Hydroponics under controlled environment greenhouses or vertical farms allows for local, year-round production of leafy greens. However, production can be disrupted by an outbreak of root rot disease. Caused by oomycete pathogens such as Pythium spp., root rot disease can quickly spread through nutrient solution. Previous research suggested that lowering nutrient solution pH decreased incidence and severity of root rot disease. However, species-specific plant growth and nutrient uptake responses to below-traditional pH levels (< 5.5) in hydroponics are not well documented. The first study investigates the sensitivities of popular hydroponic leafy greens to increasingly acidic nutrient solutions. Inside a growth chamber, lettuce (Lactuca sativa; ‘Rex’ and ‘Rouxai’), arugula (Eruca vesicaria; ‘Astro’ and ‘Sparkle’), kale (Brassica oleracea; ‘Toscano’ and ‘Red Russian’), and bok choy (Brassica rapa; ‘Joi Choi’ and ‘New Nabai’) were grown in hydroponic deep-water cultures, with nutrient solution pH levels of 5.5, 5.0, 4.5, and 4.0. Together with previously obtained pH responses for basil (Ocimum basilicum; ‘Dolce Fresca’ and ‘Nufar’) and spinach (Spinacia oleracea; ‘Corvair’), a total of six species (11 cultivars) were classified with low, moderate, or high sensitivity, determined by the magnitude of fresh shoot weight lost as pH decreased. Lettuce, bok choy, and basil were designated with low sensitivity, kale with moderate, and arugula and spinach with high sensitivity. Shoot tissue elemental concentrations demonstrated that, regardless of sensitivity classification, all crops exhibited decreased cationic nutrient content as pH decreased. Lettuce, bok choy, and basil maintained shoot biomass accumulation despite decreased nutrient uptake. Based on regression analyses, calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese, and copper decreased with decreasing pH in shoot tissue of at least two species. In the subsequent study, the effect of increasing concentrations of these five elements as well as zinc in nutrient solution on mitigating growth reductions displayed by moderately-sensitive (kale) and highly-sensitive (spinach and arugula) species at pH 4.0 was investigated. Spinach ‘Corvair’, arugula ‘Astro’, and kale ‘Red Russian’ were grown in nutrient solutions with four combinations of pH and elemental concentrations: two with standard elemental concentrations supplied at pH setpoints 5.5 and 4.0, a 4.0 pH nutrient solution with double the concentrations of calcium and magnesium, and a 4.0 pH nutrient solution with double the concentrations of calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese, copper and zinc. Compared to pH 4.0 with unadjusted elemental concentrations, spinach growth at pH 4.0 significantly increased with only macronutrient concentrations increased; growth was further increased with micronutrient concentrations increased, while arugula growth significantly increased only when both macro- and micronutrient concentrations were increased. Kale growth was not affected by nutrient solution elemental adjustments. Increasing elemental nutrient concentrations successfully increased shoot concentrations of calcium and magnesium in all species grown at pH 4.0. The results of this research suggest that nutrient solution elemental concentrations could be adjusted further on a species-specific basis in order to recover shoot fresh weights of spinach, arugula, and kale to the extent that they are not significantly less than pH 5.5 shoots.