I'll give them 1-2 weeks and then return to nutes at half strength.

I have a PH pen but no sure if it's accurate enough?

Amazon product

My tap water is around 7.5

This leads me onto my next question. Should I leave the water as it is (7.5) or increase the PH slightly to balance my low PH soil (5.5).

Or do think if I stop adding nutes for 1-2 weeks it will naturally bring up my soil PH?

That ph pen will do the job if you calibrate it correctly. Also I recommend re calibrating it once a week. I have that same exact vivosun pen. It works.

 

[johnmartin3219]

Hello have you got any calibration fluid for your ph pen to check see if it is on point cheap pens are not the best they dont read accurate as i found out when i first started i went through loads of ph issues then got a blue lab pen it was a game changer no more ph probs.i would water at about 6.2 ph. You should be feeding/watering feed/water/water feed un less your plant looks hungry then feed/water/feed or if over fed feed/water/water/water/feed
Hope this helps

Yes I think the one I have is a bit too cheap (it comes with calibration powder but I need buffer water). I'll have to invest in a blue lab or better one.

Ok no problem. I'll go back to watering/feed/watering/feed (with half nutrients) and check.

Just checked the soil ph and after a week of watering twice without nutrients its now back up to an average of 6-6.5

Also some of them are properly starting to bud

My only problem now is I think I've go something eating the leaves! (see attched pics)

I spotted a grasshopper on one of the plants and I've read they are usually one of the main culprits. Some people have recommned garlic crushed in water is a good grasshopper deterant?

Thanks for your help so far!

 

[johnmartin3219]

Brew your self a compost tea or buy pre powdered microbes like Recharge. Feed that once a week and your PH issues will disappear. Let the microbes do there job.
Chances are they will sort all your issues out.

Thanks for your reply. Ah right ok.

Would this be instead of the liquid nutrients I'm already using?

The PH has now come back up to between 6-6.5 which is great.

 

[johnmartin3219]

That ph pen will do the job if you calibrate it correctly. Also I recommend re calibrating it once a week. I have that same exact vivosun pen. It works.

Ok no worries. Thanks!

 

[Talonxracer]

Make sure you get some pre-made calibration fluid, the powder buffer crap included that is supposed to mix with distilled water, will have a ph level that isn't very stable.

 

[DoobieGrows]

Make sure you get some pre-made calibration fluid, the powder buffer crap included that is supposed to mix with distilled water, will have a ph level that isn't very stable.

Good to know. I thought that the powdered crap lasted 6 months. Good thing I just ordered an Apera Sx610 that comes with a lil bottle of solutions but they will not last long.

 

[Slater]

Thanks for your reply. Ah right ok.

Would this be instead of the liquid nutrients I'm already using?

The PH has now come back up to between 6-6.5 which is great.

Compost teas and powdered teas (like recharge) are an inoculation of the substrate of microbiology. Its not a feed for the plants but for your substrate and roots.
When it comes to ph with the microbiology they will adjust it naturally to suit them which inturn befits the lady's as the microbiology take over that job and creates the ph balance it needs.
I ph my tank to around 6.0 when I mix my nutes. I then let let it drift and let the microbiology adjust it as it needs.
I have stopped worrying about ph because I've not had an issue in very long time since introducing Compost teas.

Using microbes in you system is like switch on cruise control on in you car, just sit back a steer it until you reach your turn off for harvest.