pH Adjusters

GrowGeneration® understands that soil pH is one of the most critical factors that a grower needs to monitor in their growing environment. We offer several different products that help you adjust your pH, as well as the accessories, such as pH monitor pens, that help you carry out this task. If you find that your soil pH is not exactly where it needs to be, GrowGeneration has a wide variety of different pH adjusting products, trusted by growers like you, to help you get your soil pH to where it needs to be. We are the specialists at providing the right type of pH adjuster for your hydroponics growing environment.

What is pH and How Do You Control It?

pH indicates the level of acidity or alkalinity in your garden or grow room. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14, with 7 being a neutral point. As the level of hydrogen in the soil changes, your pH will either become more acidic or basic (also called alkaline). pH with a level of 0 to 7 indicates that the soil is acidic, while a soil pH of 7 to 14 indicates that the soil has more alkalinity.

Different types of plants require different levels of pH, but as a rule of thumb, an ideal pH is between 5.5 and 6.5. Cannabis, as an example, does better in very slight acidic conditions. An optimal range for cannabis is between 5.8 and 6.3. Outside of this range, your plants might experience bronzing and yellowing of the leaves. Tomatoes have an optimum pH range of 5.5 to 7.5. Cucumbers, as another example, have a pH range of 5.5 to 7.0.

pH can be controlled by the right combination of acidic or alkaline materials that are added to your growing environment. For example, Emerald Harvest's pH Down contains a safe level of phosphoric acid to help dial your pH down from an alkaline level to a more acceptable range.

Why Does pH Change in Hydroponics Systems?

A wide variety of different factors can cause the pH to change in hydroponics systems. As your nutrient solution drops, the solution becomes less concentrated and there can be a pH drift upwards. In this situation, a quick adjustment can help address the pH issue. In media-based hydroponic solutions, the addition of rocks and gravel can cause pH levels to rise. A common issue for many growers is disease in the plant roots; diseased and decaying roots in a growing environment can cause pH levels to drop drastically, increasing acidity.

How Does pH Impact Plant Growth?

A good pH level for hydroponics is highly important for optimal plant growth. The pH level of your solution will impact how effectively it absorbs elements that are necessary for growth. When the pH level in your growing solution falls outside of the 5.5 to 6.5 range, certain elements like iron, calcium, and other elements are not absorbed at adequate levels for the plant.

High and low concentrations of pH will have adverse impacts on plants. For example, with cannabis, the yellowing of leaves that is frequently seen is a sign of high pH. This yellowing of the leaves is due to a lack of iron absorption and nutrient lockout. Generally speaking, plants will come around a few days after the high pH is corrected.

With low pH, you will also see leaf discoloration and a lower amount of growth and vigor. Additionally, too low of pH can result in the plant receiving toxic levels of the nutrients that it depends upon to grow.

How Often Should You Check Your Hydroponics pH?

As a rule of thumb, you should check your hydroponics pH every three days or so. If you regularly top off your nutrition solution, this is also a good time to make sure that your pH is in balance. Whenever you are doing a full recharge of your solution, it is also a good idea to check the pH level.

How Much pH Adjuster Do You Need?

The amount of pH adjuster that you will need for your growing solution will depend upon the acidity/alkalinity of the nutrient solution and their result of your testing. Generally speaking you will be fine with just 1 mL of pH adjuster per gallon of water, but you might use as much as 2 mL of up/down adjuster depending upon your testing.

Using pH Adjusters to Control Your Hydroponics Grow

GrowGeneration has all the products that you need to control your pH level. With a properly calibrated pH pen, you can easily check the pH level of your nutrient solution. If you find that your nutrient solution is too acidic, you can try a base product to adjust your pH level upwards. If the pH level is too basic, you can use a pH adjuster containing acids to help your nutrient level get downwards to where it needs to be.

Which Brand of pH Adjuster is the Best?

If you work with GrowGeneration, we have carefully selected the top brands to help you find the right adjuster for your grow. The brands of pH adjuster that we carry include Advanced Nutrients, Alchemist, BlueLab, Cutting Edge Solutions, Emerald Harvest, FoxFarm, GroStar, Hydro Organics / Earth Juice, Mad Farmer, Microbe Life, Nectar For the Gods, Safer, Techna Flora, and General Hydroponics, all of which are brands that are designed with the grower in mind.

Why Choose GrowGeneration For Your pH Adjusting Solutions

GrowGeneration is a convenient place to get all of your needed pH adjusting supplies, ranging from pH down to pH up soluitons and meters. We pick our line of products with the needs of the grower in mind. In fact, many of our brands are designed by growers for growers. You can easily purchase pH adjusters from GrowGeneration online or at any of our locations throughout the country.