Baking soda as ph up

Baking soda is a cheap and organic means of upping pH values. I typically always need pH down where i live and rarely pH up. But i have dropped my pH too low before and instead of wasting 10 gallons of nutrients, i just sprinkle a pinch of baking soda in there and stir it up and it's good. Generally it's not a good idea to throw in pH down and fuck it up and need to throw in pH up to correct. You wind up with a shit soup. So pH slowly. Don't be in a hurry. And keep in mind, if you dump a large quantity of pH down into nutrient solution quickly, you may notice a cloudy film form in your solution. That's nutrients binding to one another which will cause them to be locked out, and it will fuck up your plants with deficiencies. So pH show and disperse it in various spots with a dropper rather than dumping it in one spot. Drop drop drop drop drop, mix, test. Drop drop drop drop drop, mix, test, etc. When i mix 10 gallons of nutrients, i put about 20 drops in at a time. Then i mix thoroughly and test. 20 drops will drop my pH from, for example, 6.8 to 6.6. But be careful because after mixing and testing, you will get a pH value but it's not necessarily dead accurate. Typically your pH is a little lower than what your pen reads. It's just not mixed and dispersed thoroughly. If i want a end result of 5.8, i'll mix till it reaches 6.0, then call it good. Lately what i have been doing is mixing up my nutrients about 3 hours prior to feeding. I will pH to my liking, and then let it sit for an hour or 2, or 3. Then i re-test pH. Doing that I have found that my pH will actually be higher than where it was when i finished the pH adjustment. Maybe it's my pH pen, maybe the pH is drifting, but at any rate, if i pH to 6.0 and come back 3 hours and test and it's 6.5, i adjust it to 6.0 and then apply. This is why I've always grown RDWC or some other water culture method, because i can drip a probe in my solution and hook it to a nutradip pH monitor and i can monitor the pH 24/7 in real time. bada bing bada boom baby haha

unless you are re-using the substrate, probably won't have an issue. 1-time use even re-using substarte is not an issue. if you add it all the time, Na+ might build up after successive grows. re-callibrate the device, maybe? no way the amount you have to add to make a small ph adjustment would add that much to the water. runoff is not very accurate, anyway. it will show odd things at times when nothing odd is occurring. soil can have a high EC, but much of it cannot enter the plant. if it is healthy and happy, do not overreact. if other things are presenting themselves, then think about an adjustment based on the symptoms you see on the plant. Unless you are using "hyddro/soilless" nutes, your fertilizer reuires processing in the rootzone by bacteria et al before certain nutrients are available to the plant. they simply won't fit in before that occurs. Some portion of EC will be chelated/fixated molecules ready for root intake and some will still need processing = higher ec than what you see for hydro/soilless applications even though everything is perfectly fine. it's not just N .. i don't know enough to list what else. depends on the fertilizer used. fixing your pH was good, but i'd hold off until the plant shows something before reacting further.

Yeah, I didn't like using it but I didn't have ph up and I rarely miss my ph down target. It happened twice this week. I'm about ready to flush so not a huge problem. But good to know baking soda is not a good idea.

I would only use it in the case of emergency. Your ph is likely low because of improper feed level, and it being too strong. Not enough drainage has likely caused a build up as well in substrate.

While baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) can be used as a pH up solution, it's important to note potential downsides: Increased EC (Electrical Conductivity): As you've observed, baking soda can raise the EC. High EC levels in the runoff may indicate an accumulation of salts, which can lead to nutrient imbalances and affect plant health. Alkalinity Impact: Baking soda increases alkalinity in the nutrient solution. Some plants prefer a slightly acidic environment, so using baking soda should be done judiciously to avoid excessive alkalinity. Calcium and Magnesium Imbalance: Baking soda may disrupt the balance of calcium and magnesium in the nutrient solution, leading to potential nutrient deficiencies. Accumulation of Sodium: Over time, the use of baking soda can result in an accumulation of sodium in the growing medium, potentially affecting plant health. Considering the significant increase in EC and the potential impact on nutrient balance, it might be beneficial to explore alternative pH adjustment options like citric acid for pH down or a commercial pH up solution. If you choose to continue using baking soda, closely monitor your plants for signs of stress or deficiencies, and be attentive to the overall nutrient balance. Regularly flushing the growing medium can help prevent salt buildup. Always strive for a balanced and stable nutrient environment for optimal plant growth.

Sorry Not organic topdressings. Ia meant products Like Citrus Soda or vinegar.......are Not stabile enough

Hilowrydr. Organic topdressings Like Soda. Cirtusjuice or vinegar Work. But they dont stay stabile. Especially for aquaponics hydo or Something. I would recommend to Go with the products you can buy

Baking soda is not a stable ph up. It also adds ppm, ec, to your feed amount. Best to use ph up.