I'm told that the pH level of my water for the plants should be between 5.5 and 6.5. Mine is around 8.0 right out of the tap. If I let it sit for about 3 days, it does drop to 6.5 to 7.0.
I need to replace the water in my reservoir because I want to change the nutrients I'm using. I decided to use some pH down acid to lower my pH before I added the nutrients.
The directions on the pH Down were not very helpful. It simply said to use it "sparingly" and "a little at a time." What does that mean? I'm mixing with more than 10 gallons of water.
I decided that "a little at a time" was about 1/4 of a cup for 10 gallons of water. If you've used this before, you're probably laughing at me right now. It dropped my pH level off the chart. The test was bright red.
I dumped out the water and started again. I decided to start with one teaspoon in 10 gallons of water. It was still too much. My color was still orangish red.
I dumped out half of the water and filled it up again. This time, adding no further pH down, the level was right on. So, it seems that 1/2 teaspoon is the right amount for 10 gallons of water when your pH level is 8.0 to start.
1 comment:
Beware of the drop tests. I wasted 50 strawberry plants last year because I was using a drop PH tester. When I got a digital one, I found the drops were not close at all. At least 1 point too high. For strawberries, that meant they starved to death. I thought the issue was something else.
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