I have to pH when I'm using "nutrients" but not when I'm growing organically. My city water is hard and has a pH of 8.0 - 8.1. I even tried Veg+Bloom Hard Water formula and Advanced Nutrients Sensi with PH Perfect. They helped but I still need to pH them or I'll run into deficiencies. I also hate the weekly feedings and heaven forbid you need to leave for a few days. Any mistakes in feeding early on show up later when the plants start flowering or when the weather gets rough.
When I grow like a "normal gardener" and buy organic soils and fertilizers my plants are so much more healthier. They don't lose as many leaves during summer heats, they get less bugs, and they seem to recover faster from dry spells and broken branches. I check on them once a week, hardly do anything to them except pull off dead leaves now and then, and they grow to pretty big. I just wish I had a better indoor light so I could start in January. Then I'd really have some monster sized plants.
