Phosphoric acid, is it considered to be organic?

[PlantRoom]

Howdy organic growers, thought I might get away with not pH'ing my water but at a pH of 8.4 I think I am asking a little too much of the soil to buffer into range. I have what looks like an N deficiency and I can only think that it's pH causing this, especially at seedling stage.

So I am using Phosphoric acid as pH down to try and get the soil back into range and see if it cures the def. does anyone know if phosphoric is considered to be organic.

Here's some pics of the deficiency, it's across all my multi strain seedlings.

 

[hecno]

What Is Phosphoric Acid?
You are composed of all sorts of organic molecules. That doesn't mean those molecules are labeled with a sticker that says 'organic'. It means these molecules contain carbon. But not everything on Earth is organic. Some things lack carbon. Such substances are commonly referred to as being inorganic. One of them is phosphoric acid, a corrosive inorganic acid.


What Is Phosphoric Acid?
You are composed of all sorts of organic molecules. That doesn't mean those molecules are labeled with a sticker that says 'organic'. It means these molecules contain carbon. But not everything on Earth is organic. Some things lack carbon. Such substances are commonly referred to as being inorganic. One of them is phosphoric acid, a corrosive inorganic acid.

Note how there is no 'C' for carbon in either formula which means it's an inorganic acid. The 'H' stands for hydrogen, the 'P' stands for phosphorus and the 'O' stands for oxygen .---

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[PlantRoom]

What Is Phosphoric Acid?
You are composed of all sorts of organic molecules. That doesn't mean those molecules are labeled with a sticker that says 'organic'. It means these molecules contain carbon. But not everything on Earth is organic. Some things lack carbon. Such substances are commonly referred to as being inorganic. One of them is phosphoric acid, a corrosive inorganic acid.


What Is Phosphoric Acid?
You are composed of all sorts of organic molecules. That doesn't mean those molecules are labeled with a sticker that says 'organic'. It means these molecules contain carbon. But not everything on Earth is organic. Some things lack carbon. Such substances are commonly referred to as being inorganic. One of them is phosphoric acid, a corrosive inorganic acid.

Note how there is no 'C' for carbon in either formula which means it's an inorganic acid. The 'H' stands for hydrogen, the 'P' stands for phosphorus and the 'O' stands for oxygen .---

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That answers that then, thanks

Next question is, will phosphoric go about killing my microbes ?

 

[Autotron]

That answers that then, thanks

Next question is, will phosphoric go about killing my microbes ?

I've always heard that you shouldn't use pH Down in an organic grow as it contains phosphoric acid, which can kill microbes. Not sure how strongly I believe that though. I'm pretty sure you can use citric acid to lower your pH in an organic grow without any issues though. It's pretty easy to find anywhere(even at some grocery stores or places with canning supplies), so I would go with that. I've used it on organic grows without issues.

 

[PlantRoom]

I've always heard that you shouldn't use pH Down in an organic grow as it contains phosphoric acid, which can kill microbes. Not sure how strongly I believe that though. I'm pretty sure you can use citric acid to lower your pH in an organic grow without any issues though. It's pretty easy to find anywhere(even at some grocery stores or places with canning supplies), so I would go with that. I've used it on organic grows without issues.

Thanks for the tip, I'm also looking into acetic acid, apple cider vinegar and orange juice

 

[Autotron]

Thanks for the tip, I'm also looking into acetic acid, apple cider vinegar and orange juice

Never used acetic acid, but from what I've read online, it's kind of a pain to dial in and it won't keep the pH steady for long at all and will quickly buffer back to the starting pH.

 

[hecno]

I agree with citric acid , and is not harmful to the microbes . i have been using it for 4 years and never had a problem with soil ph .

 

[PlantRoom]

Citric arriving tomorrow

 

[BII]

From what I recall, simple 'natural' minerals and substances are included as 'organic' by some government regulations (USDA?) and industry self-regulation organizations that give approvals to products as 'organic,' such as OMRI.

Regarding citric acid being 'organic,' most (if not very high % of) citric acid is manufactured by fermentation using genetically engineered bacteria or yeasts. There is disagreement whether products from genetic engineered (vs. selected naturally mutated) organisms are 'organic' or not.

 

[Jraven]

From what I recall, simple 'natural' minerals and substances are included as 'organic' by some government regulations (USDA?) and industry self-regulation organizations that give approvals to products as 'organic,' such as OMRI.

Regarding citric acid being 'organic,' most (if not very high % of) citric acid is manufactured by fermentation using genetically engineered bacteria or yeasts. There is disagreement whether products from genetic engineered (vs. selected naturally mutated) organisms are 'organic' or not.

Yes, always need to wonder about the labeling. I think the main question here though is whether the substance will play well with the soil life. I'm pretty sure you are ok with citric