to ph or not to ph

[Lubdub]

i've been reusing soil from previous grows that's been sitting in a bin that i've kept a little moist

 

my current grows have a mix of about 40 / 40 / 10 / 10 in reused soil / coco / WC / perlite

 

should i be PHing my water for this mix? 

[green_machine]

No.

 

 

Give me a hard one next, I do sports trivia as well

 

greenie

 

e2a: also not sure what the point of the perlite is? the coco is already improving the structure of your soil

Edited May 6, 2022 by green_machine
e2a

[blackpoolbouncer]

Oh good a new question that's never been answered before 

[Oldbear]

1 minute ago, blackpoolbouncer said:

Oh good a new question that's never been answered before 

It's like groundhog day

 

[catweazle1]

No, soil has an infinite capacity to moderate pH. it's incredible stuff, like a never-ending pint glass of beer... or so some seem to think.

Edited May 6, 2022 by catweazle1

[Lubdub]

so no phing then?

[Gaijin]

@Lubdub That was one of the first questions I asked about a year ago. I was ready to buy all sorts of chemicals and testing equipment, so maintain the ph in my compost. Fortunately I asked the question here  

 

 

[John'sMidnightGarden]

On 06/05/2022 at 11:36 AM, catweazle1 said:

No, soil has an infinite capacity to moderate pH. it's incredible stuff, like a never-ending pint glass of beer... or so some seem to think.

Not calling you out or voicing agreement, but this sums up why I'm confused on it.  Good solid advice from people who know what they're doing, yet I'm conscious of the rock hard water I'm splashing on.  I can imagine soil life sorting it out, but is there a limit to how long it can do that?  Could be I'd need to run it a thousand years before it mattered.  Could be the simple adding of ingredients keeps that going and I'm missing this obvious point.  I've searched for answers on this but just come back to "damn it, you don't need to". 

Could anyone recommend reading material (I've got Teaming with Microbes) that helped shed light for them?  Reckon I need to get deeper into the mud.

[catweazle1]

If you have plants growing and they are showing signs due to pH problems, they need to be dealt with. I don't know what's really  allowed in organic gardening. Best to read about it yourself. Maybe use search terms like 'maintain buffering capacity in organic soil'. From the little I've read and know, it's important to let your homemade mix to sit for some months before using it, for added material to break down into plant-available forms.

Edited May 24, 2022 by catweazle1