PH question I can't find a satisfying answer to

[Cheffrey]

Hollow everyone.

Getting my PH game on starting tomorrow. Didnt realize how important it is.

My question is what do you guys use for ph balancing? Just a bottle of ph up and down from Walmart?

Some pics of my ladies so far. Day 15 from seed planted.

 

[Emilya Green]

do you want to buy it or make it?

 

[Cheffrey]

I'm fine with buying it

 

[Emilya Green]

then yes, buy the ph up and down products... they will serve you well.

 

[Cheffrey]

Thank you so much!

 

[Emilya Green]

You are very welcome! Welcome to the forum and good luck in your grow!

 

[Remystemple]

do you want to buy it or make it?

I live in the boonies. if i should happen to spill my down i'd be using vinegar and i don't want to lol. How would you make pH down?

 

[Virgin Ground]

I use Apple cider vinegar. If you are in a pinch someday, keep it in mind.

 

[Emilya Green]

I used to buy a container of battery acid at the local auto store for about $6. One cup of this replacing 1 cup of distilled water in a gallon jug makes a perfect pH down that works just like the commercial product. That $6 will make about 8 gallons of the stuff, so it will last forever.
pH up is just as easy. Get some pickling lime at the grocery store. Use a glass container to store it, and 1 tsp/gal is all you need, shake well before use. It too will last forever.

 

[Cheffrey]

Thank you for your advice. Just waiting on my ph pen in the mail. It was a cheap 30 dollar one... hopefully it will do for now.

But I'm just learning there are ways to store my pen properly ect. Nothing is easy lol

 

[CannaCola]

if it has a hard plastic cap with no storage reservoir, rip a small chunk of paper towel, stuff it in there, and keep the paper towel saturated in storage solution.

iv also seen people just keep them in a shot glass with storage solution. not sure how well hat works long term as it evaporates.

 

[volksball]

if it has a hard plastic cap with no storage reservoir, rip a small chunk of paper towel, stuff it in there, and keep the paper towel saturated in storage solution.

iv also seen people just keep them in a shot glass with storage solution. not sure how well hat works long term as it evaporates.

My pH pen never called for it to be stored in solution. Should I be concerned?

 

[CannaCola]

the way they work, yes you will want solution, calibration solution too.

 

[TorturedSoul]

I live in the boonies. if i should happen to spill my down i'd be using vinegar and i don't want to lol.

Can't say I blame you; vinegar seems to be somewhat temporary in nature (and will react with magnesium and other metals) - and it's not like your plants can use it, lol. Save the vinegar for the cucumbers & onions at the dinner table and for cleaning your drip coffeemaker once a month.

How would you make pH down?

I'd look at the ingredients list on the bottle and then call up a supplier to get some of them. Most of what's in the average liquid pH Down product is going to be phospheric acid (and plants DO use phosphorous, obviously, which is why the pH of the solution in people's DWC reservoirs tend to drift upwards as the plant uses it. And why adding a bit of the "bloom" component of one's nutrients with the top-off water tends to bring it back in line.

If I remember correctly (been a while since I looked at the label, and the bottle is all the way at the other end of the house), General Hydroponics' liquid pH Down is basically phosphoric acid, citric acid, and mono ammonium phosphate (the latter providing both phosphorous and nitrogen). Citric acid is just C₆H₈O₇, and plants use that, too (all aerobic organisms do).

But I'd just buy the stuff. It's relatively cheap and doesn't spoil (keep the lid tightly closed, though). They used to carry a dry pH Down product, too, that came in a 2.2-pound bag and was even cheaper (and lasted a LONG time) that had slightly different ingredients (it's been a long time since I had a bag, but I think it used ammonium sulfate, urea phosphate, and citric acid - but I could be misremembering, I suppose). It basically did the same thing. You can buy these ingredients from a scientific supply house (of which there are many on the Internet if you don't have a local one) but, again, I'd just go buy a bottle. It's around $12 or $14 per quart (or about twice that for an entire gallon), and a little dab will do ya...

That's not a specific product recommendation. Because... Well, General Hydroponics' products are fine, but I have zero love for the Scotts Miracle-Gro monster, and they bought General Hydroponics through their Hawthorne Group shell company (I guess people wouldn't be happy to learn that S M-G has bought up a good chunk of the hydroponics / etc. industry, so they hide behind Hawthorne) back in 2015, and I can't really in good conscience recommend anyone feed the monster. On the other hand, the stuff works fine .

 

[Virgin Ground]

My pH pen never called for it to be stored in solution. Should I be concerned?

I saw a few pH pens that use kcl solution , others that called for storing in distilled water and yes, one that said you can store it dry and rehydrate. It depends upon the model of pen . It would be best to try to research your pen or get into contact with the manufacturer.

 

[TorturedSoul]

if it has a hard plastic cap with no storage reservoir, rip a small chunk of paper towel, stuff it in there, and keep the paper towel saturated in storage solution.

Some pH meters I've used had a non-airtight cap, which meant the solution would eventually evaporate if not "refreshed" (and assuming the meter was stored for a while in between uses, which is probably unlikely in our world, lol). Almost as if the manufacturers designed the things to require probe replacement (or meter replacement, if the disposable type with no way to change the probe) from time to time.

Whatever you do, never store your pH meter with the probe in distilled water; it'll tend to leach out the probe.

 

[TorturedSoul]

I saw a few pH pens that use kcl solution , others that called for storing in distilled water and yes, one that said you can store it dry and rehydrate. It depends upon the model of pen . It would be best to try to research your pen or get into contact with the manufacturer.

Are you talking about the ones that have refillable probes? I've never seen anyone use them for gardening purposes (although I suppose some folks might). The only ones I ever personally saw of that type were pricey - but that was in a municipal laboratory, lol, so it might just have been because whoever ordered the equipment was spending other people's money. They are nice, though. The kind of "mission-critical" equipment that could conceivably be in use 24/7/52.

My comment about not storing one's pH probe in distilled water was meant for those of us who use the cheaper non-refillable electrodes, that which are commonly found on cheaper (sub-$200) pH meters. I probably should have clarified that when I posted my original comment about it.

 

[Virgin Ground]

Apple cider vinegar contains many minerals your plants can use. If you get the Apple cider vinegar that includes the mother, it's even more beneficial. it's been used in organic gardening for a very long time.

 

[Emilya Green]

Apple cider vinegar contains many minerals your plants can use. If you get the Apple cider vinegar that includes the mother, it's even more beneficial. it's been used in organic gardening for a very long time.

That is the magic ingredient that makes my egg shell calmagphos so much better than the commercial products!

 

[Virgin Ground]

Are you talking about the ones that have refillable probes? I've never seen anyone use them for gardening purposes (although I suppose some folks might). The only ones I ever personally saw of that type were pricey - but that was in a municipal laboratory, lol, so it might just have been because whoever ordered the equipment was spending other people's money. They are nice, though. The kind of "mission-critical" equipment that could conceivably be in use 24/7/52.

My comment about not storing one's pH probe in distilled water was meant for those of us who use the cheaper non-refillable electrodes, that which are commonly found on cheaper (sub-$200) pH meters. I probably should have clarified that when I posted my original comment about it.

I looked at over 50 pH pens easily over the last few months. Reading reviews and instructions I came across too many varying storage instructions to ignore the fact that they can be very different and need to be looked at individually.
My Apera pH 60 states that it can be stored dry and rehydrated, if need be. I personally don't want to go there though. It does have a replaceable probe on it.

This would destroy a blue lab...according to them anyway.