Your Soil Already Holds the Nutrients. High-pH Water Is What Locks Them Out.
Berry crops in Salinas, Santa Maria, and Oxnard rely on well water, district water, and increasingly recycled water, most of it coming in at pH 7.5 to 8.5 with high bicarbonates. At that pH, the iron, calcium, manganese, and phosphorus your plants need are all tied up. Roots actively feed during irrigation, so if the water isn't at the right pH when it hits the root zone, the plant cannot access what is already there.
ECO2MIX dissolves CO₂ into your irrigation water at the pump station, forming carbonic acid that brings pH to target range before water reaches any plant. The system monitors pH continuously and adjusts automatically. You see the pH going to your field. ECO2MIX handles everything else.
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Built for Rotation
The Mobile Skid Moves With You
Strawberry and cane berry fields rotate each season. A permanent installation tied to one location doesn't work for an operation that moves. ECO2MIX's mobile skid mounts all equipment on a trailer, no cement pad required, no permanent electrical connection. When your fields rotate, the skid moves with them.
ECO2MIX handles the logistics: the skid is picked up, relocated, and recommissioned by our team. You get full carbonic acid treatment at your new location without starting over on infrastructure. Same service, same fixed price, wherever your strawberries go.
- No cement pad required
- Relocates with your rotation schedule
- ECO2MIX moves and reinstalls the equipment
- Same continuous pH monitoring and remote management
- Upfront seasonal payment option available for short-season crops
See It in a Strawberry Field
A California strawberry farm, carbonic acid treatment in action, and an agronomist who has watched the soil change over multiple seasons.
From the Field
We have this whole carbon component to it. We're seeing a huge release of fertility, which is actually benefiting the crop, increasing our production. We're ramping up the production a lot quicker. Because the plant has the nutrition to support it. There's a lot more benefit you're getting out of it than just lowering your water pH.
Eryn Gray works with strawberry and cane berry growers throughout the Salinas Valley and has documented what happens in the soil when carbonic acid-treated water replaces sulfuric acid. CO₂ respiration goes up. Microbial diversity goes up. One strawberry block went from the worst-yielding on the ranch to the best.
What the Soil Data Shows
ECO2MIX has partnered with Biome Makers to run BeCrop and Haney soil tests on berry fields using carbonic acid versus sulfuric acid at the same farms. The difference is consistent across sites.
Water pH Control Across Berry Crops
Strawberries
The most common ECO2MIX application in the berry segment. Salinas Valley, Santa Maria, and Oxnard operations use the mobile skid because fields rotate annually. Target pH is typically 6.5 to 6.6. CCOF-certified organic strawberry growers are current ECO2MIX customers.
Cane Berries
Blackberries and raspberries grown in California face the same high-pH water problem as strawberries. ECO2MIX has treated cane berry operations and documented soil improvements consistent with the strawberry results. Target pH 6.5.
Blueberries
Blueberries need significantly lower soil pH than most crops, with a target around pH 5.3. ECO2MIX can be configured for this lower target. CO₂ dosing and pricing are adjusted to reflect the higher demand. If you grow blueberries and have not been able to manage water pH safely, this is a viable path.
Note: Blueberry proposals use a lower pH target (5.3) than standard ag contracts. Contact ECO2MIX to discuss sizing and pricing for your operation.
Where We Work
ECO2MIX has active berry installations across California's coastal growing regions. These are the areas where our agronomists and service technicians are most active and where our grower network is strongest.
Salinas Valley
Monterey County. California's largest strawberry production area. Both well water and district water sources are common. Water pH typically ranges 7.5 to 8.2.
Santa Maria
Santa Barbara County. Major strawberry and cane berry production. Recycled water is increasingly used here, which makes consistent pH management more critical as water quality varies.
Oxnard / Ventura County
Southern California's primary strawberry belt. High land values mean the per-acre economics of a managed pH service are particularly favorable for high-yield blocks.
From the Blog
Effects of Carbonic Acid on Bicarbonates in Agricultural Production
A technical analysis answering the critical question: Does carbonic acid for pH control add bicarbonates to water? Addresses farmer concerns with chemistry, research evidence, and 9+ years of field data.
Read more → Recycled Water, Growing Healthy Strawberries
A field visit to Watsonville, CA where ECO2MIX is treating recycled municipal water for a strawberry grower — proving the system works with well water, district water, and recycled water alike.
Read more →
The Secret Ingredient Behind Your Strawberries
A Human Element short film follows a California strawberry farm using ECO2MIX's carbonic acid water treatment — and why Waldo Moraga believes it's as natural as rain.
Read more →Other Benefits
- CCOF-approved for certified organic production — compare to sulfur burner
- No residual sulfates added — safe for coastal soils already high in sulfate
- Fixed service contract with seasonal payment option for short-season crops
Frequently Asked Questions
Does carbonic acid lower irrigation water pH as effectively as acid injection systems for berries?
What does the ECO2MIX service include for berry operations?
Is carbonic acid approved for organic berry production?
How quickly does pH correction affect drip tape scale in berry fields?
Ready to Talk About Your Operation?
Tell us your water source, flow rate, and whether you rotate fields. We'll spec a system and send a proposal. No obligation.
Contact ECO2MIX