water Well Water pH

[queequeg152]

I was going to mention it to the landlord, Im not the person to be fixing house plumbing.
 
So youre saying top dress fert is better than liquid fert in containers? I guess that makes alot more sense then mixing up batches. Would just have to water regularly with the top dress, save some time. Before, I would mix up liquid ferts and hand water my few dozen plants.
 
Since I am not using any drip lines, would the choice be tropicote or still calcinit because of my slight acidic water?

 
better? probably not, but it wont make much difference.
 
calcium nitrate is very hydroscopic. it will absorb so much moisture from the air that it will literally dissolve itself into the soil.
 
i mentioned the top dres because you could simply broadcast it onto your plant rows, and then till it in lightly with a rake... but if you are growing in containers, you might as well just dissolve it in water.
 
your tap water acidity has nothing to do with the calcium nitrate. just buy the tropicote unless you need the very high purity stuff making fertilizer concentrates or fertigation.
 
5.2 ph is not that bad, but you might soil test your container media after fertilizer incorporation to see whats going on. if you still need to bring up the ph, you can get some gypsum dust, or dolomite lime(calcium and magnesium carbonate mostly) and bring it down by incorporating it into the media when you transplant, or just broadcast it onto the top.
 
keep in mind calcium nitrate will not satisfy all your plants needs... you will need to satisfy all of the other nutrient demands some how... you can do this with another bagged water soluble fertilizer like peters professional ... peat lite special is popular.
 
or with somethign like osmocote pro which is time released fertilizers + micronutrients. i dont like using CRF's if i can avoide it though. 

 

[solid7]

Are egg shells finely crushed an option for my planned soil? I like options.

Absolutely they are. They are almost pure calcium carbonate. The finer the particle size, the faster they work. But many of us who use them as an amendment buy a cheap coffee grinder (around $10) and incorporate them regularly, and/or use them ground in the compost bin or worm bin.

 

[Brocoli]

 
better? probably not, but it wont make much difference.
 
calcium nitrate is very hydroscopic. it will absorb so much moisture from the air that it will literally dissolve itself into the soil.
 
i mentioned the top dres because you could simply broadcast it onto your plant rows, and then till it in lightly with a rake... but if you are growing in containers, you might as well just dissolve it in water.
 
your tap water acidity has nothing to do with the calcium nitrate. just buy the tropicote unless you need the very high purity stuff making fertilizer concentrates or fertigation.
 
5.2 ph is not that bad, but you might soil test your container media after fertilizer incorporation to see whats going on. if you still need to bring up the ph, you can get some gypsum dust, or dolomite lime(calcium and magnesium carbonate mostly) and bring it down by incorporating it into the media when you transplant, or just broadcast it onto the top.
 
keep in mind calcium nitrate will not satisfy all your plants needs... you will need to satisfy all of the other nutrient demands some how... you can do this with another bagged water soluble fertilizer like peters professional ... peat lite special is popular.
 
or with somethign like osmocote pro which is time released fertilizers + micronutrients. i dont like using CRF's if i can avoide it though. 

I mentioned my tap water acidity with the calcium nitrate because you said the tropicote had more ammonia which can add to acidity.. or did I misunderstand?
 
I know it wont solve all my plants needs. I am using DynaGro Grow 7-9-5 and Neptunes Harvest 2-3-1 on alternating waterings. I half ass epsom salt sprayed them last week(2 tablespoons per gallon and a half,) as it was my first time using epsom salts, and whenever using something new, I tend to use a low low dose. Is there something better I should be looking to use? I also have DynaGro Bloom 3-12-6 and FoxFarm Big Bloom .01-.3-.7 for later in the summer. And even have Neptunes Harvest 0-0-1 on hand. What do you think?
 
 

Absolutely they are. They are almost pure calcium carbonate. The finer the particle size, the faster they work. But many of us who use them as an amendment buy a cheap coffee grinder (around $10) and incorporate them regularly, and/or use them ground in the compost bin or worm bin.

