SOIL PH runoff?

[Therookie]

I’ve been recording ph run off recently, when I feed ph is always at 6.5 consistently.

on the first recording the run off was like 6.1 for 3 plants and one was 5.7.

2 days later I watered with a ph level of 7.0 and the run off on all plants were now 5.7 or lower

Another 2 days later i watered with an even higher ph and it shot the runoff even lower.

for some reason I thought if I wanted to raise runoff I would need to water with a higher ph?

maybe if I water with a lower ph it will have a reverse effect?
my plants seem it be thriving as of now so we will see but maybe someone can tell me if I’m doing something wrong here?

 

[Therookie]

Also I’m using fox farm ocean forest soil and rhizo force microbes

 

[JeffInCanada]

Ocean Forrest has sphagnum peatmoss in it that has a PH of about 4, I believe. Yes, 4!. Most soilless mixes have an ingredient to raise the overall PH of the mix. Sometimes the more water you run through it, the more you will wash away any PH stabilizing ingredients and the soil PH will drift down over time. Of course, an abundance of nutrients in the mix will also bring the PH down so it can be tricky. Put good PH'd water in and check your run off every once in a while. You have to make changes gradually. Vid below. There is also a great PH watering article on the GWE site.

 

[RetiredGuy]

Watering at a lower pH will not have the reverse affect as you speculate in your post.

 

[MrPNW]

While I do adjust my tap water ph from 8 to a range of 6-7, I thought ph wasn’t as big a deal in soil grows. Did i read that wrong?
I’ve never checked my run-off because i just let it soak back into the pot. I change up the range each time because I read it helps pull the different nutes that like different levels of ph. I am doing a living soil grow and only used tea or top dressing all along.

 

[dilvish]

I don't check my run off either and my plants have all successfully reached a good harvest. If I had to constantly monitor everything, I'd just chuck the seeds outside and let nature take it's course. I try to go by the old saying "less is more". Less stress in growing equals better yields. As long as I'm following a pattern that has worked well in the past i don't change it and I see how the strains respond for the next time I grow. I think patience and practice are all these new growers need. Unfortunately we all get giddy (and subsequently want to rush a grow) when we see actual growth because we know if we do it just right we'll be in la-la land.

 

[Rwise]

Lime raises PH, maybe a tad of dolomite would help. Baked crumbled egg shells would work also, the acid in the soil will eat them and raise the PH slowly.

 

[desertdan]

Get a clean jar with a lid. Dig several tablespoons of soil as close to root ball as possible and put in jar. Fill jar with distilled water put top on and shake well. Let sit and settle till water is clear. Check the ph of that water and you might be surprised at the reading.