Firsttimer

Let me be a noob here.



How the hell do you raise the PH in your soil?!

My ph is around 6 to 6.2 and I'm in flowering. SO you understand the importance of getting it up to 6.5 to 7.


One experiment I am trying. Is I mix my own organics. I mix in 1 tablespoon of bat guano 2 table spoons of Kelp 1 teaspoon of Epsom salt. and 1 table spoon of oyster shells and lime.

Now because the Lime and oyster shells take so long to break down. I mixed this 5 gallon mixture for 6 plants. And going to let it sit for 2 to 3 weeks. Already on week 1. I want to see if I let the lime set up if it will raise the PH. But other than that. I am having the hardest problem dealing with my PH.

My Tap water is 8.5. Organics really lowers the PH. So I don't know what to do.

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WoodsmanTHC

thats gonna be damn good brew! IMHO.
I would be brewing the exact same mix if I could get my hands on some bat guano up here.

From my experience, mixing some woodash with aged water and letting sit for a few days before use can rasie the pH quiet a bit..

I was worried about my plant being K deficient, and I wanted to fix it naturally, like everything else. So I started me up a fire one evening and collected some woodash (I avoided burning any wood with paint or chemicals on it) I put about a full two cups of ground-up wood charcoals to about 2 and half gallons aged water, and aged for another few days before using.. I watered my plant in a ten gallon container with about two liters of it and it raised the pH from 6.9 to 7.2. If you added more ash to less water I can only see it raising the pH even more. I added a small extra amount of epsom salts and kelpmeal to the next watering to lower the pH back down to about 7 even. From the looks of her growth-rate day by day, the experiemental watering with woodash did nothing but good.

hoped this helped a bit??

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Pepperpot

When I mix my organic soil I add woodash to adjust the PH up, and I also let the mixture sit for a few weeks to get the microrganisms of the soil working then check the PH before planting.

PP

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Firsttimer

WoodsmanTHC: Thank you for your Input. I have had the hardest time adjusting PH. Seems like my PH flys off the handle the last month of Flowering.

Would Oak wood be ok to use? I can get a hold of Pine or Almond wood. But Have lots of Oak. So am I hearing you right. I CUP OF ASH TO 1 GALLON OF WATER? That seems like a lot. But if it has worked for you. Well than gosh darn it. I will use it....
And I cold heartily agree with you on letting the PH drop then raise it again. Like how they do in Hydro. But for soil... Thanks again...


Pepperpot: How much Ash do you use per gallon? ANd is it a particular type of wood? Thnks.

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WoodsmanTHC

those woods should do fine, as long as theres no paint or left over artificial chemicals on them, they'll do nicely.. the fire does burn off most left over bacteria anyways.
1 cup of ash seemed like allot to me too.. It didnt seem to harm my plant or the pH too much though, Im only guessing its because I aged it for so long? Im so use to meal brews, I age everything for a long time before use.. I think it was a good seven or eight days of settling before I actually gave the soil a good dose of the solution, all the days before that I would only take the lid off and stir it a bit, to make sure no mold or any swamping isnt occuring.

maybe only use a half cup or three fourths of a cup at first, and if you feel its not doing much, raise the strength of it?

either way, goodluck and take care.

__________________
In the days of my youth I was tellin' what it means too be a man, now I've reached that age I try to do all those things the best I can.. -Robert Plant, Led Zeppelin

PaoniaPurple

Oak should be great. I'd avoid pine, because the resin doesn't always burn out completely, leaving some very odd terpenes. Almond would be OK as far as I know. I use pine sawdust for a top mulch, but I compost oak and hardwood to mix into the soil.

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Pepperpot

Any kind of hard wood is ok, oak works good. Try 1/4 cup per gal to get a feel for how much it changes then you can calculate how much you need to add for the PH adjustment you need.

My last soil mix was being used up in about 12 weeks for nutrients but the PH never changed.

PP

__________________

Compost Teas for Healthy Plants ~ A Brief Intro to Composting ~How ocean plants help our garden plants ~Homemade Fish/Seaweed Emulsion ~ Humate Benefits ~ The Correct definition of Organic Gardening ~ Worm Bins
Advanced Grow Guide

Pepperpots grow journal
Pepperpot #2....SOG
How to Post Great Photos in Threads

Firsttimer

Thanks guys. I will post my results on how they did. How much ash to soil do you mix in? Pepperpot. What do you keep your PH at? And you state that it stay consistant?

It was a cold morning so I sparked me up a good fire.

__________________
Don't let my name fool you Take care and grow hard!

Pepperpot

I could not tell you how much ash I used, I just kept adding and check a few days later to see how much it changed. PH is running at 6.7 I think I used between 1/4 to 1/2 cup per gal. but had to correct almost one whole point because of the peat moss (acidic) I used.

Here is a link to my current grow that I have not updated since the picture thing. Now 8 weeks into flower close to harvest.

Still experimenting.

PP

__________________

Compost Teas for Healthy Plants ~ A Brief Intro to Composting ~How ocean plants help our garden plants ~Homemade Fish/Seaweed Emulsion ~ Humate Benefits ~ The Correct definition of Organic Gardening ~ Worm Bins
Advanced Grow Guide

Pepperpots grow journal
Pepperpot #2....SOG
How to Post Great Photos in Threads

Lizzie Borden

are great. I had some flowering plants with a pH that had dropped down to 6.0 over six weeks of flowering. I burned some various kinds of wood (fortunately there's lots laying around my property from fallen trees), used two cups of ashes to 2.5 gallons of water. I only let it brew for about six hours because I wanted to get the pH up at least a little asap, and they were thirsty. It raised the pH up to 6.3 immediately after applying, and the next day (today) it's still there. I figure one more application will put the pH where I want it. I've used lime, baking soda and sodium hydroxide to try and raise soil pH before, but it has always swung back down right away. It looks like wood ashes will be a good complement to the bat guano I use during flowering, since the guano lowers pH and also lacks K. It's fun to have a little campfire out in the yard too.

Thanks, Woodsman.