Lowering water pH?

Ok I have always just watered my plants with aged tap water without worrying about pH, but I'm wanting to do a better job now. So I was looking at some pH lowering stuff and was wondering if the pH down solutions used for hydro reserviors would be ok to use to lower the pH of the water I'll be watering my soil plants with? I'm guessing that it will work just fine, but would like to make sure that there isn't something better out there I could be using.

ODGROP said:

Ok I have always just watered my plants with aged tap water without worrying about pH, but I'm wanting to do a better job now. So I was looking at some pH lowering stuff and was wondering if the pH down solutions used for hydro reserviors would be ok to use to lower the pH of the water I'll be watering my soil plants with? I'm guessing that it will work just fine, but would like to make sure that there isn't something better out there I could be using.

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I think you are perfectly fine to use that in a soil grow. For my soil grow I use lemon juice for PH down and baking soda for PH up. Although I'm told lemon juice will mess up a res so it is a no-no for hydro folks, but good for soil.

Soil naturally buffers the pH so you don't really need to worry about it. That being said, I always add just a tad of acid (pH down) to mine, even in soil grows.

potpimp said:

Soil naturally buffers the pH so you don't really need to worry about it. That being said, I always add just a tad of acid (pH down) to mine, even in soil grows.

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You are correct, but that buffering does have its limits. A season of bad PH can deplete your buffering agents and then the troubles begin....

Would lime juice work as well as lemon juice, I got a whole bottle of that shti.

ODGROP said:

Would lime juice work as well as lemon juice, I got a whole bottle of that shti.

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Yep. It is the citric acid that is at work.

how much lemon juice per litre or 10 litres of water do you use and so on? just so i have a guide as to how much i need to use.
thanks

buddy mcbudbud said:

how much lemon juice per litre or 10 litres of water do you use and so on? just so i have a guide as to how much i need to use.
thanks

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There is no set rule. You need some type of PH tester. Your initial water PH will be one thing, the type and amount of nutes you add will change the PH again....it all varies a bunch.

That said, using lemon concentrate I add maybe 10 drops to a gallon of straight water to bring the PH down. But if I add nutes, I need to use PH up.

oh okay, thanks mate. i just did that.
20 drops for 8 litres and it lowered my pH from 7.5 - 6.5

I need to do that test today as well to get a gauge for my water. I typically fill up my watering reservoirs, (2) 5gl jugs, to let them sit and burn off the chlorine, but it seems the tap is still a bit high even after 24-48 hrs after that. I've even watered with the jugs we buy from Eldo Water (I'm in CO) but on their website they have their water analysis and it averages a pH of 7.22 which is still a bit high. So if I got to add some lemon juice, might as well be to the water I hardly pay anything for and save the good stuff for MY body. ya heard!