With my first run of plants, about halfway thru flower, I started noticing what looked like bad deficiencies. My soil is a mixture of pro mix, humus, worm castings, peat, (and this time i also added in some rice hulls). Using Gaia Green for nutrients, amending with some CalMag, and Recharge. Anyway, I measured the Ph in the runoff, trying to understand what was happening, and it was about a 4.8 - 4.9. I flushed the plants, added some Limestone, and they bounced back (a little bit), but it was still a hot mess after that point. Trying to do better on this run.
After learning my lesson on the last one, I ordered the BlueLab Ph pen for soil. Never used one before, but I soaked it for a day, and calibrated it. My new plants are just transplanted from the starter cups to one gallon. I measured with the pen approx 5.6 on two of them and about a 6.2 on the third. I don't have an RO unit, tap water is my only realistic option. I let it sit in a 5 gal bucket with an air stone to let the chlorine gas out, and it's really high on the Ph. It measures anywhere between above an 8.0 to almost a 9 out of the tap. I had adjusted it down to 6.5 on my last run, and I'm guessing that was part of my problem. I've been aiming for about a 7.0 (ish) Ph this time, but the measurement with the Soil Ph meter worries me. Should I just go ahead and start adding Limestone? Or, would that be a bad idea? Or, just not adjust the water Ph down at all? I feel like I'm working too hard, and doing more harm than good. I just want my soil Ph to be around a 6.5 like it should be, but what is the best way, with the water that I have? Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.
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dont judge you proformance on ypour soil,make sure you water is right 1st