[habeeb]

wanted more info from people running bio filters

when using pH down ( GH ) or citric acid, do you notice anything involving microbe population / health


I was reading an article on aquaponics, and they said not to use citric acid as it is an anti-bacterial product???


any info or thoughts on this?

[Granger2]

Hola Habeeb. I wish I could help. This is info I could really use, and would really appreciate it if someone could point me to more. Thanx

[Ursus]

hey I can't find exactly where it's at but I know it's in the first few paragraphs.

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread....=nutrient+film

[VerdantGreen]

i use soil, and citric acid to pH my water. i know that plant roots exude citric acid to make Fe and P more available to them. i doubt it is anti-microbial in the concentrations that we use it either in soil or hydo. anyone got a microscope?

VG

[Moots]

It shouldn't be too big of an issue. A quick look at Wikipedia, to find some of its uses, and their potentiality of being harmful to microbe populations in general terms might shed some light. Particularly food uses it seems.

Citric acid is one of several acids used by home brewers to modify brewing water for making beer.

Citric acid may be used as the main ripening agent in the first steps of making mozzarella cheese.

Both, require microbial populations. They cause fermentation of sugars for the first which beer requires for production. As for the Cheese, it coagulates the cheese during ripening. Both ripening and fermentation require populations of microbes to occur.

Citric acid is popular because it is a weaker acid. So it has some anti-microbial abilities, which is why it is popular in soaps. However, its weakness is also why it doesn't completely halt fermentation or ripening. It is more like a Bacterial Moderator.

I don't think it will completely wipe out all of your wee lil micro beasties, it may however reduce or kill certain Microbes. Which ones? I do not know. Nor do I know if the effects may be exaggerated in a aquaponic environment.

So if you do use it, use small amounts (It can solve small PH balance issues as well), to limit potential negative effects, and then see how the plant reacts, and move from there.

[Clackamas Coot]

Originally Posted by VerdantGreen

i know that plant roots exude citric acid to make Fe and P more available to them

VG

Hush! Don't bring science into the discussion!

Heh...........

CC

[cmdo0bie]

Originally Posted by habeeb

wanted more info from people running bio filters

when using pH down ( GH ) or citric acid, do you notice anything involving microbe population / health


I was reading an article on aquaponics, and they said not to use citric acid as it is an anti-bacterial product???


any info or thoughts on this?

Any acidic solution is going to inhibit microbial growth by reducing enzymatic activity (exception being acidophiles). Citric acid is a weak acid and in dilute quantities isn't going to seriously hamper your soil biology if someone needs to lower their pH, but it could slow growth. So unless pH is too high, it makes sense to avoid it in an "living" system. With that said, it may not necessarily kill bacteria as much as just slow its growth, so it may not work for you as an anti bacterial...depends what you want to do. Another "natural" option is acetic acid (vinegar) which is also has mild antibacterial properties.

[VerdantGreen]

from the other citric acid thread

Originally Posted by VerdantGreen

this paper, kindly uploaded by son_of_a_batch, explores why some plants can handle lime soils (that have low Fe etc) and some cant. its basically down to some plants being able to make root exudation of organic acids (including citric)

https://www.icmag.com/ic/attachment....3&d=1301255498

i use a fairly large amount of citric acid every watering (in soil) to bring my water pH down from 9 to about 6 - i think my gallery shows that my plants are happy

[mg75]

its going to help with nutrient uptake.
earthjuice ph down is powdered citric acid and was meant to work with organic growing.