Question about apple cider vinegar to reduce water PH

[NewGrower42069]

Hello I have a very specific question. I’m doing 1 pot stepwell supersoil and 2 pots Gaia living soil 1-0-0.
my filtered waters PH is high.. 8.0. Instead of ph down the guy at the store recommend organic apple cider vinegar. And also told me if I’m using vinegar I’ll need Gaia glacial rock dust in the soil to help counteract the negative effects of using aplecider vinegar to lower my water ph. Is this true? Also how much glacial rock dust do I need to mix into the soil? Or am I just to sprinkle some glacial rock dust on the top of the soil? My seeds have sprouted and are ready to plant in 12hours please help! :(

does anyone know what the PH of stepwell supersoil vs Gaia living soil 1-0-0 is right out of the bag?

 

[freezeland2]

Just get some general hydroponic ph down & up to have on hand. Use it as needed.

 

[mancorn]

Ph isn’t a big issue in soil. Skip the vinegar if you’re set on lowering your pH. There are many organic fertilizers, like Alaska Fish Emulsion, that will drop your pH (and you only need a small amount).

 

[freezeland2]

Ph isn’t a big issue in soil. Skip the vinegar if you’re set on lowering your pH. There are many organic fertilizers, like Alaska Fish Emulsion, that will drop your pH (and you only need a small amount).

Very good point. The OP’s soil will buffer it if it’s living soil as stated.

 

[GreenMtnGuru]

No vinegar, lemon juice, or the like.

PH adjusters are very cheap and last forever. Should be in every growers toolkit, even if rarely used.

 

[NewGrower42069]

So why when I told the dude at the grow store how high my filtered water PH is and that I need a ph down method.. he said I DONT want to use ph down in living/super soils? That’s when he grabbed a 10$ gaia glacial rock dust and said mix that in with the soil and just PH down the water with vinegar… all the different answers I hear just has me confused lol

also how MUCH glacial rock dust should I mix into the soil? And do I mix mix it in or just kinda put it on the top and mix the top layer?
I heard Glacial rock dust won’t affect the soils PH really so putting some in to counteract any negative affects of using apple cider vinegar to lower my waters PH would only be beneficial? does this sound true?
did the guy just scam me into buying glacial rock dust that I did not need?
I would’ve preferred to use stepwell supersoil in all my pots but I couldn’t lug the big bag home had to get the Gaia living soil.. worried if I can just treat them both mediums as the same or not.. I know the stepwell soil is very rich this year so I might need to feed nutes to the Gaia pots first, but other than that just wondering/worried if there’s a big difference in ph between both soils *shrug* as my buddy said Gaia has a higher PH out of the bag

 

[Aqua Man]

So why when I told the dude at the grow store how high my filtered water PH is and that I need a ph down method.. he said I DONT want to use ph down in living/super soils? That’s when he grabbed a 10$ gaia glacial rock dust and said mix that in with the soil and just PH down the water with vinegar… all the different answers I hear just has me confused lol

also how MUCH glacial rock dust should I mix into the soil? And do I mix mix it in or just kinda put it on the top and mix the top layer?
I heard Glacial rock dust won’t affect the soils PH really so putting some in to counteract any negative affects of using apple cider vinegar to lower my waters PH would only be beneficial? does this sound true?
did the guy just scam me into buying glacial rock dust that I did not need?
I would’ve preferred to use stepwell supersoil in all my pots but I couldn’t lug the big bag home had to get the Gaia living soil.. worried if I can just treat them both mediums as the same or not.. I know the stepwell soil is very rich this year so I might need to feed nutes to the Gaia pots first, but other than that just wondering/worried if there’s a big difference in ph between both soils *shrug* as my buddy said Gaia has a higher PH out of the bag

Cause hydro store guy doesn’t know what he is talking about.

Its nit the type of acid its the concentration yada yada yada. You are welcome to invite him here for a discussion on the matter if you like to validate what these fine ppl are saying.

You do NOT need nornis it beneficial EXCEPT when required for mixing to prevent precipitation of nutrients. The SOIL and its amendments do this so you you had a PH issue you need to amend your soil NOT ph your nutrients.

Id be happy to discuss this with him in your thread if he would like.

Generally speaking just because someone works at a hydro store does not make them an expert or even knowledgeable in the subject.

 

[Aqua Man]

Ph is a result nothing more. Its the alkalinity thats key. Read this tobhelp you understand and responses if you can. Feel free to invite hydro store guy if you like.

Marijuana pH Levels for Growing Weed: A Basic Explanation

OK I'm going to do my best to explain PH since its something that is for the most part greatly misunderstood and can be confusing to new growers and even experienced growers alike. This will explain why we need both ppm and PH meters to give us informed information about PH This will be a...

www.thcfarmer.com

 

[NewGrower42069]

Ok thanks! yah I figured the guy at the store was maybe not knowing exactly what he was saying lol.
my filtered water Ph is super high. Literally 8.2-8.4 just measured again. So u guys are saying a cheap bottle of PH down is fine and won’t hurt the super/living soils I’m using?
Last question then I’m set to begin! :))
my newly sprouting seeds are gonna be planted in a peat pellet and planted directly into the final outdoor growing pot. Should I use clear plastic plant protectors until the seeds grow into a more strong seedling? I want to get the plants used to their outdoor environment/pot immediately and using peat pellet to avoid nute brn from my rich supersoils. It can get quite windy on my balcony also would I want to keep the plastic plant protectors closed on open (there’s a little hole for air at the top which can be opened or closed
edit: as for the guy at the grow store.. he’s a complete stranger. It sucks he isn’t into the finer details as he works at a grow store. But he seems like the type who wouldn’t do well with someone telling him hes spreading misinformation

