how does ph levels affect the plant

[luckyluciano]

howdy fellas

 

i was just wanting to know does low ph levels make the stems bendy and will high ph make them stiffer or stronger maybe even bigger , im not real sure i think i might be right

[Luke Skywalker]

pH has nothing to do with that, it's a scale of acidity or alkalinity, expressed in a scale from 0 - 14, with 0 being the most acidic, 7 being neutral, and 14 being the most alkaline. It's a logarhythmic scale, meaning that 6 is 10 times more acid than 7, and 5 is 10 times more acid than 6. So 5 is 100 times more acid than 7....

 

Plant nutrients are absorbed in a water soluble form, as ions in solution. If the pH level is above or below a certain point, the ionic, or molecular form of those nutrients changes so that they are unable to be absorbed by the plant. The ideal pH range is about 5.2-6.2 for hydroponic plants, and 5.8 - 6.8 for soil or organic based media grown plants. pH can be adjusted by using acids or bases like phosphoric acid (acidic) or Potassium Hydroxide (Basic) added to the reservoir, or by adding acidic of basic substances like Sulphur (acidic) or Lime (basic) to the soil mixture.

 

If you ensure your pH levels are in the right range, both in the solution and media that you use, then your nutrients will be available to the plants readily, thus preventing possible nutrient deficiency. The nutrients may well be in solution, and plenty of them, but if the pH range is too far out, then your plants can't absorb them and therefore show nutrient deficiency, with the growth reductions and problems associated.

 

Hope that explains things a bit better for ya, and if you have any queries regarding this post, just ask, and I'll try and answer a little more clearly. I have a habit of going overboard in some of my answers, so yeah, don't hesitate to ask me to explain better if you need to.

[everest]

hell luke that's a great answer :scratchin

[Luke Skywalker]

Cheers, I just hope it was able to be deciphered from "Luke-ese"

[animal]

keep your ph 5.5 - 6 in hydro and you'll be fine.

 

Try a little nitrozyme in your nute mix during veg to fatten up your stems. Its great stuff.