LECA alters pH - Possible solutions for Orchids in semi hydroponics

Watch part 2 here    • Lowering pH for Orchids in semi hydro...  
Today we talk about a pretty undisclosed quality of leca, the pH altering property.
▼▼▼More info bellow!▼▼▼

It isn't an unknown fact that leca, at least some if not all, raises the ph of water on initial use, even after rinsing and soaking. In proper hydroponics, where leca is soaking wet all the time, a proper 3 week soak might be sufficient to stabilize it, as per enthusiast advice http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussio...

As you can see in the video, the Oncidium that I had for a while already potted    • How to repot Orchids into a larger se...   is presenting a very very basic ph after 40 minutes of soaking with osmosis water of around 7 pH. I have observed that both new and old (used) leca acts the same, therefore I am suspecting that the drying of leca, even if not complete, makes it raise the pH once again, as per the discussion above.

Now the swings are so fast because osmosis water is poorly buffered, meaning it has a low kH http://www.chelonia.org/articles/wate... , but acting on it with baking soda or other additives can change my fertilizer schedule, or bring other substances in the pot that I don't want to have.

In the second part we will see some tests and measurements I did, so stay tuned for that. For more on leca altering pH, a google search will bring quite a few discussions. I did prepare my leca with acids and soaked it in ph adjusted water. But every time the leca goes through its dry cycle, it resets and drastically increases pH again.

More on nutrients and pH http://www.growthtechnology.com/growt...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
✿ Want to send me something? Here's my address!
Orchid Nature
P.O. BOX 29002, CY-1620, Nicosia, Cyprus
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
✿ Want to support my channel and help me continue doing what I love? You can contribute here and thanks a bunch!
http://orchidnature.com/donate/
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
✿ My Orchid growing setup explained:
Watering:    • Watering my Orchid collection | Orchi...  
Pots:    • Orchid pots and containers | Orchid s...  
Light:    • My artificial light setup for Orchids  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
✿ Join our community and find tutorials, photos, care sheets and loads of goodies Orchid Nature - http://www.OrchidNature.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
✿ Follow me on Twitter   / missorchidgirl  
✿ Follow me on Instagram   / missorchidgirl  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
✿ See my video playlists!
   / missorchidgirl