Hello from Vancouver, British Columbia

[jared.plowman]

Yes air pump to a 12" air stone, lots of movement, I also ebb and flow the GBs. We don't get maxicrop up here so I have been adding blood meal and I have a banana peel buried in the GB for potassium. I was supposed to wash my hydrocorns with a pH- solution before using them. I feel that they are acting as a buffer, so it doesn't seem to matter what I do. I will leave it for now, good advice, it's annoying having to keep dosing the water. Keith have you seen the pictures of my plants?

Cheers,
Jared

[davidstcldfl]

I am dosing my water additions with lemon juice to try and free up some nutrients.

The vitamin C in the lemon juice will kill bacteria. For sometning natural, try sodium ascorbate. Health food/vitamin shops carry it, or order on-line.

This post is about using sodium ascorbate...
Removing chlorine from tap water with Vitamin C?

[urbanfarmer]

The vit C or ascorbic acid will not be persistent in the water for long. Also, the concentration is not high enough to effect the bacteria (unless you go nuts). Since sodium ascorbate is not an acid, it won't release the H+ ion thereby not effecting the pH.

ASCORBIC ACID


SODIUM ASCORBATE (notice the H is replaced with a Na)


When I first looked into ascorbic acid (vit C) as something that neutralizes chloramine from water, the research made no mention of using sodium ascorbate. Ascorbic acid is a weak acid, which to me means that it likely plays a part in reacting with chloramine. If someone has the reaction documented, that would elucidate the subject. Do we know what concnetration (dosage) is needed from sodium ascorbate to have the same effect? Does it matter if the water pH is at a certain level versus another pH?

I'm not saying it won't work, but it raises a great deal of many questions in my mind.

[davidstcldfl]

Also, the concentration is not high enough to effect the bacteria (unless you go nuts).

See guy rule # 11....more must work better .....so, 'go nuts !'

If someone has the reaction documented, that would elucidate the subject. Do we know what concnetration (dosage) is needed from sodium ascorbate to have the same effect? Does it matter if the water pH is at a certain level versus another pH?

I'm not saying it won't work, but it raises a great deal of many questions in my mind.

If you have to use phrases like...that would elucidate the subject.....your thinking about it way too hard...
KISS...keep it simple silly.... add a little, test for chloromines...if needed, add some more... :P
If any one has never tried it before....A good starting point...try a 1/4 of a teaspoon to 50/55 gals of water.