tstick
Well-Known Member
There are a few discussions about how you don't have to pH your water if you grow in soil because the soil, itself, will naturally buffer the pH. It is my belief that this is a misconception.
I have a vegetable garden outside and I am always amazed at how much "stuff" is going on in every scoop of dirt. There are little crawlies and worms and all kinds of pebbles and organic things growing and moving around in it. However, one of the goals of my soil-LESS mix is to avoid getting those same bugs and have a more-or-less "sterile" medium.
My contention is that all the stuff in my garden-dirt is acting to balance and buffer things. Indoors, my soil -less mix has no ability to work that way. I think it's important for growers to realize that they are not going to get a buffered soil from a soil-less mix. Even with added microbes, there isn't going to be the same synergy found in real dirt. As a result, growers using soil-less mixes, should always check their pH runoff and do slurry tests to make sure that they are in a proper pH range.
You SHOULD do runoff tests and slurry tests if you are running in soil-less. As inaccurate as it may seem, the results can clue you in whenever there is an obvious pH problem. They may not show you if the pH is 6.2 or 6.5, but they can give indication when the pH is 4.0 or 8.0!
I have a vegetable garden outside and I am always amazed at how much "stuff" is going on in every scoop of dirt. There are little crawlies and worms and all kinds of pebbles and organic things growing and moving around in it. However, one of the goals of my soil-LESS mix is to avoid getting those same bugs and have a more-or-less "sterile" medium.
My contention is that all the stuff in my garden-dirt is acting to balance and buffer things. Indoors, my soil -less mix has no ability to work that way. I think it's important for growers to realize that they are not going to get a buffered soil from a soil-less mix. Even with added microbes, there isn't going to be the same synergy found in real dirt. As a result, growers using soil-less mixes, should always check their pH runoff and do slurry tests to make sure that they are in a proper pH range.
You SHOULD do runoff tests and slurry tests if you are running in soil-less. As inaccurate as it may seem, the results can clue you in whenever there is an obvious pH problem. They may not show you if the pH is 6.2 or 6.5, but they can give indication when the pH is 4.0 or 8.0!
