Is it true you don't need to worry about water pH with soil ?

[Joker90]

I've been focusing on hitting 6-6.5 pH but by doing so i use pH down .

Read somewhere that pH of water doesn't really matter with soil unless it's something really extreme and things like pH down causes more issues in soil ??

 

[Autodoctor]

I believe it’s only in supersoils

 

[MICHI-CAN]

I've been focusing on hitting 6-6.5 pH but by doing so i use pH down .

Read somewhere that pH of water doesn't really matter with soil unless it's something really extreme and things like pH down causes more issues in soil ??

It does not matter if your dirt has been allowed to regrow life within it. Straight from bag is generally problems that PH can offset.

 

[drsaltzman]

I've been focusing on hitting 6-6.5 pH but by doing so i use pH down .

Read somewhere that pH of water doesn't really matter with soil unless it's something really extreme and things like pH down causes more issues in soil ??

Generally no, but it depends what your soil is made of.
If it's very heavy in coco and peat with little forest products, then yes, it will matter.
A very good home made soil at the proper ratios with lots of beneficial bacteria and mycorrhizae, then no.

 

[hotrodharley]

Soil. Dirt. Earth. No pH needed. Everything else? Adjust pH.

 

[turbobuzz]

I’d have to say I’ve researched the same question, and I have seen various opinions. It’s kind of like the flushing debate. I use ffof and I always ph. I figure it can’t hurt.

 

[OutdoorOpps]

imho it depends, first on strain, there are strains really picky with PH, and in my experience it give me some issues. Another thing that happens to me in a pour, or at least no very rich native soil, was wiith a line of nutes that I love and always use, that (specially flowering solution) will down the ph a bit, and again, if there is a picky ph strain in there... That being said, can't count how many plants I grew out there back in the days when still I dint knew nothing about ph, but feels to me that those strains was fairly strong, otherwise I can't understand how we manage to smoke anything.

best regards

 

[PJ Diaz]

You can probably get away with not ph'ing in soil, unless you have high ppm tap to begin with.

Just because you can get away with it however, doesn't mean it's the best option..

Yes, in soil the microbes will work to adjust the ph in your root zone, however they don't do it 100% efficiently. The soil microbes have a lot of jobs, and if you can easily adjust the ph for them, then they can focus their energy on doing other things which benefit your root zone. Also if you are pouring in water which is way out of the ph zone, you could kill off some of the very same microbes which you are hoping will adjust the ph for you.

 

[MICHI-CAN]

You can probably get away with not ph'ing in soil, unless you have high ppm tap to begin with.

Just because you can get away with it however, doesn't mean it's the best option..

Yes, in soil the microbes will work to adjust the ph in your root zone, however they don't do it 100% efficiently. The soil microbes have a lot of jobs, and if you can easily adjust the ph for them, then they can focus their energy on doing other things which benefit your root zone. Also if you are pouring in water which is way out of the ph zone, you could kill off some of the very same microbes which you are hoping will adjust the ph for you.

Nice hear how it works. K.I.S.S.!

 

[Redeyes82]

I've been focusing on hitting 6-6.5 pH but by doing so i use pH down .

Read somewhere that pH of water doesn't really matter with soil unless it's something really extreme and things like pH down causes more issues in soil ??

It’s been true for me for the last 6 years in three different houses. I don’t ph anything but I do add lime to my soil so…

 

[twalte]

i would have agreed until my last move……the PH of my tap water here is as high as 10.2. I show leaf damage if I forget to adjust my ph When using Fox Farm soil. in my last state, I could use tap water with minimal adjustments. Now I use about 1.5ml /gallon of PH down with every feeding, so I go through a fair amount.

I also have chloramines in my water that I have to treat with aquarium tap water conditioner.

 

[PJ Diaz]

i would have agreed until my last move……the PH of my tap water here is as high as 10.2. I show leaf damage if I forget to adjust my ph When using Fox Farm soil. in my last state, I could use tap water with minimal adjustments. Now I use about 1.5ml /gallon of PH down with every feeding, so I go through a fair amount.

I also have chloramines in my water that I have to treat with aquarium tap water conditioner.

Get an RO filter.

 

[Kushash]

i would have agreed until my last move……the PH of my tap water here is as high as 10.2. I show leaf damage if I forget to adjust my ph When using Fox Farm soil. in my last state, I could use tap water with minimal adjustments. Now I use about 1.5ml /gallon of PH down with every feeding, so I go through a fair amount.

I also have chloramines in my water that I have to treat with aquarium tap water conditioner.

What is the ec or ppm's of your water? Is it hard water with lots of calcium leaving white deposits on your faucets?
Mine is 500 ppms with a PH of close to 8 and I find cutting it down to 200 ppms with ro works well.