do i really need to pH adjust feeding solution?

indcolts77

indcolts77

Active Member
So I'm reading alot of contradictory info about whether or not it is necessary to adjust the pH of feeding solutions. The soil FFOF has a natural buffer but i don't know how long it lasts. My babies are officially 4 months old this past Wednesday.

I used to use only purified drinking water from the store which had a natural pH of 6.5-7 but it got expensive as the days got hotter (dont know if it mattered though bc the nutes are acidic and i never adjusted those solutions either) I now use tap water at my house with a pH of 8+. I use the FF trio (grow big and big bloom for now until flower) and haven't had any problems yet and it's been about a month since the switch ...don't know if I'm slowly fucking the pH up right before flower or if the buffer still works...imma go buy a cheap pH soil meter this weekend and check things out but like i said no signs of lockout or deficiency (knock on wood)....i already have the pH up/ph down bit it just takes forever to adjust and i dont always have the time working full time and going to school ...

will i be fine? I plan on switching back to the store-bought purified water about halfway thru flower til harvest, earlier if i could afford it.

Thanks RIU
 

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topic on PH comes up a bunch.. I get it.. it's understandable esp to newer growers and those who are getting info overload..

My exp is this..
Test the water you are giving to the ladies.. if the water is 7.5 add something to lower the water ph b4 you feed. (simple Natural items can be added to riase/lower ph) baking soda lemon juice etc.

I look at my MMJ grow like I look at any other plant I have and take care of..
I grow MMJ for many reasons but the main reason is COST
I do everything I can NOT to add to my cost of the grow.. this means doing things from asking ?'s here to using Kitty litter Containers from my grow (loling at FresnoFarmers kitty litter containers since I used several of those exact ones last year)

dont spend the $$ on water unless your water is that bad..


if the plants are looking healthy after say 2 waterings with your water then keep at it..

this stuff really does grow in the wild and I have yet to see ph balanced rain fall on them.. :)


your plants looks healthy as heck. Nice coloring nice plants!
 
I add lime to my soil because I have peat in my mix and I use a lot of organic fertilizers which tend to lower ph but other than that I don't worry about it. I use pond water or tap, and it doesn't seem to make any difference. My plants are huge.
 
gioua said:
topic on PH comes up a bunch.. I get it.. it's understandable esp to newer growers and those who are getting info overload..

My exp is this..
Test the water you are giving to the ladies.. if the water is 7.5 add something to lower the water ph b4 you feed. (simple Natural items can be added to riase/lower ph) baking soda lemon juice etc.

I look at my MMJ grow like I look at any other plant I have and take care of..
I grow MMJ for many reasons but the main reason is COST
I do everything I can NOT to add to my cost of the grow.. this means doing things from asking ?'s here to using Kitty litter Containers from my grow (loling at FresnoFarmers kitty litter containers since I used several of those exact ones last year)

dont spend the $$ on water unless your water is that bad..


if the plants are looking healthy after say 2 waterings with your water then keep at it..

this stuff really does grow in the wild and I have yet to see ph balanced rain fall on them.. :)


your plants looks healthy as heck. Nice coloring nice plants!
Click to expand...

Haha thanks man...yea i like to read alot and its hard to distinguish quality info. Thanks for the helpful response though...ur right, rain water doesn't get pH'd lol its been over a month since using tap water and those pics were just taken recently so imma just keep doing what im doing. Cheers!

cindysid said:
I add lime to my soil because I have peat in my mix and I use a lot of organic fertilizers which tend to lower ph but other than that I don't worry about it. I use pond water or tap, and it doesn't seem to make any difference. My plants are huge.
Click to expand...

Yea i think I've seen some pics of ur monsters cindysid! Lol proof right there eh? But yea i haven't added any naturally acidic soil amendments to my FFOF and i believe it has oyster shell as well for buffer, im just letting my mind wander too much i guess lol

I want to try true organics one day but i wanted to get my feet wet first. I do feed with molasses once a week but that's about it to keep my soil healthy. Fox Farms makes the rest real easy for beginners. (Only my 2nd grow)
 
I use a little peat when I top dress because my soil is a little on the acid side (according to my state's online soil survey database). I switch between pond and tap as well. I always let the tap sit for a couple of days in a stock tank I have set up under the cedars near my grow because of the chlorine, however. I bought a soil test kit and might give that a try is something looks amiss. My plants are looking great so I'm not worrying about it. I've looked for a reliable inexpensive water ph tester, but so far can't locate one. Any recommendations?
 
when it's all said and done you can read all you want and get all the opinions ya think are best.. in the end you will learn by doing as well all do.. each person will adapt what they have read and what they have experienced and make their own pattern and way to grow.


remember this is just a plant.. that produces fruit just like a tomato I dont see many people stressing about their tomato grow... not saying you should not have concerns.. just that most folks are gonna over stress on something only because this plant gets ya high..


if there was NO criminal value on this plant or laws on it.. we would walk by it like we do all the fruit trees we have in the yards that go to waste..

the plants look great.. keep doing what you are..
 
gioua said:
remember this is just a plant.. that produces fruit just like a tomato I dont see many people stressing about their tomato grow... not saying you should not have concerns.. just that most folks are gonna over stress on something only because this plant gets ya high..
Click to expand...

