WACKY pH Readings! HELP!

[UpNorthGreen]

I am super confused by what I am seeing in my plants, the soil, and the run off. I have been watering my plants that are about 3 weeks to harvest with water pH 6.2-6.5. I test the soil with my soil pH reader and it hovers right around 7 (I bought another tester just to make sure my other wasn't mis reading the soil). I test the run off from watering this morning and it measures at 5.0. (just calibrated the reader 2 days ago). What the hell is going on? I don't understand why the run off is so acidic? PLEASE HELP!

 

[F10werChyld]

How are your girls? Healthy looking? (Don't even worry about the yellowing leaves that close to harvest) Flowers maturing properly and getting denser? Pistils darkening normally?

 

[bboyfromwayback]

Don’t get me wrong, this site/forum has me trying some different things but in almost 20yrs growing under my belt I’ve only checked my runoff ph once. Recently I had one plant experiencing a issue I couldn’t figure out and another member on here recommended it along with a good flushing of the soil and it worked, helped me figure out my ph was way low due to my ph pen breaking mid grow so I winged it a few waterings which caused issues. Now with that being said, I don’t plan on checking runoff ph again until I have a issue. Otherwise I go by my plants health. Some may disagree but I think that’s something to just confuse a grow if you put much thought into runoff ph when there’s no issues going on.

 

[MeEasy]

I've been growing off and on for 35 years and until around 2 years ago I had never even had a way to test ph. Because of my health I can't hike up the mountain anymore so my grow moved indoors. Now I have to learn how to grow all over because I have been left behind in the 80s.
anyways your ph problem seems strange I don't trust the little soil testers. As for the fluctuations in the runoff you can get different results from runoff around the edge of the pot then in the root ball because of salt residue. Also if you're catching your runoff in a dirty pan that residue can affect your results. I wouldn't worry unless you see something in your girls changing but if it's gonna keep you up at night just flush the shit out of em and your last gallon put about 1/4 strength nutes. Next watering go back to normal. It never hurts to flush as long as you give em light nutes when you are done

 

[Rwise]

Me Myself and I dont bother to check PH, instead I build the soil so it buffers itself. Then read the plant to tell me if I need to make a change, I dont even own a PH meter.

 

[CaptainWiese91]

Doing the same here.
If they look healthy I never check the run off

 

[bboyfromwayback]

Keep it simple

 

[UpNorthGreen]

They are looking healthy! Everything seems to be developing like their parents did. I posted a few pictures I just took below. This is from the one I was most worried about. Cinderella 99 is the strain. And the other is OG Kush. The yellow on the leaves is from when the issue started about 2-3 weeks ago, and hasn't gotten any worse for the past 1.5-2 weeks.

 

[UpNorthGreen]

Some pictures of the Cinderella 99 and OG Kush. 2 weeks to harvest. Can see pH issues in the leaves, but I believe I stopped the damage a little over a week ago.

 

[UpNorthGreen]

I can appreciate that! Thank you. It does seem like before when I kept things as simple as possible, just good soil, a little nutrients, water; my plants thrive. Then I start adding different nutrients, different soil mediums and obsessing over pH, it doesn't turn out as well.

 

[UpNorthGreen]

Thanks for the info! That is pretty much what I did a couple times. Flushed with good pH neutral water, and then bat guano and worm casting nutrients from Fox Farm. And picked up some Mycorrihzae to see if that helped as well. Things seem to be moving on if you check the pictures below.

And good to know about Salt collecting on the bottom. That could definitely be a possibility!

 

[MeEasy]

Some nute burn as long as it's not new then you are fine. Buds lookin good just start watching your trichomes for ripeness every few days :embarassed:.....