• If you need help identifying a pepper, disease, or plant issue, please post in Identification.

pics Tap water ph concern. (pics inside)

Ragnar

Ragnar

So I'm trying to discern whether I have continued to over water or if I am suffering from nutrient lockout due to ph.
 
 
I have test strips, but here's the thing: Instructions say to dunk for 2 seconds. When I do that the ph reads at or above 7 but lower than 7.5 ... however if I allow the strip to soak in the water for a minute or two and swish it around a bit the reading is closer to 8 which would cause problems, yes?
 
Plant symptoms:
 
After repotting they take off, even after 2-3 waterings they are looking good, but oddly, the plants repotted first are stunting again, showing a tinge of yellow, and some purpling of the veins. Also 2 cumaris are showing yellowing with some brown spotting on the older leaves. It's these cumaris that make me think it may be lockout due to ph because they show the brown spots which indicate a deficiancy from my readings here:   http://www.hydroponics.net/learn/deficiency_by_element.asp and looking at the cannabis leaf photo kicking around that shows examples of all the different issues..
 
Frustrating!     :think: :doh:
 
Watering regiment: is now ONLY if leaves are drooping and even then I only put a small amount of water into the bottom of the cup for them to soak up. Oscillating fan is on the plants as long as the lights are on and is quite strong.
 
Question: If a ph issue, what is the best way to lower it? I've read sulfur but I have no clue where to buy that and would think there must be an easier home remedy.
 
PH strips at 2seconds 20seconds and 90seconds soak:
 
IMG_3030.jpg

 
 
 
Veins:
 
IMG_3029.jpg
IMG_3027.jpg

 
 
Brown spotting over/under:
 
 
IMG_3025.jpg
IMG_3026.jpg

 
 
 
Thanks again to everyone for helping me sort out my first grow from seed. :cheers:
 
 
 
 
Not sure about soil grows...as there seems to be lots of variables in play but the plants don't look big enough to have sucked all the nutes out of the soil.
 
If they were hydro id say run a 1/4 strength mix.
 
You might want to try some bottled water for a few weeks and a PH\PPM meter.
 
I've been using the 2.5G drinking water from the local supermarket for the time being until i get my osmosis unit.
 
They make a solution called ph down.  


I saw that stuff but figured it was just for hydro, guess I could try that and see what happens. Thanks Jamison. Got a couple of those MoAs you sent me going strong, can't wait to make some poppers from the pods this summer!


Not sure about soil grows...as there seems to be lots of variables in play but the plants don't look big enough to have sucked all the nutes out of the soil .


Agreed. I don't plan on feeding until they're a bit bigger. Most are 3-5 inches tall and as wide to a bit wider than the solos.
 
IMO if you're using synthetic ferts, regardless of your medium, you're growing hydroponically.  If that's the case, hit them with the PH down and aim for 6.5!  +1 for the PH meter.
 
At my place, the water comes out of the tap about 8-8.5ph and 400+ppm.  Woohoo michigan well water!  This makes organics the only viable option.  I buffer my soil with plenty of fresh EWC and humus.  Compost tea helps with the nutrient cycling and the plants seem to do well.
 
So far it's completely organic. Myco + an organic bagged potting soil from premiere. Have been planning to use a lot of Ewc and do the compost teas etc.
 
you can always just add a couple caps of vinegar to your water, before watering, that will lower ph.
 
i have a jug of ph- (down) for my hot tub but have never used it, here is what the label says:
causes burns: do not swallow, do not get in eyes, do not get on skin or clothing. contains sodium bisulfate. then goes on how to first aid treatment. big whmis DANGER label corrosive.
 
my ph sticks for the hot tub state leaving ph sticks in water longer than 2 seconds will give bad results.
 
maybe some of the weed websites have better solutions for lower ph but buying water might be the better option.
 
good luck.
 
Yeah, sounds great - I would topdress some EWC and hit them with a EWC/Molasses tea.  My experience is that playing with PH too much disturbs micros.
 
Now the leaf spotting - and maybe someone with more experience can chime in here - looks like BLS to me.
 
Capture and use some of your precipitation.  Bucket up some snow and bring in to melt and use as needed.  My plants respond far better to rainwater than to the city stuff.
 
 
 . . . add a couple caps of vinegar to your water . . .
Click to expand...
 
That, and maybe leftover coffee, citrus peelings, etc.
 
 
 
OKGrowin said:
dolomite lime will lower ph in the soil(breaks down), commonly used for this exact reason.
 
Click to expand...
I actually have a bag of that! I read somewhere here on the forum that it's not very good in containers though? I'll try to find the thread when I'm at the laptop that it was discussed in.



Thanks for the snow and vinegar ideas I might just try a little of both. Will test of course before use. Running out of snow where I'm at though...finally.
 
AR, I would be careful with Dolomitic Lime.  No disrespect meant to anyone but it's a common misconception that adding DL stabilizes PH at 7.0.  By adding lime you are increasing the ppm of your water, which in turn affects the acidity.
 
For you chemists out there:
Calcium magnesium carbonate (CaMg(CO3)2) dissociates in water, leaving you with a mix of Ca+, MG+ and free CO3- ions.  My suggestion would be to mix a tablespoon of lime in a glass of water, a tablespoon of vinegar in another, and have a control.  Simple experiment but you'll be able to see the results for yourself.
 
If you're really set on approaching PH as the issue, consider the following:
Colorado State University
UCDavis
 
 
 
AaronRiot said:
So far it's completely organic. Myco + an organic bagged potting soil from premiere. Have been planning to use a lot of Ewc and do the compost teas etc.
Click to expand...
If it's organic then forget about pH as it's irrelevant! ;)
Use the EWC as soon as possible as it's one of the absolute best things you can ever give a plant.
In fact I would venture to say it is THE best thing even though kelp meal and alfalfa meal are up there as well.
 
How hard is the water? ie. ppm. Wasen't in TO long but I do remember the lovely tap water. Sometimes had a thirst quenching opaque look to it.
 
There is this, but their numbers seem pretty optimistic.
 
It says on our report 137mg/L for water hardness but I'm not sure how to convert that? Also I see nowhere in our water report that mentions adding ammonia so I don't think chloramine is a concern.

I think I am going to pass on the Dolomite.

PMD - why does ph not matter to an organic system?

I got my AACT system set up today, think that might help?
 
I could be wrong but i don't think that's a ph issue. To be sure take some water that has filtered through your soil and test that. Your soil should act as a buffer.. If you were giving it some off the wall ph water for a considerable amount of time i could see it but those look too small. Also remember if you get ph down you might want to grab some ph up too. Just in case you over do it... You can also use vinegar at 1 tbs per 5 gallons water. Test it to be sure . Now if it was me I'd throw in some cal-mag with ph adjusted water cause the purpleing veins and bumpy leaves seem to get better when i do this..

The last 2 pics seem different to me and think it looks like BLS (bacterial leaf spot).

I'd remove those leaves if it were me I'd make sure I had good air circulation and let em dry out a bit.

remember you can't correct the bumpy leaves but the new ones will grow fine after the problem is corrected.
 
1 mg/L = 1ppm
 
137ppm is close to the numbers quoted in the link, but again, seems fairly optimistic. I did find out that 50 people in the TO area use well water. Which is interesting. Interesting being a loan word for disgusting.
 
Drain through testing is bunkum, mixing soil with equal parts distilled would give a reasonable idea of soil pH. Vinegar is a great way to change solution pH for a few hours :) Damnit where is that sarcasm font.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top