Can i use phosphoric acid to lower ph and potassium hydroxide to raise it? Will that suffice? Or will I run into a problem using those?
My advise is to use an actual pH up/Down system. you can use the chems you asked about, but you should adjust you feeding program to account for what you are adding to control pH. The ones you buy from the hydro store contain buffers, so they resist pH changes
Okay thanks for the response. Btw what are buffers? I am also trying to make my own nutrient solution bc that stuff is very expensive!
I've only used ph down to lower ph, but I use silica blast when i need to ph up, and it seems to stabilize. So some potassium silicate/sodium silicate could be something for your custom mix.
Buffer solution, a solution which reduces the change of pH upon addition of small amounts of acid or base, or upon dilution. If you are a chemist then i can tell you that it is a chemical that is able to absorb the protons (positively charged hydrogen ions), present in an acid. If your not a chemist then i can tell you that a buffer stabilizes pH (pH stands for potential Hydrogen).
If cost is an issue you should look into aquaponics, In BC they are integrating Aquaponics into the new condo buildings, (you get a tap in your condo that dispenses nutrient solution). On one side you get free nutrient solution, and on the other you get fish at a reduced price. There is alot of research being done in this area right now. Salmonids (like trout) and tilapia are common choices for aquaponics, and quite tasty i might add
I wish, i gotta monitor my pH steady, my plants are drawing so much calcium and magnesium out of the solution i gotta fight to keep my pH in range.