HG23
- 204
- 28
Cap,
I've read a little bit about the nitrification process and have been wondering if it even occurs in a strictly hydroponic environment as the required bacteria or archaea might not be present.
Also, lots of articles and papers I've been reading seem to say that roots can and do in fact take up ammonium ions through the roots and exude an H+ ion to compensate for the ammonium's positive charge. Maybe plants take up mostly the nitrate form, but I think its false to say they can only take in that form. Also, even though they may only take up a small amount of ammonium, it has a much larger effect on substrate ph then a proportional amount nitrate uptake. Consider the following quotes:
"When roots take up charged molecules, such as ammonium or nitrate, they typically release an oppositely charged molecule to maintain a balanced pH inside the plant cells. Because nitrogen can be supplied as a positively or negatively charged form, the root substrate pH can be altered." Source
"Ammoniacal nitrogen is about three times stronger an acid than nitrate nitrogen is a base." Source
"Uptake of other positively charged nutrients such as potassium (K+), calcium (Ca2+) and magnesium (Mg2+) can also cause the secretion of acidic hydrogen ions (H+), similar to the uptake of ammoniacal nitrogen." Source
Are you regularly testing your media ph Cap? I know you're experiencing stable nutrient solution ph in your res, but I don't think that has much effect on the substrate ph.
"The effect that a fertilizer has on media pH is dependent on the reactions that take place after the fertilizer has been applied to the crop. This reaction is determined by the nutrients (especially nitrogen) contained in the fertilizer, rather than the pH of the fertilizer solution that you can measure with a pH meter." Source
To go along with this I also am starting to feel like the exact ph people water at is not as important as it's sometimes made out to be. I think the nutrient solution ph's most important aspect is keeping all ions in solution and avoiding fallout, not effecting media ph.
If you do give JR Peters a call, let me know what they say. Try asking them about the lack of ammonium nitrogen in their formula if you feel like it.
I've read a little bit about the nitrification process and have been wondering if it even occurs in a strictly hydroponic environment as the required bacteria or archaea might not be present.
Also, lots of articles and papers I've been reading seem to say that roots can and do in fact take up ammonium ions through the roots and exude an H+ ion to compensate for the ammonium's positive charge. Maybe plants take up mostly the nitrate form, but I think its false to say they can only take in that form. Also, even though they may only take up a small amount of ammonium, it has a much larger effect on substrate ph then a proportional amount nitrate uptake. Consider the following quotes:
"When roots take up charged molecules, such as ammonium or nitrate, they typically release an oppositely charged molecule to maintain a balanced pH inside the plant cells. Because nitrogen can be supplied as a positively or negatively charged form, the root substrate pH can be altered." Source
"Ammoniacal nitrogen is about three times stronger an acid than nitrate nitrogen is a base." Source
"Uptake of other positively charged nutrients such as potassium (K+), calcium (Ca2+) and magnesium (Mg2+) can also cause the secretion of acidic hydrogen ions (H+), similar to the uptake of ammoniacal nitrogen." Source
Are you regularly testing your media ph Cap? I know you're experiencing stable nutrient solution ph in your res, but I don't think that has much effect on the substrate ph.
"The effect that a fertilizer has on media pH is dependent on the reactions that take place after the fertilizer has been applied to the crop. This reaction is determined by the nutrients (especially nitrogen) contained in the fertilizer, rather than the pH of the fertilizer solution that you can measure with a pH meter." Source
To go along with this I also am starting to feel like the exact ph people water at is not as important as it's sometimes made out to be. I think the nutrient solution ph's most important aspect is keeping all ions in solution and avoiding fallout, not effecting media ph.
If you do give JR Peters a call, let me know what they say. Try asking them about the lack of ammonium nitrogen in their formula if you feel like it.