alright, this doesn't make any sense to me. if anybody has some good knowledge, PLEASE, let me know because this is starting to aggravate me.
i bought PRO-MIX ULTIMATE ORGANIC soil.
not PRO MIX BX.
it's contents are of the following:
-65-75% sphagnum peat moss by volume
-Sea-based Compost (from composted shrimp shells & seaweed)
-Limestone (for pH adjustment)
A couple questions come to mind:
a. If limestone is a PH buffer and raises the PH to around 7.0, wouldn't that put the PH out of the "soilless" or hydro range(5.4-6.2) ?
b. how often do i water a "soilless" mix? more often than soil, or less?
c. Assuming what i've learned is true, lime eventually runs out. could the lime possibly run out in the first few weeks and force the PH to turn very acidic, as the peat moss is acidic in the first place?
the more and more i read the less this is making sense to me. why would promix add lime to something that requires a ph under 6.2? why would this mix require me to go by the hydroponic PH scale?
i've ph'd all of my plants to around 6.5 and they're doin better. i just want to understand better the concept of lime and peat moss, how they work together and how long it takes until you need more lime.
if the above is untrue and i don't need any lime at all, should i just let the ph drop back into the high 5's and try to keep it around there?
thanks for any answers in advance