Unconventional Organics

st0wandgrow said:

http://life.gaiam.com/article/how-increase-alkalinity-your-water

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st0wandgrow said:

Never tried it bro. At first blush something to be aware of is that lemon juice *could* raise the ph of your medium..... and I believe you were already having issues with this.

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cannakis said:

So how should I lower ph in teas, apple cider vinegar?!

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st0wandgrow said:

A compost tea (if that's what you're referring to) in theory should help buffer the ph itself. Personally I don't mess with ph'ing teas. I've found that the oyster shell flour I amend the soil with (1/2 cup per cf) is all that's needed. Using a good source of compost is important in this regard too

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cannakis said:

yeah but oyster shell is alkaline.

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st0wandgrow said:

Right. Forgot that you're having the opposite problem.

Have you looked in to adding a sulfur amendment to your soil? Someone mentioned this when we were discussing the use of coco coir in the rols thread. Garden gypsum was recommended iirc.

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cannakis said:

the sulfur no i havent... is that still "organic"? is that acidic? gypsum is alkaline i believe.

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GrowerGoneWild said:

I wonder if you could dry bannana peels and pulverize them and apply directly in the form of a top dressing.

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st0wandgrow said:

Never tried it bro. At first blush something to be aware of is that lemon juice *could* raise the ph of your medium..... and I believe you were already having issues with this.

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st0wandgrow said:

http://blueberries.msu.edu/uploads/files/Lowering_Soil_pH_with_Sulfur.pdf

http://www.planetnatural.com/organic-gardening-guru/soil/

"
Decreasing Soil pH. To correct alkaline soil, a source of acid is needed. Elemental sulfur is most commonly used by organic gardeners. However, sulfur requires some time before it is converted to sulfuric acid with the aid of soil bacteria. This conversion rate is dependent on the particle size of the sulfur, the amount of soil moisture, soil temperature and the presence of the bacteria. As a result, it can take several months to decrease the pH value. Click on the Sulfur Calculator to determine how much sulfur you will need. Do not attempt to change pH by more than 1 pH unit per year.

Tip: Yellowstone Brand Elemental Sulfur or “split pea” sulfur lowers pH in alkaline soils and helps acid-loving plants to achieve optimum growth. Use 1 Tbsp per 4″ of pot diameter or broadcast approximately 10 lbs per 1,000 square feet and work into the soil. Do NOT exceed more than two applications per year. OMRI Listed for use in organic crop production.

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Nullis said:

I'm actually experimenting with such tactics currently as a matter of fact, not for top dressing by itself though I'd prefer to top-dress/mulch with something more carbonaceous (aong with some alfalfa hay maybe).

Citrus rinds are very high in potassium. K is a base cation and tends to form alkaline compounds. If you drink orange, grapefruit, or lemon juice, for example they actually alkalize the body and urine. Citrus fruits contain potassium citrate.

@cannakis, what is the pH of the tea? What ingredients are you using?

Gypsum shouldn't appreciably affect pH.

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Nullis said:

I'm actually experimenting with such tactics currently as a matter of fact, not for top dressing by itself though I'd prefer to top-dress/mulch with something more carbonaceous (aong with some alfalfa hay maybe).

Citrus rinds are very high in potassium. K is a base cation and tends to form alkaline compounds. If you drink orange, grapefruit, or lemon juice, for example they actually alkalize the body and urine. Citrus fruits contain potassium citrate.

@cannakis, what is the pH of the tea? What ingredients are you using?

Gypsum shouldn't appreciably affect pH.

Click to expand...

Nullis said:

Vinegar/Apple cider vinegar are basically dilute solutions of acetic acid in water. These are indeed acidic and you could use ACV to lower the pH of a tea no harm in that.

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Nullis said:

Every time I try to post on RIU from my phone, if I hit enter within the post it gets all screwed up.

9 does seem high for an AACT, what is the pH of your water source and how much of those ingredients are you adding? Kelp and HAs actually tend to be alkaline as well. And what are you using to test pH with, drops or litmus paper? If the solution is very dark it can make it difficult to determine the result. Litmus paper might work better than drops in this case.

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Nullis said:

Every time I try to post on RIU from my phone, if I hit enter within the post it gets all screwed up.

9 does seem high for an AACT, what is the pH of your water source and how much of those ingredients are you adding? Kelp and HAs actually tend to be alkaline as well. And what are you using to test pH with, drops or litmus paper? If the solution is very dark it can make it difficult to determine the result. Litmus paper might work better than drops in this case.

Click to expand...

Nullis said:

Vinegar/Apple cider vinegar are basically dilute solutions of acetic acid in water. These are indeed acidic and you could use ACV to lower the pH of a tea no harm in that.

Click to expand...

Nullis said:

I'm actually experimenting with such tactics currently as a matter of fact, not for top dressing by itself though I'd prefer to top-dress/mulch with something more carbonaceous (aong with some alfalfa hay maybe).

Citrus rinds are very high in potassium. K is a base cation and tends to form alkaline compounds. If you drink orange, grapefruit, or lemon juice, for example they actually alkalize the body and urine. Citrus fruits contain potassium citrate.

@cannakis, what is the pH of the tea? What ingredients are you using?

Gypsum shouldn't appreciably affect pH.

Click to expand...