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Whitehall Montana

Has anyone ever tried changing there water ph closer to the ph of rain waterwhich I believe to be at 5.4 to 5.5.I know blueberry farmer do this but at even lower ph.

12/1/2013 3:17:06 PM

Western ny

good question ,grower seem to be going to 7.1 to 7.2

12/1/2013 3:29:57 PM

Eurasia

I like to fertigate iron sulfate or citric acid.
When I spray Ca-B, i also add a little iron sulfate to lower pH and viscosity.

12/1/2013 4:10:40 PM

churchville, ny

Slim - a pH 5.4 is fairly acidic with neutral being 7.0. I'm surprised that Montana would be that low.

12/1/2013 9:54:48 PM

Whitehall Montana

I live in the high desert plains,right up against the continental divide,but what I found was an average ph of rain on the computer.Now our city water is at 7.0 but my assumtion is most rain is pretty acid from what i have read,and I know blueberry grower are using acid injectors to keep their water ph at around 4.8 which is best for blueberrys.I was really wondering if watering at a ph,closer to rain would help activate the soil better and release more nutrients to the plants.I did expirement with white vinager last year and it didnt harm the plant,but the plant went down to disease after I went with straight water.

12/1/2013 10:15:04 PM

Mnt.pleasant ,tennessee

Had a old farmer tell me once dont let july rain on your taters.reason was that with less rainfall that time of year that pollution &everything else builds up in atmospere&makes rain more acidic..any one else herd that.

12/2/2013 6:51:00 AM

50 Acres

I believe the atmosphere above you changes daily as the world rotates.

12/2/2013 10:45:14 AM

Mnt.pleasant ,tennessee

But does it change for the better&what about when parts of country &world are getting rain for dayson end.thousand mikes dry as a bone so rain clouds are moving along with rotation.point of my comment is id herd rain ph after dry spell.can change for worst.

12/2/2013 11:35:21 AM

Colorado

Tried lowering the ph a couple of seasons ago.Our city water is 7.6 ph so I dropped it down to 6.8 with sulfuric acid.Also tried phosphoric acid which left a visible residue on my leaves and white vinyl fence.Didnt notice any change in growth(jury's still out on that). Might try citric acid this year and lower to 6.0/6.2 range.

12/2/2013 12:08:52 PM

Anamosa, IA [email protected]

Rain here has been naturally acidic for millions of years, which explains all the caves in the limestone. It also explains why farmers have to put lime on the soil to raise ph. I don't have to add lime because I'm on a road surfaced with crushed limestone and get plenty of dust.

12/2/2013 1:55:28 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

... Last year soil test Ph = 6.9 Just got this years back... back to 7.6 ...

12/2/2013 4:50:11 PM

Eurasia

Oh yes Mr. Grande, you like to grow large amounts of salad for your dinosaurs. Please spray manganese for pollination to also get fruits with that high soil pH and your giant OM.

12/2/2013 5:00:47 PM

Anamosa, IA [email protected]

SkyWiZzzy are you feeding salad to dinosaurs to get manure for your pumpkins?? That is your problem. I get manure from cows and goats that are fed grass, clover, alfalfa and corn. All the dinosaurs left in Iowa was limestone, high ph. Also, you need to give it some time for all that legal Colorado pot smoke to get into your air to sour the rain.

12/2/2013 6:02:57 PM

Torrance, Ca.

Is he really using dinosaur manure?

12/2/2013 6:53:07 PM

Whitehall Montana

A conversation where boots are required

12/2/2013 6:58:41 PM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

Would you muck slurry with this dinosaur manure...and is that manganese spray dressing on the salad?

12/2/2013 11:04:29 PM

churchville, ny

dumblobster - you sure can wreck an intellectual and informative discussion

12/2/2013 11:13:41 PM

Torrance, Ca.

lol Glenn!

12/2/2013 11:48:13 PM

Minnesota

Pumplobster your as fun as a bag of hammers!

12/3/2013 8:20:08 AM

Eurasia

I am h´Ammer, Richard, didn´t you recognise?
But Garry Grande had that old problem with only growing salad, as he said! He used this term.
I gave him some help to fix cations and to lower soil pH...
So he grew his personal bests this year and for a short time Colorado record. He badmouthed me, but I never told a false advice. Nor I would have wrecked any discussion.
Peaple who can not understand my words should not want to badmouth mine immediately.
When Garry Grande raises his soil pH, he must spray manganese, cause all manganese is only available in lower pH substrates and would be completely fixed with his 7.6 and so much OM, as he showed me with his soil tests two years ago.

