To PH or not to PH - Organic Growing

Hi guys, I'm a new grower, as a matter of fact i'm on my first grow. I'm using Roots Organic soil, i've been trying to find out whether or not I should be PHing my water and my feed. As a completely new grower, I didn't truly understand what it meant to be Organic, I just wanted to grow some cannabis and heard Roots Organic was great soil. After doing alot of reading about Organic growing, I'm starting to understand some of it.

There are still a ton of things that confuse me, like whether you should PH your feed/water. I'm getting mixed reviews, some say yes you must absolutely PH your water and your feed. I've been doing this, using PH up and down with Roots Organic soil. Then I read elsewhere that using PH up and down with organic soil is very bad, as it kills the microorganisms in your soil.

What exactly should I be doing here? My tap water which sits out for a few days to become dechloronated runs up to around 7.8-8 PH. Alot of orgranic growers are saying the microbes will adjust the solution.

I'm about 35-40 days in on my first grow and have been using PH up and down religiously to adjust my alk tap water and acidic nute feed.

I fed my plants a steady 6.5 ph feed solution with some vermi T and the runoff came out at like 5. I've never fed it anything under 6.5 up to now, not sure why my PH would be off.

Phaq ph dole lime or oyster shell flour will regulate ph

Finished my by far best cycle ever a few months ago, on organic, and did not measure or adjust PH even once. Frankly on non-organic soil grows it's not nearly as important as most people seem to think either...but you're not supposed to use regular ph- and ph+ in living soil.

dictate said:

not sure why my PH would be off.

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Same reason that causes PH to be off in many many soil grows: because the grower attempts to steer/control it in the first place.

So if I add all my organic nutrients and the PH is at 4.8, this is OK to put in?

My Nute mix is

30 ML Vermi T (suggested dosage is 75 ML per gallon)
5 ML Buddha Grow (as per week 4 of the master feed schedule)
5 ML Trinity (as per week 4 of the master feed schedule)
5 ML General Organics CALMG+
5 ML Buddha Bloom (as per week 5 of the master feed schedule)
and 3 ML Bud Candy

and the PH was 4.9-5

hyroot said:

Phaq ph dole lime or oyster shell flour will regulate ph

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Do I just add that up top on the soil ? I'm already mid grow. How much should I add of each for 3 gallon pots.

dictate said:

So if I add all my organic nutrients and the PH is at 4.8, this is OK to put in?

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Normally I'd say yes, don't even bother measuring the PH of it, but since you are "about 35-40 days in on [your] first grow and have been using PH up and down religiously"... Besides hoping for more replies from more experienced organic growers, I would probably flush it first with that tap water (mine is similar btw, 7.3-7.7) to try and raise the PH a little, and from then on stop adjusting it.

funny, i started a thread very similar to this in the past....

mix up a proper ACT, give it to all your ladies, and then feed them straight tap water from now on (assuming you have a method to remove chlorine/chloramine).

you can keep using the roots nutrients if you want, but when I was using roots nutrients + roots soil I didn't get the results I wanted....the nutrients don't seem to add much IMO.

you'd be much better off topdressing with quality vermicompost (don't bother if it's poor quality) although that will take a few weeks to become incorporated into the soil and available to your plants.

are you 35-40 days into veg or into flower? cause if youre that deep into flower its a bit late for a topdress this cycle...

what are your plans for next cycle? and you got any pics?

a sprinkle of oyster shell flour on the top of each pot couldn't hurt...although again probably not going to do much if you are late into flower.

Sativied said:

Normally I'd say yes, don't even bother measuring the PH of it, but since you are "about 35-40 days in on [your] first grow and have been using PH up and down religiously"... Besides hoping for more replies from more experienced organic growers, I would probably flush it first with that tap water (mine is similar btw, 7.3-7.7) to try and raise the PH a little, and from then on stop adjusting it.

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I just fed them, I will have to wait a few days and will give them a good watering of tap water minus the ph up and down this time. See if I can get the microbes kicking agian

Cann said:

funny, i started a thread very similar to this in the past....

mix up a proper ACT, give it to all your ladies, and then feed them straight tap water from now on (assuming you have a method to remove chlorine/chloramine).

you can keep using the roots nutrients if you want, but when I was using roots nutrients + roots soil I didn't get the results I wanted....the nutrients don't seem to add much IMO.

you'd be much better off topdressing with quality vermicompost (don't bother if it's poor quality) although that will take a few weeks to become incorporated into the soil and available to your plants.

are you 35-40 days into veg or into flower? cause if youre that deep into flower its a bit late for a topdress this cycle...

what are your plans for next cycle? and you got any pics?

a sprinkle of oyster shell flour on the top of each pot couldn't hurt...although again probably not going to do much if you are late into flower.

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Your thread was the actual thread I found last night when googling this topic haha... I did reply to it.

I have VermiT and some other nutes I dropped in there, I might have to flush first, then reapply in the next few days.

This is my grow right here: https://www.rollitup.org/general-marijuana-growing/643503-my-1st-grow-constructive-criticism.html

I'm growing 5 autos and 1 photo at the moment. And the autos are about 35 days in.

oh yeah and ditch the bud candy!

go pick up some kelp meal...you'll thank me later

edit: and not from a hydro store - check out local feed/farm stores or nurseries - same product, 1/2 the price.

i grow organic n ive never worried about ph

I'm in the minority around here and pH my organic gardens. Having said this, I do not pH like a hydro grower does. I check my soils once every 3-4 weeks or when I see a problem start to arise and I do not use any up or down. If things get out of whack for one reason or another, I add different amendments either top dressing or in teas that will naturally get the pH of the soil back on track.

