New Grower i use rain water....

[Heavily Medicated]

but doesn't take my caveman brain to figure out that I'll never get better til I learn the basics of this pH deal...so I take my jug test it....up or down it with some drops water ....collect a test off the run off n bam that's my gig???? so ??? if its high or low at that point do I try n fix on next waterin or then.....a shitcakes I'll just read instead of asking for someone to write every little detail just for another noob to ask again tomrow.....its gotta be easy as scrolling on down

In my experience, the testing your runoff and estimating your medium pH is at best a wild guess. Sooooo many things that can throw that calculation off a mile. About as accurate as pulling a random number out of a hat. Get a soil probe, preferably an Accurate 8.

 

[ballzbeard]

I use rain water on the regular and haven't had any issues; all I do is filter it using a cloth or paper towel. I use Hydroguard as well

 

[GoAuto6]

A lot of people use rain water with great success!!!!!!! Your ph issues are from the nutrients mix first then ph the mixxed feed. Since Iv gone organic ph'ing is the farthest from my mind!

 

[Dazed]

I use rainwater, bubbled with an airstone for an hour or two prior to use. pH is always 6.9-7 here, I actually saw improvement after switching. No nasty chlorine or anything and plants love it.....

From Corgy's link.

'
It is actually not important, because rainwater has virtually no minerals so it has no pH buffering capacity the way water from the tap or a stream would. Carbonate and sulfate create complex equilibria which require more acid or base to change the pH by a given amount than distilled water would (which is essentially what rainwater is, although it probably has traces of minerals from picking up dust). They resist changes in pH that have to be overcome.

It takes almost no effort at all to change the pH of rainwater, and as soon as it hits the soil, it's going to take on the background pH of the soil.

I worked on a lab experiment once upon a time that involved controlling the pH of highly pure, thoroughly deionized water. Even the CO2 in the room air would cause it to go acidic, so we had to put the whole thing in a glove box in a nitrogen atmosphere.

Thank goodness for hardness or water pH would be all over the place. :-] '

I agree with this ^^.

 

[dankstyle J]

A lot of people use rain water with great success!!!!!!! Your ph issues are from the nutrients mix first then ph the mixxed feed. Since Iv gone organic ph'ing is the farthest from my mind!

Isn't it nice ga not to have to worry about ph .

 

[bushdktr]

I switched to rainwater and my plants love it! It,s always around 6.5 pH, BUT keep in mind you won,' have the calcium you have in hard water, so especially if you're using LEDs you need to supplement from the very beginning of your grow with epsom salts, molasses or calmag

 

[Dazed]

I switched to rainwater and my plants love it! It,s always around 6.5 pH, BUT keep in mind you won,' have the calcium you have in hard water, so especially if you're using LEDs you need to supplement from the very beginning of your grow with epsom salts, molasses or calmag

+1.

 

[tony mcstoney]

is molasses and Epsom to be used every water n how much.my farmngard shop sells no calmag......n my plants seem to need it.......

 

[tony mcstoney]

was at there store this am and they got this 20$ pH tester got box with meter n small wire to metal poker device.is that to jam in soil or bucket of water
don't like asking alotta ??? at store.....there nosey about my peppers a bit to much

 

[dankstyle J]

Not sure mcstoney I grow organic never used a ph meter .