12/3/2013 10:02:17 AM

Little-TON - Colorado

App recvd Bill... Thanks for joining the RMGVG. Send me Size for your GrowZ'em BIG TeeZ....

My goal is to supply the needed nutrients, fertiliZers and soil amendments that will interact with each other and the soil to create an "energy reaction". The calculation of energy in the soil is not according to what is in the soil, Rather it is according to what is available or is already fully soluble. The plant takes what it needs, we are their stewardZ... I cant wait for next year....

12/3/2013 10:02:18 AM

Anamosa, IA [email protected]

No badmouth intended, pumplobster. Just trying to get a couple laughs.

Back to the topic: to keep the limestone dust from raising my ph too high I have been adding oak leaves and pine needles, both naturally acidic. It is keeping my ph around 7.2. I'm also putting calcium chloride on the road to control the dust.

12/3/2013 10:19:59 AM

Minnesota

Alot of Americans here pumplobster, we'll kick your ass then ask questions:) what makes German beer so good pumpkinlobster? hops? or its just the recipe??

12/3/2013 10:27:37 AM

Little-TON - Colorado

Ludwig,
You had nothing to do with my grow last year. Ron and Paps Wallace tutored me to my successes last year and lotZ of hard work! Just like the Wallaces have done for countless others in this hobby. Your caustic commentZ turned me off a long time ago..so that growerZ dont get confused as you elbow your way to try and obtain credibilty.
This forum tireZ of your retoric.

12/3/2013 10:54:58 AM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

Yes, I've heard of several growers that lower the ph of the water in thier holding tanks before watering...apparently helps the absorbtion rate by the roots. I have never done it, but will be looking into it for next year.

12/3/2013 1:24:46 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

Citric Acid is interesting try Glenn, but hard for me in a field of no electricity. Every year I dump on the elemental S, its hard to believe going from 6.9 to 7.6 without adding any compost, only cover crops...I thought I was making progress...

12/3/2013 1:35:19 PM

Torrance, Ca.

Thanks for clearing that up wiz,,,,,,, I was getting nervous.......

12/3/2013 2:34:25 PM

Paradise Mountain, New York

I use Citrus Acid to lower water Ph. Works great

12/3/2013 3:50:44 PM

Ontario, Canada.

I have used acids for several years to treat my irrigation water to 5.5 pH.

Bi-carbonate problems tie up Calcium in my soil. Treating to 5.5 breaks the chemical bond and releases the tied up calcium back into the soil solution.

12/3/2013 5:13:06 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

To achieve this without electricity and no tank will be a feat....

12/3/2013 5:30:25 PM

Eurasia

Yes Big Kahuna!
When you break up the calcium hydrogen carbonate (trivial bicarbonate), the main nutriet CO2 is released with water and simple ca carbonate edible for the plants.
The release works with higher salinity or acids and higher temperature.
A warm soil is able to carry more ca bicarbonate, and so you can use the CO2 splitting off as a carbo-booster: fertigate acidic in the early afternoon of hot summer days.

12/3/2013 6:10:13 PM

NE Kansas

Those who teach best, make it easy to understand for the target audience. Abstract recitation of confusing technical language merely shows your own lack of understanding.

12/3/2013 7:36:24 PM

Concord, CA.

This season I filtered out the chlorides in the city water that I use and then found the ph higher than I wanted. I then lowered the ph in my holding tank to 7.0 and feel that this gave me better success than last season without the effort.

12/3/2013 8:05:16 PM

Eurasia

Oh D Nelson, do you want to insult me?
I was supervising freshmen forestry engineers in their chemistry practicum but did not know that I had a ban on talking here.
Didn´t I answer well to Big Kanuha´s introduction of that question?
Forum rules should not tolerate your antieducational posting.

12/4/2013 4:39:29 AM

Ontario, Canada.

Well I don't know much about the roll of CO2 after the Ca is released. I do understand the Ca-bicarbonate molecule is alkaline and buffers the soil or makes it resistant to change.

In the Great Lakes region growers often battle ground source irrigation water at pH levels above 8. This water is often described as being hard, however this is not always the case. Hard water does not always contain Bi-Carbonates.

It is best to test irrigation water to accurately determine if treating with acids will help. In my case I live in an area that has water that leaves whitish deposits on plumbing fixtures. This is the Ca-Bicarbonate salt residue that is often left behind. Growers might also see this as a white crust deposit on the surface of indoor potted plants after the water has evaporated.

