Water
- Thread starter West123
- Start date
greasemonkeymann
Well-Known Member
yes, the r.o water is going to be micro deficient, so you'll more than likely need micro supplements.
kelp meal, langbeinite, comfrey, etc.
Thx mate I am using biobizz light mix at the mo with just straight ro water will I need call mag to add to the water at this
thx mate I am using biobizz light mix I am in the seedling stage using just ro water at the min willi need to use call mag or has the soil got what it needs for this stage
Ok thx mate
greasemonkeymann
Well-Known Member
yes, you do need to supplement with calmag, however I use well water, and have zero experience in that regard.
i'd assume you use it similarly to a hydro setup
i'm sure others can chime in here
ive been looking at some cal mag from advanced nutrients it says u can just spray them one a week if there is a deficiency using this product but it doesn't say if it can be used in soil what u think
greasemonkeymann
Well-Known Member
I don;t know about that...
calcium isn't really meant for a foliar spray really. Being an immobile nutrient.
is your soil made with dolomite lime?
it's much better in that regard, esp if your soil is predicated on lots of peat.
controls acidity too, I don't use d-lime in my soils but only because I don't use peat, and I have like six other thing to control the ph and supply the micronutrient.
but it is crucial in certain soil mixes, most soil mixes in fact
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Richard Drysift
Well-Known Member
If your tap water system uses regular chlorine you can leave it out overnight or bubble it for 6 hrs. If your system uses chloramine like mine does you'll need to avoid using it in your organic grow altogether. Chloramine is a popular chemical used in many municipal tap systems today but it cannot be evaporated off which is why they use it. Chlorine/chloramine and other chems like fluoride will dry out the bodies of the microbes that feed your plant in a natural soil grow.
RO systems are great but super wasteful. My unit takes 5 gal of waste water to make a single gal of RO water. It blew up last winter because I left it full of water & allowed it to freeze over...temps got down near zero & it burst so if you get one don't leave it in the cold without draining it.
The best water to use with organic grows is rain; just set out buckets when it rains or put a rain barrel to collect it under a gutter downspout. Another good source of clean water is a dehumidier; I use it as my main water source when it doesn't rain for weeks. Just keep the collection sump clean and it will be a good source of clean water: reclaimed water is basically like distilled at around 3 ppms. Between whatever rain I can collect and my dehumidier I can supply my grow with clean free water mostly all the time. During periods of low humidity (winter mostly) I do sometimes need to go to the local Walmart to use their RO unit at .39/gal. Even in the winter though after every snowstorm I have luck collecting the runoff from thaws.
Rain or snow water doesn't need macros and contains microbial life which is why it's the best to use in natural soil. Use it as is: add nothing but love. RO or distilled/reclaimed water will need a boost of liquid cal/mag as it is difficult to provide an easily available source of macros in the soil itself until it's been reused a few times. It takes so long for everything to break down that's why your mix is usually kinda weak until it's been recycled over & over. I recommend General organics brand calmag+ but I am needing to use it less frequently as the garden gypsum and other sources of macros slowly are released. No folar just directly to the root zone works best IMO
RO systems are great but super wasteful. My unit takes 5 gal of waste water to make a single gal of RO water. It blew up last winter because I left it full of water & allowed it to freeze over...temps got down near zero & it burst so if you get one don't leave it in the cold without draining it.
The best water to use with organic grows is rain; just set out buckets when it rains or put a rain barrel to collect it under a gutter downspout. Another good source of clean water is a dehumidier; I use it as my main water source when it doesn't rain for weeks. Just keep the collection sump clean and it will be a good source of clean water: reclaimed water is basically like distilled at around 3 ppms. Between whatever rain I can collect and my dehumidier I can supply my grow with clean free water mostly all the time. During periods of low humidity (winter mostly) I do sometimes need to go to the local Walmart to use their RO unit at .39/gal. Even in the winter though after every snowstorm I have luck collecting the runoff from thaws.
Rain or snow water doesn't need macros and contains microbial life which is why it's the best to use in natural soil. Use it as is: add nothing but love. RO or distilled/reclaimed water will need a boost of liquid cal/mag as it is difficult to provide an easily available source of macros in the soil itself until it's been reused a few times. It takes so long for everything to break down that's why your mix is usually kinda weak until it's been recycled over & over. I recommend General organics brand calmag+ but I am needing to use it less frequently as the garden gypsum and other sources of macros slowly are released. No folar just directly to the root zone works best IMO
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OK cheers for the info my ro system comes out at about 9 ppm I just add water at the moment I'm in seedling stage with small pots using light mix soil when I pot up I will be going into all mix I will class that has week 1 veg and I will had some call mag to the soil I should only use it like one a week and just in veg and flower it doesn't say whether I should use it at this seedling stage I am using sensi call mag from advanced nutrients peace
Richard Drysift
Well-Known Member
They need very little macros if at all when they are seedlings. Straight water until they get about 5-6 nodes. Then I would give light dosage of calmag maybe every other watering until flowering. Then they can take a low dose every watering or as needed. I tend to stop giving macros about week 7; they won't need it much once the buds are fully formed. Always give it at half strength and keep in mind AN products are synthetic not organic and could be detrimental to the microlife; especially in high doses. Grease is right; in time you can supply calcium and magnesium in your mix directly and you won't need to give liquid nutrients after awhile & just water them. I've been giving less and less calmag recently without any signs of deficiency. Composted eggshells, D-lime, garden gypsum, SRP, and even molasses contain trace amounts of needed macros but again they take so long to break down you need to add a soluble form to get things going in the beginning. The more you re-use the soil the better it will get...
GreenSanta
Well-Known Member
The water must be decent where I live, never tested it. I used to let it sit for 24 hours, never noticed a difference to be honest. Now I ve got a hose right up to my grow room it was the best upgrade ever, watering my plants now, a breeze.
gonna just stick to using tap water have u seen the bio bizz range of nutrients there feed chart looks simple enough I like the look of bio bizz heaven too no need to adjust my ph ever I've got a ph of 7 out of my tap Which I don't think that matters in soil anyway cus if I started to put ph down in my soil it can't be good for the soil that's what I have heard anyway