Using My Tap Water For Soil And Coco Coir

[Snakeskins]

A concern that I have for my plants in soil (in tent) and my two clones in coco coir, is that I'm using what starts out as 440 ppm and 7.9 pH from my tap to water all plants with.

I let 2 gallons of tap water sit indoors for a few days to bring the numbers to: 350ppm and 8.0pH.

This can't help much as I only recently started using tap (instead of store-bought RO) to water my clones(in coco coir) with. I've been using tap on the plants(in soil) in the tent the whole time.

Just wondering, does anyone else start out with that high of a ppm reading included in their tap water for their grows? I want to at least bring that 350ppm number down with an inexpensive filtering or evaporating method.

Anyone else dealing with this same concern?

 

[DemonTrich]

That's a high ppm. If use RO personally, then add cal/mag.

My tapnis 7.3 and 1.8ppm.

I always let my water bubble for 24 hrs before using.

 

[Papa]

i have about the same tap water, 380ppm & 7.2pH. i pre-filter and then RO, then UV, then bubble.

 

[Two.Bears]

good that you allow the chlorine dissipate.

I have a similar problem. water ph is 8.3

getting water from aqufier in Northern A.

A concern that I have for my plants in soil (in tent) and my two clones in coco coir, is that I'm using what starts out as 440 ppm and 7.9 pH from my tap to water all plants with.

I let 2 gallons of tap water sit indoors for a few days to bring the numbers to: 350ppm and 8.0pH.

This can't help much as I only recently started using tap (instead of store-bought RO) to water my clones(in coco coir) with. I've been using tap on the plants(in soil) in the tent the whole time.

Just wondering, does anyone else start out with that high of a ppm reading included in their tap water for their grows? I want to at least bring that 350ppm number down with an inexpensive filtering or evaporating method.

Anyone else dealing with this same concern?

 

[Dunge]

good that you allow the chlorine dissipate.

Has this chlorine threat ever been demonstrated?
I read it over and over, but from my experience using a variety of chlorine products in outdoor water storage pools, it seems that free chlorine would quickly react with vastly abundant reaction sites in dirt.
I don't dispute that free chlorine will damage tissue, but the speed at which it would get removed just seems to question how much damage it could do to roots and microbes.

Just throwing this out there because it is such a mantra in the grow world.

I look at snakeskin's first pic, and I can't see any reason to change a thing.
Nice work.

 

[Two.Bears]

have read several books about growing MMJ and a few of them recommended (R O or clorinr free water.

in my first grow and tried to make the least mistakes possible.

Has this chlorine threat ever been demonstrated?
I read it over and over, but from my experience using a variety of chlorine products in outdoor water storage pools, it seems that free chlorine would quickly react with vastly abundant reaction sites in dirt.
I don't dispute that free chlorine will damage tissue, but the speed at which it would get removed just seems to question how much damage it could do to roots and microbes.

Just throwing this out there because it is such a mantra in the grow world.

I look at snakeskin's first pic, and I can't see any reason to change a thing.
Nice work.

 

[oldskol4evr]

A concern that I have for my plants in soil (in tent) and my two clones in coco coir, is that I'm using what starts out as 440 ppm and 7.9 pH from my tap to water all plants with.

I let 2 gallons of tap water sit indoors for a few days to bring the numbers to: 350ppm and 8.0pH.

This can't help much as I only recently started using tap (instead of store-bought RO) to water my clones(in coco coir) with. I've been using tap on the plants(in soil) in the tent the whole time.

Just wondering, does anyone else start out with that high of a ppm reading included in their tap water for their grows? I want to at least bring that 350ppm number down with an inexpensive filtering or evaporating method.

Anyone else dealing with this same concern?

them plants look healthy to me,most time the nutrients you use one of them will bring down ph,and your soil ph could be already be low enough for that swing,cause them plants look good,my well water comes out 440 so im with you on the mess ,but my plants been loving it,so im sticking with it for now

 

[oldskol4evr]

when i ran coco,i used all the gadgets to fight this mess,i found it was better to bubble the water,then let it sit a day before using it,bubbling also brings ph up,some clorine dont hurt in the water,my biggest problem in the city i think was all the flouride they put in it,i used vit c or asorbic acid,which ever you want to call it,to bump that down and any clorimine that was in it,,since i moved out in country,my well has great tasting water,but loaded with iron and no boron to register at all,never been a cal mag person but i been having to use it since i moved here,i cook my egg shells for calcium and burn them for phos,great little mix,,my well is 500 ft deep and sitting in a aquifer full of lime it seems,scale on every thing in couple days,,what ive found to help is i catch all the runoff of condensation from ac unit,mix half that and half well water works out real well,,i grow in soil so it buffer it pretty good

 

[Snakeskins]

Idk where I came up with the 350 ppm number. I tested water that I had let sit for 3 days and this came out to 8.2 pH and 467ppm. Yikes. Thx for the complements @oldskol4evr and @Dunge. Ive had a few wins and losses using various soils with my tap but this is the first time trying coco coir for me. I'll be in the market for a fertilizer specifically made compatible for hard water. For now I'm using the notorious CNS17 grow and bloom liquids.

