Hey all. I’m really starting to get into my second real grow season, third crop. I’m in SoCal and have only done outdoor growing except for seed sprouting. I have been dabbling with doing some marijuana plants in a variety of ways. I have some in the garden ground, some in big plastic pots, some smaller plastic pots, some fabric bags, and some 5-gallon Kratky for auto flowers, as well as starting a four 5-gallon DWC this cycle for some photoperiod plants. When I started last year, for the Kratky, I got the General Hydroponics PH Up/Down kit. I also used it for PH adjusting for my watering in-ground and in the pot plants as well. My tap water is about 7.2-7.5. In the ground and soil pots, there is a lot of buffering that the soil gives you, so I didn’t worry too much about those, but did check and adjust the watering when feeding regularly. However, with the Kratky and now my DWC, I know that the PH is WAY more important (and lower) so those got started at a 5.8 PH.
I also have a 40-year-old dwarf lemon tree in my backyard that is a prolific producer. We easily get 35-50 lemons twice a year. Imagine my surprise, and my Pikachu face, when I discovered that you could use lemons to adjust PH down? WTF?
So, today, I had to adjust the PH in those buckets as it had been creeping up from when I got them started last week. How cool is it that I just walked over to my lemon tree, took a couple off of a branch, cut them open, squeezed it into the buckets (about a 1/3rd of a lemon each) and it took it from 6.8 down to 5.7 right away? Didn’t have to break out the GH PH kit. Just me and my PH tester pen and a couple of lemons. Holy Crapola!!! Pretty awesome in my opinion. Plus, I don’t have to worry about getting the chemicals on my hands. Now they just smell like lemons. Just wanted to share. Does anyone else have an “Ah-Ha!” moment story to share? Thanks.
Not a good idea with hydro. You should always be leery of adding organics in hydro.
Not sure how long it will maintain in a soil type grow. Phosphoric acid is commercial PH down and is a micronutrient.
Using lemon juice to balance pH in hydroponics can work temporarily, but it has several downsides that make it a less ideal long-term solution.
Lack of Stability
Lemon juice contains citric acid, which is an organic acid. Organic acids tend to break down quickly, especially in nutrient-rich, light-exposed environments.
This makes pH adjustment short-lived, requiring frequent monitoring and readjustment.
Biological Growth
The sugars and organic compounds in lemon juice can promote the growth of microorganisms (like bacteria and fungi) in your reservoir.
This can lead to biofilm buildup, root rot, or clogging of pumps and lines.
I’ve used it and advised others to when they had nothing else, but i wouldn’t rely on it for any I had in hydro, I wouldn’t hesitate to use it in soil though to maybe knock ph below 7.
That’s pretty interesting. I’m definitely new, and trying to learn. I was watching some grow videos and they touted using lemons or vinegar. And the organics train of thought was that the roots themselves that grow into the nutrient solution is also an organic. Not sure what to think about that. Makes sense that the commercial one is a micro nutrient as well, but isn’t all of the micros addressed in the fertilizer blend? It’s hard to get clarity when there is so much competing information out there that’s totally opposite. Thanks for the input, I’ll keep looking.
Thanks for the input. My usual schedule for checking PH is every 3 days or if feeding or topping up. Since these are in individual 5-gallon buckets, there’s no water pump, only an airline to air stones (4 inch). RDWC is one of the things I want to try next year. I did water my blueberries, in soil, with lemon adjusted PH water and they seem to really like it. How do you feel about vinegar to adjust? Or do you think just go with GH Up/Down? Thanks for your thoughts.
Once your plants get a solid root ball going you’ll probably want to check ph and level daily in a 5 gallon bucket. I also wouldn’t use lemons or vinegar as ph adjuster in hydroponic system.
Aloe Vera will bring down your ph naturally. Just blend a leaf (whole) in a blender, strain, and add about 1 ounce per gallons. You’ll have to check and see what happens but its stable and natural.
