Got my test kit today, results are as follows: Soil (I tested several pots): PH 7.6 - 8.0 KH 3-6°d GH >10°d NO2 0mg/litre NO3 50-300mg/litre (3:1 pot) Bottled water (which I have been using): PH 7.8 (the water company claim it's 6.5!!! lying bastards) KH 3°d GH <3°d NO2 0mg/litre NO3 100mg/litre (again, water company claim it's only 20mg/litre!) So would I be better off using this tap water: PH 7.6 KH 3°d GH >6°d NO2 0.5mg/litre NO3 100mg/litre So how do I counteract these problems? I have some distilled white vinegar, but I don't know how much to use per litre. Should I just test it and see? What should I aim for the water ph to add to the soil? I know I need to go down to PH6.5, so should I mix a more acid solution than 6.5 to reduce soild PH?
No vinegar because its too dangerous. The difference in that water is minimal. To acidify either buy a product from an online source or a grow store called ph down. Or get food grade citric acid as Soma recommends and uses. I use ph up or down as needed and it isnt expensive. Dont worry about your soil but try to find a way to get your water ph down below 7.0 Have you tried adding a nutrient and then checking ph? This often lowers ph to a desirable range when using certain nutes in the right strength. Try that. BOG
I will do that, i just didn't want to do the newb classic overfert. I'll try testing after ferts added.
Some growers find that half strength or less than recommended can be done all the time. The problem is that it probably wont make enough difference. My water is similar to yours and when I feed with Earth Juice Bloom I need to use PH up because the stuff is so acidic. Check out what yours does and get back to me. BOG
Going to experiment, advice from a known and trusted commercial (legal) grower swears by distilled vinegar to lower PH in most sativa strains, so, going to treat half with vinegar and half with fert, as I trust your advice too. If things don't work out that well, then se la vie, and I'll have learnt something. Water treated with fert: PH 6.6 Water treated with vinegar: 6.75 Drain off from fert treated water: PH 7.2 Drain off from vinegar treated water: 7.1 So it's certainly gone down, thankfully. Will it take a few waterings for the PH to come down to the desired level?
People can use about anything to acidify or alkanize but knowing the amount and the concentration is key. Sounds like you have things under control and you are on the right track. BOG
With this change in PH levels, could there be any negative stress effects on the plants? I ask because some new growth leaves on a couple of plants are twisted up at the edge, and some a bleached. The leaves with the necrotic spots have all but died off now, leaving the fresh growth. Could the bleaching be anything to do with light intensity, I'm using envirolites with extra white fluoro lighting, lumens at 20,000 and around 10,000k, or is it simply the new growth before it's had time to chlorise?
BOG: Your threads on OG are what caused me to go from lurking to growing. I cannot thank you enough! (I will soon germ some of your BB, BG, BMR medley now that the desert summer temps are below 100F.) Will order your book today as b'day gift for my daughter. Would you pls elaborate on why you don't like apple cider vinegar for PH down? I have been using it to lower my 8.3 tap water. Thanks again for making my good life even better. Grow Safe/Be Happy! RR FUN IS THE GOAL/LOVE IS THE WAY!!!
My understanding of vinegar is, it will work short term but is not stable. Vinegar is about 2-3ph,.... I wouldnt want that stuff to go lower. One thing I have found its easy to drive ph down with acidic stuff, but getting it back up the ph ladder is near impossible. Thus, in the soil, if overferts or ph is off in a soil, most of the time, until you flush with ph adjusted water, its gonna be hard to fix. I think short term, its not gonna mess it up, but i guess there would be chance over time if it built up and the ph went lower.
Xtbudda, you don't use the vinegr to adjust the soil PH, it's used to adjust the water PH, thus affecting the soil PH. If the water is the correct PH, and you flush with it weekly until drain off is optimum, then there shouldn't be any problems. The key is flushing weekly until the plants are healthy, and then maintaining the perfect environment. From the research I have now done I believe Vinegar to be too unstable for use in hydro gardens, but a great many people I've spoken to have used distilled white vinegar for years to alter PH in soil gardens with success. So far my own experience backs that up.
