What is pH?

[BreakPoint]

ok thanks Sun... so you say tap water is good? I've been using some of that calibration fluid now..upong hearing someone else did it that way. I guess if they sell storage solution that'd obviously be the right way to go? Or do u think I should just stick with tap water?

 

[Setting Sun]

I would use them in this order of preference:

storage solution

calibration solution

tap water

the tap water can leave deposits on the electrode more than the other two, so I'd use it only if I didn't have one of those, but tap water won't kill your meter like RO or distilled

 

[rastawarrior]

what's the best means to measure soil PH? I've found quite a few options but just can't decide on the best choice. Not too worried about $.

 

[SuperJoe]

The standard of measure of how acidic/basic a source is, is calcium carbonate, a common water mineral. Calcium carbonate is the major contributor of water alkalinity, the capacity for water to 'soak up', or buffer, acidity in water and lead to a high pH.

TUMS= Calcium Carbonate. Will they be safe to dissolve and mix to bring my pH up?

 

[jungleworld]

i learn something new everytime i go to 420 mag I luv it!!!!!

 

[Setting Sun]

what's the best means to measure soil PH? I've found quite a few options but just can't decide on the best choice. Not too worried about $.

best way is to measure the runoff when you water with a PH meter. You want to catch and measure the runoff when it first starts dribbling out, so that it's most accurate.

 

[HorseBadoritz]

I would use them in this order of preference:

storage solution

calibration solution

tap water

the tap water can leave deposits on the electrode more than the other two, so I'd use it only if I didn't have one of those, but tap water won't kill your meter like RO or distilled

Settin Sun, what is it about RO and distilled water that kills the meter? And, is the buffering solution ok?

Thanks

 

[Setting Sun]

Long-term exposure to de-ionized or distilled water will damage the glass membrane, but I don't know the exact mechanism that causes the damage.

7.0 buffering solution is OK.

 

[HorseBadoritz]

Long-term exposure to de-ionized or distilled water will damage the glass membrane, but I don't know the exact mechanism that causes the damage.

7.0 buffering solution is OK.

So, then I guess vodka is out? ;-)

 

[whitewidow78]

My experience:Never in the soil 5.8

 

[munen]

great read! potential of hydrogen... did not know that!

 

[Microdocks]

Agree getting a test kit before i foiler feed after reading this... thanks

 

[Son of Stimpy]

Common household items for ph adjustment

Is there any cheap/household items i can use to lower my PH level from 7.0 to 6.5?

Yup!

Vinegar is an acid so will lower the ph.
One teaspoon of vinegar will lower the ph of a gallon of water by about one full point, so 1/2 teaspoon will move the ph of a gallon of water from 7.0 to 6.5.
White distilled vinegar is the cheapest and will work just as well as more expensive types.

Citric acid, aka "lemon salt", is less common as a household item but is another cheap acid to use.
A mere 1/4 teaspoon of citric acid crystals will lower the ph of a gallon of water from 7 to 4.
Herbalcom.com, which sells all sorts of herbs and spices, currently has food grade citric acid for $3.25 per lb. They're the best I've found.


Baking Soda is a base, so will raise the ph.
One teaspoon of baking soda will raise the ph of one gallon of water by about one full point.


Don't put your ph adjuster directly in the media of course. Mix them with your water or nutrient solution. Also, if you're mixing a nutrient solution, keep in mind that fertilizers are generally pretty acidic themselves so will lower the ph of the water you mix them in. The various brands and formulations don't all alter the ph by the same amount though, so there's no simple rule to follow, and of course the more fertilizer you use the more the ph will go down, so you've really got to measure the ph to tell what you're getting. Mix in the fertilizer first to tell where it leaves the ph, then adjust as necessary. If you adjust the ph first then add the fertilizer, you'll end up having to adjust the ph yet again to get it right, taking more time and wasting your ph adjuster in the process.

 

[Racefan]

Get the real ph down. It's cheap and although the house items will work they lack the buffers the real stuff has so your PH will not remain stable as long.

I'm really surprised this thread is still around. I forgot I even posted it.lol

 

[Setting Sun]

I'm also finding that it's good to wait a few minutes for the PH up or down to buffer the nute solution.

I've measured a PH of 6.8 after adding PH down, and 5-10 minutes later, it's down at 6.0, so now I wait a few minutes before I check after adjusting.

 

[Giantsfan24]

So I've got the ph thing down with regard to the water and nute mix..no problem. Got a meter, got it stored correctly..

What is the best way to check the ph of the soil? Runoff? I did that. My water was 7.0 and my runoff was 5.2.

I've planted already, should I add a teaspoon or two of dolomite lime to get the ph up around 6.2 - 6.5?

 

[HillbillyWolf]

a great household pH down is white distilled vinegar! make sure you test your water that you will be using all the time... start with what you have for pH right outta the tap... start with 1/2 teaspoon and work your way down to desired pH level.. test each time so you know what amount to add to your gallons every time!

 

[redwon]

nice thread,, my ph comes straight out the tap water at between the 7.3 to 9.2 or there abouts, i put the required amount of ionic bloom for soil in the water and it drops to 4.7 sometimes 5.1... what am i doing wrong and what should i do to fix this,, can anyone save my bad tactics,, peace people

 

[GigaGrew]

nice thread,, my ph comes straight out the tap water at between the 7.3 to 9.2 or there abouts, i put the required amount of ionic bloom for soil in the water and it drops to 4.7 sometimes 5.1... what am i doing wrong and what should i do to fix this,, can anyone save my bad tactics,, peace people

thats what happens. now you need to add ph up to get it to that sweet spot, remembering to take it slowly to allow the ph mod to take effect.

 

[SuKaFr33]

is it ok to re-use the buffer solution?? like can i pour some out into a container while im calibratin then when im done pour it back into the bottle or does it do somethin not good??? let me know what you guys think, thanks