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My soil PH is dead on 7 should I reduce?

PaxIlluminare
PaxIlluminarestarted grow question 2 years ago
My grow is planted in 5 gal containers My soil PH is dead on 7 Should I reduce PH a few points? Is there a newbie friendly technique for my use case?
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m0use
m0useanswered grow question 2 years ago
You don't need to PH balance soil, it does it all on its own as its a living medium. You can PH the water if it makes you feel better going in, or maybe required for the fertilizer options you use. Just don't worry about trying to lower the soild PH via your feeding solution. That is not done via the water its done with the amendments put into the soil. Lime for upping PH and sulphur to lower it, when the microorganisms break these items down they influence the PH of soil. Given you're in containers Don't got below 6.4 when watering and try and keep it under 7.5 as well in the solution your feeding them. Some soils can take a stronger dose of PH down as they have more clay and minerals in it. Keep an eye on the plants and if your noticing PH issues back of the PH down. Plants should do just fine if you keep at it like this. Best Of luck! ***disclaimer, multiple people are answering all questions as there is a contest called GOTM, when a user is selected as the answer they get a point. Please see the contest page for information regarding the details: growdiaries.com/giveaways/GotM-August-2022 Please note, when you reply to anything on the questions part of Growdiaries website, no one will be notified of this. Not even if you use a "@" tag in their name. Best to reach out to them in DM using your inbox, it can be found in the bottom right hand corner of the site. It's the small paper airplane button, it will be highlighted green if you have new messages***
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DutchDoobie
DutchDoobieanswered grow question 2 years ago
No @M0use that is only true if you have a living soil. When you use a normal soil without organismes and the right bacteria living in their it doesn't regulate shit because it is not living... I always make living soil with bacteria and fungi that regulate and work together with the plants root system. But you need to feed them from the start till the roots can provide then with enough sugar to be self regulating. But when you are feeding them bottled nutrients and nothing for the soil life there is really nothing living in there! Goodluck PaxIlluminare! 😋
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Organoman
Organomananswered grow question 2 years ago
7 is fine, I would not worry about it, your plant will grow perfectly at this reading.
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ernest_twwg
ernest_twwganswered grow question 2 years ago
Yes, you should lower the pH of your water. Bad things start to happen when your plant is in neutral soil. Powdery mildew is easier for your plants to catch. Molds thrive in this pH. Pests will start chewing on your plants because they aren't as healthy as they should be. A lot of people don't realize how important pH and pH testing is. Try and keep your pH moving between 6.0-6.8. Doing that helps your plants take in all the varying minerals and nutrients it needs to thrive. pH also influences the rhizosphere. The rhizosphere is a bunch of microbes that help break down different things to make soluble for your plant's roots. All these things are what help make a plant healthy and close to untouchable for pests and mildews/molds. So, don't forget to feed your rhizosphere! 1-3 tablespoons of unsulfured molasses per gallon, once a week. I hope this helps.
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GrowingGrannie
GrowingGrannieanswered grow question 2 years ago
I'm with m0use on this one!
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FearNoPlant
FearNoPlantanswered grow question 2 years ago
Your seedlings look rather normal I would not do anything drastic to try and fix a problem that's hardly noticeable, just water with a 6.5 ph for the next few and your soil ph should lower if not when you get to your 2nd or 3rd node a light feeding of recharge will keep them going no sweat.
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DutchDoobie
DutchDoobieanswered grow question 2 years ago
High PaIlluminare, You can buy and use P minus, I know that BioBizz has a biological version. But there are quite a few natural ways in which you can reduce the pH of garden soil over time. Using organic materials like well-decomposed compost, compost tea, elemental garden sulfur, mulch, coffee grounds, and sphagnum peat moss in your garden can help lower the pH of the soil naturally. Happy Growing! 😋
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