Ph of runoff in soil grow

Not so sure about PH. Mine always seems to come out around 5.5 with roots organic putting 6.3-6.7 in from veg to bloom. I just pay more attention to the ph going in, and ppm coming out to see if I need to flush.

Originally Posted by MDEVA

Is there any good reason to test the Ph of your runoff in a soil grow? I know it's good to check when u flush to make sure it's the same coming out as it was going in. But what does the Ph of your runoff really tell you during a normal feeding or watering? I did a plain water last time, and just to kill my curiosity, I tested the runoff. The water I put in was 6.4, and my runoff was 5.5- does that indicate a problem or is it perfectly normal? I was guessing that my ruin off would have a higher Ph, but had nothing to base that on... It was simply a guess, and obviously a bad one. If anyone could take the time to explain this for me I would really appreciate it. I put it in advanced section because I figured you Guys would be the ones with most factual based answers.

yes it is important to know your run off ph. there is a reason why your ph is coming out almost a full 1.0 lower than its goin in. soil is too acidic. testing your runoff is just about the easiest way to test your soil ph. but the main question is how do your plants look? are they showing a ph problem? or any problem at all or do they look healthy? dolomite lime is what you should ammend your soil with to bring up the ph. it has a neutral ph. considering its like $10 i believe for a 40lb bag cost isnt an issue and it will last forever. i have ran into same issue with roots organic and after top dressing with the dolomite it eventually climbed its way back up. easiest solution for you tho man, go coco lol. it doesnt have its own ph its neutral like the dolomite meaning the only thing your plant gets is what you feed it and it eliminates the whole soil ph issue. i switched and never looked back....lol
have fun and be safe!

deuces

Ive NEVER had a reason to check runoff in soil!

Checking runoff pH is alot like staring into the toilet bowl after a good dump. It's not really indicative of what you ate. Pay attention to what goes in, not what comes out. And like the toilet, a good flushing every now and then seems to help.

Well, I've received two COMPLETELY DIFFERENT answers. Doesn't seem to be a middle ground on the issue given the responses I've received thus far. I just tested runoff again tonight... The Ph going in was 6.3, the Ph coming out was 5.3. My plants don't seen to be showing any Ph related issues, or any issues for that matter. I do however think that Duece&Reg has a valid argument for saying runoff is important to check, but would like to hear more opinions ifanyone would like to help out. I wish I had some time to do proper research on the issue. If someone has a link to an article on the subject post it in this thread!

Well holy Shit Batman! It took me all of 30 second to find this link. This video makes a very good point about why the Ph SHOULD drop about
3/4 - 1 whole point when u test the runoff. I don't know what Sieve&Reg background is like, but this video was posted by the"medical marijuana academy" whoever the hell they are. Oh, I know thus is off topic, but I read an incredible thread on here about "main-lining"... I thought it was referring to shooting up so I almost didn't read it. You guys should check it out. Just search main lining on RIU.


VIDEO REGARDING THE PH OF RUNOFF IN SOIL. http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?desktop...YuGlvRNA&gl=US

http://www.kindgreenbuds.com/marijua...il-runoff.html

That article kind of acknowledges Duece&Reg's point. Basically to some it up, it says to test just the first few drops of runoff $ out should have dropped about half a point. If it goes beyond that, soil is too acidic, and line or other supplement needs to be added to adjust Ph level of soil. I guess going by that logic, it's safe to assume if your runoff is higher than what u put in, you should add something to liter Ph of soil?

Ok, let's examine this. ( I'm assuming you are growing in pots BTW ).

You have plants, growing in soil, in pots. When the plants become dry and need feeding or watering, look at the situation closely. The soil has contracted away from the pot.
Then you water/feed. The soil starts absorbing BUT, before it expands to meet the pot, you have runoff that has quickly went from top of soil to side of pot to bottom of pot to out the weep holes.

Now, what exactly does that runoff tell you?

IMHO, nothing. If your plants are healthy, why worry about something like that.

HOWEVER, I do think giving a thorough flushing twice during the cycle is a smart thing to do because you can get unwanted buildup of salts. Again, just my opinion.