Additives that raise ph

[dongle69]

You said calcium is the only thing taken in at 5.8?

Nooooooo, never said that. All nutrients are available at 5.8, as they are at 6, and 6.2, and 5.5, etc.
The amount of nutrients that are available changes SLIGHTLY at different ph levels.

 

[dongle69]

What nutes are you using and how much? If your tap is 7 than your nute mix is stronger than mine.

I am in the 1.8-2.2 EC range (in flower).
It is not necessarily a just matter of strength of the nutrients that will drop ph, it is how acidic the nutrients are.
My base nutrients vary because I like to experiment.
Most important, I always use kelp extracts, fulvic acids, amino acids, and beneficial micro's.

 

[truentgoon]

Nooooooo, never said that. All nutrients are available at 5.8, as they are at 6, and 6.2, and 5.5.
The amount of nutrients that are available changes SLIGHTLY at different ph levels.

Yea but doesn't 6.0-6.5 give slightly better uptake for most of the important nutrients.

6-6.5 gives you better uptake of nitrogen, potassium, sulpher, calcium, iron, and molybdenum.

5.5-6.2ish for phosphorus, boron, copper, zinc.

Manganese is really low below 5.0 lol. Seems like you can't uptake phosphorus past 6.2 but at the same time that guy was saying the Herculean which is mostly bone meal needed high ph.

 

[truentgoon]

Mixing Lye w/ water????

The main ingredient of the green bottle is potassium nitrate, which is a great source of potassium.

Potassium nitrate has an NPK rating of 13-0-44.

In fact, once you know this, there's really no purpose of buying the green bottle (Assuming you did you use). Just replace the green bottle with potassium nitrate. There is no potassium hydroxide in it.

Potassium hydroxide is what's used in pH up. The reason sodium hydroxide isn't used is because it would give the plant too much sodium, and the reason calcium hydroxide isn't used is because it's not as water soluble.

Potassium hydroxide has an NPK rating of 0-0-83.

I know what you guys are saying now. AN ph up uses potassium hydroxide. The hydroxide costs like $18 to make I saw in the thread but how much do you get for that?

AN ph up costs $20 per liter and I heard it's strong.

 

[truentgoon]

Guys would calcium hydroxide work?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0084LZU1Q/ref=mp_s_a_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1521341219&sr=8-3&keywords=calcium+hydroxide&dpPl=1&dpID=51uhVxTikrL&ref=plSrch

Or the potassium hydroxide

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B019FSPV88/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1521341383&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=potassium+hydroxide&dpPl=1&dpID=51B+0uetebL&ref=plSrch

You guys are right it's pretty cheap and I read the thread it's easy to mix. Should I just get the calcium hydroxide for my coco is that one safe to use?

It's lime just like Olympus up lol. Can I mix it with tap?

 

[truentgoon]

Or should I get the the purified calcium hydroxide?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01BXZOSLM/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1521363844&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=calcium+hydroxide&dpPl=1&dpID=31bHFo2OUrL&ref=plSrch

 

[dongle69]

You are severely complicating this haha.

 

[truentgoon]

You are severely complicating this haha.

I'm talking about the ph up. Why buy Olympus up when you can just get calcium hydroxide. I'm just realizing what the people who posted on this thread are saying about making their own ph up. You can make like 30 soda bottles full of the same thing that's in Olympus up and your only getting a quart of that I didn't realize the cost benefits.

I'm going to get the purified 500grams of calcium hydroxide not the food grade lime. The food grade looks too weak. Demeters destiny is a different story though. I'm still interested in that I don't think you can make the actual calcium supplement.

 

[dongle69]

IYou can make like 30 soda bottles full of the same thing that's in Olympus up and your only getting a quart of that I didn't realize the cost benefits.

Definitely would not be the same thing as far as benefit beyond ph adjustment.
And that is fine but proper dilution before adding to nutrients and/or beneficials is important.
Calcium hydroxide will not stabilize as well as the potassium hydroxide you will find in many ph up "products."
Plants can't utilize it as much, either.
That is why calcium hydroxide is not as popular in ph products, even though it is less expensive.

 

[truentgoon]

Definitely would not be the same thing as far as benefit beyond ph adjustment.
And that is fine but proper dilution before adding to nutrients and/or beneficials is important.
Calcium hydroxide will not stabilize as well as the potassium hydroxide you will find in many ph up "products."
Plants can't utilize it as much, either.
That is why calcium hydroxide is not as popular in ph products, even though it is less expensive.

Well there you go saving me from making the wrong choice again lol. The purified calcium hydroxide is actually more expensive. The food grade was cheap.

I had a feeling the calcium hydroxide was different that's why I asked. I would have bought something that wouldn't even stabilize or be used by my plants.

Thanks brother your a huge help. I'll just get the potassium hydroxide KOH flakes you saved me from a bad purchase, that's why I love the forums.