I need a water soluable inert solid material. It is to be mixed with a water soluable pH Buffer in order to dilute the concentration of the final material. Any recommendations?

 

Thanks.

 

Dave

adding a solid to a buffer won't change the concentration of the buffer.

 

However, as soluble solids go, sodium chloride is fairly inert.

Sugar?

Table salt?

Ice?

 

It really depends what you want to dilute, and with what purpose. Your question is not clear.

 

And anyway, if something dissolves, it is not a solid anymore. And if the solid is able to dissolve, it is not inert.

We are taking a pH buffer solid compound and trying to dilute it so we can include a standard "measuring cup" in the package (i.e. a 1/4 cup). The current compound is too concentrated. The pH buffer compound is used to adjust water for plants, so whatever we use cannot affect the plant. I'm sure there is something that doesn't affect pH, is a solid, water soluble, and doesn't affect plant life.

 

Salts are not good for plant life, so that's out. Maybe inert is not the correct term. It's something that can be added to the dry particulate that will reduce the concentration and will not harm plant life.

I'd try sugar or, if that turns into a sticky mess, lactose.

Ok, so you have a solid compound (a salt), which is a fertilizer and forms a buffer.

You want to be able to scoop up a standard measuring cup of it, and put that in a standard amount of water.

But the concentration is too high if you use a standard 1/4 cup in the standard volume of water... that's the problem, yes?

 

I am probably thinking way too simplistic, but why not use more water to dilute it? A different standard?

 

If you will mix one solid (the buffer stuff) with another solid, you risk that the particles of one solid are more coarse than the other... Shaking the box/bag/whatever of your blended solids will cause the fine particles to drop to the bottom. It's like mixing pebbles with sand, and then shaking it. The sand will fall through the pebbles to the bottom.

 

Also, the proposed solids are not so good. Sugar will cause all kinds of organisms to live in your soil on the long term. It will create fungus problems maybe. Salt will kill plants. Ice cannot easily be stored.

 

A truly inert (and cheap) solid is sand. If it will end up in soil anyway, maybe it doesn't matter that it doesn't dissolve.

I've been using tap water, and, strangely, none of my plants have died.