is there a Organic ph up or down? i am using bio thrive and dont want chemicals

Themistic

Member
Anyone that uses General organics bio thrive grow knows the ph goes down to 4.3 after mixing it with a liight feeding mixture and when u put you cal-mg+ it goes up to 4.6 but what can i use to bring it up to 5.7.? i have chemical ph and down but whats the point of going organic if u stil using chems i dont want to sue chems ..any ideas?people say viniger and baking soda but im 98% sure those are made from chems every forum says they are.any help would be appreiciated .
 

scroglodyte

Well-Known Member
vinegar lowers ph. its not a chemical. baking soda is not a chem either. forget about the ph of your feed. if your soil is buffered properly, it doesn't matter. just don't foliar feed with it.
 

polyarcturus

Well-Known Member
ORGANICS TEND TO GET REALLY ACIDIC USE BAKING SODA(vinegar can cuase probs), SCROG IS RIGHT(about the soil pH buffer thing). I NEED TO STOP YELLING
 

missnu

Well-Known Member
Ummm...the generic pH down I get from the back shelf of my local garden store is organic, but is not lemon juice or vinegar...phosphoric acid is organic if it was somehow derived organically, which is what pH down is...I would think most pH downs are organic...you should check and see..
 

missnu

Well-Known Member
ORGANICS TEND TO GET REALLY ACIDIC USE BAKING SODA(vinegar can cuase probs), SCROG IS RIGHT(about the soil pH buffer thing). I NEED TO STOP YELLING
Vinegar lowers the pH while baking soda would raise it. Organics do not acidify soil, and even if they did they wouldn't acidify your water...you're doing it again poly
 

missnu

Well-Known Member
Wait wait wait...so what water are you using, because unless you are using RO or distilled water you won't really need the cal mag..and it is not good practice to use ferts as up and down for the pH...anyway, you need ph up which would be baking soda if you need to raise the pH...vinegar is an acid and baking soda is a base, but for real I would just get some Earth Juice pH up...baking soda is no good since when it breaks down it releases sodium...it is sodium bicarbonate...and salts are what we try to avoid..so...there you have it...earth juice, or chemicals...
 

+ WitchDoctor +

Well-Known Member
Lemon Juice is what I have found is best for lowering pH. I use Apple Cider Vinegar sometimes, but it doesn't maintain the pH for long before it climbs back up.

But listen, and I promise this is good advice...if you are growing organically, you don't have to bring your pH back up to 5.7. Your soil (or soilless mix) is doing that for you. 4.6 is just fine. You do have some lime in your soil right? That will keep your pH stable as well. As missnu just mentioned, you don't need much CaMg unless you're using RO water. And if you are, I'd recommend getting a product like mineral matrix or something to use sparingly as well.

If you are growing organically, you also don't have to worry about lowering your pH. This is why we grow organically, we give the soil what it needs and it does the work. Now that being said, I use .5 tsp of organic molasses per gallon every watering, with or without nutrients. That lowers the pH of your tap water a little right there. I also add .5 tsp of organic lemon juice per gallon just because my tap water comes out at over 8.5 after it's ran through my small boy and most people's tap water pH is a little lower. So when I just water, or when I'm watering my pH is still around a 7.0 and when I have nutrients mixed in it's usually 4.0-5.0, just like yours. No worries man.
 

polyarcturus

Well-Known Member
i said with organics things tend to get acidic i didnt say they would acidify the soil, how about the water you feed with? if you want proof i can show you a tea's pH after 24 hours.

i kinda misspoke too about the vinegar and baking soda, your right vinegar does not lower pH i dont know what i was thinking, but i have used it before caused issues making me throw a batch of tea out(rapid pH change killed everything in the tea)

you are right most pH downs are organic, i use lemon juice. earth juice is good brand to go with as far as pH adjusters.

baking sodas salt residue could only be an issue if you use a lot daily in this case i use a chemical pH up srry to say.
 
Anyone that uses General organics bio thrive grow knows the ph goes down to 4.3 after mixing it with a liight feeding mixture and when u put you cal-mg+ it goes up to 4.6 but what can i use to bring it up to 5.7.? i have chemical ph and down but whats the point of going organic if u stil using chems i dont want to sue chems ..any ideas?people say viniger and baking soda but im 98% sure those are made from chems every forum says they are.any help would be appreiciated .
Just use some organic lime it contains calmg also i get the double strength on ebay 5 pounds for 14.99 shipped best ive ever used works fast and lasts along time
 

farmerjoe420

Well-Known Member
Anyone that uses General organics bio thrive grow knows the ph goes down to 4.3 after mixing it with a liight feeding mixture and when u put you cal-mg+ it goes up to 4.6 but what can i use to bring it up to 5.7.? i have chemical ph and down but whats the point of going organic if u stil using chems i dont want to sue chems ..any ideas?people say viniger and baking soda but im 98% sure those are made from chems every forum says they are.any help would be appreiciated .


if you use 1 cup of lime per cubic foot of soil that is rich in humus, you will not have to worry about the PH of anything.
 

Themistic

Member
i grow hydroponics but organic with general organics grow and calmg. i have ph up but its a chem based i wanted a organic based so earth juice it is boys since vineger is a chem too. where can you get this earth juice? at a nursery or hydro store?
 

missnu

Well-Known Member
There are no salts in vinegar...vinegar lowers the pH of things...and baking soda raises it..baking soda is also comprised of sodium.
 

Themistic

Member
vinegar lowers ph. its not a chemical. baking soda is not a chem either. forget about the ph of your feed. if your soil is buffered properly, it doesn't matter. just don't foliar feed with it.
if i didnt buff my soil with lime at 1st what can i do? i am in 2nd week with little beer cups the red ones ....if i buy soil out of a bag is it not buffed already
 

Wolverine97

Well-Known Member
Don't adjust the pH of General Organics. Just mix and feed. I use 80% ro water, 20% well water (acts as a buffer) and it works great in a living organic soil.
 

somebody1701

Well-Known Member
and vinegar is not a chemical it is organic...
Vinegar contains acetic acid which is a chemical. You can't call something vinegar if it doesn't contain acetic acid. IMO, %5 white vinegar is as much a "chemical" as muriatic (sulfuric) acid.
 
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