I have tried to educate growers in my area for several years. It has been an uphill road in that folks do not understand that you need to treat the water down to 5.5 to free the Ca from the molecule. Any level above this does not work.`

I have been tank mixing foliar and drench sprays this way for years. First I add water then I add the acids and bring it down to 5.5 pH then I my add supplements. I use a Hanna pH pen to check as well. You really need to do it this order or you will face buffering issue that make the tank mix very resistant to change.

12/4/2013 6:14:33 AM

Ontario, Canada.

Calcium carbonate is insoluble in water and is extremely stable as a solid. Normally irrigation water doesn't have sufficient solvating capability to cause the ions to separate and come into solution.

What happens in treated what is that the salt reacts with the acid to form a soluble salt. The salt then begins to dissolve in the water. This happens better at 5.5 or below but begins around 6.2.

Examples include Blackboard chalk, limestone, and sea shells are composed Ca-Bicarbonates. None of these substances are soluble in water.

Therefore in your soil the Ca is tied up and not available for uptake by roots. I learned this the hard way. After a few years of growing big fruit that either split or went light to chart I searched for a reason why. I understood that genetics was not the cause and that something else was happening to my plants.

12/4/2013 6:36:55 AM

Anamosa, IA [email protected]

You may be onto something, Kahuna, We normally don't have to irrigate because we usually get adequate to surplus rain. But with the drought last year we had to water a lot and our pumpkins went light. Our water has a lot of lime in it, coming right out of limestone aquifer. We also have a lot of iron in our water, probably from the glaciers bringing in iron ore from Minnesota. Rain filters through the glacial drift and picks up iron. Will iron have an effect on ph?

12/4/2013 8:41:44 AM

Torrance, Ca.

Thanks for explaining stuff so normal people can understand Russ.

Looks like this will be one of my winter projects :)

12/4/2013 9:27:49 AM

Little-TON - Colorado

Thanks Russ

12/4/2013 10:11:16 AM

Ontario, Canada.

Without water life is not possible and without rain water land dwelling plants would be nearly impossible to grow. From a pristine chemical point of view, water, H2O, is a pure compound, but in reality, you seldom drink, see, touch or let alone irrigate with pure water. Water from all kinds of various sources contains dissolved gases, minerals, organic and inorganic substances.

Rain water works so well because mainly it allows for exchange and its components do not enter the soil and bind up anions.

We have all seen this in nature. Irrigating your lawn in a drought is very effective in keeping the grass growing. However the rainfall allows it to green up real fast, in fact this occurs in a few hours as the deep green color
reappears.

In a sense the soils Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC)or its ability to move nutrients is altered in the short term. Suddenly anions become exchangeable and soil has the ability to hold onto nutrients and prevent them from leaching beyond the roots or locked away.

The more cation exchange capacity a soil has, the more likely the soil will have a higher fertility level. When combined with other measures of soil fertility, CEC is the best indicator of soil quality and productivity.

However untreated water laden with Bi-carbs effectively lowers CEC for certain anions like Ca. As a result treated water or natural rainwater is often better for plant growth provided from increased exchange of the nutrients that plants need.

This is not for ever grower nor for every region. The best way is to determine your local soil and water quality conditions firstly by consulting your lab.

12/4/2013 10:43:16 AM

Ontario, Canada.

We used to say here at BP to newbies > in order to treat a new patch growers should consider soil pH issues first then treat the rest afterwards. The reason is after you throw into your patches reams of organic matter you are changing its buffer capacity (resistance to change).

Wasted effort in my book is the result of adding OM without considering irrigation water quality as second issue. Therefore I suggest to all growers that this should be your next concern when establishing a new patch area. Why would you waste all your efforts and labour to modify your soil with reams of OM only to discover that with every irrigation event you are effecting sequestering Ca, B, Mg and other macro and other vital plant micro nutrients.

I bet 99% of growers here have done this very thing. Now each faces the challenges that come with heavy OM soils that have high CEC. At first look the soil test report after a few years would look amazing good. But has that soil and patch produced a big pumpkin? Without a lot of effort I would say know if you have a Bi-carb issue.

12/4/2013 11:04:30 AM

Whitehall Montana

From what I gather,citric acid,vinegar,and such is temporary and if over applied,can be washed out of the soil rather quickly,Where as sulfuric acid would be more permanet.This really has to be done right the first time because if mixed wrong,somes 1 season would be over before it gets started.

