PH Meters and other assorted grow questions

[Stunted]

Maybe a few silly questions but anyway...
Firstly I am fairly new to soil growing, pretty good at hydro (even mini hydro) however things have changed so I have to as well.

Can you use a "Soil PH" meter to test the PH of a liquid (E.G water)?
Currently I am using PH test drops to check my runoff which is not exactly very accurate.
I have a soil PH meter coming but will not be here for a week or so

My soil mix is:
75% potting mix (contains nutes)
25% perlite
with 2 tablespoons of Dolomite Lime per gallon added to the mix.

So far I have run this mix once before with reasonable results (bagseed), have some old (3+ years) bagseed in now and the plants seem to be coping ok. However small seedlings burn fast as this mix is at 1400PPM (tested runoff with EC meter).

So the question, should I attempt to lower the PPM of this mix or leave it and go with the flow?
I also believe there maybe a PH problem with this mix; currently I only water with tap water which I know has a PH of 8, the runoff has a PH of around 6 - 6.5
Should I be concerned about this / is it a PH problem?

I have some Sour60, Blue Streak (and Bubblicious (non-AF)) coming (well they better get here) so I would like to get things right before planting them

I grow in a cupboard which mind you is not complete but is slowly getting there, it consists of two grow compartments side by side that each have a floor area of 420mm x 445mm and 900mm of usable height. (16.5in x 17.5in x 34.4in)
Each side is currently running a total of 144w of CFL's (6 x 24w), I know it needs more but that's what I have to work with at the moment. The lights are height adjustable from bottom to top of the cupboard.

My current bagseed grow is in 1.25L soft drink containers with the tops cut off, but for the AF's I intend to use 135x150mm pots (2L capacity)
Please note that this will be my first AF grow ever.

So any answers to my questions or suggestions/criticism would be greatly appreciated.

P.S. sorry for my rambling post, my head hurts from so much reading....and so many questions.

 

[Northern Grower]

However small seedlings burn fast

Un ferted soil is best for germing seeds. You will get high males to female ratios from soil with ntues in it. I just use plain old promix to germ seeds in. Just a regular potting mix is best for germing.

So the question, should I attempt to lower the PPM of this mix or leave it and go with the flow?
I also believe there maybe a PH problem with this mix; currently I only water with tap water which I know has a PH of 8, the runoff has a PH of around 6 - 6.5
Should I be concerned about this / is it a PH problem?

My water from the tap is similar to yours. I ph my water to as close to 6.3 as i can, when my ph pen is working.
Your run off is fine. But i would PH your water, then test your run off.
Thought i would add, most autos won't need allot of ferts until they are sexed. I just feed mine plain water unless it's a hungry pheno type.

If you post up a home thread when you do the grow we can help you through it. Lots of us soil guys doing autos around here.

 

[Stunted]

Water in at 6.5, came out at 7-7.5 (this is not exact as I am still using drops till the rest of my stuff arrives).

 

[AutomaticGrower]

Your ph seems fine IMO. It is still on the chart so you should be fine.

If anything I would say try a little bit more perlite in your mix. I found the plants grow way faster when they have to find water. Adding more perlite to my mix did this for me.

 

[Stunted]

Thanks for the input, it is much appreciated.
Hopefully the rest of my stuff gets here next week, then I can post accurate measurements

 

[Stunted]

Seeds arrived safe, lucky me
Also my soil PH meter arrived today, my soil mix is dead on 6.5

Still waiting on a few more bits but the grow should begin soon, thinking I may do a seed run for the first go which would also be a first for me

 

[Northern Grower]

Your PH is right where you want it.

I usually do a seed run when i first get a pack.
If you dust the lower half of the plant you will still get to sample some sensi smoke from the top cola, but yield a 100 or so beans.. some times more.