Vinegar & Baking Soda for PH adjustment

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#940427 - 11/27/04 08:09 PM Vinegar & Baking Soda for PH adjustment
daddysativa Member Registered: 03/26/04 Posts: 130 Loc: Pacific northwest transplant	I am newly relocated to the Pacific Northwest and am having a problem with nutrient uptake. Assumed it was a ph problem (thanks Caligrower/Rolanterroy for the link for the bargain ph meter!). Just recieved my new Hanna ph meter and the tap water here is almost 8. Went to my local hydro store for supplies and thought what they wanted for ph down was overpriced. Have used vinegar and baking soda for a poor mans co2 boost in the past so I used a little distilled white vinegar to bring the ph down to 6.5 in my fert solution for my babies in soil. If I don't see improvement in the next couple of days will go down a little further. Checked the ph of the fert sol again today and no drift. My question: Is there anything wrong with using vinegar for ph down? If I overadjust the ph and need to raise it is there anything wrong with using Baking Soda? I am trying to be ultra cautious since I was hoping to put the ladies into flower a few weeks ago but severe nute problems have put the flowering date off by several weeks if not a month. So for right now if I drop the ph too low instead of raising it with BS I am dumping it and starting fresh. Anyone have experience with vinegar/ Baking Soda for ph treatment?
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#940428 - 11/27/04 08:21 PM Re: Vinegar & Baking Soda for PH adjustment [Re: daddysativa]
saskagrow Enthusiast Registered: 09/26/04 Posts: 213 Loc: Steppin out of the shit abyss	IMHO vinegar is great for ph down and baking soda is fantastic for ph up. Just make sure you don't ise too much _________________________ Common sense is a collection of the prejudices gained by age 18 -Albert Einstein
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#940429 - 11/27/04 10:09 PM Re: Vinegar & Baking Soda for PH adjustment [Re: daddysativa]
arcinNsparkin Carpal Tunnel Registered: 02/26/02 Posts: 2697 Loc: If i'm on line, well then i'm ...	Quote: Went to my local hydro store for supplies and thought what they wanted for ph down was overpriced. Hell I only pay $8.00 cdn for pH Down. That's not expensive considering,,,,, Quote: My question: Is there anything wrong with using vinegar for ph down? No there's nothing wrong with it. But consider how much more you will use, the more frequent use (more time) and the cost in the long run. Vinegar sold in the stores is Acetic Acid, usually around 5% by volume. pH Down is Nitric Acid. It's much more concentrated and stable than vinegar/acetic acid especially in hydroponic applications. Quote: If I overadjust the ph and need to raise it is there anything wrong with using Baking Soda? Sure, I use it myself instead of pH Up. It's a lot cheaper and very stable. Quote: Anyone have experience with vinegar/ Baking Soda for ph treatment? Yes read above,,,,,,,,,,,, Good luck, spend the money on pH Down. You'll be glad you did. “To move swiftly, strike vigorously, and secure all fruits of victory is the secret of a successful war. “- 1863 General Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson. C.S.A Attachments
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#940430 - 11/28/04 08:37 AM Re: Vinegar & Baking Soda for PH adjustment [Re: daddysativa]
Independence Pooh-Bah Registered: 11/14/04 Posts: 1750 Loc: 29th parallel	Baking soda is not a good pH up because it adds too much sodium to the medium. Water and K follow sodium so it can cause nute imbalances. Try using plain old tap water as a pH up.
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#940431 - 11/28/04 04:45 PM Re: Vinegar & Baking Soda for PH adjustment [Re: Independence]
InstantGrow Newbie Registered: 11/17/04 Posts: 27 Loc: Canada	ok, as far as using tap water fora ph up, that's wrong, because you are ph buffering a nutrient solution, and by adding water you are diluting your nutrient solution. the great part about a ph up or down product, is that it is very concentrated adn in a 50 gallon res. you need only use mere millilitres when adjusting/buffering the ph. And as pointed out, baking soda adds sodium which can cause a toxic build up in the soil/medium that your growing in. I strongly suggest buying a small bottle of ph up and or down, and I have always kept my ph at between 5.8 and 6.2, when flowering or approaching flowering (considering I don't veg. for very long) 1 litre of concetrated acid or base, will last a long long time, and if you buy bigger you usually get a better price, and then it will last you the rest of your life. Just be careful not to get it on your skin or in your eyes !!!!! InstantG
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#940432 - 11/28/04 06:20 PM Re: Vinegar & Baking Soda for PH adjustment [Re: InstantGrow]
saskagrow Enthusiast Registered: 09/26/04 Posts: 213 Loc: Steppin out of the shit abyss	Fine... if you're determined to use a strong acid just make sure you dilute enough not to damage the plant tissue. You can add only enough to adjust the ph but it'll still burn plant tissue if it comes in contact with it. _________________________ Common sense is a collection of the prejudices gained by age 18 -Albert Einstein
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#940433 - 11/29/04 08:04 AM Re: Vinegar & Baking Soda for PH adjustment [Re: InstantGrow]
Independence Pooh-Bah Registered: 11/14/04 Posts: 1750 Loc: 29th parallel	Quote: ok, as far as using tap water fora ph up, that's wrong, because you are ph buffering a nutrient solution, and by adding water you are diluting your nutrient solution. the great part about a ph up or down product, is that it is very concentrated adn in a 50 gallon res. you need only use mere millilitres when adjusting/buffering the ph. And as pointed out, baking soda adds sodium which can cause a toxic build up in the soil/medium that your growing in. I strongly suggest buying a small bottle of ph up and or down, and I have always kept my ph at between 5.8 and 6.2, when flowering or approaching flowering (considering I don't veg. for very long) 1 litre of concetrated acid or base, will last a long long time, and if you buy bigger you usually get a better price, and then it will last you the rest of your life. Just be careful not to get it on your skin or in your eyes !!!!! InstantG Hydroponic methods don't work very well in soil/less mediums. Tapwater is pH'd to 7.0-8.0 for better taste...and yes, it dilutes the nutrient solution but in a 1 gal container the amount of H2O added is ~¼ cup or less. I think the dilution is negligible. You don't have to worry about getting tap water on your skin or in your eyes!
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#940434 - 11/29/04 11:59 AM Re: Vinegar & Baking Soda for PH adjustment [Re: Independence]
daddysativa Member Registered: 03/26/04 Posts: 130 Loc: Pacific northwest transplant	I appreciate all the info everyone. At my local hydro store a small bottle of ph up or down was $17. I hate to be a tight-wad but I thought that was overpriced. I'll pick up some down the line, but was hoping vinegar would work temporarily. Sounds like it will.
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#940435 - 11/29/04 12:32 PM Re: Vinegar & Baking Soda for PH adjustment [Re: arcinNsparkin]
Anonymous Unregistered	thank you for that info about the PH-up. I've used the vinegar myself but isn't there a difference with the white vinegar and the apple vinegar? baking soda
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#940436 - 11/29/04 01:06 PM Re: Vinegar & Baking Soda for PH adjustment
CaliGrower Super Stoner Registered: 06/13/02 Posts: 4155 Loc: Southern California	Yes. The Apple Cider Vinegar will hold the pH longer than the White Vinegar. _________________________
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