 

[freezeland2]

Ok thanks! yah I figured the guy at the store was maybe not knowing exactly what he was saying lol.
my filtered water Ph is super high. Literally 8.2-8.4 just measured again. So u guys are saying a cheap bottle of PH down is fine and won’t hurt the super/living soils I’m using?
Last question then I’m set to begin! :))
my newly sprouting seeds are gonna be planted in a peat pellet and planted directly into the final outdoor growing pot. Should I use clear plastic plant protectors until the seeds grow into a more strong seedling? I want to get the plants used to their outdoor environment/pot immediately and using peat pellet to avoid nute brn from my rich supersoils. It can get quite windy on my balcony also would I want to keep the plastic plant protectors closed on open (there’s a little hole for air at the top which can be opened or closed
edit: as for the guy at the grow store.. he’s a complete stranger. It sucks he isn’t into the finer details as he works at a grow store. But he seems like the type who wouldn’t do well with someone telling him hes spreading misinformation

What is it exactly that you are filtering out of your water?

 

[freezeland2]

And what is the ph before you filter it?

 

[NewGrower42069]

And what is the ph before you filter it?

My unfiltered water comes out at 7.0-7.4
im using a brita carbon filter to get rid of the chlorine or chloramine or so I thought?
my budget is very small at the moment and also my living space is minimal so I dont think I’d be able to leave big buckets of water sitting out for the Chlorine/chrlorsmine to dissipate by itself :( if I was to use the unfiltered water instead. And affording a bubbler or aerator (whatever it’s called) haha won’t be able to purchase one quite yet. and these things are about ready to plant!

also I just searched up and found “chemical ph down WILL kill microbes in super/living soils, so maybe the guy at the grow store does know what he’s talking about? possibly 50% of what’s he’s talking about atleast haha. Ugh
im such a detail oriented guy and I really got a lot of anxiety on making sure I’m doing all I can to get big strong yields

 

[freezeland2]

My unfiltered water comes out at 7.0-7.4
im using a brita carbon filter to get rid of the chlorine or chloramine or so I thought?
my budget is very small at the moment and also my living space is minimal so I dont think I’d be able to leave big buckets of water sitting out for the Chlorine/chrlorsmine to dissipate by itself :( if I was to used the unfiltered water

Filtering your water is fine. You don’t need to worry about ph adjusting it. The soil will do that.

 

[NewGrower42069]

Filtering your water is fine. You don’t need to worry about ph adjusting it. The soil will do that.

Alright you know what. I’ll test it I’ll give filtered water untouched to one of my plants and apple cider vinegar reduced filtered water for the other.
any Idea what I should keep an eye out for? To know whether it’s best to just use untouched filtered vs apple cider vinegar filtered water?

 

[Aqua Man]

Alright you know what. I’ll test it I’ll give filtered water untouched to one of my plants and apple cider vinegar reduced filtered water for the other.
any Idea what I should keep an eye out for? To know whether it’s best to just use untouched filtered vs apple cider vinegar filtered water?

What ppm is your water adter filtering

 

[freezeland2]

Alright you know what. I’ll test it I’ll give filtered water untouched to one of my plants and apple cider vinegar reduced filtered water for the other.
any Idea what I should keep an eye out for? To know whether it’s best to just use untouched filtered vs apple cider vinegar filtered water?

You are wasting your time with that science experiment. Living soil buffers the ph. It’s one of the many advantages to growing in it.

 

[freezeland2]

What ppm is your water adter filtering

I bet it’s very low and why he is chasing ph. I run carbon filtered water to, my ppm is 110 out of the tap and 100 after the filter. I get similar ph readings if I bothering checking it. I say water the plants and quit chasing that ph rabbit in soil.

 

[NewGrower42069]

You are wasting your time with that science experiment. Living soil buffers the ph. It’s one of the many advantages to growing in it.

So filtered tap water at 8.0-8.4 PH isn’t too high? I’ve heard Gaia living soil PH is slightly higher out of the bag then the other half of pots I have filled with stepwell supersoil. I would prefer to hit optimum ranges and the stepwell soil guy even recommends Apple cider vinegar to lower water PH if too high.. much prefered to use the same medium across the board but it just wasn’t plausible as the store I went to last minute only had Gaia living soil.. since they’re both super/living soils untouched water will be fine then you think?
I guess that forms a new question though.. what exactly do I need nutrient wise, once the plants eat up most of the super/living soils stuff. The Gaia says 4 weeks to start feeding th stepwell even longer.. which nutrients should I even buy.l I’ve been kind of buying what I need AS I need it and I’m still in the early stages just trying to think ahead now
also glacial rock dust.. should I mix that into all pots, or is that something to supplement later down the line and is it something only meant for the top soil or to be mixed throughout?guy at the grow store was very vague..
was thinking of mixing a tiny bit into all pots before planting my sprout seed peat pellets

 

[freezeland2]

The ph is High because you filtered it and there isn’t many ions left in the water afterwards. You are chasing something that you don’t need to. As far as what do you amend living soil with………microbes.

 

[Edinburgh]

I do that when pH is to high, but not apple cider vinegar you need to use white vinegar, fill a 16oz cup of water add a bit of vinegar stir and give to plant then check pH runoff, go light bc you can allways repeat.