Is my PH down killing me?

SkunkyDunk · Jan 19, 2020

So i have a question for you master growers.
I posted this question in my grow diary but this is probably a more appropriate spot.
It's probably a simple answer, but I have a some mind.
Our city water has a average PH of 8.
I have always used a PH down from GH and I assume it is made with phosphoric acid.
This is my question.
By using this acid in my 55 gal barrel for my dechlorinated water source (it's heavely aerated) is it defeating my organic teas? Killing my microbes and soil?

bunkerking · Jan 19, 2020

It's the hard ph swing that kills microbes easily.

Phos acid is fine, if you ph before adding them in.

Don't forget about chloramine. Not just chlorine. Bubbling won't remove that if I recall right. Dechlorinator is so cheap and last forever. Just buy some.

Teas are alot of work imo. But if you don't mind it. Just inoculating the soil with good bacteria will be just as effective.

SkunkyDunk · Jan 19, 2020

Yeah I PH my barrel after topping off.
Add to my tea to dilute and feed.
To PH a fresh barrel of water I have to add 80ml of down.

oldskol4evr · Jan 19, 2020

SkunkyDunk said:
Yeah I PH my barrel after topping off.
Add to my tea to dilute and feed.
To PH a fresh barrel of water I have to add 80ml of down.

keep in mind when bubbling your water that also rise the ph of the water,when i lived in the city i used asorbic acid in 33 gal water ,kept it on back porch,so wen i feed ,i wait 30 min before mixing what i needed ,most time just using my bottle nutes dropped my ph.
doing all that work with crappy water what left me to using teas instead

SkunkyDunk · Jan 20, 2020

oldskol4evr said:
keep in mind when bubbling your water that also rise the ph of the water,when i lived in the city i used asorbic acid in 33 gal water ,kept it on back porch,so wen i feed ,i wait 30 min before mixing what i needed ,most time just using my bottle nutes dropped my ph.
doing all that work with crappy water what left me to using teas instead

I just refilled my barrel fresh yesterday.
PH of water was 7.7, I added 55ml of down to get it to 6.3.
Took about 45 minutes to stabilize.

oldskol4evr · Jan 20, 2020

SkunkyDunk said:
I just refilled my barrel fresh yesterday.
PH of water was 7.7, I added 55ml of down to get it to 6.3.
Took about 45 minutes to stabilize.

how big a barrel,might try bubbling a few days first then ph down ,do you have clorimine in it

SkunkyDunk · Jan 20, 2020

Barrel is 55 gal.
No idea about chloramine.
I'm afraid to get a water analysis.
We get a letter from our water dept every month that if young or old not to drink!
8 years this has been going on.

oldskol4evr · Jan 20, 2020

SkunkyDunk said:
Barrel is 55 gal.
No idea about chloramine.
I'm afraid to get a water analysis.
We get a letter from our water dept every month that if young or old not to drink!
8 years this has been going on.

i wouldnt trust there report anyway,you can send a sample off to a college and get one done for about 30 bucks,now being able to read the thing is another story,i recently sent off 2 soil samples to mid west labrtory,shit i got reports back a damn chemist probally cant read hahah.
if you plan to stay were your at for years it be a good idea ,at the very least you know were you stand with it.
you know what sucks about this is you still have to pay a damn water bill when you have water that can only flush toliets bunch shit,i talked with someone from missori last week same thing water ph wa sway up there ,might have been you,even worse they get away with the shit

SkunkyDunk · Jan 20, 2020

And this is after they built the half million dollar water treatment plant.
The EPA has made retarded requirements for water to boot!

oldskol4evr · Jan 20, 2020

SkunkyDunk said:
And this is after they built the half million dollar water treatment plant.
The EPA has made retarded requirements for water to boot!

sounds to me like commercailization for bottle water companies. does your state also deny you the right to catch rain water?

SkunkyDunk · Jan 20, 2020

oldskol4evr said:
sounds to me like commercailization for bottle water companies. does your state also deny you the right to catch rain water?

Not yet.
But my insurance company tried to say this year that my rain barrels need to be stored away, not bu the house, WTH!

oldskol4evr · Jan 20, 2020

SkunkyDunk said:
Not yet.
But my insurance company tried to say this year that my rain barrels need to be stored away, not bu the house, WTH!

they been doing that for some time,the condensation factor and mold is what there eye balling,easy fix and most with HOA are doing is camo with yard type ornaments,HOA is claiming eye sores,so folk are making like little water wells decorations,problem solved,cant stand damn HOA so hard to find one that actually do what they were designed to do,now days instead of looking out for consumers,it more like communism with a iron hammer,i moved away from the city just for this reason alone,nobody gonna tell me i cant fix my own roof period,i also beat that roof is still just like i left it too haha,matter of fact know it is,when i sold the house the new owners are grandfather in ,if any penalty's are there it is last owners penalty's well come get your money all i can say,they sure havent tried.
just damn modern day bullies,extortionist and ave US goverment right under there thumb,

bunkerking · Jan 20, 2020

SkunkyDunk said:
Barrel is 55 gal.
No idea about chloramine.
I'm afraid to get a water analysis.
We get a letter from our water dept every month that if young or old not to drink!
8 years this has been going on.

Then spend $10 on dechlorinator. Or live with the fact that you might be killing all your microbes, or dont use microbes.

SkunkyDunk · Jan 24, 2020

bunkerking said:
Then spend $10 on dechlorinator. Or live with the fact that you might be killing all your microbes, or dont use microbes.

I've got a quart of this coming. It says 1 cap full per 10 gallons.

QuindariousGooch · Feb 17, 2020

I've got a pretty heavy chemistry background so I always bought 70% nitric acid. Here's a link to one that's probably not the best deal around but the first one I found just to show you what I'm talking about. I had a 25 gallon reservoir that would drop one pH per 1 drop of 70% phosphoric or nitric acid. You should only mix the acid in ahead of the nutrients in plain water. Get the water pH to where it needs to be so that after you add your nutes you end up at the desired pH.any adjustments after the nutrients are in I would suggest putting a drop of 70% nitric in a gallon of water and then cut that in half again before you use it. Basically you're making your own bottle of pH down that you paid 30 times as much for in a diluted small bottle.
This is zero risk to microbes because you're never hitting them with a big pH change if you treat the plain water first. The dilutions I suggested will require using a large amount of water to get a pH change in your nutes or tea but you won't be killing anything that way. Hope that helps.
Cheers

Nitric Acid, ACS Reagent Grade, 70%, 500mL

www.laballey.com

Here's phosphoric 75%

Phosphoric Acid 75% Solution, Lab Grade

Extensively Used In Fertilizer Production

www.laballey.com

maximusluminous · Feb 17, 2020

SkunkyDunk said:
I've got a quart of this coming. It says 1 cap full per 10 gallons.

Cyco nutrients PH down is way stronger than GH's PH down, Gh is in the 20% range, like 27%ish as GH doesn't list the % but Botanicare's PH down is like 27-29% and its anywhere from the same as if not slightly stronger than GH's.... Cyco's PH down is like 47%. It's a way way better buy with Cyco's!

Is my PH down killing me?

Is my PH down killing me?

SkunkyDunk

bunkerking

SkunkyDunk

oldskol4evr

SkunkyDunk

oldskol4evr

SkunkyDunk

oldskol4evr

SkunkyDunk

oldskol4evr

SkunkyDunk

oldskol4evr

bunkerking

SkunkyDunk

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Nitric Acid, ACS Reagent Grade, 70%, 500mL

Phosphoric Acid 75% Solution, Lab Grade

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