Citric Acid?

Does anyone here use Citric Acid? I come from a long time back-ground in maintaining and raising high quality turf grass and landscapes. One of the most important things I've learned was top notch soil and water go a long ways in raising plants, especially important ones that give expensive crops.

Over my years, in my area we constantly dealt with high pH waters, and VERY HIGH (8+) pH soils. One of my perfect recipes was adding Citric Acid into our spray tanks. This did two things. 1.) Lower the pH or (neutralize) our high pH water. 2. And best of all, we face severe iron deficiency here.It's common to see homeowners dump Iron on their lawn here. Unknowingly, they are using an EDTA-FE. At our high pH, EDTA-FE isn't much so available to the plant. However, I would throw EDDHA-FE into the tank with some Citric Acid. Not only does the Citric Acid lower the pH of the water, it "Chleates" and bonds with the iron molecules. Add a little magnesium into the mix of EDDHA-FE and Citric Acid, and it would turn our playing fields the darkest green you've ever seen. We also use the Citric Acid trick when applying Micronutrients.

So my question is, for you that live in an area with hard water and a high pH, do you use Citric Acid?

Cannabis plants do not do good with a base ph; they greatly prefer an acidic ph of 5.5 - 6.

And from my experience with it, it's a week acid and would not hold my rez pH steady without daily adjustments.

I do use it . concentrate lemon juice in late flower . not for the ph that's what they sell ph solution for . I feed it lemon juice and sugar and calmag and my nutrients . if they don't get rock hard and shit load of sugar reasons with this then they are shitty plants . plants require vitamin c . I supply them with a shit load of every thing they require then they don't have an excuse not to be sexy .

It'll work for soil ok. Won't hold pH value's in hydro for shit.

Grow organic and forget about pH in soil!

I use distilled white vinegar to lower pH, only problem is having to re-adjust the pH of my res daily

I use white vinegar as well when my plants get a little older. I do like a PH down using phosphoric acid for my baby girls though. I find this greatly helps with root production as well as helping to maintain that PH level for multiple days.

garylee said:

I use white vinegar as well when my plants get a little older. I do like a PH down using phosphoric acid for my baby girls though. I find this greatly helps with root production as well as helping to maintain that PH level for multiple days.

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In soil?

My tap water contains both chlorine and chloramine. To greatly reduce the amounts of those I add 1/4 teaspoon of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) per 5 gallons of water and wait 24 or so hours before using.

This stuff...

My tap water is around 7.0 ph. The vitamin C reduces that somewhat, but I still use ph down.

Pete Jones III said:

In soil?

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I use white vinegar as well later in flower in soil. No adverse side effects at all.

My waters Ph is 8.0. A quarter cupful of white vinegar brings it exactly to a 6.4 every time. This year.

Il re calibrate next year when I check the taps Ph for my next outdoor grow.

Dr. Walter Bishop said:

My tap water contains both chlorine and chloramine. To greatly reduce the amounts of those I add 1/4 teaspoon of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) per 5 gallons of water and wait 24 or so hours before using.

This stuff...

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My tap water is around 7.0 ph. The vitamin C reduces that somewhat, but I still use ph down.

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The small amounts of chlorine and chloramine in tap water will not harm your plants or kill all the microbes in soil. I have both in my water as well and water outdoor plants straight from the hose and mix nutrient solution with water straight from the tap. You can let your water sit and try and remove what little chlorine or chloramine is in your water but it's not necessary.

I grow in soil and have ph’d my water with citric acid for years. I use a little less than 1/4 teaspoon per gallon. I’ve never had a problem.

I use Citric acid powder. Works great!!

A citric acid solution can also be sprayed on plants for spider mites.

xtsho said:

A citric acid solution can also be sprayed on plants for spider mites.

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I keep "Ball" canning citric "ascorbic acid" for pest control when I am out of lemons or limes. $2 instead of $5+ at health or grow store. General Hydro phosphoric for Ph. My gallon just got delivered. I've seen citrus scraps destroy my mycillium in my hardwood compost pile. Never add it to my soil. Just my thoughts.

MICHI-CAN said:

I keep "Ball" canning citric "ascorbic acid" for pest control when I am out of lemons or limes. $2 instead of $5+ at health or grow store. General Hydro phosphoric for Ph. My gallon just got delivered. I've seen citrus scraps destroy my mycillium in my hardwood compost pile. Never add it to my soil. Just my thoughts.

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I buy it in the bulk section at the grocery store. I use it for canning but saw that it was also used in numerous miticide, insecticide, and fungicide products. Gave it a try and it worked.

My commercial orchard and farm owner friend, organic and pushing 90, just turned me on to using soybean oil, citric acid and soap for pest control. Got advice on 6 years of fighting hoppers and PM.

MICHI-CAN said:

My commercial orchard and farm owner friend, organic and pushing 90, just turned me on to using soybean oil, citric acid and soap for pest control. Got advice on 6 years of fighting hoppers and PM.

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Most commercial organic products are just some form of vegetable oil and a surfactant in a quart spray bottle for $10 - $15. I make my own with canola and sesame oil. All things I already have on hand. Costs me a few cents to mix up a 2 gallon batch. Been spraying the garden and haven't had more than just a few spots of PM on anything even my cucumbers, squash and pumpkins which always get hit hard and by this time would have lost a good portion of their leaves to PM. My outdoor cannabis plants are PM free "knock on wood" so far as well.

xtsho said:

Most commercial organic products are just some form of vegetable oil and a surfactant in a quart spray bottle for $10 - $15. I make my own with canola and sesame oil. All things I already have on hand. Costs me a few cents to mix up a 2 gallon batch. Been spraying the garden and haven't had more than just a few spots of PM on anything even my cucumbers, squash and pumpkins which always get hit hard and by this time would have lost a good portion of their leaves to PM. My outdoor cannabis plants are PM free "knock on wood" so far as well.

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I build my own also. Use your sesame tip. Worked. Fell victim to heat and health limitations. Missed too much maintenance. Religious execution of prevention always. Nothing to cure that way.

Was given a 5 gallon bucket of soybean oil from my friend. He buys by the tank. Mixes his own also. I'm good for 20 years. LOL.

xtsho said:

I buy it in the bulk section at the grocery store. I use it for canning but saw that it was also used in numerous miticide, insecticide, and fungicide products. Gave it a try and it worked.

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Can you use it on buds late in flower?