Is daily pH down(Nitric Acid) causing Nitrogen Toxicity??

[sweetgreen]

I have to adjust my rez pH down to 5.5 from 6.5-7.5 once a day. I use Technaflora's pH down which is Nitric Acid. From my research, Nitric acid breaks down into Nitrogen for the plants.

I have leaf tip "hook" on my fan leaves. My EC is only 0.8-1.0 with no other signs of nute burn.

Any chance adding this pH down every day is raising the Nitrogen level and giving my plants slight N toxicity?

Thanks

 

[desertsquirrel]

it breaks down over time through beneficial nitrogen fixing bacteria. are you using bacteria?

 

[john guest]

Technaflora PH Down contains 12% nitric acid, 1ml/gal will add 7ppm/gal of nitrate (NO3). I use nitric acid (38%) in preference to phosphoric acid as that adds more P per ml/gal than the nitric adds N. Excessive P can cause more issues than a little extra N.
I found i needed to use more phosphoric (85%) to do the same job as 38% nitric. Phos isn`t as nasty as nitric :)

 

[Seamaiden]

it breaks down over time through beneficial nitrogen fixing bacteria. are you using bacteria?

AHA! I was wondering about this with specific regard to nitrifiers (oxidizers) Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter spp. And so I look up nitric acid, what's the chemical expression? HNO3! NO3 = nitrate, which I believe is a preferred form of nitrogen for cannabis and other annuals. In other words, once that hydrogen bond is broken from the nitrate, it's all free uptake for the girls.

Chalk another one up to "good to know." :)

 

[desertsquirrel]

NO3 and NH4 (most simple ionic, INorganic form) are not only preferred, they are the only forms in which plants can uptake N.

because NO3 translates into a much higher atp production (20 atp vrs 5) there seems to be some debate about how much is too much. some studies seem to indicate that after an initial burst of uptake/growth, the NO3 causes slower N uptake over time.

I have no conclusions on the matter at this time, though im about to begin testing.

 

[Seamaiden]

I remember it this way--pee's for the trees, fish for the rest. In aquatics we'll find two forms of ammonia, NH3 and NH4+/-. However, both can and are oxidized by Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter, into NO2 (still toxic to fish in this application, but don't know if it's available for plants to uptake).

My experience with the compounds being discussed is specifically with aquatics. I've only relatively recently begun to learn about nitrogenous compounds and how plants may or may not be able to utilize them. I "see" NO3 as a rather readily available form of N, because of the O3.

I do use my own urine, which I presume but haven't directly tested, for a source of N as NH3/4. I guess I should do a sample in water and test it sometime.

With stricter regard to the topic at hand, I personally have only used P-based pH adjusters, never N, and so can only guess at what might be happening, but it makes sense to my fish-head.

 

[mastacheeser]

I do use my own urine, which I presume but haven't directly tested, for a source of N as NH3/4. I guess I should do a sample in water and test it sometime

sea were you off the side of the 15 north of san diego yesterday
i seen a squatter