Alternatives To Ph Up Or Down?

[dmshayne]

Hello once again. Does anybody know alternatives to ph up and down?

 

[G gnome]

U can use baking soda for up.....

 

[dmshayne]

U can use baking soda for up.....

Yes , periodically but it does degrade over a few days. Also heard something about sodium hydroxide

 

[Seamaiden]

Not in my experience. In my experience anything with carbonate or bicarbonate molecules tends to be very alkaline (resistant to pH shift).

I use phosphoric acid for pH down nowadays. I never need to shift pH up because of the carbonate levels in my source water, that's what I'm really battling.

We use sodium and potassium hydroxide for making our soaps. Super caustic, use with caution.

 

[pticenegro]

Well, in the end what do you recommend in order to raise the pH of an acidic soil ? I have a few ideas :

• Watering with water which has pH between 7.0 and 7.5 ;
  
• Sprinkling some dolomite lime over the top layer of soil ;
• Flush them pots with water in order to clean any excessive nutes/salts etc. and then watering with optimal pH

My problem is that the pH of the soil is very acidic. I made a test last day : poured 3l of 7.5pH water into the three of my plants and check'd the runoff pH, which was between 6.5 and 6.8. This in my opinion is a sign of a very acidic soil, cuz I experience some problems with my plants - molybdenum deficiency for example ... and I am more than sure that there is NO molybdnm def. , but a lockout due to pH problems.

A bit info : im growin using BioBizz soil mix and biobizz fertilizers. The last 15-20 waterings were with pH between 6.3 and 6.5 , until the moment I started experiencing N,K deficiencies ... but there is no way to be a def., cuz I was giving them enough nutes. My flowers are in week 6th since I switched 12/12. You can check some images in my growing diary - CLICK.
However, you won't understand anything, cuz Im writing in bulgarian there, therefore you can see the images and tell me what you think. :)

So, what do you guys recommend me to do in order to raise my soil's pH and stop those problems ?

Thank you very much !
All the best wishes !

 

[ken dog]

You might want to look into adding calcium carbonate... It will help with the alkalinity of your soil (buffer).

I see that you mentioned Dolomite lime... But it has quite a bit of magnesium in it.

 

[Seamaiden]

So, what do you guys recommend me to do in order to raise my soil's pH and stop those problems ?

Wood ashes. Low amounts. Take GREAT care using dolomite lime or anything with carbonate or bicarbonate molecules (CO3). Those tend to build up and can be a lot more difficult to deal with than acidic soils.

 

[pticenegro]

Thank you very much for the quick responses and giving me advice ! :)

I've already sprinkled a bit of dolomite lime over the top soil layer. I haven't given them sodium bicarbonate or anything else.

I hope that the pH raised and I'm gonna give them the regular nute feed from tomorrow. Also I'll keep watering them with a bit higher pH than before - somewhere between 6.7 and 7.0 and won't drop under 6.5.

What do you think about these soil pH meters ? Do they measure accurately ? And does it measure more accurately than checking just the runoff pH ? Cuz I think of getting one in order to be sure what is going with the soil's pH.

Thanks again !
All the best wishes ^^ !

 

[usstoner]

I use white vinegar for ph. down.

 

[Huckster79]

I use heavy 16 prime and have not adjusted ph once since starting to use it- just finishing 5 th week if flower and haven't had a defunct hiccup yet knock on wood,,, really liking it..

 

[dmshayne]

I use heavy 16 prime and have not adjusted ph once since starting to use it- just finishing 5 th week if flower and haven't had a defunct hiccup yet knock on wood,,, really liking it..

What system do you use? Just curious.

 

[Huckster79]

What system do you use? Just curious.

No prob we all live taking about our harems!

I use promix (actually knock off version) in homemade air/smart pot combo. A cloth grow bag in a bucket drilled out like crazy- and trying a new idea from a friend on one just a milk crate lined w weedblock cloth. I'm using the full heavy 16 line up minus roots. This is only my 2nd run and I'm humbled by how beautiful the girls are-I'll try to get some pics tomorrow. Honestly they shouldn't be so pretty for time number 2.... I hated screwing w ph... My first run I just used their base n had great results. But when I heard prime eliminated need to ph I grabbed a jug- $30 for 250ml has lasted 2 months... Just bought the half gallon, $130 but hAlf cost per ml....

Honestly a great "crutch" for a newbie to not screw something up! And for a seasoned vet- why mess w it if u don't have to?