FYI Water Only / Super Soil and pH

[Organic357]

I was told that one of the benefits of water only or super soil is that one does not have to pH their water. Great I thought checking pH is about as exciting after one has grown for years as taking out the garbage. As I mentioned in another post pH pens fail over time, normally around 8 months to a year and a half. I have 6 plants in veg and have been watering them with Ozarka spring water which had previously tested around the 6.5 - 6.8, in other words in the best range for Cannabis. Today I calibrated my Apera pH pen and checked the pH of the Ozarka spring water I have been using and it is around 5.5 or medium acidic. So even though living soil is supposed to buffer pH it is better to have your pH in the sweet spot range of 6.5 - 6.8 if you want to optimize your grow.

For those of you who might add Mammoth P and/or molasses and want to adjust pH to be in the sweet spot remember to check your water's pH before and after. Then as you adjust the pH you will have a measurement indicator. Let me explain. Let's say that before adjusting your water's pH is 6.7 but after adding x units of molasses it zooms to 8.3. You learn by slowly adjusting it with your pH Down product that it takes x units of pH down to adjust the pH to the sweet spot. Then keep that information handy so that the next time you make up x units (quarts, gallons, etc.) of water with molasses or Mammoth P you will already know how much pH down to add to the water mixture. This is especially useful when you need to water your plants with water containing molasses or Mammoth P but do not have time to check the pH. I say this because I was told that you should wait 20 - 30 minutes before checking pH after adding nutrients, molasses or Mammoth P.

 

[SoOrbudgal]

Thank you for the tips.

 

[Farmall]

As a supersoil user, I have found that a good hour is a test for ph after all compounds have been introduced. Instability with pH can ruin a well established soil buffer with long term erroneous readings. My supersoil grows have been superb using water only with the occasional molasses mix.

 

[Rwise]

My last indoor grow was water only just to see what could be produced. PH, well I checked it last year (8.4), my tap water is ~7.0, I build my own soil using organic components, and as long as everything is in there all is well.

 

[Organic357]

You are very welcome SoOrbudgal. I will add that I used to wait an hour like Farmall suggested then went to 20 - 30 minutes. As I think about it I believe that my grows were better when I waited the hour so I will probably go back to waiting an hour. Also I did not mean to imply that I always use molasses. I also started using compost tea with my first water only soil grow but do not test it for pH. Now that I have a new reliable pH pen I will at least check its' pH. I might try to get in touch with Jeff Lowenfels to see how he feels about adjusting the pH of a compost tea.

 

[Organic357]

Thank you Farmall. See my to SoOrbudgal comment above.