I’m in a 3 gallon pot filled with Happy Frog that has so far no received any additional nutrients. When I watered today, I used tap water ph’d to 6.5 with an EC of 0.1. My run off measured ph 5.7 and EC 5.1. What the heck is that about?
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@Bfreezy hello, Happy frog is organic and good for about 4 weeks, meaning every time you water your ppms / EC will go down. You don’t have to add any nutrients until you get to about a thousand PPM so just do your regular watering until the numbers drop
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That ph coming out is low for soil. Going in is fine. Do you have a pic of the whole plant? Are you noticing anything wrong with it? 
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natural ingredients such as earthworm castings, bat guano, oyster shell, and dolomite lime, and it includes beneficial microbes and mycorrhizal fungi to enhance plant health and nutrient uptake . While these components are commonly associated with organic gardening, it’s important to note that the product does not carry an OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute) certification. This means that, despite its natural composition, it hasn’t been officially certified as organic by OMRI.
5.7 is pretty low, and the 5.1 EC on the 500 scale is somewhere around 2500ppms not bad actually. Means it will feed the plant for a bit longer. If your plants aren’t showing any problems, you can probably assume the microbes in the soil are doing their job and allowing uptake. there are natural ways to raise it gradually and safely. One of the most effective methods is adding dolomite lime, which not only increases pH but also provides calcium and magnesium both beneficial to plant health. For a quicker adjustment, a small amount of wood ash can be used, though it should be applied cautiously as it can raise pH rapidly. For lime 1 teaspoon of powdered lime per gallon of soil in the pot worked into the surface of the medium before watering in. Lime isn’t immediate and generally increases pH over 2-6 weeks. I don’t have suggestions on the ash as I’ve never used it before.
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I should’ve mentioned that I’m in early veg with only 3 nodes. I just transplanted from a solo cup into a 3 gallon the other day. There’s only been one watering since then (didn’t measure run off that time) so the happy frog is nearly brand new.
I knew the ec would drop with watering but Google said I should be shooting for 1.2-2 ec. 5.1 sounded high but what you’re saying is comforting.
The ph does sound very low. I guess I prepared this water like two weeks ago. Is there any reason the ph could’ve dropped over time? I didn’t measure it today, thinking it would have stayed the same. I’m tempted to prep some new water at like 6.7 ph and put it through, just to hopefully offset that 5.7
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Nah, looking good, feed in at 6.5-6.8 see if it naturally rises. I see nothing to be concerned with
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The only thing that I can think of that could be affecting the ph is that when I transplanted I put a good bit of great white myco into the transplant hole.
I just gave it another 3/4 gallon of water ph’d to 6.8. The ph still reads 5.7. And the EC reads 3.5. Is it weird that the ec went from 5.1 to 3.5 after just getting that little bit of water? As far as the ph, I’ll follow your advice and just give it 6.8 water until it evens out.
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Sounds like you are flushing out the medium. Only do things like this when it’s time to feed. Wet dry cycle. If you break that you risk over watering, root problems, plant can have uptake issues. If your starting water has low EC like .1 or 50ppm pH adjustments on that water won’t be stable, and because the ppms are low, it will actually take on the pH of the medium. And if your starting water is indeed this low I’d consider a cal mag supplement in your water, while you are water only to get a stable pH. Myco doesn’t directly have any impact on pH.
Just be patient and feed appropriately. If it the pH doesn’t naturally rise by the time you started and have fed nutrients a few times, you may want to consider the lime option.
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Yes! @Low ‘s got you covered.
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Good looking thanks man
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No problem at all. 
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I do have some cal mag that I planned to use, and I am going to use the GH flora trio for nutes, probably following their light-medium feed chart. Just to make sure I’m understanding, are you saying to start cal mag now, even before the GH nutes? Maybe start cal mag now, and then only “water only” days where it doesn’t get fert, I’ll add cal mag to the water
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If your starting water is really that low, you may want to use it anytime you use plain water. This will get the ppms up (over 200ppms) and you will be able to pH adjust and it will be more reliable. Which means more of an impact on the soil pH. This can also save you from mixing cal mag directly in with the nutrient line, that likely already contains everything you need. When your root zone is in an ideal pH range the plant will be able to consume more of what you are giving it. When it’s out of range the salts just kinda sit around, leading to lock out. So, really. The better you get your medium, the less you will need. my guess is that right now your plant(s) are relying on the existing microbial colony, however once you start the salts, that colony will begin to die off without supplementation. Which is fine, they won’t do you much good with salt based nutrients. By the time you get a couple feeds in (nutrients) you should see a natural rise in pH. This is not always the case, but it’s the smartest approach. Sometimes over correcting in advance can lead to other problems. Don’t wanna jump the gun.
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I’ve actually never checked the ec of water directly from the tap. I run it through this thing I got on Amazon. Amazon.com : Boogie Blue Plus Garden Hose Water Filter for RV and Outdoor use - Removes Chlorine, Chloramines, VOCs, Pesticides/Herbicides Boogie Blue Plus High Capacity Filter - The Organic Gardener's Choice : Patio, Lawn & Garden
I looked up a water report and our municipal water has a lot of both chlorine and chloramine. This thing is supposed to take those out, among other things and I suppose that lowers the ppm. Once this chick dries out and it’s time to water again, I’ll throw in some calmag. Thanks again for your help. I didn’t realize water with a low ppm would make ph readings unreliable, that’s interesting
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No problem! Lots of science stuff to learn to aid in the understanding of products to use.
You can’t reliably pH pure or low PPM water because it has no buffering capacity. That means there are almost no minerals or dissolved ions to hold or stabilize any pH adjustments you make. Even a single drop of pH up or down can swing the reading drastically, making it nearly impossible to set a stable number. On top of that, pH meters don’t work well in ultra-pure water because there aren’t enough ions for the probe to get a steady reading, so the numbers can drift or fluctuate. Even if you do manage to set a pH, it won’t stay the same once you pour it into a medium that has a ppm balance, it will just take on the pH of the medium.
As for the filter, that’s about all it’s good for. Removing chlorine and to a degree chloramines. Not something you should count on for reducing ppms.
Generally you want atleast .2-.3 EC for a reliable pH adjustment
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Lows got you buddy, organic is a whole different numbers game.
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Fox farm products are “organic” but they can’t get certified and their nutrients are mostly salt based. I never quite understood the claims or if it was a marketing ploy.
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Before adding cal-mag, I suggest checking the amounts your nutrient line provides and contained naturally in your water. If your water comes from a treatment plant, they should be able to tell you the mineral content.
That information would tell you how much cal-mag is needed, if any.
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Off topic but I actually decided against using their nutes. They’ve got multiple charts for soil that give different numbers for the feeding schedule, and it sounds like they’re pretty hot. Didn’t like the idea of a scheduled flush either. Like I know they need to be done but still. I read all kinds of different stuff online. This guy says the schedule is not for cannabis but for tomatoes. This guy says the feed chart is only reliable if you’re using the full list of all their supplements. This guy says use the directions printed on the bottle…on and on. With GH flora, growweedeasy said follow the instructions on the bottle at 1/2 strength. K.I.S.S
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