DWCHCanswered grow question 5 years ago Keep in mind that when growing in water, the plants use hydrogen to perform nutrient exchange more than soil.. in soils or porus media, the exists a different relationship between the plants and soil biome.
Plants will employ micro-organisms to generate specific molecules for their needs via plant exudates. These are carbohydrates that the plant releases into the rhizosphere to attract particular organisms to perform certain tasks..be it organisms to produce nitrate and raise pH as found in more non Woody plants(mainly annuals that prefer bacterially dominate soils ) and ammonium nitrate produced by fungi ( mainly woody plants and longer lived perennials that prefer a more acid soil. Examples are garden soils that are bacterially dominate and forests that are more fungal dominate. As a gardener we can employ this knowledge to fine tune the rhizosphere to the plants needs.. A true gardener doesn't grow plants, they grow soil! That being said the same principals apply to hydro as well, only the microbes need to be added to solution, then nurtured. Carbs and calcium are a good base for feeding the microbes. Remember that bacterially dominate raises pH, fungaly dominate lowers pH..right at the rhizosphere in the case of mycorrhiza... Hope this helps you find a good alternate solution to the solution pH issue...Happy Gardening