 

[DemonTrich]

If your tap is 450ppm, and is still 450ppm when you add your nutes, WOW can that number double or triple your ppm very easily. My flower nutes come out to 1480ppm, not sure on my veg nutes. Only use veg 2x before flip.

 

[Snakeskins]

If your tap is 450ppm, and is still 450ppm when you add your nutes, WOW can that number double or triple your ppm very easily. My flower nutes come out to 1480ppm, not sure on my veg nutes. Only use veg 2x before flip.

No. Thats not what I was saying. Last time I fertilized it came to 1300 ppm, and adjusted to 6.6 pH.

 

[Snakeskins]

I will add that I'm only using a cheap 300w LED to get this growth. Day 21 flowering.

 

[DemonTrich]

Should be in the 5.8ph range for coco. Your too high, may cause a lock out

 

[Snakeskins]

Should be in the 5.8ph range for coco. Your too high, may cause a lock out

That was for soil not coco

 

[heisen]

Dirt I just use it.400ppm and don't know what the ph is.it varies but I never gave a shit to check it for dirt cause it's irrelivent.people with some of the best looking lawns and gardens never do nothing to there tap water.just let it rip right out the sprinklers.
Hydro I ph to 5.8 and use RO water wirth a start ppm of 20

 

[heisen]

them plants look healthy to me,most time the nutrients you use one of them will bring down ph,and your soil ph could be already be low enough for that swing,cause them plants look good,my well water comes out 440 so im with you on the mess ,but my plants been loving it,so im sticking with it for now

pretty much in a nutshell.in soil there is no need to do nothing.people get so wrapped up in over doing it with soil and end up screwing up there plants cause of erratic runoff numbers that mean absolutely nothing.you can catch a cup of runoff water and it will be 1200 ppm.add another cup of just water and it will drop to 900.so which number is accurate?neither they both don't mean shit.
Just water and feed your plants When they need it.figure out a feeding schedule they like and stick with it.

 

[Snakeskins]

pretty much in a nutshell.in soil there is no need to do nothing.people get so wrapped up in over doing it with soil and end up screwing up there plants cause of erratic runoff numbers that mean absolutely nothing.you can catch a cup of runoff water and it will be 1200 ppm.add another cup of just water and it will drop to 900.so which number is accurate?neither they both don't mean shit.
Just water and feed your plants When they need it.figure out a feeding schedule they like and stick with it.

Great advice. Im learning now that the best thing you can do for your locked up plants is to simply lower the ppms which is simple enough with RO water.

Now, this is my first try using coco, but the major difference in the growth rate is appearent, I guess because they're constantly being fertilized.

Two cuttings from the two bigger plants in my tent. Im only using 2× 45w CFLS and coco coir, I get much more jumbo leaves and I use a foliar spray for them also. Much more rapid growth with the coco coir and less than 1/3 of the light wattage I'm using in my tent! I find that coco coir suits my weak lighting method pretty damn well lol

 

[heisen]

Great advice. Im learning now that the best thing you can do for your locked up plants is to simply lower the ppms which is simple enough with RO water.

Now, this is my first try using coco, but the major difference in the growth rate is appearent, I guess because they're constantly being fertilized.

Two cuttings from the two bigger plants in my tent. Im only using 2× 45w CFLS and coco coir, I get much more jumbo leaves and I use a foliar spray for them also. Much more rapid growth with the coco coir and less than 1/3 of the light wattage I'm using in my tent! I find that coco coir suits my weak lighting methods pretty damn well lol

I've never used it but for sexing plants.you definitely want to ph your water cause coco doesn't buffer like soil.its an artificial.medium just to support the roots.
Looks like you know what your doing.alot of growers don't realize your ec drops anyway when u add nutes.

 

[heisen]

Also stay on close watch like @DemonTrich said about the calmag.if you start to see tiny rust spots on leaves that are in the lighted areas you need to start adding calcium to your watering.
Yellowing between the veins will be magnesium.mag moves super slow in a plant so it takes a while and is less common since a lot of bottled nutes have plenty of mag

 

[Snakeskins]

Also stay on close watch like @DemonTrich said about the calmag.if you start to see tiny rust spots on leaves that are in the lighted areas you need to start adding calcium to your watering.
Yellowing between the veins will be magnesium.mag moves super slow in a plant so it takes a while and is less common since a lot of bottled nutes have plenty of mag

I've never used it but for sexing plants.you definitely want to ph your water cause coco doesn't buffer like soil.its an artificial.medium just to support the roots.
Looks like you know what your doing.alot of growers don't realize your ec drops anyway when u add nutes.

I know about the lower pH needs of coco coir grows and I have bombed on the problem of rust spots lol. Shit was bad. I have calmag plus. Great thing.