I looked around for a bit but didn’t find anything about my question. Is there a way to search the forum? OK,I’ve been checking ph lately and it’s a little over 7. I only have one of those two prong multi testers and the needle is a little past the 7 mark. I ordered what I hope will be a more accurate digital tester and some ph down. What I plan to do once it arrives is mix my water and water/nutrients solutions to about a 6.5 to start. I should add that my WW’s are a little over 3 weeks in veg. and show no signs of ph or any other problems. Do you think making the solutions 6.5 is the way to go or should I go lower? Thanks everyone.
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Just make solution at 6.5 and water too, PH gone a replace it self over time (between 4 to 5 watering)
For searching, just hit the button in the upper right corner of your page and type a key word like PH down .
Hoping that’s helping you @maineguy
~Al 
In soil your ideal pH a 6.5, if that’s what you’re asking?
Not quite. Right now my soil is around 7.2 assuming my tester is accurate. I want to get it down to 6.5 as you say but was wondering if I should do so slowly by using water adjusted to 6.5 or faster by adjusting the water lower. Niala suggested slowly which my gut tells me is best. Thank you both.
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I would put it in at 6.0 to be honest but you do what you’re more comfortable with, because you can do it either way and you seem to want to do it more slowly so I’d recommend you try that, however that’s more time that the plant root zone is without optimal pH ?
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if you look up to your right hand top conner you’ll see what looks like a magnifying glass click there you can typy what your looking for.
i’m going to send you some info on P H
Will
yes it is important to know your run off ph. there is a reason why your ph is coming out almost a full 1.0 lower than its goin in. soil is too acidic. testing your runoff is just about the easiest way to test your soil ph. but the main question is how do your plants look? are they showing a ph problem? or any problem at all or do they look healthy? dolomite lime is what you should ammend your soil with to bring up the ph. it has a neutral ph. considering its like $10 i believe for a 40lb bag cost isnt an issue and it will last forever. i have ran into same issue with roots organic and after top dressing with the dolomite it eventually climbed its way back up. easiest solution for you tho man, go coco lol. it doesnt have its own ph its neutral like the dolomite meaning the only thing your plant gets is what you feed it and it eliminates the whole soil ph issue. i switched and never looked back…lol
have fun and be safe!
Will
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yes it is important to know your run off ph. there is a reason why your ph is coming out almost a full 1.0 lower than its goin in. soil is too acidic. testing your runoff is just about the easiest way to test your soil ph. but the main question is how do your plants look? are they showing a ph problem? or any problem at all or do they look healthy? dolomite lime is what you should ammend your soil with to bring up the ph. it has a neutral ph. considering its like $10 i believe for a 40lb bag cost isnt an issue and it will last forever. i have ran into same issue with roots organic and after top dressing with the dolomite it eventually climbed its way back up. easiest solution for you tho man, go coco lol. it doesnt have its own ph its neutral like the dolomite meaning the only thing your plant gets is what you feed it and it eliminates the whole soil ph issue. i switched and never looked back…lol
have fun and be safe!
Will
yes it is important to know your run off ph. there is a reason why your ph is coming out almost a full 1.0 lower than its goin in. soil is too acidic. testing your runoff is just about the easiest way to test your soil ph. but the main question is how do your plants look? are they showing a ph problem? or any problem at all or do they look healthy? dolomite lime is what you should ammend your soil with to bring up the ph. it has a neutral ph. considering its like $10 i believe for a 40lb bag cost isnt an issue and it will last forever. i have ran into same issue with roots organic and after top dressing with the dolomite it eventually climbed its way back up. easiest solution for you tho man, go coco lol. it doesnt have its own ph its neutral like the dolomite meaning the only thing your plant gets is what you feed it and it eliminates the whole soil ph issue. i switched and never looked back…lol
have fun and be safe!
Will
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Your real issue here is that you’re using a soil meter for testing pH, and those are NEVER accurate, sorry to say! When I first started in soil I had bought 2 different ones, and the only thing they’re good for is telling you how wet/dry your soil is. You should water with 6.5 pH, then test the runoff of the soil and you’ll find out where your root zone pH is.
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Good point ktrrez420. I have three of the soil monitors. Whether or not they are accurate is a good question. However they all read the same which is just a little more than 7. The other good news is that none of the plants are exhibiting any negative symptoms. I have a digital ph meter on order along with some ph down so hopefully an adjustment can be made when they arrive.
Will, “yes it is important to know your run off ph. there is a reason why your ph is coming out almost a full 1.0 lower than its goin in. soil is too acidic.” My problem is just the opposite. Soil and water are showing PH a little more than 7. I have three soil monitors and they all read the same. I put the monitor in a glass of my water and got the same reading of just a little over 7. Just as a test I put a little apple cider vinegar in the glass and the it dropped down to around 6 but I’m not sure if that’s a good thing to use so I’ve ordered some ph down. The plants are looking fine.
Perhaps this will help. I took this pic three days ago with the lights off. I’ve been recording the height in my journal. Three days ago it was 12" tall and today it is 16.5" tall.
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Good point Paranorman. That’s what I’m hoping to get opinions on. Do I water with 6.5 and bring the soil down slowly or 6.0 to do it faster.
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I’m glad to say it…! I am on threads here suggesting people smash those with hammers immediately
…your pH is most likely nowhere close to what that meter is telling you it is ( how many of us have been there right! ), invest 10 bucks in a yellow pen type meter and you’ll be so much happier right away, just remember to calibrate it per directions and check it once in awhile and pH issues will cease immediately ! …and you will have explosive growth! 
By the way the pH of vinegar is 2.0 - 2.2 so that’s how far off your meter may be, just trying to help …good luck
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I myself am struggling with ph.
- Check runoff by watering
- Find ph to be off
- Correct ph by watering yet again with adjusted water
4.plant drowns
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I’m sorry to hear of your bad luck, next time skip step 3 and wait til next watering to make your next correction
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I agree with @Paranorman , you may have try to go too fast with watering them to much, like I said, it’s gone a correct itself overtime in a regular watering schedule, in 4 or 5 watering , not in one shot , patience is the key here @Fever.
~Al
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I did order a digital meter a couple of days ago along with some ph down which should arrive sometime next week.
I’ll check the runoff and start to adjust if needed. Here’s a follow up question. As I understand it ph outside the recommended range can result in the roots having difficulty absorbing nutrients. Is this also true of the foliage when doing foliage feeding? Thanks for all the answers everyone.
I’m afraid I can’t answer that, I never foliage feed
Thanks @Niala I haven’t actually drowned any yet. It’s comforting to know I can do it over time. I thought the urgency meant I had to get it back asap. I thought I had a heat problem and also a calcium deficiency but learn that the calcium issue can cause heat issue but ph issue can cause calcium issue.
Heat issues can definitely cause some nutrients deficiencies or issues @Fever .
However, just to clarify a little, calcium deficiency or any nutrients deficiencies, do not cause heat issues. I am just trying to make it easier for you 
And PH issues definitely lead to nutrients deficiencies.
I am glad to see that you did not drowned them, time is one your side 
~Al