Lowering PH ?

[hydrodude]

Hey all, my house water is 7.2ph-7.8ph depending on the time of the day.

 

I need to drop it so i went out and bought a digital pen to help me :-) and i was wondering what u would think of using Hydrocloric Acid to lower the Ph? I tested a bach of 10litres and it took like 4 drops to bring it to 6.3ph. Do u think it will hurt my plants?

[wassily]

Hey nimer,

I'd suggest you use phosphoric acid instead. It's widely available at hydro and

some garden shops. Alternatively, you can get ph down powder at aquariums,

but go for phosphoric if you can find it. It's about 9 bucks a litre for the megacrop brand.

Good searching.

[hydrodude]

I plan on getting the "right " stuff but i have had heaps of probs finding it. Will hydrocloric be sufficient untill i get phosphoric?

[wassily]

I can't answer that one, but my instinct is no. I think their makeups are quite different. Get some ph down powder from an aquarium. You must have one

somewhere around near you. It's $8 dollars for 120 gms and that will last

a fair while. I think it would be better than the hydrocloric. Safer too.

Vaz

[johnnyreeferseed]

regular malt venegar can be used to adjust your ph. i don't uise it, but i know it works.

jrs

[Tom]

It's best to use the correct fix, I would head for the hydro shop and buy some liquid PH-Down, it mixes in easier and you know that it won't harm your plants.

 

It's best to use the correct fix, I would head for the hydro shop and buy some liquid PH-Down, it mixes in easier and you know that it won't harm your plants.

 

http://www.gamers-forums.com/smilies/contrib/ruinkai/coolgleamA.gif1400

[hydrodude]

Well i called my hydro shop AFTER i used the Hydrocloric acid and they said DEF DO NOT USE IT. Anywase i have seen more growth on my plants in the last 3 days then in the last 2 weeks since using ph balenced water (hydrocloric Acid) and fertilizer. I have seen NO negitive side affects.

 

 

Although i am going to go to my hydro shop next week and get some phosphoric acid (the right stuff).

[wassily]

Listen to Tom, he knows what he's saying

 

Listen to Tom, he knows what he's saying

 

Vaz

[Luke Skywalker]

johnnyreeferseed Posted on May 11 2003, 04:40 AM

regular malt venegar can be used to adjust your ph. i don't uise it, but i know it works.

jrs 

 

Uhm, this is what I thought too, in fact I had read it in the beginners bible for hydroponics, (legal that is....) "Hydroponics For Everyone" by the late and lamented Dr Struan Sutherland. Now, while it is true that vinegar is an acid, and what your after to lower ph is an acid, this does not a good ph adjuster make! I used it for about a month and a half, and was constantly wondering why I had to adjust ph every single day of reservoir and media. This just went on and on, and I kept on just trusting the fact that I had read this in an otherwise excellent book. Eventually I realised that the vinegar was not only very, very weakly acidic on the ph scale, but it's organic composition, and the fact that most people keep the same clear plastic bottle of the stuff for years, leads to growth of some funky ass algae, and this stuff blocks up pipes like nothing.... So, nimer, get some ph down, the phosphoric acid type, as soon as possible. You should only need drops of the stuff per 10l to adjust your ph back to normal levels. Oh, and as to the hydrochloric, well, it wont really severely affect your plants unless you use lots of it. It will simply break down into a little extra chlorine in the water, which, according to some can be harmful.... I don't know though, I haven't noticed anything..... *tick, tick, shudder, tick* Nothing at all.... *shudder, tick tick, shudder* ::

 

So really, in the end, tom was, as always, right. Good on ya!