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Author Topic: Vinegar warning!!!  (Read 8065 times)

New Wisdom

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Vinegar warning!!!
« on: May 27, 2015, 12:15:11 AM »

WARNING!!!!!

If I told any of you to put 2 tablespoons of distilled vinegar per gallon in your water then STOP DOING IT!!!!  My plants have been on decline for a while. It took a while after I started using the vinegar to take effect.  Anyways I had no clue why it was happening. My pereskiopsis were loosing leaves and had a slow growth rate.  I had skinnier branches and the color was off. 

I got discouraged because I couldn't figure it out and started to get lazy. I stopped using vinegar in the water about a month ago.  Well after about a month all my plants are doing 50 times better since I stopped the vinegar.  I think it was somehow building up in the plants and really screwing with things.  Anyways. I think it can be helpful if you use 1 teaspoon per gallon once or twice a month, but 2tbls/gallon every watering is too much.

Sorry if I told you to do this, but I reccomend you stop now if I did!!

Sorry!
New Wisdom
« Last Edit: May 27, 2015, 12:23:54 AM by New Wisdom »
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Rife

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Re: Vinegar warning!!!
« Reply #1 on: May 27, 2015, 01:19:52 AM »

Try apple cider vinegar instead. Distilled vinegar has been used as an herbicide
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Psylover

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Re: Vinegar warning!!!
« Reply #2 on: May 27, 2015, 02:41:54 AM »

What happens is you are lowering the pH of the soil and when lowered too much the plants cant absorb nutrients unless it's a plant that like low pH which most plants dont.
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New Wisdom

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Re: Vinegar warning!!!
« Reply #3 on: May 27, 2015, 07:59:31 AM »

Yeah. I have heard from lots of people that when using tap water putting vinegar in it helps stop salts from building up in the soil. Which actually is a good thing, but using too much will hurt your plants more than help I have learned.  I think once a month with a small amount would be good for it.  Or even just flushing pots with distilled or rain water.
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Rife

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Re: Vinegar warning!!!
« Reply #4 on: May 27, 2015, 02:16:29 PM »

I think you can use dish soap too. Top watering usually prevents build up of salts
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DansMaTete

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Re: Vinegar warning!!!
« Reply #5 on: May 27, 2015, 07:06:18 PM »

New wisdom

Did you check pH of your water before and after adding vinegar ? Cause, if you drop too much the pH it, of course, lead to problem.

I'm concerned cause i have to lower a lot my water pH (8,8 where i live).
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New Wisdom

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Re: Vinegar warning!!!
« Reply #6 on: May 27, 2015, 09:50:27 PM »

I did not. I definitely should have.  My plants really love the rain water which is supposedly a bit more acidic than tap water. I'll have to check the PH of the tap and rain water and figure something out.

And idk about dish soap.  That seems a bit sketchy. Would raise the PH quite a bit and leave behind residue wouldn't it?
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DansMaTete

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Re: Vinegar warning!!!
« Reply #7 on: May 28, 2015, 12:43:02 AM »

Rain water is the best ! But as you i guess, here rains are quite rare.

As a cacti lover, i think you could be interested by this document if you don't know it yet.
It made me understand lots of thing about water pH
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New Wisdom

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Re: Vinegar warning!!!
« Reply #8 on: May 28, 2015, 12:59:52 AM »

Yep. It only rains like 2-4 times here during the summer.  Rains a lot in spring though.    I haven't seen that document before. I'll have to read it when I get home from work.
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