What is pH?

pH stands for “potential hydrogen”, a measurement unit of how acidic or alkaline the water is. The range of pH are from 1 to 14, pure water pH level is 7. If the pH level is lower than 7, it implies that there is the substance is acidic and if it is higher than 7, it means the element contain alkaline. Specifically, the scientific terms of pH level focus on how the concentration of hydrogen ions in the water you are using to grow your plants. Therefore, the water with a pH of 6 can be considered to be 10x acidic than the water with a pH of 7.

How pH affects the growing of your cannabis

As we know that all plants need nutrients to flourish, they require macro-nutrients like phosphorus, potassium, nitrogen also micro-nutrients, minerals and a whole lot more for healthy growth. Thus, If plants do not have access to all these nutrients, they can have deficiencies or severe health problems.
The problem with cannabis is that they can take nutrients within a small pH window, that ranges between 6-7 when they are growing in soil, and if the pH is higher or lower than that, the cannabis may not be able to take in nutrients. Thus, the way you grow your plants also play a vital role in the optimal pH level for your cannabis. Plants are grown without soil or hydroponically needs an even lower pH than a soil grow.

The Optimal pH for Cannabis

Soil: 6.0-7.0 pH
If you are growing your weed in soil, you can consider using an optimal pH level between 6.0 and 7.0 for the root zone. Yet, there is no number within that level that is best, but it will be best to allow some natural fluctuation around the window to support the optimal nutrient uptake. Therefore, if your soil pH can stay within around 6.0-7.0 level, there is no cause for alarm.

Soilless and Hydroponics: 5.5-6.5 pH
Soilless and hydro grow is some of the things to consider in pH. When you are testing the pH level of hydro and soilless, it will only need to be corrected if the pH level exceeds the optimal level of 5.5-6.5 pH. Also, note that the inert media in soilless and hydro usually grows to retain water and also supports the roots of the plant. Therefore, when applying nutrients, make sure you don’t overload the weeds.