12/4/2013 11:05:02 AM

Ontario, Canada.

Slim No, not really and not all. Any acid can be used to lower water pH. I treat all my drenches with treated water. It is not real practical unless you install a pre treatment acid pump in your irrigation supply system. It is commonly done in golf course systems but my situation is not cost effective for me.

There are products that you could use that may perform better. You need a lot more vinegar to move pH than sulfuric acid.

Here in Ontario I have used a product called Eximo.
"Eximo is an acid replacement soil conditioner powered by SynTech, a patented synthetic acid which is non-corrosive, non-fuming, safe for plants and grass, and 100% biodegradable. Eximo helps repair soils affected by the harmful accumulation of minerals and sodium. Eximo is designed to be sprayed directly onto turf to solubilize normally insoluble mineral deposits, allowing water and nutrients to move freely through the soil so they are readily available to plant roots. Regular use will also lower bicarbonate, soil sodium and calcium carbonate levels and improve soil structure, nutrient availability and general plant health."

http://www.growercentral.com/content/eximo-soil-recovery-turf-spray

12/4/2013 12:00:12 PM

Whitehall Montana

Big Kahuna Thankyou for the info,I go by alot of by guess and by golly,but if I dont ask I dont know.Thanks again.

12/4/2013 12:45:59 PM

Eurasia

@ Iowegian
If your "lot of lime" really is much "bicarbonate", then would be phosphoric acid the right thing for your soil fully laden with iron.
Please Mr. Garry Grande, do you accept that in this context my advice to use the heaviest organic acid oxalic acid was the write thing for your patches.

12/4/2013 4:49:23 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

Never opened it up, I went to JEDI training and learned the ways of the Jedi from Master Yoda...

12/4/2013 5:30:10 PM

Eurasia

Ca(HCO3)2(aq) → CO2(gas) + H2O(l) + CaCO3
That´s the formula for my advice to fertigation in the warmer soil. And I thank Slim for another new thread about soil warming: a warmer soil helps the plants to free Ca and CO2 from the "bicarbonate".
Big Kahuma, you have the capacity to become an expert for tutoring this theme.
What do you think about a soil with only only 67% base saturation, when there is enough calcium ´cause it´s fixed in clay? I have to handle this soil now in Kentucky for the next year. The grower does not want to add dolomite, but I say, that with his pretty low Mg and a H+ (hydrogen) saturation of 34% CEC the through acids released Ca would cause an imbalance, so that magnesium lacks and roots can´t fight the high raising clay under the thin silty loam.
How would you handle that dramatically risen H+ in the far too low CEC, pH 6.3 (CaCl) and very low OM. I already know what to add next year, but it´s also a fine exercise for you to solve such problems.

12/4/2013 5:46:41 PM

Eurasia

Ca(HCO3)2(aq) -^- CO2(g) + H2O(1) + CaCO3
I have no long arrow and so copied wiki first with that stupid numbers inbetween.

12/4/2013 5:51:47 PM

Eurasia

Mr. Grande, how did you lower your soil pH then so effectively? I think that you have awfully well used oxalic acid, but you never would say a thank to me.
By the way: why didn´t you send the seeds from other growers to me for the 2012 season, after you told them you would do that job and they could save freight costs?

12/4/2013 6:04:10 PM

Anamosa, IA [email protected]

Its my water that's high in iron, not the soil. My water comes from limestone/dolomite aquifer that is covered with pre-Illinoisan glacial till, erosional sediments, loess and decent topsoil in most areas. My garden is in a valley that has been eroded 80' deeper than present on at least one occasion and flooded 40' deep when the Illinoisan glacier plugged up the Mississippi River 250,000 years ago. That valley is now filled with layers of clayey sand, clean sand and topped with 4' to 6' of silt with a little sand mixed in. Soil tests show the iron level is OK, lime is rated as high with a potential sealing problem,(from the road dust) ph 7.2 calcium a little low but Western Labs does not recommend any more lime or gypsum. I'm sure not going to be pouring acid on my soil. If I determine that my well water is a problem, I can always pump water from the creek. That water filters through the watershed's topsoil but not the glacial till that has the iron. It should be warmer (even though the creek once had trout in it) as well as having less lime.

12/4/2013 6:53:28 PM

Eurasia

Sorry Iowegian, I should have 10-4 earlier, and I thought too much Ten Eleven. English is not my first language, and sometimes I do not memorize all I read a minute before.
I would like to understand your problem: does your soil suffer the "bicarbonate-sealing" underneath the horizon of your rotor tiller? And top soil is lower than 65% Ca in CEC?

