A
high pH buffering capacity is an advantage because it ensures minimal
initial and ongoing pH maintenance – especially where high alkalinity
make-up water is used. This feature is extremely beneficial because lack
of pH control is a common cause of nutrient failure (Fig 1.2), including
plumbing blockages that occur due to precipitation.
As a rule-of-thumb, a
high quality ‘bloom’ formulation should require virtually no initial pH
adjustment, even when used with high alkalinity water i.e. after dilution
with a range of make-up waters, the pH should always fall well within the
range 4.5 to 6.5. However, many brands fail to offer this feature.
