Tap water 8.3, how to pH- correctly?

[fattygoose]

I'm in Texas and my tap water is at ~8.3. I'm a beginner so I'm not sure if I *need* to pH- or monitor it.

If pH is a concern, what products are best to bring it down to 7? Would 8.3 be too high for a good yield?

Thanks!

 

[Granger2]

What's the pH after adding nutes? Citric Acid works well. In a rez the pH will climb back up over time with Citric, but for hand watering, it works well. Good luck. -granger

 

[BOMBAYCAT]

When the pH is too high or too low the plants get "nute lockout" which means the nutrients are not available for the plant's use and they either die or the yield is affected severely. The water here sucks as acid one day and basic the next. I had nute lock at pH 7.8 once. I pH all water used on the plants and also the bottled nutes (or organic fish juice) tends to drive pH down. So mix the nutes and then pH properly. I use either pH Up if things are too acid or pH Down if things are too basic. They are commercially available and the bottle lasts forever if you don't grow hydro. The drops are hard for me to use as I have to interpret and match colors. I use the cheap Milwaukie pH pen and only get around to standardizing about once a week with the 7.0 standardizing solution. You can run pH 6.5 in soilless and a little less pH if you are growing in coca.

 

[fattygoose]

Thanks for the info guys!

 

[Vanilla Phoenix]

My tap water is about the same pH as yours. After adding my nutes the pH goes down to like 4.0! So I use a HM Digital pH pen along with some powdered pH up to raise it up to 6.5 since I'm in soil.

I wouldn't try to skimp out on pH equipment. The stuff I use, including the digital pen/meter, you can get for not too much at all. You can try different stuff to adjust pH but a bag of pH adjusters isn't hardly any money. And in the long run, you'll be glad you got it.

 

[St. Phatty]

http://www.amazon.com/Tester-PH-009..._1?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1456174682&sr=1-1

5 people are selling these yellow pH meters for about $15.

I was looking for one that a local grow store let me borrow, thought I'd buy one. (and I admit, YES, I should buy it from the store, not Amazon. )

Can you trust these $15 meters ?

I guess it helps to know someone with a Hanna and to do some reference solutions.

 

[Vanilla Phoenix]

It might work ok.... Whatever meter you get, just make sure you can calibrate it. I think the meter I have cost around $65

 

[barletta]

If you are in soil, see if 1/2 teaspoon/gallon of fish hydrolysate will drop the ph to the mid/high 6's. If not, see if 1 teaspoon per gallon will do it. It's a simple way for me to feed lightly & ph my water at the same time for soil/soiless. I wouldn't reccomend it in hydro due to the funk & possibility of nasty bacteria buildup in rez/lines.

Keep in mind that if your water wants to ph at 8.3, if you lower the ph of your solution, it will want to drift back upwards. I'd recco shooting for a ph of mid to low 6's when you feed your plants. I use drops & feed at what I figgure is low 6's & have found that to work best for me.