does anyone have any idea how much to mix? i have one girl that is getting pretty bad from the ph spotting, some leaves are even cripsy and curled. just want to know the strongest i can mix, so I have something to go off of for all the ones that just started showing spots. Doesn't really matter to me which acid I use as long as it works and is safe. thanks for the help sorry for hi-jack
Alternative PH Down
- Thread starter HIGHGROOVE
- Start date
Battery acid works great.
Cheap and available at most auto part stores.
Cheap and available at most auto part stores.
netprophet
Member
on the topic of citric acid.... anyone know how to calculate the amount need (grams per gallon) to counter x amount of bicarbonates or alkalinity. I'm guessing this involves citric acids potential acidity.....
re: citric acid: i'm sure you could go more concentrated when putting together a pH down, but 1g dry citric acid powder per 10ml water works well for me. i just use a mason jar, fill with 500ml water, and stir in 50g citric acid. poof. 3ml of this concentrate will drop the pH for a gallon of working solution from 7.2 to 5.8 in my case. once you know get your recipe down, you won't even need to measure pH as it should be spot on every time.
I would not ever grow without citric acid.
I actually spend more on it than fertilizer.
Good thing you can buy it in bulk.
I actually spend more on it than fertilizer.
Good thing you can buy it in bulk.
thanks for this info it's exactly wat i was looking for. but I do have 1 question. when you say (3ml of this concentrate will drop the pH for a gallon of working solution from 7.2 to 5.8 in my case) is the WORKING SOLUTION the soil or you mix that with a gallon of water to lower the ph of your water only? Or are you specifically talkin hydro setups?
SpaceKiller
Member
Use what I use, Pink Grapefruit Juice the plants just love it and it's chock full of phosphoric acid and lots of nice naturally occuring sugars in there too!
Lemons, Limes, Grapefruits, Oranges all work excellent and are totally organic!
sounds excellent and so tasty.
SpaceKiller
Member
youre joking right? please tell me you are. i pray to whatever force drives the universe no one on this planet feeds their plants battery acid.
im completely aware how acidic most PH is but battery acid just sounds so disgustingly wrong to have anywhere near a plant especially its roots...
ugh its making my teeth feel like im chewing on a battery just thinking about that.
dgr
Member
Space,
Real hydro farmers use sulfuric acid. Here's a paper from Texas A&M. http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/greenhouse/hydroponics/solutions.html
I use sulfuric, phosphoric, citric depending.
Real hydro farmers use sulfuric acid. Here's a paper from Texas A&M. http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/greenhouse/hydroponics/solutions.html
I use sulfuric, phosphoric, citric depending.
Skip the battery acid and go to Quality Farm and Fleet and get milk stone remover. It's used for cleaning milking equipment. It's food grade and has 56% phosphoric acid. It's the same acid as GH PH down has but only $14 a gallon. One word of advice though go sparingly as it moves your PH quickly.
It's called "sterosol milkstone remover and acid rinse" it will be by the dairy herd supplies.
It's called "sterosol milkstone remover and acid rinse" it will be by the dairy herd supplies.
A
asa77sol
There was an experiment with the citric acid.
100g ca melted in 1L tap water. (pH:7,31, HCO3- cc 200-250mg, EC:0,58 mS/cm)
1ml solution mixed in 1L tap water: pH=6,57
2ml/L: pH=6,17
3ml/L: pH=5,56
4ml/L: pH=5,01
6hours later the pH rised up to 5,07
20hours later: 5,09
The water stored in open pot.
http://hempclub.info/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=210&t=143
i'm adding the citric acid to a gallon of water after the addition of my nutes and other additives. adjusting the ph of the soil itself is a whole other process.
Lowman
Member
Citric acid is good stuff for a PH down...but I don't like to use it in a rez situation. I only use it in smaller batches of nutes that I am going to use right away. The PH seems to drift up quite fast when using citric acid. Sulfuric on the other hand is much more stable in a rez situation. I can leave the rez a few days without worry of the Ph rising too much when I use sulfuric(battery)acid.
Y
YosemiteSam
Agreed...if it is going to sit for a while and citric is the pH down being used check it often. I have seen pH rise a point in a day with water around 60 ppm alkalinity.
I suspect (but do not know for certain) it does not remove alkalinity from the water at all like H2SO4, nitric or phosphoric do.
I suspect (but do not know for certain) it does not remove alkalinity from the water at all like H2SO4, nitric or phosphoric do.
esteboatan
Member
I use Sulfuric Acid too. I buy it from the auto parts shop as battery acid.
Make sure you use distilled water. I mix at a ratio of 3 parts distilled water:1 part sulfuric acid.
I have been using this formula as my pH down for about 4 years. Once adjusted pH remains very stable in a hydro/aero setup. I use 1.25ml per gallon to get 5.8. So as you can see its very economical to buy.
Make sure you use distilled water. I mix at a ratio of 3 parts distilled water:1 part sulfuric acid.
I have been using this formula as my pH down for about 4 years. Once adjusted pH remains very stable in a hydro/aero setup. I use 1.25ml per gallon to get 5.8. So as you can see its very economical to buy.
Always pour sulfuric acid into water, not water into sulfuric acid.
Lowman
Member
I can remember a few years ago talking about using sulfuric acid as a PH down on this site...and people were freaking out. All kinds of name calling...and so on. Nice to see more open minds and a chance to discuss things calmly.
I have been using the sulfuric for years now....never an issue....and super cheap.
I have been using the sulfuric for years now....never an issue....and super cheap.
Yup, Fear and loathing in ICMag.
There were peeps as late as 2007 warning of the dangers of ISO extraction. 'Solvents in the alcohol don't evaporate'.
There were peeps as late as 2007 warning of the dangers of ISO extraction. 'Solvents in the alcohol don't evaporate'.
Ain't that a hoot? Milkstone remover as ph down.
Why not?
Every Shovelhead rider who has had to de-rust their tanks learns that milkstone remover is the safest and best way to do it. Keep a rag wet with baking soda solution handy in case you spill on paint. Works great on tools too.
Powerful stuff that's more forgiving to handle than battery acid.
Because "Shit Happens".
Why not?
Every Shovelhead rider who has had to de-rust their tanks learns that milkstone remover is the safest and best way to do it. Keep a rag wet with baking soda solution handy in case you spill on paint. Works great on tools too.
Powerful stuff that's more forgiving to handle than battery acid.
Because "Shit Happens".
Milk stone remover is strong too. I dropped the PH in a 5 gallon solution from 6.5 down to 4.3 with 2 ml. That was 5 gallons of R.O. water so it had almost no buffer to it.
