Help Figure Out What To Do With My Water

[OldManRiver]

Please refer to the last page of . The net-net is my water has a hardness of about 340ppm, and TDS of 585ppm before I add anything. Calcium and Magnesium are 62ppm and 45 ppm respectively. pH is 8.

I'm starting a mini-grow inside with a DWC setup. Can I use this water, or do I need to budget for buying distilled? Can I mix them to save $$?

I'm planning on using the General Hydroponics Trio, possibly with the hardwater micro.

I know the ultimate answer is an RO system. My plumbing is such that I don't have a place to put an RO setup without tearing into a wall and hacking into the plumbing. As a temporary measure, I'm going to put in a rain barrel, which should work fine about 8 months of the year.

But, thoughts, comments on whether I can use my tap water? And on using rainwater?

I'm using this water in the garden outside, and everyone seems to be thriving, so I'm wondering if I can use it for hydroponics.

 

[EventHorizan]

Please refer to the last page of . The net-net is my water has a hardness of about 340ppm, and TDS of 585ppm before I add anything. Calcium and Magnesium are 62ppm and 45 ppm respectively. pH is 8.

I'm starting a mini-grow inside with a DWC setup. Can I use this water, or do I need to budget for buying distilled? Can I mix them to save $$?

I'm planning on using the General Hydroponics Trio, possibly with the hardwater micro.

I know the ultimate answer is an RO system. My plumbing is such that I don't have a place to put an RO setup without tearing into a wall and hacking into the plumbing. As a temporary measure, I'm going to put in a rain barrel, which should work fine about 8 months of the year.

But, thoughts, comments on whether I can use my tap water? And on using rainwater?

I'm using this water in the garden outside, and everyone seems to be thriving, so I'm wondering if I can use it for hydroponics.

Do you have an outside spigot that we could hook up a ro system too?
I got the smallest ro system i could get for like $80 and Im so glad I did,,
I packed water from krogers for 6 months!

 

[OldManRiver]

Do you have an outside spigot that we could hook up a ro system too?
I got the smallest ro system i could get for like $80 and Im so glad I did,,
I packed water from krogers for 6 months!

I hadn't though of that. That's doable. I think I'd have to make it detachable, to bring it inside when it gets freezing out. But I could fill a barrel with that.

 

[EventHorizan]

I hadn't though of that. That's doable. I think I'd have to make it detachable, to bring it inside when it gets freezing out. But I could fill a barrel with that.

Ya you prob would. But if you get a 55 gal drum in the house and just run a line to it, you could go for awhile on 55 gal for 1 dwc bucket!
What are you running?

 

[OldManRiver]

Ya you prob would. But if you get a 55 gal drum in the house and just run a line to it, you could go for awhile on 55 gal for 1 dwc bucket!
What are you running?

600W (250W) LED panel, 14 gal rubbermaid tub, top fed DWC. Waiting on some seeds, may start some clones from the outdoor garden if I get impatient. Gonna grow two plants in a LST/SCROG approach. Goal is simply personal smoke and the desire to try out more strains. I have White Widow and AK48 going outside, have Chemdog and Green Crack on order for later. May clone the AK48s, they are a perfect stature, finish early, and look like they will yield well. Reputed to be a killer stone, but time will tell; I haven't smoked it yet. The WW is known killer, grew that last year.

 

[EventHorizan]

600W (250W) LED panel, 14 gal rubbermaid tub, top fed DWC. Waiting on some seeds, may start some clones from the outdoor garden if I get impatient. Gonna grow two plants in a LST/SCROG approach. Goal is simply personal smoke and the desire to try out more strains. I have White Widow and AK48 going outside, have Chemdog and Green Crack on order for later. May clone the AK48s, they are a perfect stature, finish early, and look like they will yield well. Reputed to be a killer stone, but time will tell; I haven't smoked it yet. The WW is known killer, grew that last year.

When you get a chance let me see your diy dwc tote.. Im all about diy even tho I did just purchase a 1200 UC system..
What can I say It was my dream lol..
Anyway throw up some pics!

 

[OldManRiver]

So, I just tested the water, and its only 212 ppm TDS. Looks like the city has improved its water since the report I found, which is dated 2006. I may not have a problem after all, though I did spend the afternoon researching RO setups.

Here're the tub pics @EventHorizon. Just plugged everything together, and it works fine. Ready for some girls!

 

[EventHorizan]

So, I just tested the water, and its only 212 ppm TDS. Looks like the city has improved its water since the report I found, which is dated 2006. I may not have a problem after all, though I did spend the afternoon researching RO setups.

