J
jhnfrmrby420
Guest
Whats a good PH buffer? And do you just add what it says and makes the water 7.0???? Is this the one I want?
J
Joe Dirt
Guest
You will need pH down for your tap water (tap water pH normally runs high) and probably pH up to buffer your fert mix (most ferts tend to drop pH).
When you take a reading, your pH is likely to be too high or too low. If it's too low, you add pH up... a little at a time... I mean like drops/gal. Vice versa for water with high pH. If I want to buffer my pH, I start by adding a couple drops of pH up/down per gallon for each 0.1 of pH I want to change. Don't try to correct it all the way the first time. Add enough that you feel will get you halfway there and see how close you'll come. You will get a feel for this a lot quicker if you chart the effects... Each time you add a buffer, write down how much you put in, how much it changed, and what size container.
NOTE: Cold water (below room temp) is harder to manage. The pH will drop so water has to be checked the day you are going to use it. And, that cold water can be pretty dang stubborn about changing at all, sometimes.
NOTE: When amending pH, you have to give it a couple hours before you will get an accurate reading... it doesn't change instantly. To be safe, I like to give the water/mix at least four hours after amending, before I take a reading.
I hope this helps.
When you take a reading, your pH is likely to be too high or too low. If it's too low, you add pH up... a little at a time... I mean like drops/gal. Vice versa for water with high pH. If I want to buffer my pH, I start by adding a couple drops of pH up/down per gallon for each 0.1 of pH I want to change. Don't try to correct it all the way the first time. Add enough that you feel will get you halfway there and see how close you'll come. You will get a feel for this a lot quicker if you chart the effects... Each time you add a buffer, write down how much you put in, how much it changed, and what size container.
NOTE: Cold water (below room temp) is harder to manage. The pH will drop so water has to be checked the day you are going to use it. And, that cold water can be pretty dang stubborn about changing at all, sometimes.
NOTE: When amending pH, you have to give it a couple hours before you will get an accurate reading... it doesn't change instantly. To be safe, I like to give the water/mix at least four hours after amending, before I take a reading.
I hope this helps.
J
jhnfrmrby420
Guest
Thanks Joe, does it make a difference that our water comes out of the ground from a well
J
Joe Dirt
Guest
The only difference is that, since I use tap water, I have to let the chlorine evaporate off for a day or so before I can use it. You can take a reading right away, buffer it, and use the water a few hours later if you hit your mark when you buffered the pH.
