best pH buffer available?

Hi all, I have been using the following pH buffers and was wondering what everyone else uses.

earth juice natural pH up/down (great stuff crystal form, I use with 100% organic hydro nutes)

pH double down/up (ok, liquid form, works ok. compared to earth juice I would give it a 4 out of 10 with earth juice being a 10 of what I've used so far.

Maybe some of you have heard about the earth juice pH products being pulled from shelves due to "labeling" according to the guy at the hydro shop. So I was just curious as to what you guys use in your setup. I am looking for the most powerful pH buffer you can get preferabally organic. Thanks!

Sulfuric Acid works great!

where can you get it?

Labeling?! I use EJ crystals too! I love them! I dont understand - are they being pulled everywhere?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by deftdrummer

where can you get it?

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You can get Sulfuric Acid at AutoZone or Nappa. Trust me bro this shit doesnt Fork around! Its very sensitive and very stable. Get you an eye dropper of some sorts to administer. I use 10 gal of water in my res and if I want to adjust the Ph by a point or 2 I just add litterally 3 to 5 drops. The Ph doesnt fluxuate but very subtle maybe a point upwards in a 24 hr period. I contribute this to the uptake of nutes and water hydrating from my girls thirst. If you check on your girls daily (which you should) then you make the neccessary adjustments for Ph if needed and top off the res every other day. I use advanced nutrients 3 part with big bud bloom enhancer and my shit is tizzzzzite. Be looking for my post in a thread MisterE started on Alien NLX as I am growing the same strain. I will post a pic on day 40. It should be nice!

Seriously Sulfuric Acid go get it! The shit rocks, use caution and be safe it isnt anything you want to play around with!

Peace :thumbsup:

^ Wouldn't Hydrochloric Acid make more sense to use as a PH buffer over Sulfuric? Since its water based and used for Ph control and food grade applications, it just seems like it would be the better choice. I dunno, itd be hard for me to use battery acid in any setup

thats what i was thinking. I would never put anything from autozone into my 100% organic hydro setup.

Dude look at this pic!

Any questions?

Peace

I could show you pics of my grow using Hydrochloric Acid - whats your point? The question was, which one is more appropriate. Hell, ALIEN blood will lower your ph, but I wouldn't use it. It just seems to me a food grade additive makes more sense than using battery acid on something you will eventually consume...

Sulfuric Acid, I have used it for decades and no problem yet. Like someone said go slow when putting in your tanks, a little goes a long way.:D
Always have baken soda :thumbsup: , yes the yellow box from the refrid. handy if you get any on you . One quart of sulfuric Acid last a long time. Store it in a safe place:thumbsup: . This stuff is extreemly dangerous so be carefull.
ONE thing with storage tanks use a small pump to circulate the water. I use a small pump 120 gph pump to premix 20 minutes before each feeding.
My system is automated so its not hard to do that. Also if you have outdoor resivores you can use the pump to warm up the water.
:apachecopter: FLY LOW AND SLOW , AND GROW FOR EVER.

I guess its all in what one is comfortable with. I am sticking with GH pH down powder, it does a great job on my h20. Battery acid or muriatic acid is a touch warm for me to have sittin around in the house. Plus, I get stoned and drop shit and knock shit around all the time, thats all I would need is to spill battery acid all over the fuckin place or worse yet, on ME!:rasta: .......LOL


b0nger

haha, wife comes home: "why is there a huge hole in the carpet? - and what happened to fluffy's hair!?" Were you knocking stuff around in a stoned stupor again?

Deft, you know mah wife, huh ?..........LOL:smokin:


b0nger

Umm acid isn't a PH buffer....buffers are cation elements in the water that take in the acid anions so the PH doesn't change. Thats why is takes so little if you use RO water...very little or no buffering capabilities.

If you want the strongest PH down acid use nitric acid....if you can get your hands on it. Make some from ammonium nitrate and H2SO4. Phosphoric acid is best for plants and its what is used in most PH downs if im not mistaken.

HCL is hydrogen and chlorine...if you want Cl in your plant go for it.

BTW all the acids mentioned are not organic acids....organic just means it has H and C in it.....natural is not organic always, organic is a term used pretty loosely though.

but getting back to the original topic, does any one know a good pH buffer? i.e. a substance that will maintain your pH at optimal levels without having to add any acid or base (ph up/down)?

this would make hydro a bit easier to manage without having to buy and automated ph control system.

As far as I know coco coir provides excellent buffering since its natural PH is in the right range. Make sure to flush out with a cal mag solution before use though.

The best application for this is ebb and flow, and drip.