Nutrient Lockout in soil?

hovering

Active Member
I am growing in soil (Sunshine Mix4 + Perlite) with BotaniCare nutrients (75% strength).

I am experiencing nutrient lockout with the runoff from my watering showing super low pH (4.2) and super high ppms.

I water with nutrients at pH at 5.8-6.0 and experienced that drop recently.

What do I do to fix this problem?
 

Cannikid

Active Member
Have you tried flushing with ph corrected water. Or even watering with water adjusted to a higher ph?
 

InfidelUniversity

Active Member
You need some coco in that mix.....dolomite is a copout........................mix different ratios and run some RO through it and check it's pH before you pick a ratio. I found only 20% peat was best with straight coco and straight peat....

I also read Sunshine has salts from the coast in their shit.....Flush till u watch ppm drop..........and foliar feed asap.
 

crazyhazey

Well-Known Member
You need some coco in that mix.....dolomite is a copout........................mix different ratios and run some RO through it and check it's pH before you pick a ratio. I found only 20% peat was best with straight coco and straight peat....

I also read Sunshine has salts from the coast in their shit.
dolomite works but adding coco or perlite would also work, give em a transplant to a better medium and water them with 6.7 pH water. flush since theres high ppm, may have burned them as well. after the flush, poke holes in your soil to wick out excess moisture, filling these holes with coco/perlite is good as well. dont poke near the main stem, as you could damage the main taproot. after she wicks out, give her a small amount of nutes, then get her back on track. only feed what she asks for, those leaves will tell you what she wants.
 

nugbuckets

Well-Known Member
......imho both dolomite and azomite will buffer your ph........a peat base medium without these will become very acidic with liquid nutes.......coco is great if it is high quality and rinced very well, but hard to beat a properly made supersoil, with a buffered base..........i know, its frustrating bro, i have been through it, but have to say, my ph and tds meters gather dust now, and i like that very much...i am excited to see you move into larger containers, and ditch the bottles....it is so liberating......changed my entire vibe in a positive way.......good luck buddy....nugs
 

nugbuckets

Well-Known Member
p.s.....the quickest fix is to flush with neutral water, then gently transplant into a buffered mix, and larger container, they plant will love you for it...imho.
 

hovering

Active Member
I have been fighting Sunshine Mix4 for years, as well as the resulting pH and nutrient issues. It is one reason why I know I can grow better medicine for our patients.

These readings were from mature plants that won't benefit from being transplanted. I do need to figure out how to make my adjustments on a new mix, as well as how to adjust for my 10 gallon plants going into bloom now.

So, shy of being able to rework the soil, is there anything I can do for the next 8 weeks of flower that will help my 10 gallons?

I will look into adding coco, dolomite or azomite to new plants Mix4 to fix my issues until I can work into supersoil, which will take some time unfortunately.

What am I missing?
 

crazyhazey

Well-Known Member
I have been fighting Sunshine Mix4 for years, as well as the resulting pH and nutrient issues. It is one reason why I know I can grow better medicine for our patients.

These readings were from mature plants that won't benefit from being transplanted. I do need to figure out how to make my adjustments on a new mix, as well as how to adjust for my 10 gallon plants going into bloom now.

So, shy of being able to rework the soil, is there anything I can do for the next 8 weeks of flower that will help my 10 gallons?

I will look into adding coco, dolomite or azomite to new plants Mix4 to fix my issues until I can work into supersoil, which will take some time unfortunately.

What am I missing?
ill give you my soil recipe if you want, i dont get deficiencies or pH problems. remember, the more you compost this, the better.
you should get about a 3x3 compost box for this.
base soil:(add a bag of each)
black kow original 5-5-5
fox farms light warrior or happy frog

what you should add:
dead leaves(you rake them up every fall, you should have a shit ton)
dead sticks
egg shells
(both of these can be found at pet stores/nurseries/hydro stores.
earth worms(suggested) OR buy worm castings
high nitrogen bat guano


you can use this as your soil for veg, i have a separate one for flower as well, unless you would just rather water with bat guano/salt based nutes(id go easy on them though, salt buildups suck).

FLOWER:
base:
black kow original 5-5-5
fox farms ocean forest and happy frog

should add:
eggshells(always good for cal)
banana peels, old/expired fruit
should add earth worms, they help break everything down very well
high P and K bat guano
blood meal/bone meal(optional, would be beneficial)

you should water the compost keep it moist, you can use both of these as feed in your water or compost teas(highly recommended)

what you should add to both flower and veg composts:
roots of dead weeds, you can pull them out of your yard and compost the plant as well as the roots, try to break them down with a shovel so the worms dont have a hard time breaking it down. the roots also have beneficial microorganisms living on them.

to feed these organisms: add sugary drinks, anything high in sugar is pretty good. let the worms break it down for about a month before using it, so anything youve put into it is broken down by worms. blackstrap molasses is also very efficient. get un sulphured.

when you add your base soil, id fill the bottom of these with coco/perlite/vermiculite. i sometimes even add rockwool, optional of course.
before using any of these, id soak them in pH water, somewhere around 6.3-6.7 water. try using some superthrive sometime too, this may help when you give them a flush.
 

TCurtiss

Well-Known Member
I have been fighting Sunshine Mix4 for years, as well as the resulting pH and nutrient issues. It is one reason why I know I can grow better medicine for our patients.

These readings were from mature plants that won't benefit from being transplanted. I do need to figure out how to make my adjustments on a new mix, as well as how to adjust for my 10 gallon plants going into bloom now.

So, shy of being able to rework the soil, is there anything I can do for the next 8 weeks of flower that will help my 10 gallons?

I will look into adding coco, dolomite or azomite to new plants Mix4 to fix my issues until I can work into supersoil, which will take some time unfortunately.

What am I missing?
You can mix up a batch of super soil then top dress with it after it is made & it will feed your plants what they need until your batch activates after a few weeks

That's just me & I have used freshly made super soil from the start of flowering without issues

TGA tester #000420.0

T
 

hovering

Active Member
You can mix up a batch of super soil then top dress with it after it is made & it will feed your plants what they need until your batch activates after a few weeks

That's just me & I have used freshly made super soil from the start of flowering without issues

TGA tester #000420.0

T
Always good advice from you TCurtiss, thanks for chiming in. I would +1 you again if RIU would let me.
 
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