SOIL Supersoil and water pH

[Bizmackus]

Hey all first post here. I am new to growing using the super soil method and still uneasy about leaving my water pH alone..

I have 3 clones growing for 1 week in happy frog/nature's living soil mixture ( lower 1/3 of container) and top 2/3 pure happy frog.

I use tap water with a pH of 7.5 to 8 which is pretty damn alkaline and just have a hard time believing I don't need to adjust it down, so I've been adjusting with lemon juice to between 6-7 when I water.

Do I really need to do this? Will the soil really buffer the pH for me, even at this early stage of growth?

So far the plants are looking healthy and showing signs of new growth.

Thanks for your input!
Biz

[Toker1]

I don’t use super soil, but I can tell you this... the nutrients are usually acidic. I never PH adjust water or nutrients in soil runs anymore. I use FF happy frog for smaller plants and FF ocean forest for med-larger ones. I can PH up my nutes and PH down my water all through out the grow cycle. Well, I have also found, over the years of growing, that the higher PH in the water neutralizes my lower PH in the nutrients. So my soil at the root zone stays at 6-6.5 consistently. The run off check never fails me. Plus plant vigor is consistently very healthy.
With the time release nutrient system in super soils, and with the soil having PH buffers on its own, I would just follow the manufacturer’s recommendations.

[Bizmackus]

I don’t use super soil, but I can tell you this... the nutrients are usually acidic. I never PH adjust water or nutrients in soil runs anymore. I use FF happy frog for smaller plants and FF ocean forest for med-larger ones. I can PH up my nutes and PH down my water all through out the grow cycle. Well, I have also found, over the years of growing, that the higher PH in the water neutralizes my lower PH in the nutrients. So my soil at the root zone stays at 6-6.5 consistently. The run off check never fails me. Plus plant vigor is consistently very healthy.
With the time release nutrient system in super soils, and with the soil having PH buffers on its own, I would just follow the manufacturer’s recommendations.

Thanks for your input! I'll give watering a try without adjusting and see what happens.

[starramus]

"I never PH adjust water or nutrients in soil runs anymore." Just check pH after you add the nutes. Bat Guano is very acidic. I have city water that is very alkaline so I do adjust down just for watering, but not feeding.

[starramus]

At least I think it's the bat guano. I do know that Colonel Bat Guano was very acidic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUAK7t3Lf8s

[jalapeno]

I've been in contact with reps at both Kind Soil and Nature's Living Soil regarding my pH 7.6 tap water. Kind Soil said that up to 7.4 was borderline ok, just watch the plants for nutrient issues. Both suggest that adjusting pH to 7.0 would be advisable for my untreated pH = 7.6 source. Both recommend using Earth Juice citric acid, or similar. Kind was particular that a very little bit goes a long way, and that I should not take it much below 7.0 either. Also, when watering from a reservoir, I should make sure to completely drain and wash out the reservoir between crops.

When I had learned (by getting a better pH probe) that my water pH was higher than 7.0, I had adjusted it down to like 6 - 6.3. which had worked fine when I was using 'non-super' organic potting soil with General Organics BioThrive nutes. The super soil plants perked up at first, but had problems at late flowering. Peter Kind said that that was way too acidic for use with his product.

Theoretically, if not over or under watering, pH should be the only cause of nutrient issues with super soil, and it is suggested, that if you're not way out of 6.5 - 7.0 range to start with, only adjust if the plants aren't happy. Apparently 7.6 is probably to far off as a starting point. Not sure what the lower limit for the 'wait and see' approach might be, but one should not adjust down much below 7.0.

Both of these companies are very responsive to inquiries,

[Cali]

The point of growing in super soil is to only worry about watering your plant and not have to worry about ph or anything else. The soil should be able to do this alone.

[jalapeno]

Yes, that s/b the point, but in fact both super soil venders I've discussed this with have indicated that while 7.0 is preferable (as suggested in their own labeling), you should be ok with up to about 7.4. Above that they both recommended amending the water with citric acid crystals. My experience with that, as well as with keeping my spa (hot tub) water in its desirable range, is that after adding acid and achieving a desirable pH, the pH drifts back up over time, often to higher than it had been to start with. I attribute this to the high alkalinity in our water (i.e. our water is very hard, with lots of alkaline minerals in it).