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water What ph to adjust my tap water / ferts to?

LancelBracken

LancelBracken

Hi guys.

What pH should i be adjusting my tap water and fertiliser solution to, for growing my chillis in a soil/coco mix, indoors and out?

Is 6 a good number to aim for?

My tap water is about 7.7pH. I haven't tested the pH of my fertiliser ( Canna Terra @ 50% strength) yet.

I got some pH down and a pH meter. As an experiment added 5 drops to a litre of water and the pH became 3.3, LOL! This is strong stuff. 1mL and it was 2.0. Scared me. Now testing what 1 drop per litre comes out as :P
 
I was surprised how strong the stuff is as well. When using rain water I add my nutes and the ph is 5.8. after 0.5ml in 20 litres it becomes 6.0.

6.0 is good. I have never seen anybody use a mix of soil and coco so im not sure weather you should treat it like soil or a hydro medium. Remember in coco you should allow some run off when watering to prevent salt build up.

Nutrients are normally ph neutral (7.0) so it should bring it down a bit. I would add the nutrients and leave for 24 hours before adjusting with ph down as it may swing somewhat. Remember to shake well before using.

Chris
 
Thanks toleman, i shall keep to 6.0

My mix of soil is about 30% coco, 60% quality soil mix and 10% perlite+vermiculite. So far it is doing a lot better than my plants grown in cheap peat mix. It drains extremely well and hasn't crusted up like my peat stuff. Fingers crossed :D
 
PH

5.5-5.8 is ideal for peppers using a hydroponic method of growing. I will also mention that I mix my nutrients a bit weaker than the manufacturer calls for as I have found peppers seem to like this and you can always add more should you encounter problems. Rain water seems to be the best as it (at least for me) runs at 6.0 so not alot of adjusting. Plus no salts like occurs with tap water.
 
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