What about the PH control scheme for growing marijuana in grow tents?
WHAT IS PH?
pH is a measure of how acidic or alkaline something is. The pH scale ranges from 1–14, with a pH of 7 being neutral (the pH of pure water). If pH is lower than 7, a substance is considered acidic (think vinegar or lemon juice). If the pH is higher than 7, the substance is alkaline, as is the case with soaps, bleach, and ammonia.
In more scientific terms, pH level has to do with the concentration of hydrogen ions, say in the water you give to your plants. The pH scale is logarithmic to the base 10, which means that water with a pH of 6 is already 10x more acidic than water with a pH of 7.
The importance of the right pH
Plants use certain nutrients from the soil in order to grow and flower, such as nitrogen, phosphor, iron and magnesium. These nutrients behave differently in different pH levels. This is because the pH determines what the chemical compounds of those nutrients will do; fall apart into smaller pieces or dissolve.
You can compare it with calcium in tap water. If the water is cold, you won’t see it at all, and it’s completely dissolved. But as soon as you boil it, the solubility decreases and it precipitates. Or when you mix dissolved calcium with dissolved magnesium, it precipitates and turns into gypsum.
pH on the Range
Substrate pH is important to plant nutrition because it directly impacts plant nutrient availability.
Substrate pH levels below 5.0 result in increased micronutrient availability that can lead to iron (Fe) toxicity or manganese (Mn) toxicity, or both. Symptoms of Fe toxicity and Mn toxicity may appear as black speckling on older leaves (observed with zinnias or gerbera) or as bronzing (observed with marigolds or seed geraniums). While some crops display low pH symptoms on lower leaves, others may only display low pH through stunted growth, as is the case with poinsettias.
ADJUSTING PH In Grow Tent
Altering pH in your indoor grow tent used to be a delicate process, put it has become much easier with the introduction of specific cannabis pH kits to the market. There are even a few kits that adjust pH automatically!
Some old-school hacks we like to use to adjust water pH:
pH up - to make water more alkaline, dissolve garden lime in your water. Take it easy until you find the amount that works for you per litre.
pH down - to make water more acidic, use white vinegar. What? I hear you scream, vinegar! But for real, it works a treat.
While correcting pH, it is a good time to flush your plants out with some of your newly corrected water, helping bring the soil to level.
It is a good idea to do this with oxygenated water prior to the cannabis grow lights going off, giving the plants a night time boost that mimics nature. Taking oxygen in at the roots and creating more root mass.
Conclusion
The pH levels at the root zone of your cannabis plant play a massive role in how well your marijuana takes on nutrients and minerals and how easily they are made available to it.
Whilst pH levels are important to all marijuana growers, hydro growers need to be more in control of pH than soil growers.
Monitoring pH levels should become part of your regular plant maintenance routine.
It is easy to adjust pH levels with pH Up and pH Down formulas. All adjustments should be done slowly and gently to avoid large pH fluctuations which can stress your plant.
pH is a measure of how acidic or alkaline something is. The pH scale ranges from 1–14, with a pH of 7 being neutral (the pH of pure water). If pH is lower than 7, a substance is considered acidic (think vinegar or lemon juice). If the pH is higher than 7, the substance is alkaline, as is the case with soaps, bleach, and ammonia.
In more scientific terms, pH level has to do with the concentration of hydrogen ions, say in the water you give to your plants. The pH scale is logarithmic to the base 10, which means that water with a pH of 6 is already 10x more acidic than water with a pH of 7.
The importance of the right pH
Plants use certain nutrients from the soil in order to grow and flower, such as nitrogen, phosphor, iron and magnesium. These nutrients behave differently in different pH levels. This is because the pH determines what the chemical compounds of those nutrients will do; fall apart into smaller pieces or dissolve.
You can compare it with calcium in tap water. If the water is cold, you won’t see it at all, and it’s completely dissolved. But as soon as you boil it, the solubility decreases and it precipitates. Or when you mix dissolved calcium with dissolved magnesium, it precipitates and turns into gypsum.
pH on the Range
Substrate pH is important to plant nutrition because it directly impacts plant nutrient availability.
Substrate pH levels below 5.0 result in increased micronutrient availability that can lead to iron (Fe) toxicity or manganese (Mn) toxicity, or both. Symptoms of Fe toxicity and Mn toxicity may appear as black speckling on older leaves (observed with zinnias or gerbera) or as bronzing (observed with marigolds or seed geraniums). While some crops display low pH symptoms on lower leaves, others may only display low pH through stunted growth, as is the case with poinsettias.
ADJUSTING PH In Grow Tent
Altering pH in your indoor grow tent used to be a delicate process, put it has become much easier with the introduction of specific cannabis pH kits to the market. There are even a few kits that adjust pH automatically!
Some old-school hacks we like to use to adjust water pH:
pH up - to make water more alkaline, dissolve garden lime in your water. Take it easy until you find the amount that works for you per litre.
pH down - to make water more acidic, use white vinegar. What? I hear you scream, vinegar! But for real, it works a treat.
While correcting pH, it is a good time to flush your plants out with some of your newly corrected water, helping bring the soil to level.
It is a good idea to do this with oxygenated water prior to the cannabis grow lights going off, giving the plants a night time boost that mimics nature. Taking oxygen in at the roots and creating more root mass.
Conclusion
The pH levels at the root zone of your cannabis plant play a massive role in how well your marijuana takes on nutrients and minerals and how easily they are made available to it.
Whilst pH levels are important to all marijuana growers, hydro growers need to be more in control of pH than soil growers.
Monitoring pH levels should become part of your regular plant maintenance routine.
It is easy to adjust pH levels with pH Up and pH Down formulas. All adjustments should be done slowly and gently to avoid large pH fluctuations which can stress your plant.
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