Major Nutrient Deficiencies Growing Organic - PH Problem?

I am growing organic using the BioCanna line in FFOF. When I mixed the soil I added 1tbsp/gallon of dolomite lime. Throughout the grow I have been ph adjusting my nutrient mix to ~6.2 with Earth Juice Crystals (Soluble Potash).

Recently I have noticed one plant quickly showing deficiencies. I tested the soil with a ph meter and it is showed 5.1. I flushed with RO water ph'd to 7 and have been feeding with a ph of 6.5 since then. The problem is continuing to get worse. Why is the soil ph so low and how can I bring it up?

Thanks!

Wildgrass said:

I am growing organic using the BioCanna line in FFOF. When I mixed the soil I added 1tbsp/gallon of dolomite lime. Throughout the grow I have been ph adjusting my nutrient mix to ~6.2 with Earth Juice Crystals (Soluble Potash).

Recently I have noticed one plant quickly showing deficiencies. I tested the soil with a ph meter and it is showed 5.1. I flushed with RO water ph'd to 7 and have been feeding with a ph of 6.5 since then. The problem is continuing to get worse. Why is the soil ph so low and how can I bring it up?

Thanks!

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What pH meter did you use to test it?

PadawanWarrior said:

What pH meter did you use to test it?

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Bluelab Soil PH Meter

Wildgrass said:

Bluelab Soil PH Meter

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I use oyster shell flour. I'd also add some EWC or good compost on it. Get the bacteria active and happy. They'll help buffer the pH.

Good article here

First .... FFOF is prebuffered so if you “ at a minimum “ kept INGOING water or feed at that range it would keep plants happy.

Second ..... FFOF needs nothing . No dolomite ( it already has oyster shell ) . Plus you literally can feed your plant / recharge medium
by simply adding more fresh FFOF to your containers and water in. Excess lime interferes with uptake of elements.

Third ...... RO water has little to no calmag ( depending on system used ) so those little brown spots show it is lacking.

FFOF is always an issue when dumping things into it. The key for FFOF use is letting it do the feeding all by itself until it shows minor depletion then just top dress more.

FFOF can also be aerated as a tea for quick soil drench.

Budzbuddha said:

FFOF can also be aerated as a tea for quick soil drench.

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I've heard of people making a quick drench with EWC too. They said just put some in a soda bottle with water and shake it up a bunch. Then pour it on the soil. Brewing a tea will work better of course, I just thought it was cool lazy way to make a half ass tea.

Next time try this mix ......

FFOF
perlite
ewc
kelp meal or watering mix
myco
biochar / humic

Water only for about 6 weeks , then recharge with top dress of FFOF every 1-2 weeks until 10 days before chop ....
Water only til harvest ..... Clean / non over fed plants / no bottles. More importantly NO DRAMA.

I have run 15 week sativas ONLY on this mix.

PadawanWarrior said:

I've heard of people making a quick drench with EWC too. They said just put some in a soda bottle with water and shake it up a bunch. Then pour it on the soil. Brewing a tea will work better of course, I just thought it was cool lazy way to make a half ass tea.

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I got an old Tupperware container ( gallon ) fill with water - add an Airstone / fish aquarium pump ( exterior ).
Hang a cheesecloth bag with fistful ( no need to measure ) dunk into bubbling water ( might have to weigh it down a little ).
I do this 24 hours before use .... Tap water gasses off some chlorine overnight plus water is getting oxygenated.

Then off to the plants .

TIP : Keep the soil you Used for tea ... add it to some solo cups and germ seeds with this “ lighter “ mix.
NO WASTE.

Budzbuddha said:

I got an old Tupperware container ( gallon ) fill with water - add an Airstone / fish aquarium pump ( exterior ).
Hang a cheesecloth bag with fistful ( no need to measure ) dunk into bubbling water ( might have to weigh it down a little ).
I do this 24 hours before use .... Tap water gasses off some chlorine overnight plus water is getting oxygenated.

Then off to the plants .

TIP : Keep the soil you Used for tea ... add it to some solo cups and germ seeds with this “ lighter “ mix.
NO WASTE.

