Beans Grow Journal- Can't get PH up

That looks like an amended soilless mix to me and I would ph to 5.8. Your working with the higher numbers now is probably good to partially offset the ph you have currently. But you HAVE to get it under control or your crop will suffer.

IMO if it’s got soil in it , it is soil .

I ran 6 gallons of water through it. I’m using water from my pond which is stocked. Gets a lot of fun off when it rains.
Ph going in was 6.5, runoff was 4.2 for the longest. Finally after 5 1/2 gallons it started creeping up. Last runoff was 4.9.
I know it’s not where it needs to be yet but I ran outta time before work.

I’m still gonna say you have a lock out and need a chemical flush. You been useing just water for a long time with no real results. But this is just my opinion.

After reading through this I think I see the problem. If you started with a runoff of 4.2 and after 6 gallons it is only at 4.9 then you have a soil issue. or rather a lack of soil issue.

You will probably never get it any better than that. At least not without amending that mix a little further.

Stop Flushing!

Make a slurry mix of what you are using.

Take a cup of water pH to 6.5 add a Large / heaping tbsp of that soil you created and add it to that water. Stir the mix up good and let it stand 10 minutes, check pH.

My guess it is going to be very low and will need some dolomite lime added to it to raise it up to 5.8

Unfortunately running 6 gallons of water through that pot has probably just about removed any semblance of nutrients out of the soil.

Have you checked the TDS of that runoff? @Beans

That’s a soilless mix @bob31 is right a lack of soil
You should be ph in at 5.8 right
I wasn’t paying attention to what was in front of me, good catch @bob31

I guess if I would have made a journal out of this it would be easier for you guys helping me (which I appreciate.)
I’m just always so busy with other stuff like work, getting ready for bow season, fishing, that I don’t give my plants the full attention they deserve. Y’all are like, “wtf is wrong with this guy!?!?” lol
I can’t smoke bc of work but when I got out of the oilfield and bought a house with some land I wanted to start growing, I’ve just always wanted to. Smoked back in HS up to my early 30’s and had to quit when jobs started quitting me! rambling
So…to better help y’all help me I’ll try to sum up all I’ve done to get to this point.

•So I made the mix and put the seedlings that were in the large jiffy peat pellets in their pots. With mykos.
•Didn’t think the ph would be that low so I just used straight pond water that’s always around 6.5. Also bc of the amendments I didn’t use any nutes for awhile bc I didn’t want to burn em. At the time I just had ph up n down with the liquid ph drops and go off of color. Saw that runoff was low but ‘assumed’ watering with the 6.5 would get it where it needed to be.

•There’s been two rounds of nutes. First was half strength, week or so later was at full strength. This was around the first month of the grow after they were fairly tall.

•Got a ph pen and TDS meter and saw actual numbers. :confounded:
That’s about the time I made this post. Since this post at @bob31 and garrigans suggestion, I bought some lime and added a couple tbsp to soil and watered.


•Checked a couple days later and no change.
•Added a couple more tbsp of lime
1/4 cup FF bat guano
1 c worm castings to the top inch and watered.
•NO CHANGE!!!
• And that gets us to today and the flush.

@bob31 yessir I have a tds meter and I checked that as well when I was doing the flush and you called it right about depleting what I already had in there.

Water from pond is 15ppm going in.
Water from runoff (took 1.5 gal to get runoff) 258ppm
After 3 gal- 276
And then it started dropping.
Last check was around 95ppm.

So that’s where we’re at now. If y’all want to walk away now I won’t blame ya! LOL

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We all have lives @Beans nothing wrong with that. I’m a believer in the journals. They work.

Let’s call this your journal. I can move it for you.

If the lime didn’t raise the pH at all then… I would stick with the 5.8 pH in and give it a couple of weeks to see what happens to the plant. Other than transplanting into a pH’d soil or soiless mix, I’m not sure what else you can do?

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Thanks @bob31, I really do appreciate everyone’s help. Hey I’m not against transplanting it! It’s an auto but with the condition I have it in now, what could it really hurt? You don’t have to answer that one!!!

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as long as it isn’t flowering… Other than those spots on that leaf is there anything else going on? I think you have learned a lot on this grow and all but you know if your out in the row boat and the drain plug pops out you don;t need to abandon ship, you just row back to land, drain the water and go again… this might be sort of like that… I’m not sure where that analogy came from? Could be the Pineapple Express I had after dinner, lol @Beans

:v::+1::grinning:

If you can get this baby to harvest then we will all be happy with and for you! When your succeed so do we! so no pressure.

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It has started flowering but not too far along. Not sure which pic uploaded. One was too big.
And other than the ph and the spots, that’s the only issues. Want to spray something for bugs. Got a grasshopper off today and caterpillars got into a strawberry kush my dad “stole” from me! lol
So I don’t want the big issues with this one.

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Just got home and checked on “plant”, deciding if I should name her! lol

Picked up pot to see how heavy she felt. Felt pretty light. I go a good bit of pertilite in there. Ran my finger in the soil a couple digits down and she felt moist but what I’m wondering @bob31 and anyone else with knowledge, considering I flushed everything out yesterday and her ph was still low, should I feed her with some ph’ d water to replinish what I washed away? Ppm’s were around 90 on the last check.

Most likely she is needing food :shallow_pan_of_food:.

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Although kind of stoned, that about sums up this forum Bob.

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@Beans: you now have a soilless grow.

You need to feed/water like you are growing in coco. Like @bob31 said, ph to 5.8 and start a liquid feeding program as you are in the first transition week of flower. Fox Farms, General Hydroponics and others have nutrient programs available for your use.

I might also suggest that as nice as your plant looks, if you haven’t yet to calibrate your ph meter.

She needs food BADLY!

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I’m gonna echo what @Myfriendis410 said. Feed her!

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Aye aye captain!

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This is what I’m working with.


Started with 6.5ph-15ppm
After nutes- 5.8ph-630ppm. (Used early bloom line)
Runoff was- 4.5ph-260ppm :thinking:

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You should do that on a coco feeding schedule. I use GH and feed daily. Feed, feed, water. I rest one day after plain water before repeating. Everything ph 5.8 after nutes. Plain water ph 5.8. I’m in veg and running 1,420 ppm in on last feeding.

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Well I decided to name my plant after all. Named her SPOT!!! Got in this morning and found these white spots on the leaves.


There’s not many, just trying to decide which route to take.

As far as the brown spots, got some pulverized lime just a bit ago and I’ll add some of that in the morning. I don’t feel the other was fast acting. Still getting a very low ph runoff.

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