New Grower A deficiency or a nutrient toxicity? Help please?

[JaPinkman]

Have you checked the PH in the root zone? You need a quality soil probe to do that. We recommend the Accurate 8 (or the clone) or Blue Lab soil probe. Be sure to get the right one if you go Blue Lab as they make several.

I know man, your zeroing in on all of my 'unknowns'. I would love one of those and I've been holding off on the $180 Blulab to see if I could get by just testing the water. I got a decent digital (grotek?) maybe meter for the water and I'm keeping it between 5.5 and 6.5. I've been told, or I"ve read, and I don't know if it's true, that when you grow in soil it's rare to have ph issues in the soil if your using 'good soil' (vague term) and ph testing the water. Do you think that that is true? Do you grow in soil and do you find that the soil meter it's pretty useful?
Thanks for taking the time to advise me.

 

[Bluugrss]

I find that a ph meter is very useful for soil.
If your ph is off and you don't know it then you're
Just throwing stuff into the soil and gambling on it actually working.

 

[OregonBlackBear]

Well for whatever it's worth, I think that it might have been a potassium deficiency.

After some more looking into it I think you might be right about that.

 

[JaPinkman]

I find that a ph meter is very useful for soil.
If your ph is off and you don't know it then you're
Just throwing stuff into the soil and gambling on it actually working.

I want one bad. I'm going to try a slurry test to see if I'm in the ballpark with that soil. I'm convinced that I never should have amended that soil at all.

 

[JaPinkman]

Have you checked the PH in the root zone? You need a quality soil probe to do that. We recommend the Accurate 8 (or the clone) or Blue Lab soil probe. Be sure to get the right one if you go Blue Lab as they make several.

I haven't. I've been somehow convinced that I 'probably' didn't need one if I was outdoors in soil. Well, I guess I've technically only been half outdoors so far and I'm wishing I had one. I'm going to get some run-off or do a slurry type test today to see if I can get an idea. I do know the ph of the water going into to it so I should get an idea. I never should have amended that soil. Oh well, that's why I started my first auto grow with the free seeds.....I"ve learned a ton already and I don't have a decent plant to show for it yet.

 

[JaPinkman]

Have you checked the PH in the root zone? You need a quality soil probe to do that. We recommend the Accurate 8 (or the clone) or Blue Lab soil probe. Be sure to get the right one if you go Blue Lab as they make several.

I want one bad. Thanks for your advice.

 

[Mañ'O'Green]

I want one bad. Thanks for your advice.

I buy new stuff all of the time

 

[JaPinkman]

I buy new stuff all of the time

LOL, I guess me too. I've been doing it constantly for about 2 months, so my wife....well .... Anyways, I'm probably going to end up getting one (finally opted for the $25 one that does water only and ecc). Especially if I find out my soil is off doing some slurry type testing today. I don't know why I kept reading that soil would buffer ph and you really don't need one. That doesn't make a lot of sense to me but I was hoping it was true.
Thanks for chiming in MOG

 

[OregonBlackBear]

I still have an accurate 8 I got in... 2013? It still works despite my best abuse. With soil probes you want to make sure the soil is moist and leave them in there for 30 min to an hour for an accurate reading.

 

[JaPinkman]

I still have an accurate 8 I got in... 2013? It still works despite my best abuse. With soil probes you want to make sure the soil is moist and leave them in there for 30 min to an hour for an accurate reading.

Thanks man, I just read in another thread where the grower spoke highly of those. I'll probably end up getting one.