7.4pH too high? If so what to do

No worries.

Water pH has at best a very temporary effect on the SOIL's pH and the soil will buffer it to the soils pH in short order.

No downers needed. But, citric acid is a good, organic pH down. In the spice or baking/canning section at the local grocery.

Good luck!
 
Oh nice, I didn't know citric acid pH downers were sweet to use! I've got some.
Also good to hear no downers needed at 7.4 :)

Hey second issue today - I'm making EWC tea and I've got these large paper tea bags.
I put a little airstone inside the tea bag, but it's filling up with air and floating to the top.

Should I just chuck the teabag in there without an airstone in it?
That'd be giving up intra-teabag turbulence, in order to submerge it- but I don't know whats a bigger priority
 
GreenLogician said:
Oh nice, I didn't know citric acid pH downers were sweet to use! I've got some.
Also good to hear no downers needed at 7.4 :)

Hey second issue today - I'm making EWC tea and I've got these large paper tea bags.
I put a little airstone inside the tea bag, but it's filling up with air and floating to the top.

Should I just chuck the teabag in there without an airstone in it?
That'd be giving up intra-teabag turbulence, in order to submerge it- but I don't know whats a bigger priority
Click to expand...

Air is quite huge for maintaining the right kind of microbes in a tea, but it's not like you can't get away with stirring a few hundred times / using an airstone til you get a vortex brewer.. but keep in mind that unless you're using your tea for a lot of bio film and foliars to keep pest pressure down (if present), that there are even better ways to keep your plants fed and topped up.
Meanwhile though, you can always tie a weight or use a pyrex dish to anchor the line and help it from floating. I've even used chains in the past. Even a sock/bag of coins could supply anchoring uses along with traces of certain elements.
 
All these replies are true! But if you want to lower the ph then add a few drops of vinegar! I’ve always done this with good returns!!
 
GreenLogician said:
Are 7.4pH waterings too high, that's where I am after bubbling my water.
If so what pH downer wont hurt my microbes?
Click to expand...

the only pH you should be concerned about it your soil's pH. I never pH my water, though i use RO, so it never concerns me. I mean obv if your water was at the extreme ends of acidity or alkalinity then you could maybe adjust... but 7.4 is nothing to worry about.

as for the compost, as long as the compost is still in the submerged half of your balloon, i think you'll be fine. having the stones in there is crucial to maintaining proper O2 levels for a good tea. when the microbe populations really get high, they deplete O2 very quickly. I haven't had much time for compost teas lately, so i've been doing compost extract. you can youtube compost extract for a quick microbe inoculation.
 
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