12/4/2013 8:04:23 PM

Anamosa, IA [email protected]

maybe I will post soil test later for comments, Calcium-% of CEC is 78

12/4/2013 9:11:50 PM

Deer Park, WI

As a complement to the wealth of wisdom Russ has shared, having just finished another class on soil fertility, I remain convinced that we should be shooting for soil pH levels of 6.5-6.8. It is in this slightly acidic, fairly tight range that the entire spectrum of micro and macro nutrients are most available to the plant roots.

Acidification of irrigation water can be employed as a means to rapidly impact local pH levels. However, I would not advise novices to dump in powerful acids with the hopes of effecting significant change.

Regarding Slim's question on acid types and retention, chemistry shows us acids can be broke into two simple categories: weak acids (citric, vinegar) and strong acids (sulfuric, hydrochloric). While I cannot speak on their "retention", strong acids are far more effective at adjusting soil pH whereas weak acids will have only a minimal effect. This is because hydrogen molecule on sulfuric acid very quickly detaches from the sulfuric portion and attaches itself to clay and OM. Hydrogen=acidity. With vinegar, the hydrogen doesn't detach as rapidly, if at all. Thus, it is only weakly acidic. You need hydrogen to detach to change pH. As such, sulfuric acid is the strongest, most effective acid we can safely put on soil. Not to mention, the sulfuric by-product can be put to use by microorganisms.

12/4/2013 10:11:54 PM

Deer Park, WI

It has been fascinating to learn that EPA regulations on power plants have significantly altered the acidity of rainwater in the US, particularly the midwest. By virtue of mandating scrubbers that remove sulfur emissions into the air, the concentration of sulfuric acid in rainwater (acid rain) has dropped significantly.

In fact, so significantly that soil pH is slowly increasing and soil sulfur levels are slowly depleting on an agricultural scale. While this has a positive impact on watershed quality, it is seemingly having a negative effect on soils that would benefit from increased acidity and sulfur content. Intriguing debate.

12/4/2013 10:15:15 PM

Whitehall Montana

Joze this fall my soil ph was at 7.8 and I added 1 lb aluminum sulfate per 100 square ft as the bag said this would drop the ph 1 full point.A later test shows it at 7.6 ph,so no significant drop.What would you suggest I do about it in the spring so as to get closer to 6.8 but wont harm the pumpkins.I have added 800 lbs cow and rabbit pooand 10 bags leafs as well.This is in a 469 sq ft plot.

12/4/2013 11:22:57 PM

Menomonie, WI ([email protected])

Slim give it time to take effect...soil is a complex mass...results will not occur overnight.

12/5/2013 7:27:10 AM

Eurasia

Slim, you should use an organic instead of mineral acids.
When i gave this advice to Garry Grande too two years ago, I could not think, that he would be an amateur and a Voodooist.
I don´t want to give professional advices to potheads.

12/5/2013 7:52:33 AM

Minnesota

So yuh just nail someone pump? call him a pothead? there are pot heads 10 times smarter then you pump!

12/5/2013 8:24:07 AM

Whitehall Montana

So just garden sulfer should be used here.I grew 2 gp in this spot over summer,one went 415 lb the other was an alien looking bugger.Was looking for a quick fix for spring but went the wrong route.I have 2 herniated disc and a cracked vertabrae so try to go the easy route for everything.I will check the ph this spring and come to think of it,it hasnt rained since I tilled it in the first we of October,so it really hasnt got a chance to work yet.

12/5/2013 9:59:02 AM

Anamosa, IA [email protected]

Wizzy, have you checked the NRCS soil survey for your county? I suggest getting the whole report book and studying it. It will have lots of information on how your soils were formed, and it might give you a clue as to why the ph keeps going up. It might be because of some naturally occurring mineral in your soils. I know that your east slope soils are totally different than our eastern Iowa soils. The local USADA service center may be able to give you a copy of the report if they still have some. They probably gave copies to the local libraries as well. You can get the map and all of the tables on the NRCS Web Soil Survey, but the narratives in the report are valuable tools as well.

12/5/2013 11:29:36 AM

Little-TON - Colorado

~knock knock
*who is it?
~It's WiZZzy
*WiZzzy not here man...
~no man, its me, WizZzy...I got the stuff open the door
*I told you, WiZZzy's not here man!!