So now I just have to start eating breakfast on the weekends youre telling me. Wife and I might go through a half dozen eggs every few months..

 

[queequeg152]

I mentioned my tap water acidity with the calcium nitrate because you said the tropicote had more ammonia which can add to acidity.. or did I misunderstand?
 
I know it wont solve all my plants needs. I am using DynaGro Grow 7-9-5 and Neptunes Harvest 2-3-1 on alternating waterings. I half ass epsom salt sprayed them last week(2 tablespoons per gallon and a half,) as it was my first time using epsom salts, and whenever using something new, I tend to use a low low dose. Is there something better I should be looking to use? I also have DynaGro Bloom 3-12-6 and FoxFarm Big Bloom .01-.3-.7 for later in the summer. And even have Neptunes Harvest 0-0-1 on hand. What do you think?

oh i see now. yea alot of ammonium can make soils more acidic. you might actually go for the calcinit not the tropicote. i think the tropicote is still only like 1% ammonia though.

 

[Brocoli]

 I am not going to directly disagree with Tony and Mike that you should be fine, as you probably will.
But I am a big advocate of balanced pH in both the media the pepper plant is grown and anything that is added to it. If your soil has a pH of 6.5 and you water with nuts is 8.0 your food will be a shock to the plant and it throws the harmony of the grow out of balance for some time. I am not saying that that will cause your plant to wither and die, it is a discomfort at least.
In growing peppers, there is enough to worry about, and eliminating pH issues leaves you in a far better position than if you didn't.
pH issue also tend to lead to other problems if you do not stay on top of it.
 
I never paid any attention to pH until I started using NOTG nutrient line and though it is a constant learning experience, my grow is fast becoming superb to any before it.
 
All in all, I would love to have water with your pH. My only other concern is the EC or PPM  your water contains. another big issue unless you flush your soil religiously.
 
My RO water is 0 ppm. when I add the hades down it goes up to 20 ppm, still very very manageable. After adding all my nuts for feeding I am at pH 6.4 and 480 ppm.

my PPM is high but in the "normal" range per a preliminary test from what I remember, cant find the paper. I dont have any testing equipment on my own. I do need to start collecting test kits and such.
 
What is NOTG? I dont "flush" my soil per se. But during the hot summer, I sure as sht soak my pots, then next day theyre almost dry again. Meaning, I water until water comes out the bottom, then move to the next pot then when I get to the end, I soak again, and sometimes a third or fourth time, depending on how the leaves look and weight of pot.

 

[Brocoli]

oh i see now. yea alot of ammonium can make soils more acidic. you might actually go for the calcinit not the tropicote. i think the tropicote is still only like 1% ammonia though.

Either way, I would most likely mix it in when I mix up liquid ferts, so the calcinit would be better in that instance? Is there anything I shouldnt mix it with? Not trying to make mustard gas here.
 
I have a lot (more) to learn. Then the more I learn, the more I feel like I dont know squat.

 

[queequeg152]

Either way, I would most likely mix it in when I mix up liquid ferts, so the calcinit would be better in that instance? Is there anything I shouldnt mix it with? Not trying to make mustard gas here.
 
I have a lot (more) to learn. Then the more I learn, the more I feel like I dont know squat.

caclium nitrate is just a salt, not really any different from table salt. its very stable and its not going to react with anything other than strong acids and and bases and shit like that.

i think it might burn? i mean nitrate is an oxidizer so you could probably burn calcium nitrate like you can potassium nitrate? idk to be honest.

calcinit would probably be better yes. dont mix the calcinit with sulfates or phosphates in any concentrated mixtures. you will precipitate out insolubles... not mustard gas or anything, but you will precipitate out stuff your plants cant use readily.

when i mix a batch of fertilizer solution i toss in the potassium nitrate and calcium nitrate seperatly even though the solution is not concentrated. if you toss them both in a the same time you can get some persistent turbidity that will take an hour or so to go away unless you drop the ph down alot.

