Vinegar for pH down: bad?

[fatbuds420]

so i've been using vinegar as a ph down for a while now, many people on the forum think it's a good way to lower ph.

while it does get the job done, i was told this by one fella today:

"We use it to kill invasive weeds. We use phosphoric acid to control pH.

Not many professionals use vinegar to control pH in groweries. I can't tell you how many people we had to explain this to. It reacts with aluminum salts in soil and is quite toxic to many plants.

Just use anything else and you will be fine."


would lemon juice be a good substitute? it actually has slightly lower ph then vinegar too

 

[Emilya Green]

There is another problem with the vinegar and citrus fruit acids... they attract bugs... especially gnats. Pros use phosphoric acid because it breaks down into phosphorus... a needed nutrient.... there is no waste.

When I need to ph down, I rely on another acid... sulphuric. Go to your local car parts store and buy a $6 container of battery acid. Get a 1 gallon container of distilled water and give 1 cup to your plants. Carefully replace that cup of water with 1 cup of your battery acid and shake well.

You now have a 15:1 water/acid solution that is very close to the same acidity as the popular commercial pH down product, but much much cheaper. This weakened solution is not harmful to you if you spill it, and it works great with the plants.

 

[Mr. Krip]

so i've been using vinegar as a ph down for a while now, many people on the forum think it's a good way to lower ph.

while it does get the job done, i was told this by one fella today:

"We use it to kill invasive weeds. We use phosphoric acid to control pH.

Not many professionals use vinegar to control pH in groweries. I can't tell you how many people we had to explain this to. It reacts with aluminum salts in soil and is quite toxic to many plants.

Just use anything else and you will be fine."


would lemon juice be a good substitute? it actually has slightly lower ph then vinegar too

Why not just get PH Down? The challenge with vinegar and/or lemon juice is that the acetic acid and citric acid are not stable so require frequent adjustment of PH. The acid solution in PH Down is much more stable. Straight vinegar (some distilled up to 30%!) is used as an organic method of weed control.

 

[fatbuds420]

Why not just get PH Down? The challenge with vinegar and/or lemon juice is that the acetic acid and citric acid are not stable so require frequent adjustment of PH. The acid solution in PH Down is much more stable. Straight vinegar (some distilled up to 30%!) is used as an organic method of weed control.

the less i go to a grow shop the better. for oblivious reasons

 

[Mr. Krip]

the less i go to a grow shop the better. for oblivious reasons

When I need to ph down, I rely on another acid... sulphuric. Go to your local car parts store and buy a $6 container of battery acid.

 

[Justin Goody]

You can also use citric acid as an alternative, that’s what I currently use. It’s available at places other than grow shops, such as its use as a coffee machine cleaner etc, just make sure it’s 100% pure. I’ve had the same quart for over a year and it’s barely half gone.
Lots of things will lower pH but phosphoric/citric/sulphuric are all going to be more stable (less fluctuations) than vinegar or lemon juice.

 

[fatbuds420]

You can also use citric acid as an alternative, that’s what I currently use. It’s available at places other than grow shops, such as its use as a coffee machine cleaner etc, just make sure it’s 100% pure. I’ve had the same quart for over a year and it’s barely half gone.
Lots of things will lower pH but phosphoric/citric/sulphuric are all going to be more stable (less fluctuations) than vinegar or lemon juice.

why do these fluctuations occur?

 

[Captain goodvibes]

the less i go to a grow shop the better. for oblivious reasons

They sell it on ebay pretty reasonable price. Over here $15 AUD for 500ml bottle delivered through the postal service. . A bottle of Ph down probably last a home grower a couple of years.

 

[Justin Goody]

why do these fluctuations occur?

I believe they just aren’t as stable, and combined with environmental factors will cause pH to keep going up or down rather even out and stay in a good spot like they will with a good pH down.

 

[skirk]

Why not just get PH Down? The challenge with vinegar and/or lemon juice is that the acetic acid and citric acid are not stable so require frequent adjustment of PH. The acid solution in PH Down is much more stable. Straight vinegar (some distilled up to 30%!) is used as an organic method of weed control.

Weeds, fire ants, drain cleaner and belly fat burner to name a few. Love me some 30%.