PH question I can't find a satisfying answer to

[Virgin Ground]

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

Been meaning to ask you if I can use it in hempy? I'm assuming that it has a funky smell to it. Hempy wouldn't hold the smell down like soil would....just speculating here.

 

[Emilya Green]

Been meaning to ask you if I can use it in hempy? I'm assuming that it has a funky smell to it. Hempy wouldn't hold the smell down like soil would....just speculating here.

yep, I used it in hempy... and once it ferments its not so bad smelling really, and the molasses helps sweeten it up quite a bit.

 

[TorturedSoul]

My Apera pH 60 states that it can be stored dry and rehydrated, if need be.

I saw that in the product's instruction manual. It surprised me, but the manufacturer ought to know (and since they have to deal with any warranty issues that might occur from people following the instructions, I assume it's true). I let my probe dry out a few times and it slowed its response time down noticeably (although one of those times was like a year in duration).

I did see that they warn owners not to store the probe in "purified" water, though, so that much still holds true.

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

I'd expect so. That thing's rated accuracy (±.01 pH) is even higher than my Milwaukee. Assuming the quality matches the specifications, it looks like you picked a winner.

 

[Virgin Ground]

Thanks @Emilya.

@TorturedSoul ... I am really happy so far. It has held calibration for 1.5 months. I tried contacting Apera with a question. They never got back to me. It was not a normal email interface though, so maybe I fudged it somehow. Perhaps I will contact them again and give them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe using a regular email this time.

Point is... I'm not sure about the customer service aspect of their company, yet.

 

[Virgin Ground]

I forgot to mention that for pH up I have been using potassium bicarbonate. It works better than baking soda. The plants get a little extra potassium. I found it at a beer and wine making supply store. They also carried the only pH pen in my immediate area.

 

[TorturedSoul]

I tried contacting Apera with a question. They never got back to me. It was not a normal email interface though, so maybe I fudged it somehow. Perhaps I will contact them again and give them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe using a regular email this time.

info@aperainst.com
Phone: (614) 285-3080
Fax: (614) 796-4130

 

[Virgin Ground]

Very nice thank you.

 

[TorturedSoul]

<SHRUGS> You'd have hunted it down if/when you needed it; I just knew exactly where to look because I visited their website to check out your meter and read its instruction manual.

But you're very welcome, of course.

Have a good night, everyone!

 

[Virgin Ground]

Goodnight Ts.

 

[Mayne]

better off gettting the PH strips from the pool store or from the Zon, always calibrated.

 

[Remystemple]

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.



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 .

This is pretty neat info to a new grower. Thanks. gonna order up a 1 gallon jug of the stuff. still trying to figure out if i'll ever have to use the pH up lmao.

 

[Remystemple]

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.

i have a roseway pH meter and another one that looks the same with no name brand on it. they're both super cheap. i use one of them every day and when i'm done i just follow the instructions that came with them. rinse probe thingy with ro water then dry with micro fiber cloth ( provided ) I don't even use ro water to rinse it i use tap water at 75 ppm.

I got some pretty awesome test standards from my buddy who works water treatment and these pens have both stayed very accurate for about 4 months now ( just checked them last night )

If i see the tap water pH is different then i know to check the pen. that's how i discovered my friends pen was way out, I can't believe his plants are alive lmao.