Miracle -grow

[Eric Williams]

I have used this fertiliser for a long time. I think they have changed the name now. I also acidify my water using white vinegar. The acidified water is approx ph of 5.6 to 6. Just wondered if using Miracle-grow would lower the ph further ? Cheers

[el48tel]

Eric
The main problem with any chemical treatment is that once you start mixing them you don't know what the results will be. A further complication is the use of vinegar with any potential acid solution eg MiracleGro.
I would forget acidification of the rainwater and just use the MiracleGro as per the package instructions.

[Eric Williams]

Thanks el48, yes you are correct. I do not acidify rain water but tap water. I must get a water butt for rain water soon lol. Wonder if I would have meaningful ph reading if I tested the water after adding Miracle grow. Cheers. ps, I wonder if my local water supply company would share water quality details if asked ?

[el48tel]

Eric
A pH reading is useful ..... it's the chemical reactions between the MiracleGro and the vinegar I wouldn't like to predict.
Water with one or the other ... but not mixed would be my suggestion. Unless more knowledgeable person can offer more help. Mixing agricultural chemicals wasn't on my degree course!

[MalcolmP2]

ps, I wonder if my local water supply company would share water quality details if asked ?

Yes, they should.
But you may not even have to ask, you might find what you need here :- https://www.dwrcymru.com/en/In-Your-Are ... ality.aspx

What is the pH out of your tap ?

Much of S.Wales is soft to very soft, so should not need much vinegar to make it slightly acidic to use by itself, but I wouldnt do it with the fert., the fert. should be buffered adequately for a soft area.
I would suggest that better than vinegar would be to let your tap water stand on sphagnum moss peat (brown, like from Ireland. Not black sedge peat like from Somerset) for some time before use.
That will give you 'organic' acids and will also soften the water further. It has molecular sites that will grab (<pardon that technical term ) the calcium.
More than that and water chemistry gets to be quite complicated

If you want really soft water without using too much peat, then boil it first, let cool then decant the top. That will remove the hard bicarbonates.

[iann]

Soft water from a tap won't be acidic. It would corrode metal pipework, so generally even soft water is made slightly alkaline. Chemicals like calcium hydroxide are used. The standard applied by most water companies in the UK is to treat water to maintain a pH between 6.5 and 9.5.

MiracleGro itself won't make water acidic. It isn't an acid. However, the effect of fertilisers like this in soil is to slowly make it more acidic. This is common to most fertilisers and especially to those with a lot of nitrogen.

[el48tel]

ps, I wonder if my local water supply company would share water quality details if asked ?

Yes, they should.
But you may not even have to ask, you might find what you need here :- https://www.dwrcymru.com/en/In-Your-Are ... ality.aspx

What is the pH out of your tap ?

Much of S.Wales is soft to very soft, so should not need much vinegar to make it slightly acidic to use by itself, but I wouldnt do it with the fert., the fert. should be buffered adequately for a soft area.
I would suggest that better than vinegar would be to let your tap water stand on sphagnum moss peat (brown, like from Ireland. Not black sedge peat like from Somerset) for some time before use.
That will give you 'organic' acids and will also soften the water further. It has molecular sites that will grab (<pardon that technical term ) the calcium.
More than that and water chemistry gets to be quite complicated

If you want really soft water without using too much peat, then boil it first, let cool then decant the top. That will remove the hard bicarbonates.

Excellent explanation ... grab is an appropriate term!

[Eric Williams]

Thanks all. That's why I enjoy this forum, so much information to be gained given by people willing to share their subject. Water from the tap was a ph of 7 , and yes My area has quite soft water. I used one of those ph meters bought on line, so how accurate it is I do not know. Half a tea spoon of white vinegar to one gallon of water brought it to about a ph of 6.5. I have been using this set up for years and the plants are fine on it. I am always looking for improvement though. Think I will use your suggestions for some experiments this season. Cheers

[ralphrmartin]

In Cardiff, my water was horrid - pH about 8 - so I acidified it.

Here in North Wales, it is much less alkaline, and I no longer acidify it. However, I use Ericaceous Miracle Grow (and Ericaceous compost), which has stuff in it to make nutrients more available to plants which like acid conditions. My plants are certainly doing well with this treatment.

[MalcolmP2]

I used one of those ph meters bought on line, so how accurate it is I do not know.

Think I will use your suggestions for some experiments this season.

All depends on how they are stored between sessions. A whole new topic !!

and yes, I do like experiments, I wasnt suggesting you overturn your trusted methods, just a few suggestions of interesting things to try before you set up your rain water butt and/or quiz your local utility ( soft tap is soooo close to rain, unlike my underground derived Mendip limestone water !)