PH AND EC 1. What is pH?

The pH of any material is the relative acidity or alkalinity of the substance. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14. A liquid or material with a pH of 0 is of maximum acidity. A liquid or material with a pH of 14 is of maximum alkalinity. A pH of 7 is considered neutral. Pure water has a pH of 7. Any substance with a pH less than 7 is an acid, or acidic, and any substance with a pH greater than 7 is a base, or alkaline. The scale is logarithmic. This means that for each increase or decrease of one on the scale, acidity or alkalinity increases or decreases by a factor of 10. So a liquid with a pH of 4 is 10 times more acidic than a liquid with a pH of 5.

How is pH Important?
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The pH of a nutrient solution is important because each plant has a specific pH range in which it is most efficiently able to absorb the specific mix of nutrients it needs for best growth. If the pH is too high or too low, certain nutrients will not be available for the plant to absorb through its roots. Hydroponically grown tomatoes do best in a slightly acid solution, with a pH range of 5.8 to 6.3. Sponsored Links Free eBooks Download 1000's of Free eBooks, Get Reviews & More! Get App www.readingfanatic.com

What is EC?
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EC stands for electrical conductivity and is a way to measure the concentration of dissolved solids (nutrients) in a solution. When applied to growing tomatoes, it helps the grower maintain the proper amount of nutrients in their hydroponic solution. EC is expressed in millimhos (mMhos) or milliSiemens (mS). The former is used for reference here. The optimum range for tomatoes is between 2.0 to 3.5 mMhos. EC measurements do not account for amounts of different nutrients, only the total amount of dissolved solids in the solution. EC is a general tool for gauging the relative strength of the nutrient solution.

Using The pH and EC Numbers

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When growing hydroponic tomatoes, pH and EC should be checked daily. If the pH falls below the optimum range, it can be raised by adding a base such as potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide. Even baking soda can help raise pH in nutrient solutions. The pH can be lowered by adding an acid, such as sulfuric acid. Any retailer which sells hydroponic nutrients or supplies will carry pH

raising and lowering agents, as well as equipment for testing pH and EC. EC will gradually decrease as the plants absorb nutrients from the solution. Nutrients may be added to the solution to raise EC. However, if detailed analysis of the nutrient solution is not possible, the solution should be changed every two weeks as there is no way to monitor which nutrients are being used faster.

Relationship of pH to EC
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The pH and EC of a nutrient solution are independent of each other; they do not increase or decrease according to a change in the other. However, they must both be monitored and maintained within optimum levels in order to guarantee success. If the pH is too high or too low, it will not matter if the EC is in the correct range, and if the EC is too low or too high, the plants will not grow properly even if the pH is perfect.

Salinity and plant growth Excess soil salinity causes poor and spotty stands of crops, uneven and stunted growth and poor yields, the extent depending on the degree of salinity. The primary effect of excess salinity is that it renders less water available to plants although some is still present in the root zone. This is because the osmotic pressure of the soil solution increases as the salt concentration increases. Apart from the osmotic effect of salts in the soil solution, excessive concentration and absorption of individual ions may prove toxic to the plants and/or may retard the absorption of other essential plant nutrients. Table 9 SOME USEFUL CONVERSION FACTORS Note: The SI unit of conductivity is Siemens symbol S per metre. The equivalent non-SI unit is mho and 1 mho = 1 Siemens. Thus for those unused to the SI system mmhos/cm can be read for dS/m without any numerical change. Conductivity 1 S cm-1 (1 mho/cm) = 1000 mS/cm (1000 mmhos/cm) 1 mS/cm-1 (1 mmho/cm) = 1 dS/m = 1000 mS/cm (1000 micromhos/cm) Conductivity to mmol (+) per litre: mmol (+)/1 = 10 EC (EC in dS/m) for irrigation water and soil extracts in the range 0.1-5 dS/m. Conductivity to osmotic pressure in bars: OP = 0.36 EC (EC in dS/m) for soil extracts in the range of 3-30 dS/m. Conductivity to mg/l:

mg/l = 0.64 EC x 103, or (EC in dS/m) mg/l = 640 EC for waters and soil extracts having conductivity up to 5 dS/m. nmol/l (chemical analysis) to mg/l: Multiply mmol/l for each ion by its molar weight and obtain the sum. There is no critical point of salinity where plants fail to grow. As the salinity increases growth decreases until plants become chlorotic and die. Plants differ widely in their ability to tolerate salts in the soil. Salt tolerance ratings of plants are based on yield reduction on salt-affected soils when compared with yields on similar non-saline soils. Soil salinity classes generally recognized are given in Table 10. Table 10 SOIL SALINITY CLASSES AND CROP GROWTH Soil Salinity Class Non saline Slightly saline Moderately saline Strongly saline Very strongly saline Conductivity of the Saturation Extract (dS/m) 0-2 2-4 4-8 8 - 16 > 16 Effect on Crop Plants Salinity effects negligible Yields of sensitive crops may be restricted Yields of many crops are restricted Only tolerant crops yield satisfactorily Only a few very tolerant crops yield satisfactorily