Here're the tub pics @EventHorizon. Just plugged everything together, and it works fine. Ready for some girls!

I like it! Now here is what you need to go with it..
You need to build a 3x3 scrog net out of pvc with legs
And then scrog them 4 out!
What are you using for nutes?

 

[OldManRiver]

I like it! Now here is what you need to go with it..
You need to build a 3x3 scrog net out of pvc with legs
And then scrog them 4 out!
What are you using for nutes?

You read my mind. I'm going to LST two plants out of the big bigs on the corners, into a 3x3 SCROG net. This will be my first try at scrogging.

I have the General Hydroponics trio. Will be adding a bit of Botanicare Silica blast and CalMag.

 

[fatawa]

'm starting a mini-grow inside with a DWC setup

yes u can brother..mines similiar..not quiet as high as yurs but similiar..its just gonna cause u to nute less basicaly.n u shud b able to use nxt to none on calmag

 

[OldManRiver]

yes u can brother..mines similiar..not quiet as high as yurs but similiar..its just gonna cause u to nute less basicaly.n u shud b able to use nxt to none on calmag

That's exactly why I went to the bigger reservoir. I want to be able to go two weeks between changes if I can. I hear you on the cal mag, though I'm gonna contact the water folks this week and find out how much is really still there. I measured the TDS this afternoon, and its less than half what was on the 2006 report(212ppm), which is the newest I could find online. That probably means the calcium and magnesium are less than on the report. I've been using some CalMag outside this summer, and the plants seem to like it.

 

[fatawa]

That's exactly why I went to the bigger reservoir. I want to be able to go two weeks between changes if I can. I hear you on the cal mag, though I'm gonna contact the water folks this week and find out how much is really still there. I measured the TDS this afternoon, and its less than half what was on the 2006 report(212ppm), which is the newest I could find online. That probably means the calcium and magnesium are less than on the report. I've been using some CalMag outside this summer, and the plants seem to like it.

i kno u aint no noob but all calmag has "n" so just watch for that dark hunter and then back off of it u kno.i do 1.5-2.5ml per gal.and i dope 3gal,5straight..just make sure n giv it straight water too u kno

 

[OldManRiver]

i kno u aint no noob but all calmag has "n" so just watch for that dark hunter and then back off of it u kno.i do 1.5-2.5ml per gal.and i dope 3gal,5straight..just make sure n giv it straight water too u kno

Yeah, I'm good about reading the labels, and I adjust accordingly.

 

[fatawa]

Yeah, I'm good about reading the labels, and I adjust accordingly.

what nutes u gonna run?i run techna flora.very good line.drawback is 7bottles but....i can really dial shit n how i want becuz of it.im like u i read plants not chemical schedules they giv u...

 

[fatawa]

Idk if yur organic guy but my lines organic..get amazing flavor,and that clean water taste cant b beat.idl nothing outta dirt now compared to my dro.

 

[OldManRiver]

what nutes u gonna run?i run techna flora.very good line.drawback is 7bottles but....i can really dial shit n how i want becuz of it.im like u i read plants not chemical schedules they giv u...

I've had good luck with general hyroponics, so I'm starting there. A little silica, a little calmag, and some hydroguard is in the works.

 

[fatawa]

hydroguard

this shit is like jesus juice.lol.will keep roots sexy..n gh is good nutes.u will b n good shape brother

 

[h4ppyf4rmer]

My tap EC is around 450 and I use it directly. I'm using GH flora three part and 'not' using the hard water version of micro. I don't add any CalMag. I only use Hydroguard when the res water gets above 70 or so. It all seems to work ok for me. I'm running an RDWC 6 bucket system.

 

[oldskol4evr]

here is something out of the box that might help also,,i have a ac heat unit in my ceiling,,the runoff pipe comes out the pipe and into a barrel i have,,i make 33gal of tea twice a week with it,,just a thought

 

[FennarioMike]

Your water is on the borderline I'd say. A 212 ppm TDS is about 320 ppm (700 scale) as an EC measurement. While today the TDS might be 212 - the town does show a swing of about 200, so it could potentially go up. The ca/mg in the water is good but you also have a lot of bicarbonate and alkalinity in it that could also affecting your nute mix.

It could be fine - but a little RO is cheap and then you're sure that it's good. If you're investing a lot of time, effort and money into these plants, then $100 - $150 RO will help protect that investment.

My water is about 300ppm (700 scale, not TDS) and I only use RO. I also have a background in water treatment - so... For a small cost, I'd just prefer to eliminate a potential problem.