soil pH problem, foliar feeding advice

i had a pH problem and it seemingly locked out N, i've been working on it adding apple cider vinegar to my water (dropping tap water pH to 6.5). i have a meter with metal probes with isn't too accurate, but it reads 7, dropping from above 8. i might drop it a bit more, to 6.5, again don't have too accurate of a meter so that's more of an estimate.

either way, i foliar fed three days ago, with a diluted solution, and i only saw the N def. progess over the last day, i'm foliar feeding right now with a slightly stronger solution, am i going about this properly?

i'm using a fert with an NPK value of 3-1.5-2, with added DM saturator

+rep for some insightful input

i had severe ph problems about 6 months ago turned out it was 2 problems.. first a had a defective meter so i bought some dropplets that work great i might add, and second after i got the droppers i found out my ph down was old and causing other issues.. go idiot proof like i did and get em.. i got a new meter now but when in doubt go oldschool

also about the folier feed i personally use that same method on sick plants and been working fine for years.. also flush your system wether its dirt or hydro with a mild solution

reggaerican said:

also about the folier feed i personally use that same method on sick plants and been working fine for years.. also flush your system wether its dirt or hydro with a mild solution

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do you just spray them down once?

i've been spraying them, letting them dry, then spraying them again. and i do this about 3-4 times, and throughout the week i spray regular water to help absorb the built-up feed

bump for some more advice

i suppose i'm going about this properly and will continue what i've been doing, it just feels like i'm loosing the fight to some degree.

upthearsenal said:

do you just spray them down once?

i've been spraying them, letting them dry, then spraying them again. and i do this about 3-4 times, and throughout the week i spray regular water to help absorb the built-up feed

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That's too often, slow down to perhaps twice/week or so. Just mist them once and stop.

Throw the meter with the prongs away, they are less than useless, they are inaccurate.

You can get a pH pen on ebay for ~$20 shipped.

Get some powdered dolomite lime at Lowes. They call it ground dolomite limestone. Cost ~$5 for a 40# bag. Add 2 tbl/gallon of mix or 1 cup/cf of mix.

Get the lime and a accurate meter and we'll go from there.

Wet

i have an excellent meter that i have been measuring my water with, most of those that aren't probes can't be inserted in the soil it seems like. and to be honest, i have a shambolic lowes in my area. they have the most beginner garden sections, all the garden stores down here really. i've asked around, and i get responses like, "what kind of what", so yeah, that's why i've resorted to apple cider vinegar.

so then will dolomite lime bring down pH????

I've been foliar feeding, and it works great. The fert you are using, is awfully weak, so go full strength with it. When you feed, turn off your fans(except light/filters), back off your light, then soak the hell out of them, and most importantly, soak the underside of the leaves, as well as the top. Nutes absorb more efficiently through the underside. Then let them sit until they have absorbed all the moisture. I do this twice, over the course of an hour. Then, I go back to business as usual. Doing it every day, or every other day, would be a good idea, until you get the deficiencies under control.

Also, every so often, soak them with plain water, which'll help remove/absorb fert deposits.

yeah, a couple days ago i went full strength but i feel like i'm still loosing the fight, and today i got something with a ratio of 5-1-1, hopefully that'll help. i've been trying to do it every 48 hrs, will any over feeding problems occur if i do this every day? i mean, at least till i get the shade of green i'm looking for.
i definitely need to flower this girl already.

^No worries. I use MG and Calmag Plus, mixed together, estimated at 12-15 for the N, with P and K at about 1/2 that, which is more than twice as strong as what you're using. Also, you have nothing to worry about, as far as overfeeding, using foliar, because the plants won't absorb anything they don't need. If they have enough, they won't take anymore in. Once the levels have been satisfied, that's it.

Also, it'd be a good idea to make sure you use something with micronutes, as well. It's better to feed them, before any deficiencies start to show. Agreed?

One more thing....consider adding foliar feeding to your grows, from now on. It's a really nice 'safety net' to have, keeping them happy, even if you're fucking something up,lol while root-feeding, and don't even know it. It's excellent preventative maintenance, and highly recommended.

yeah my mixture must have been weak. i guess i'll put together another mixture of fish emulsion/DM saturatior/microblast? that seems like too much to me, idk...

How long have you been feeding? Keep in mind that it takes a few days to see any results(up to a week), so be patient, it'll happen.


Foliar feeding is 8-10x more efficient than root feeding.

i've been feeding for ten days

Yeah, you need to up the dose. I foliar feed mine, and even though they look great, they perk up about 2 hours afterwards, indicating that they appreciated the boost, even though they aren't deficient. In your case, it's going to take alot. At any rate, even if you don't feel comfortable going with a stronger dose, they won't get any worse, using what you've been using. You're doing a good job preventing them from getting any worse, for sure.

thanks a lot man! great advice.

so then i've been adding apple cider vinegar to my waterings to lower the pH, i guess the dolomite lime i added will stabilize it when i get there, i'm assuming..

upthearsenal said:

so then will dolomite lime bring down pH????

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Dolomite is a buffer. It helps but is not a "plug and play" cure.

I use 30cc /per gallon (a shot glass full) of soil.

Also, foliar feeding...spray your nutrient mixture once a week. Less is more in this case. Then the day after, spray with just water and the day after that spray with just water. Rinse, repeat.

*Disclaimer
The above statement is how I roll.

gracias KuLong!