12/5/2013 11:32:41 AM

Whitehall Montana

Wiz this is Dave im not here man.

12/5/2013 11:42:57 AM

Little-TON - Colorado

Over the last two years I have read and studied a lot...Carey Reams, Albrecht,Skow, Landry, Wallace.... Soil Minerals.com... I have learned that many Colorado soils are naturally high in lime (calcium carbonate and other calcium compounds) driving the soil pH above 7.5. K is quite abundant as well which ties up my Ca. I have dropped my K levels now down to 800 PPM which once was over 2500. Last year my AG tissue tests showed a even balance across the tests... no defecienies which boggled my mind...but produced my biggest ever... Cant wait to see how this year growZ.... Balance... most important in life.... I also follow US Acres.. Now making my own bio-char..

12/5/2013 11:44:05 AM

Eurasia

Have another knock: Did you lower K with oxalic acid, as I recommended?

12/5/2013 4:31:34 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

Never opened it up, I went to JEDI training and learned the ways of the Jedi from Master Yoda..

12/5/2013 4:54:40 PM

Anamosa, IA [email protected]

SkyWiZzzy, I have been looking into biochar as well. Some of the research that I read credits the char left behind after prairie fires for developing Iowa's black prairie soils with high carbon content that doesn't break down quickly. I have timber soil and lack the carbon. But I also read that biochar raises ph. I have used wood ashes for potash but I don't like the ph increase they cause. Do you have some insight into biochar in use in high ph soils?

12/5/2013 6:21:30 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

I tested some out last year in the patch... so this year thought I'd make my own. US Acres has a great article this month. ItZ a whole new science using sea water to microniZe to allow water ions and microbes to penetrate the char making it a hotel for microbes, minerals and needed nutrientZ in a high efficiency target system.... Sea Water adjusted Ph 6.5 with all those trace elementZ extinguish, moisten, Fracture, Scour the char....add minerals and TE as well but... Here you go customiZe it to your patch... S, Mn, Mg,... what did the soil test say we needed?? But we're not done...

12/5/2013 8:13:40 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

Microbial Innoculation.... Liquid Myco....Mo to come....

12/5/2013 8:16:35 PM

Ontario, Canada.

One point I need to clear up is that treating irrigation water to pH 5.5 is not the same as treating your soil pH. The two are entirely different animals.

The discussion is primarily treating water not soil. I have found that if bicarbonate and/or carbonate levels are high these ions react with calcium and magnesium locking it away or tie it up in the soil forming insoluble calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate(lime)raising pH.

There are many other ways to adjust soil pH that are more cost effective and work better and that is another whole ball game. Please do not adjust your soil pH to 6.8 and expect the result to be increased Ca availability. This Doesn't work that way folks.

12/6/2013 6:20:34 PM

Ontario, Canada.

Gary do you have a link to that article?
thanks
Russ

12/6/2013 6:23:45 PM

Fairmont Hot Springs, B.C. Canada

Is anyone an ultra advanced grower on here using ph/ppm digital meters, high quality liquid nutrients, humic/ fulvic acids, bloom boosters, hydrogen peroxide, vitamins and hormones. Just wondering if anyone has a feeding chart if using these kind of high quality foods. Anyone try growing a hydroponic pumpkin in a 55 gallon rain barrel? I know using more advanced and higher quality nutrients with additives can make the world of difference. As for ph in an advance setting I generally use 6.3 to 6.5 ph adjusted water to feed in veg and usually 6 to 6.2 in flower with droping to 5.7-5.8 at the end of bloom. By controling your oh you control your uptake. The higher the ph the more N you will intake and the lower oh will allow better uptake of p and k.

11/5/2014 9:10:22 PM

Fairmont Hot Springs, B.C. Canada

Is anyone an ultra advanced grower on here using ph/ppm digital meters, high quality liquid nutrients, humic/ fulvic acids, bloom boosters, hydrogen peroxide, vitamins and hormones. Just wondering if anyone has a feeding chart if using these kind of high quality foods. Anyone try growing a hydroponic pumpkin in a 55 gallon rain barrel? I know using more advanced and higher quality nutrients with additives can make the world of difference. As for ph in an advance setting I generally use 6.3 to 6.5 ph adjusted water to feed in veg and usually 6 to 6.2 in flower with droping to 5.7-5.8 at the end of bloom. By controling your oh you control your uptake. The higher the ph the more N you will intake and the lower oh will allow better uptake of p and k.

11/5/2014 9:23:43 PM