Using vinegar for PH down?

Discussion in 'Advanced Growing Techniques' started by lmikelowrey, Aug 24, 2009.

  1. I know i need PH down, but i've been screwed out of getting my mail and it keeps getting sent back to sender. So in the meantime I've been using a ratio of 1:8 of vinegar, mixed with 1:8 of sugar.(1 tbsp sugar, 8 tbsp water.) Is this gonna kill my plants? I read online about using this formula, but it was on a general plant site, and not Marijuana. Anyone else ever tried vinegar for PH down, and saw negative effects?
     
  2. vinegar will work and not harm your plants,but will not hold desired ph for very long.if usen soil check your run off to see how its looking for ya,if you use hydro vinegar will keep you adjusting ph almost every day.This could be different for all water supplies,And i never used sugar before.i am now woundering if sugar will help keep the ph stable
     
  3. I use apple cider vinegar if there's nothing else. But, I understand lemon juice is more stable and is good for chelating calcium. I won't swear by it. But, a very knowledgable person told me that. So, it's probably true.
     
  4. Definetly not. I do Hydro and I checked today, and the nute solution is all cloudy and gray looking and ph went right back to where it was. I don't know how its even possible my 2 plants are continuously growing with my ph at 8.1, Anyone know why they are still alive?
     
  5. both sugar and vinegar promote bacterial growth, so i wouldn't recommend any of the 2 for hydro
    as for why they aren't dead... ph fluctuations usually cause nute lockouts so it takes a couple days to show effects on the plants...
     
  6. lemons work great, and they have a bit of sugar in them, sugar promotes different "better" taste, thats why they have sweeteners you can buy to ad to your nutes. as with everything, moderation is key, lemon juice can cause calcium build up and can clog small nozzles/sprayers/hoses.
     
  7. Yeah it will get you by.
     
  8. So the sugar is no help at keepen ph down,thanks for testen it.The plants will soon if not already show stress and slow growth among other things with 8.1 ph,with ph that high u could try usen some buffer from fish store,mabie some lemon would work for you,and i didn't mention that i used white vin.and temporarly.and i have used lemon
     


  9. My PH has been over 7.5 since day 1 and the plant is over 3 weeks old.
     
    • Friendly Friendly x 1
  10. They will do much better with a ph around 5.5 - 7.0
     

  11. Really?? Ya i know man, that's why in the Very beginning, the first thread says I KNOW i need PH DOWN. I Know what is optimum levels, I just have nothing to bring it down to that level. So you say..."Put some PH down," Ya, i know.
     
  12. hen I dont have anymore PH down, i use natural lemon juice for my hydro set up. It keeps the PH longer than vinigar, plus it smells nicer.
     
  13. you guys need to brush up on your chemistry.

    sugar will not change your pH.

    Use nutes with buffers (look up how buffers work) which will cut down the amount of adjusting necessary.
     
  14. Go to the aquarium store and buy some PH down. It's different then plant PH down though. It's mostly sulpheric acid, which is pretty intense so be careful. I would try mixing it with a 1:3 ratio with lemon juice. After all if you read the label of most ph down it's sulpheric acid and the next ingredient is citric acid.
     


  15. Ok i did read your first post,and maybie i tried a little to hard to help,you said u need ph down,u said nothing about knowing optimum leavels,So sorry for the no help there,
     
  16. Its ok I wasn't trying to be a dick, I just know the ph levels its supposed to be:smoke:
     
  17. I too am in the need of ph down.
    Did you find out if apple cider vinegar is ok for hydro or just lemon?

    It will be sometime before I get ph down from somewhere.

    thanks
     
  18. I was looking for an alternative for Hydrochloric down and noticed questions about why plants grow and Ph8 or higher. While nutrient uptake is affected most plants will survive extreme Ph conditions but there will be consequences. Ph imbalances cause nutrient lockout and stress the plant. In a natural environment the roots will seek proper Ph levels in soil and avoid areas that aren't right. So root development will be an issue if the Ph is too far up or down. Resistance to disease will be your biggest problem as nutrients become unavailable the plant will become weakened. If you keep your Ph at the proper level you will have optimum rate of growth and healthy hearty plants that will resist mold and insects depending upon the strain. Sativas seem to be more resistant than Indicas. Mold and Mildew are affected by the Ph of your water. The more acidic the easier mold will grow so keep it at about 7 for disease control. If you go lower than 5.5 you are asking for trouble. The higher you go you will only see symptoms of nutrient deficiency.
     
  19. Go an auto parts store and get some sulfuric acid "battery acid" dilute it....makes about 3 gallons of PH Down for about 5 bucks .... There's a few threads on it Fwiw.
     
  20. are you guys CRAZY dont go to an auto shop and get sulfuric acid and DONT go online and buy some exspensive ass ph down also dont use vinigar its ruff on the plants go to a health food store and get powdered citric acid or absorbic acid very cheap you can get like 50 gram bottles for under 5$ and you only need a pinch of the stuff and all it is is vitamin C so its is 100% healthy for the plants infact most nutirent companies that offer ph adjusted nutrients for example General hydroponics flora nova all in one formula uses it same with advanced nutirents and most ph down is made from it.
     

Share This Page