soil ph and lime question

[huh]

i was told u can check ur soils ph by testing the water that drains out the bottom of ur pot if so my soils ph is way off. i allways ph my water befor i give it to my plants 6.8-7.0 when i ph the water out of the pot is was 4.3. i bought some stuff called Garden soil sweetner its says its 100% natural and it is a hydrated lime. i watered my plants as directed with one tsp per gallon and now 2 days later the water out of the pot says 5.4. i guess my real question is how many times should i use the soil sweetner to raise my ph

 

[Caretaker]

Whatver you do to raise or lower the PH yo have to use as much as it takes to get to your desired level. I believe 6.5 is the goal.

 

[Sir_Tokie]

When you check your soils pH from the run off what you should do is water the pot and then wait about 30 minutes. After 30 mins or so re-water just enough to get some runoff this will give you a better idea of your soils pH. I have found by doing it this way it is more accurate then just pouring water till you see runoff and then checking right away...take care..

 

[CoolAsAFan]

sounds like if you just repeat, you will hit ~6.5. do as sir tokie said ^ to get a more accurate reading.

 

[dirtyolsouth]

For your next flower cycle it would be great to prep your soil with Dolomite Limestone (calcium-magnesium carbonate) to help keep the ph optimum throughout the grow. Be sure to use a fine grade of Dolomite Limestone to mix in with your soil at transplant time as the coarser grades of dolomite limestone may much longer than your bloom cycle to affect the ph...

Here's some solid info on ph & marijuana re hydrated lime I've had bookmarked for awhile:

Raising soil pH: small amounts of hardwood ashes or crushed oyster/egg shells will help to raise the soil pH. Hydrated lime can also be used to raise the pH of soil. In containers, use no more than 1/8 cup of hydrated lime per cubic foot of soil (per application). Mix it into warm water, then apply the water to the soil. When growing in an outdoor garden, follow the manufacturers instructions.

Here's a link to the article this came from... it's very worthwhile reading:

hXXp://www.a1b2c3.com/drugs/mjgrow9f.htm

Happy Growing!