PH neutrilizer

so i use 6inch rockwool cubes and i know that they have a really high ph but recently somebody told me that if i soak them in an hour in ph neutrilzer and the cloning solution (im using olivias) i wouldnt have to adjust the ph as frequently and i could adjust it to 6.5 instead of 5.5.

ive never heard of these ph neutralizers does anybody have any experience with them? thanks


edit: after i soak overnight in ph 5.5 do i need to rinse again with tap water or with ph 6.5 or should i just add the clones.

i looked up ph neutrlizer it turns it into 7. should i buy this product or add the ph down instead ? sorry i have so many questions just want to do it right.

I don't think "pH neutralizer" is the right term. If you soak rock wool in a mildly acidic buffer (like phosphate) or just dilute acid (like typical pH-down) you will be doing the right thing toward neutralizing the alkalinity that rockwool will leach into water. Vinegar works well, but I'd rinse all of it from the rockwool ... acetate (the neutralization product of vinegar) might support/nourish unwanted microbes or algae. cn

The term is buffer.
I don't know rock wool, but I DO know pH. and from everything I have read rock wool is inert spun molten basalt (or other rock) and chalk. If it's alkaline, you're going to need to change the pH of the rock wool and that's easier said than done. You can keep pH'ing the nutrient solution and water, but the pH of the rock wool itself is always going to rebound unless the CEC is lowered.
I agree that soaking for a decent period in a weak acid should help. I'd probably be safe and soak it overnite, rinsing it thoroughly.

PS IMHO, for all the problems I've heard people have using rock wool, it seems to me that there are way better mediums out there. I've never had any problems out of Jiffy peat pellets. And it's a lot easier to raise the pH of peat, which is slightly acidic, than it is to lower the pH of an alkaline substrate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLyYY72mGKM Grodan's youtube video on the matter if interested.
I soak in pH-downed water. Soaking for too long made my cubes mushy.
As far as rinsing with tap water goes, the tap water here is pH 8.0, so I pH down that before doing any watering even when no nutes are involved. I go down to ~5.5 for my coco.

thanks boybojo that answered most of my questions my last question is what do you put the ph of the nutrient solution after you flush the lime out? 5 5 right? cause it will go to 6.5 when it hits the rockwool? or is it safe to adjust it to 6.5 after you flush it?

if you rinsed them enough they should hold the 5.5...i just rinse the hell out of `em then put in ph`ed water over nite.then squeeze `em out rinse with ph`ed water and off they go.it may not be the proper way but it does work.

Hi,

Not to promote a brand item, but i can recommend something i use that will readicate the need to worry about pH scales.

Sensi Grow and Sensi Bloom by Advanced nutrients are pH perfect.

All i do is add x amount of part a into x amount of water, mix it up, add the same amount of part b into the water, then mix it up a bit and it will be pH perfect. No need for a pH test kit, pH up or down etc.

I have used it for my first grow, see journal, and i have just put grow 2 into flower. good luck and i hope i can be of help to you.