To all new growers!
Hey GWE.
I wanted to share my experience, mistake, and solution to a very common yet serious problem that all growers must take in-hand: pH!
Being a novice grower myself, I'm still prone to mistakes, but I'm also learning by making those mistakes.
To all new growers, you need to keep a steady eye on your pH. As all of you long term and professional growers have told me again and again on here, pH is like the bouncer at a club. Weird analogy, I know, but it makes sense! pH level, just like a bouncer, chooses what comes in and what doesn't. And when it comes to macro and micro nutrients, the building blocks of your plant, you'll want to make sure they're able to come in.
My biggest problem this grow has been chlorosis, related to an iron deficiency. The new growth turns yellow, twisting, and stunted. But here's the thing - it wasn't an iron deficiency. It was my pH being at 7.6 for over a week!
With a pH so high, the vast majority of iron was locked out of the soil, unable to be utilized by the plant. So, as any new grower would, I tended to this "deficiency". I applied Cal-Mag & Iron spray to the foliage and applied to a base feed as well. While this worked for a few days, I soon realized I can't keep spraying my plant in an alternative.
I assumed my pH was fine, and being so nieve, I never checked it after it bonded with the soil. So what's a new grower left to believe? MORE NUTRIENTS.
But hold that impulse - luckily I did. After talking with a few great people on here, I checked my pH. Now, I can't pour a whole gallon through my medium to get runoff water to check pH, so I simply took a handful sample of soil and poured in my usual water regime. I let it soak, taped a coffee filter around a cup, and strained it afterwards.
Long and behold, that water after bonding with the soil was 7.6! Whoa was that a shock.
After reducing the pH to a lower level and letting it balance the soil pH, my plant began to recieve all the iron she needed. Who would of knew? 🤔
I hope you all have great grows and enjoy what you do. To all who have been doing this for a while, thanks for your experience and knowledge that has helped me, but also to all the new growers, never stop learning! Ask questions, take notes, and check your pH regularly. 😌
I wanted to share my experience, mistake, and solution to a very common yet serious problem that all growers must take in-hand: pH!
Being a novice grower myself, I'm still prone to mistakes, but I'm also learning by making those mistakes.
To all new growers, you need to keep a steady eye on your pH. As all of you long term and professional growers have told me again and again on here, pH is like the bouncer at a club. Weird analogy, I know, but it makes sense! pH level, just like a bouncer, chooses what comes in and what doesn't. And when it comes to macro and micro nutrients, the building blocks of your plant, you'll want to make sure they're able to come in.
My biggest problem this grow has been chlorosis, related to an iron deficiency. The new growth turns yellow, twisting, and stunted. But here's the thing - it wasn't an iron deficiency. It was my pH being at 7.6 for over a week!
With a pH so high, the vast majority of iron was locked out of the soil, unable to be utilized by the plant. So, as any new grower would, I tended to this "deficiency". I applied Cal-Mag & Iron spray to the foliage and applied to a base feed as well. While this worked for a few days, I soon realized I can't keep spraying my plant in an alternative.
I assumed my pH was fine, and being so nieve, I never checked it after it bonded with the soil. So what's a new grower left to believe? MORE NUTRIENTS.
But hold that impulse - luckily I did. After talking with a few great people on here, I checked my pH. Now, I can't pour a whole gallon through my medium to get runoff water to check pH, so I simply took a handful sample of soil and poured in my usual water regime. I let it soak, taped a coffee filter around a cup, and strained it afterwards.
Long and behold, that water after bonding with the soil was 7.6! Whoa was that a shock.
After reducing the pH to a lower level and letting it balance the soil pH, my plant began to recieve all the iron she needed. Who would of knew? 🤔
I hope you all have great grows and enjoy what you do. To all who have been doing this for a while, thanks for your experience and knowledge that has helped me, but also to all the new growers, never stop learning! Ask questions, take notes, and check your pH regularly. 😌
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