Spending too much money on PH base.

Hello everyone, although this is my first post I am no stranger to these types of forums. I have been digging through countless threads to find every bit of information on growing the greatest plant in the world. After 3 unsuccessful grows due to my own mistakes I have finally reached the flowering process! Everything is going great and I can't wait to smoke my own bud. Anyways, enough blabbering... I have been using fox farms tiger bloom for my flowering nutes measured for 5 gallons of water. I am also using a ratio of 1:3 of ph base to nutes. For example I am currently using 21 teaspoons of FFTB for 5 gallons of water and 7 teaspoons of General Hydroponics PH base. Is this right? It doesn't seem so to me. My PH ends up around 6.5. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Also here are some pics of my grow. I am not opposed to any suggestions on my plant either.

I think what you are using is pH Down, right? When you say Base, I think of pH Up, which moves your solution to the Base, or above 7.0.

Try another brand of pH Down. The recipes result in different strengths. The GH brand uses a combination of Phosphoric Acid and Citric Acid. I prefer a straight Phosphoric Acid solution. Grow More brand uses a 30% Phosphoric Acid solution so you don't have to use as much to get the same result.

Why are you treating a soil grow as hydro? Doesn't make a lot of sense, but the plant does look good.

Did you lime the soil? That would eliminate the need for any pH adjustments with one application.

Just curious.

Wet

Yeah, if you want to save money don't use those nutrients in soil. Your wasting your money. Instead, get a cheap organic fertilizer in dry form. Work it into the soil before you transplant. Seven bucks, no pH'ing required and you'll probably get even better results, since most of your nutrients are draining past the root zone.

Take a look at my plants. I took this pic earlier this week. The Sativa in the background hasn't been given any fertilizer. That's all organic soil it's feeding on. The one front and center, that's a hybrid (OG #1. I fed it twice using Kellogg Organic All Purpose Fertilizer at 1/4th the recommended strength. I didn't even put it in the ground as early as I wanted, but it still grew a decent size.

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Thanks alot guys for straightening me out on some of this. This is a first for me planting straight in the ground, in the past I've always used buckets. Vindicated those buds look tasty!! Wetdog I didn't know that ph'ing your water was just for hydro. And yes I have dolomite lime on top of the soil. So you guys think I dont even need to worry about the ph of my water? That would be one less thing to worry about. Anyway shape or form I'm gonna keep workin with what I got and apply some of these suggestions to my next grow. If i did use a dry fert would I use 10-10-10 or what?

Oh and by the way do plants really start putting there weight on in the last few weeks or are my buds gonna be a little scrawny.
I know the pics arent the best. They are in about the 4th week of flowering.

You are wasting your time pHing your water. The soil will bring the pH of the water to that of the surrounding soil. Wet and Vindicated are right on. Get some Espoma BioTone or PlantTone and scratch that in the top few inches of soil around the base of each plant.
Yes, they'll fatten up a lot toward the end.

Jack Harer said:

You are wasting your time pHing your water. The soil will bring the pH of the water to that of the surrounding soil. Wet and Vindicated are right on. Get some Espoma BioTone or PlantTone and scratch that in the top few inches of soil around the base of each plant.
Yes, they'll fatten up a lot toward the end.

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Thank you. My main advice: KISS. I cringe hearing those new or those interested "I'm checking my pH" while growing in soil. Grown since 1964 and bought my first pH meter just last month - for the DWC hydro systems I built. Period. If other plants will grow in it, especially near it outside, the pH is probably fine.

It's amazing out of all the information that I have read I have never learned this. Thanks alot