you guys sure are redundant around here, that was established in your previous post...thats sad that you cannot use municipal water sources. For hydroponics I found most to be above adequate.................or if it's extremely hard perhaps?
Somtimes it's necessary to be redundant.
Some folks don't read entire threads and you left hard water out. Being that "hard water" is what gives growers the most problems when it comes to water, I figured it was important enough to reiterate it. What you said: Sorry, but that statement is inaccurate. Unfortunately, there are a lot of forum myths and since most of us are here to gain ACCURATE INFORMATION, I thought it was a good idea to repeat that hard water is a major influencing factor that gives growers potential problems. Some well water is pristine, and doesn't require any filtration (other than sediment filtration). Some well water is awful!
It can be done, but that is pretty hard water and it CAN cause issues. There are hardwater ferts on the market that can be helpful. Also, some folks mix their tapwater with R/O in order to lower the starting EC. There are a variety of options for growers with water quality issues. I wouldn't say that R/O is a waste in 95% of cases, but I agree it's not necessary for the majority of us. R/O filters can be wasteful but there are some newer models that are much more efficient and don't waste nearly as much. Some people use the effluent for "other things".
Here you go..........
That's awesome bro! If you have great success using tapwater, by all means, keep using it! I have helped quite a few people who were having issues. I'm not sure what the EC of your tapwater is, but a pH of 8 isn't all that extreme for tap. In fact, most plants in soil can tolerate that no problem. SOME folks have tapwater that has a much more extreme pH and is treated in such a way or it is sourced from an aquifer that contains high amounts of dissolved solids. These can be virtually any mineral or element that is soluble in water. Most commonly, it's Calcium Carbonate or Magnesium Carbonate, which are both beneficial to growers. There are concerns though. What is the ratio of Ca to Mg? Can your plants assimilate it quickly enough to supplement them with the necessary amounts required for rapid growth? In some instances the ratios can be completely out of whack or something is present which the plant doesn't like. If you are using a complete fert, you may be over applying certain elements which can create an antagonistic effect. There are a TON of variables so it's hard to say why one grower has great success growing in hard water while another struggles. These are the mysteries that make life worth living!!! lol!I grow with very hard tap water that comes out with a ph of over 8. I don't bother leaving it over night, it leaves loads of residue on a glass if you leave it a few days to evaporate, i have no issues whatsoever in hydro
That's not that bad at all really. Some people are running into tapwater that is nearly off the charts! I've seen water that is .6 personally and I've talked to people who claim over .8! That's insane! lol! I moved and ran into problems at the new location. I spent a couple of months pouring over books, forums...........anything I could get my hands on and nothing was helping. I changed up my water and my problems disappeared! Again, I'm not saying you can't grow with hard water and I'm not telling anyone who is getting good results to switch. Water quality can vary wildly in my area. If your plants are healthy with tapwater, switching to R/O will NOT give anyone a dramatic increase in quality or yield. However, if you are having strange deficiencies and have tried virtually everything else, water quality might be worth a look.
I have a lot of respect for Al. He really knows his shit, but has he visited every corner of the globe and talked to every single grower on the planet? I think not. I see people (usually ones who have decent tapwater) implying that R/O is NEVER needed in ANY case. That is absolutely untrue! I completely agree there are a lot of salesmen out there trying to get us to buy another product, telling us it's necessary, blah, blah, blah. We should all be wary of anyone's information who is trying to sell you something. I'm no salesman. I have no interest whatsoever in pushing expensive R/O units, especially to people who don't need one. But some of us do and to those who are lucky enought to be able to use their tapwater, I envy you! lol! You also kind of act like you have a problem with copy and paste? I gave credit and linked every single source. It's not bad form to copy and paste, and I tried to use non-biased information from companies who don't have an interest in selling something. It IS bad form to copy and paste and not give proper credit. Not all water is created equal, not by a long shot! Hardness is a major factor to consider when doing any type of growing. If water is too hard it WILL cause problems, I've seen it firsthand. I've also talked to hundreds of people on here who have had similar problems. Switching their water up fixed their problems when some of these people discovered their water to be over 1000ppm! I have no interest in what kind of money people spend or what kind of nutrient regimens they use. I could care less if people let their water sit over night (I've said for a long time that Chlorine in drinking water is typically not a problem). A lot of organic hardcores swear that Chlorine and Chloramines kill their beneficial microbes off. Here is a good article. Granted, it's from a hydro company but I found the information to be good nonetheless. Enjoy!