 

[Brocoli]

caclium nitrate is just a salt, not really any different from table salt. its very stable and its not going to react with anything other than strong acids and and bases and shit like that.

i think it might burn? i mean nitrate is an oxidizer so you could probably burn calcium nitrate like you can potassium nitrate? idk to be honest.

calcinit would probably be better yes. dont mix the calcinit with sulfates or phosphates in any concentrated mixtures. you will precipitate out insolubles... not mustard gas or anything, but you will precipitate out stuff your plants cant use readily.

when i mix a batch of fertilizer solution i toss in the potassium nitrate and calcium nitrate seperatly even though the solution is not concentrated. if you toss them both in a the same time you can get some persistent turbidity that will take an hour or so to go away unless you drop the ph down alot.

I just started using epsom salt, should I use calcium nitrate? Guess I need to do some reading on salts.
 
So you mix in your fert, then potassium nitrate, and then calcium nitrate all in the same batch? or do you water 3 separate times? Or should I do DynaGro + calcium nitrate one water, then Neptunes Harvest + potassium nitrate another water, while foliage spraying with epsom salts?

 

[CAPCOM]

my PPM is high but in the "normal" range per a preliminary test from what I remember, cant find the paper. I dont have any testing equipment on my own. I do need to start collecting test kits and such.
 
What is NOTG? I dont "flush" my soil per se. But during the hot summer, I sure as sht soak my pots, then next day theyre almost dry again. Meaning, I water until water comes out the bottom, then move to the next pot then when I get to the end, I soak again, and sometimes a third or fourth time, depending on how the leaves look and weight of pot.

NOTG is Nectar of the Gods nutrient line.   http://oregonsonly.com/
I have posted a couple of videos with Scott Ostrander explaining the line in detail.

 

[Brocoli]

NOTG is Nectar of the Gods nutrient line.   http://oregonsonly.com/
I have posted a couple of videos with Scott Ostrander explaining the line in detail.

You use 25 different fertilizers? how often do you water.. Do you mix ferts together? That seems very time consuming if you have to water separately, but then again, I dont know the routine.

 

[CAPCOM]

Not all 25. I am using the advanced level that is comprised of 8 with the recent addition of slf 100 and the KRACKEN.
Most of my plants are in 1 gal containers at present and will probably explode with growth when transplanted to their next home.

 

[queequeg152]

I just started using epsom salt, should I use calcium nitrate? Guess I need to do some reading on salts.
 
So you mix in your fert, then potassium nitrate, and then calcium nitrate all in the same batch? or do you water 3 separate times? Or should I do DynaGro + calcium nitrate one water, then Neptunes Harvest + potassium nitrate another water, while foliage spraying with epsom salts?

i water all at once. i add the salts in two additions with the nitrates in the one addition, and everything else in the other additon.

its like making coolaide basically, nothing more complicated than that.

i use like 5 different fertilizer salts, i wont go into all of them here... but its basically a custom blend like anything you can buy in a store its just dry salts. not bottled.

the epsom salt that is in the soil WILL NOT effect any new addition of fertilizer. again, im just saying dont mix any concentrates of calcium nitrate with anything containing sulfates or phosphates or even chelates.

concentrated calcium nitrate can relact with the sulfate or phosphate to precipitate calcium sulfate or calcium phosphate. this reaction will not happen at normal fertilizer contentrations that plants require, but it will if you try to make fertilizer concentrates like you buy in a store.

 

[solid7]

LOL... And to think some people preach about how complicated organics is. I blend my goofy mix, and then top it off with ONE fertilizer every month. It just grows and grows and grows and...

Seriously, all of this lab talk is why I got away from synthetic fertilizers. Plus, it will be nice for you and your wife to sit down to a nice breakfast together.

Or if you don't feel like mixing salts, or eating breakfast, you can always just ask someone to save them for you. I ask a local restaurant. They gladly set them aside for me.