Also guys, DOLOMITE LIME DOES NOT BUFFER PH. Dolomite lime slowly raises pH. If you live in an area that has acidic soil, or most of your amendments are acidic, then this can be somewhat of a pH buffer of sorts for your grow. Our soil here in N. TX. sits on top of a huge limestone shelf and is NOT acidic - nor is our water, this makes dolomite lime is a BAD choice to "buffer soil" down here. When talking to new growers, please be careful about blanket statements. We want to breed successful growers to over grow our governments and their stupid policies toward natural medical remedies.

Whether you decide to pH or not is your choice. I would still keep a pH meter around in case of problems. Seems most problems I encounter in local gardens are related to exactly that. While our micro life will buffer the soil to some extent, what we add to our soils will effect the soil's pH and what grows well in that soil. I personally want marijuana to grow well in my pots and my various fruits, vegetables, and herbs to grow in the beds I put them in - not all of them do well in the same types of soil.

Cann said:

oh yeah and ditch the bud candy!

go pick up some kelp meal...you'll thank me later

edit: and not from a hydro store - check out local feed/farm stores or nurseries - same product, 1/2 the price.

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Thanks, my plants probably have another 4-5 weeks before chop. Would it be worthwhile to sprinkle some on top In the next few days? Or just wait to add it to my soil on my next grow?

AliCakes said:

I'm in the minority around here and pH my organic gardens. Having said this, I do not pH like a hydro grower does. I check my soils once every 3-4 weeks or when I see a problem start to arise and I do not use any up or down. If things get out of whack for one reason or another, I add different amendments either top dressing or in teas that will naturally get the pH of the soil back on track.

Also guys, DOLOMITE LIME DOES NOT BUFFER PH. Dolomite lime slowly raises pH. If you live in an area that has acidic soil, or most of your amendments are acidic, then this can be somewhat of a pH buffer of sorts for your grow. Our soil here in N. TX. sits on top of a huge limestone shelf and is NOT acidic - nor is our water, this makes dolomite lime is a BAD choice to "buffer soil" down here. When talking to new growers, please be careful about blanket statements. We want to breed successful growers to over grow our governments and their stupid policies toward natural medical remedies.

Whether you decide to pH or not is your choice. I would still keep a pH meter around in case of problems. Seems most problems I encounter in local gardens are related to exactly that. While our micro life will buffer the soil to some extent, what we add to our soils will effect the soil's pH and what grows well in that soil. I personally want marijuana to grow well in my pots and my various fruits, vegetables, and herbs to grow in the beds I put them in - not all of them do well in the same types of soil.

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Thanks for clarifying. That makes sense. Seems though that roots organic naturally runs acidic. I think around 5.5 supposedly. Is there a quick way to tell if my microlife is ok? Do organic nutrients replenish these microorganisms?

Cann said:

oh yeah and ditch the bud candy!

go pick up some kelp meal...you'll thank me later

edit: and not from a hydro store - check out local feed/farm stores or nurseries - same product, 1/2 the price.

Click to expand...

the kelp meal at the nursuries in so cal are 2 - 3 times more than the hydro shop. the whole trend now of every one growing their own veggies and what not. the non mj growers mostly think hydro shops are for mj and so they all hit up the nurseries. The nurseries make a killing. the one down the street sell ffof for $23 a bag and roots for $26 where every hydro shop sells both of those for $13. there are some things that are cheaper at nurseries like perlite and compost.

If you are not adding a bunch of salts and keep your soil filled with organics to feed them, it should keep your dirt's micro life thriving. Since almost everything you add is acidic....add something basic to your soil that SLOWLY breaks down.

As long as your organic amendments are not sterilized, the answer is yes, they are full of micro life and the easiest way to add them to your grow. If they have been sterilized - add them back in. Mycorrhizal fungi and beneficial bacteria products like Great White are available.....or make your own cultures. For instructions: www.prokashi.com/videos It's very easy and very cheap.

I think Cann has even said he put his spent mushroom bedding in his soil for this reason. Generally speaking, fungi bring soil pH up and bacteria bring it down. This has to do with how the micro organisms convert different forms of nitrogen between Nitrite, Nitrate, and Ammonia. Neither is better, you want a balance of both. The more you learn about soil biology, the more it will amaze you. I promise!

Finally, if you want to check on your micro life: nematodes, springtails, beneficial mites, etc. can be seen easily with a $10 handheld microscope found at Radio Shack and most hobby stores. Bacteria will be harder to see. Fungi show themselves as a white fuzz growing in your soil near the root systems of the plants like the pic below.



While the hydro shops have their place, I agree they are way over priced. An example, a mycro product I bought from the hydro store a year ago cost me $85 for a 16 oz bottle. I went to a local organics shop last week and an almost identical product was $11.99 for a 12 oz bottle. Sad but true.

Sorry, I can get long winded. It's the teacher in me....I can't help it.

AliCakes said:

Sorry, I can get long winded. It's the teacher in me....I can't help it.

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Never apologize bro, you brought good info.

To further the discussion I have never worried about PH when growing with multiple lines / organic products... tap no tap etc

As long as you aren't feeding your plants crazy amounts of chlorine/minerals from a bad tap source or an abundance of synthetics you should be fine


Also don't know if this has been mentioned but the order in which you are mixing your nutes and how you do it is of some importance.... you will want to add in some of the high / low ph stuff like CalMag / Silicate / fulvicand humic to your water before you add in the stuff that is alive (like your teas and nutrients made of guano or ewc) ... an abrupt ph swing will kill off some of those beneficials... this is why you will always want to make sure these things are diluted first in your water solution prior to adding the stuff that is alive

I don't use salt based cal mags or any of that stuff. Most waterings I am a ro water and molasses kind of lady. My soil is fed thru top dressings a few times a grow and I use teas when needs show up. I am a true believer in keeping it simple.