Yeah I do like that it includes phosphoric acid, but I was also looking to avoid any more P inputs as well. So I think it uses both citric and phosphoric.
I did note that EarthJuice has their pH up/down 'crystals' but that is just citric acid for the pH down it looks. I was checked MSDS sheets on them both.
My understanding is that citric isn't very strong either and won't 'hold' the pH for long which is why phosphoric is preferred sometimes. What I really needed though is to drop the pH in the medium more than the feed but that would have to be done through some type of top dressing at this point for me as I'm in the midst of a run.
As far as Hades Down, in the videos Scott basically says, "
It's PH down, it's gentle phosphoric acid. Other manufacturers are stronger." So for my PH down, 99% of the time I use Gen-Hydro PH down because it "sticks" better in my cloning chamber. Hades down I'll have to redose 3-4 times before I get my chamber to stick at 6. About the only time I ever need to push my PH down is in aeroponic cloning. The nutes push my solution down to insane levels once Medusa and Gia are at 10ml per gal.
That being said, phosphoric acid will precipitate your nutrients out of your solution, so if you have to bring your water down, I'd use any manufacturers Ph down (including Hades) first before adding nutes, let it rest at least 6 hours if not a full day, then add nutes. I pre ph my cloning chamber for 48 hours and make sure it's stable before I put cuttings in it. Once life starts in the water it starts to climb again, but with GH I can drop it down to a stable 6 on day two after the cuttings are in.
My house water is around 7.5, the first week of veg is the only nute solution might comes above the 6.1 suggestion, when it does I usually just bump up the Medussa's a tiny bit, that drops the PH down and it's no where near enough to burn even fresh clones, the rather like a couple extra ml of Medussa's in early veg. Once I'm in late veg, I don't even bother measuring OlyUp as I pour it in. I'm usually pulling my nute solution up from around 5.6 - 5.8 to get it to the 6.3 - 6.4, and to be honest I've been running a bit high lately pushing around 6.5 in late veg.
Oly Up, yes it is weak, but it's also a bit of a nutrient. It's made from Liquid Limestone, which the plant dose absorb. As Scott says in the videos, '
You're building your buds with bone and rock." So even if you've really got to yank your water's PH up out of the basement after mixing your nutes, I wouldn't 100% cut out Oly Up, drop in at least 5ml - 10ml and if that doesn't bump you up enough then use another manufacturers ph up to push it the last bit over the line.
I'm probably pouring in upwards of 15ml to bring my Ph up on 1.5 gallons of nute solution. That gets me up to around 6.4-6.5, but honestly just use my Ph meter and then stop when I get to about .2 shy of my target PH. Another option is to add a tiny bit more Zeus Juice, it's PH is around 9, so it will yank up your solution pretty quickly too.
needed though is to drop the pH in the medium more than the feed
Do a Gia flush to yank your media down. Straight Gia Mania and water, PH it just a bit lower than you want your medium using Gia as your PH down. I yanked mine down from 7.1 and took it way too far with a single Gia flush at 5.5, I took it almost an entire .5 below my goal and it took almost all of flower to bring it back up to from 6.1 after I flushed 5.5. It takes about two weeks to show in your slurries but a single Gia flush will yoink your medium PH down really well. I wouldn't do a Gia flush any more powerful than about 6.1 or 6.2 unless your soil is WAY out of wack. I went way too low the time I did it.