When my tomatoes are doing poorly I don't stress because I know that I can get good organic tomatoes relatively cheaply elsewhere. To me, my grows are a big deal because it is the only source. To a lot of people, it's about more than getting "high". It's about getting much needed organic medicine to get their lives back :)
 
Maybe the combination of your waters pH and your added nutes puts you exactly where you need to be pH-wise. Not everyone is so lucky.

My personal opinion is that you should ph ANY solution you feed your girls UNLESS you are absolutely sure that what you are feeding them is within the proper pH range.

Experience allows some people to forego the pH test because repetition has shown them what the pH of their solution actually is. I would err on the side of caution since it only takes a minute to check that pH.

Just my opinion.
 
I do not ph my water.....only once in the beginning of the season.....I only ph test my soil. I see no point in ph testing my water if I already know how much my nutes and molasses drop it.
 
Laney said:
When my tomatoes are doing poorly I don't stress because I know that I can get good organic tomatoes relatively cheaply elsewhere. To me, my grows are a big deal because it is the only source. To a lot of people, it's about more than getting "high". It's about getting much needed organic medicine to get their lives back :)
Click to expand...

but when you grow tomatoes do you sow only one or do you plant a few and hope for the best.. then adjust your grow based on your needs?
 
FresnoFarmer said:
I do not ph my water.....only once in the beginning of the season.....I only ph test my soil. I see no point in ph testing my water if I already know how much my nutes and molasses drop it.
Click to expand...

and this is my point.. Have been agreeing with damn near 100% of this guys posts and grow methods. But we differ on this.. and yet each one of our crops will do us fine.. as they did the year prior.. you will find your method as you gain in your own experiences both on the forums and by doing


we all have slightly different variables in our grow and our grow methods.. based on what we like and what we need.
 
greenlikemoney said:
Maybe the combination of your waters pH and your added nutes puts you exactly where you need to be pH-wise. Not everyone is so lucky.

My personal opinion is that you should ph ANY solution you feed your girls UNLESS you are absolutely sure that what you are feeding them is within the proper pH range.

Experience allows some people to forego the pH test because repetition has shown them what the pH of their solution actually is. I would err on the side of caution since it only takes a minute to check that pH.

Just my opinion.
Click to expand...

Yea imma check it next feeding which is supposed to be Monday or Tuesday...the adjustment is what takes me forever though, not checking it so might as well...i just dint always have time to sit there and check it, add the ph up or down, then check it again, then repeat until its right..it already takes me about 45 min to mix the feeds, move my heavy ass plants, and then slowly water 1.5 gallons each with a one quart watering can...since i only have about 2-3 hours of free time a day and i water every otther day its a considerable amount of time

But i digress lol imma see where im at first and if its way out of wack ill make adjustments and sacrifice the time if i have to....if not imma just leave it
 
FresnoFarmer said:
I do not ph my water.....only once in the beginning of the season.....I only ph test my soil. I see no point in ph testing my water if I already know how much my nutes and molasses drop it.
Click to expand...

I guess i was too faded as always to realize it but i could just make my feed once, check the pH and adjust, all while recording how much feed, water, and ph up/down i used that one time...i could then replicate those ratios each time without having to check/adjust/check/adjust until its right

FesnoFarmer you sir are a genius!
 
lol thanks......I learned it from another grower though.....some guy named spl1.....check him out....he grows some nice fat buds indoors and out with MG.
 
So i checked my soil pH with the best meter i could afford ($20 digital tester from homedepot) ...

Surprisingly after 4 months of NEVER adjusting the pH of my feeding/tap water solutions my soil pH is a perfect 6.5 and my plants are looking and smelling fuckin awesome!!! I was fuckin wet in my pants after checking my pH! Lmao

Guess im sticking with it, no more wasting time worrying about pH for now! :) i feel like rolling a Dutch Master blunt im so excited lol

Thoughts on why this is the case? I mean i literally never check or adjust my solution pH, no dolomite lime, nothimg...just tap water and FF trio nutes and soil
 
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