Water prior to feeding. Runoff if you have problems. If you get a soil ph tester DON’T get the cheapo, long probe, leave it in the pot kind you see in the garden department at the big box stores. They’re notoriously unreliable.
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No need to test prior to adding nutes. It’s gonna change. Test water, if not feeding. Test finished solution when feeding.
Lemon juice or distilled white vinegar works as ph down on the cheap. Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) works as ph up, but you have to make sure it’s mixed well or it will settle out before you water.
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Sorry I’m answering piecemeal. Bouncing back and forth between the forum and uber deliveries. Lol
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Super helpful bro thank you too much🙌
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No problem. I’m on and off a lot, but I’m on mostly. Lol If you have any questions, feel free to tag me. If I can’t help, I bet I know someone who can. 
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Me either. I don’t have a ph meter.
But I like reading about it!
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I have a few, somewhere… Who knows if they even work though, been catching dust and heat for years
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I think pH matters more with nutes, us organics guys just build a microbe rich soil and nature handles things for us with a lil encouragement 
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Hey Mud… I don’t think I have ever seen any other kind of soil Ph meter, other than the long probe type you are talking about here. I have well water, so I have very few Ph troubles, but I do check it pretty regular just to be sure where I am ? What is a better Ph meter to use ? other than cheap big box store… I paid probably $20 for this one. I saw a digital one for $ 159. Surely there is something in between. I can find one no prob… but do you have one you use that you believe is reliable ??
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I don’t have a soil ph meter, so I would be lying if I told you I knew which one was best. I’ve just heard LOTS of complaints about the standard probe type. If I need to check root zone ph I feed until I have enough runoff to test. A cheap ph pen will do the job as long as you keep it calibrated. If you want something that’s basically worry and trouble free, check out Apera. They have a good selection of highly accurate meters.
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Kool ! I’ll do that. Thanks !
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I actually have well water too… this is good for pH? When you say you test it often, how are you doing this?
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Hey @cdogg Well water seems to stay pretty stable on the Ph. I’m sure different wells are different, but without all of the municipality’s water treatments, my well stays pretty stable at 5.8 to 6.5. I usually check the ph the morning after any kind of additives. I have never had a bad reading.
But I do have one of those cheapo meters that @mudman was talking about. I have looked up
and found some better meters. I will prob get one just so I can verify what I think ? ya know…
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You’re checking pH of the soil the morning after adding?
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Ultimately that’s what I want to learn. I’ve read a bit about the soil food web, it’s just connecting the dots that’s tough currently for me. I’m learning everything from everyone here, for real… Which is insanely exciting because everyone here loves it enough to help others with it, and that must mean you dig it big time. I’m about that!
I’m in research stages currently with some seeds on the way. Just trying to find which way I want to try first😂
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Autos you can…but we are now just back under 14 hours of daylight so photos (if planted outside now) will just grow until puberty (6 weekish) and then str8 to flower. Which is still doable but not worth my time having very little veg. You can absolutely get some shit started and simply put it outside to finish. Are you planning on being an auto grower ? There’s a handful of cats in here that love their autos man. Not me though… I’m no anti auto just dig my regs… Most of my plants are reg photos…not even feminized, I have 4 in my current grow of 12 that were fem photos…
And just to open your mind and help you remember different strokes for different cats… I have about 3 cheap pH pens and I have a Arepa… usually use my cheap-o’s and I don’t keep them in water wither. A ballpark range is all I need and I’ll calibrate it maybe once a year. I’m not a shining example in the right way …lol but I’ll double check between pens once in a while and be good. But I hardly even check pH anymore only if I encounter a problem… I did pH about 2 months ago last …lol
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Main reason I am doing auto first is because I want to do it now and not wait😂
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No I don’t… Maybe Tenga might have an auto or 2 out but of the other 2 SoFlo growers definitely no to autos. Regs are hardier genetics you’ll find.
Fano should grow autos though honestly…lmao fukker Has moved half dozen times in the last 2 years …it be good for him…lol
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I’ve been looking everywhere for that info, Rock! THANK YOU! 
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Left is total days above ground for Vivienne. Right is my guesstimate at how long she’s been actually flowering. She’s been on 11/13 her whole life. I’m okay with my guess. I think she was delayed a little by being shaded by her mom.
Good info to have. Now I know I can get comparable yields from autos in the same amount of time or less.
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