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Awesome. Thanks, I will get this started right now.

Is there any other actions I need to take to raise the pH?

There is no ratio .... a simple scoop / fistful ( depending on container ) , for example on my 3 gallon black pots it is about a cup or so.
Then you PH water to the right range ( 6.5-6.7 ish ) then water in ...this allows for ph swing .

Kelp helps in flowering instead of synth boosters , so you can get a “ seaweed type “ of product then add to your water before final PH .
Most ph crystals only need a pinch or two to get within range. Cali water here ( me ) chimes in at 7.2 and runs about 267 ppm.
Not great not bad. My plants give zero shits. I use Alaska crystals ( ascorbic acid ) basically vitamin c for ph.

Wildgrass said:

Awesome. Thanks, I will get this started right now.

Is there any other actions I need to take to raise the pH?

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Have a reliable pen( ppm / ph ) to use .... one of tools I recommend to have on hand , forget those analog soil meters.
You can also use ph drops ( hydro shop ) to help check water. Ph up is available, but sounds like you just need a little to BUMP.

Wildgrass said:

Awesome. Thanks, I will get this started right now.

Is there any other actions I need to take to raise the pH?

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Also hit up @PadawanWarrior he uses a similar method as mine , and can also let you about re-using FFOF for future grows.

Many overthink this medium and rant about how bad this and that. But if you actually just let it do it’s thing it works beautifully.
Keep bags tightly closed , gnats can invade. You can also buy totes , dump in FFOF , add above amendments , mix well and store for use. Soil is ready to use. And can even be supplemented with some dry fertilizer ( happy frog fruit / flower ) , Dr. Earth flower girl , etc.

Note that some strains “ burn “ slightly at first until it has acclimated to it ( other words it grows out of it ) as long as you don’t dump more shit on top of it.

Budzbuddha said:

Have a reliable pen( ppm / ph ) to use .... one of tools I recommend to have on hand , forget those analog soil meters.
You can also use ph drops ( hydro shop ) to help check water. Ph up is available, but sounds like you just need a little to BUMP.

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I use the Apera ph pen. The BioCanna mix comes out to around 4 before adjustment. They say you don't need to be ph but I always bring it up to at least 6. I guess I will go higher on the next mix and then try the tea.

PadawanWarrior said:

I use oyster shell flour. I'd also add some EWC or good compost on it. Get the bacteria active and happy. They'll help buffer the pH.

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Good to know. How much oyster shell flour do you use? Also, when do you usually apply throughout the grow to counter soil ph problems? Thanks!

Budzbuddha said:

I got an old Tupperware container ( gallon ) fill with water - add an Airstone / fish aquarium pump ( exterior ).
Hang a cheesecloth bag with fistful ( no need to measure ) dunk into bubbling water ( might have to weigh it down a little ).
I do this 24 hours before use .... Tap water gasses off some chlorine overnight plus water is getting oxygenated.

Then off to the plants .

TIP : Keep the soil you Used for tea ... add it to some solo cups and germ seeds with this “ lighter “ mix.
NO WASTE.

Click to expand...

Nice. I haven't brewed a tea in months now. I've been top dressing and mostly giving plain non pH'd water. My well water is like 7.2-7.4. They would love it though if I made them a tea. I've just gotten lazier. I have buckets for small 5 gal batches with a small aquarium pump, and then I have a tote with a big air pump for big batches.

I don't use a bag, and I removed the filters from the submersible pumps so it's like a tea and top dressing at the same time. I wouldn't do this with bark or fresh FFOF though. EWC or vermicompost flow through the submersible pumps just fine.

@Budzbuddha Also, if I am adding a lot of soluble potash (Earth Juice Natural ph Up) to adjust the ph, do I need to be worried about giving the plants too much K?

Wildgrass said:

Good to know. How much oyster shell flour do you use? Also, when do you usually apply throughout the grow to counter soil ph problems? Thanks!

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Ya, it's get's added all the time since it's in the BAS Craft Blend that I use a lot. I have it separately also, but don't usually need to add more. I haven't used it separate much, but BAS says 1 cup per cu ft of soil.