Quote:
Originally Posted by vh13
The soil has lots of stuff in it, lets call them pH buffers, that can change slowly over time but mostly have a constant effect on pH. As you add water/nutes, which have their own pH, they will mix with the pH buffers in the soil and shift to a pH somewhere between the two. To measure the change, simply measure the pH of runoff when watering. Ideally, if the pH of the runoff is about right then it's safe to assume the pH of the moisture still inside the soil is about right. Although, as your question implies you already know, the pH buffers in the soil will continue to shift things a bit.
Overall, as long as the pH buffers in the soil aren't terribly off, a little pH fluctuation isn't so bad. Different nutrients are taken up in different concnetrations at different pH ranges, so it's really of most benefit to simply get close, within the right range, rather then focus on attaining a single pH every time.
|
+rep as well. really well put and easy to understand.
One thing I would add that lots of people overlook is how "hard" the water is and how this can make testing the pH after adding anything to the water really important depending on your h2o source. If you use distilled or RO water, you can skew the pH very easily because there is nothing in the water to buffer an acid or base that is added. for instance if I use a capful of 9% vinegar in a gallon of my well water, it will bring the pH to a decent 6-7 pH. But if I did that with distilled, I'd be outside my measurement range somewhere less than 3pH. ferts with N tend to send pH down, and high P or K tend to send it up, but in different degrees.
hope this isn't just redundant
"Just call me Captain Duncil"