Curious about your tap water

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CannaGranny

CannaGranny

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I use tap from a well, so no chlorine. It is 200 ppm and 8 ph. I usually but not always use ph down to get it to 7. Also use clonex cloning solution, not a must either. Temp around 75 degrees. Always 100%. View attachment 1269415View attachment 1269416
Have you rechecked your PH after 24 hours? I have and was shocked! Prior to ever using it, I did all kinds of testing. The PH the temp after 24 hours of running etc. My well runs from 7.2 to 8.9 at times. First round I dropped the PH to 6.5 after 24 hours retested and it was 8.2! My old method was 5.9. With that said I decided to just run it straight out of the well.
Surprisingly enough straight from the well, dipped in Clonex and nine days later roots galore.
 
Potfairy

Potfairy

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Have you rechecked your PH after 24 hours? I have and was shocked! Prior to ever using it, I did all kinds of testing. The PH the temp after 24 hours of running etc. My well runs from 7.2 to 8.9 at times. First round I dropped the PH to 6.5 after 24 hours retested and it was 8.2! My old method was 5.9. With that said I decided to just run it straight out of the well.
Surprisingly enough straight from the well, dipped in Clonex and nine days later roots galore.
Thank you for your voice of experience! Thats exactly why im on here, I wanna hear whats working for people.
Oh yes, pH was checked 4x a day until I got the hang of my water. I use city tap though. Low ppm, very low sulfur. My temp stays 73° maybe a degree of fluctuation down at night, but its 10 gallons of water, pH and temp stay extremely stable. My pH tends to fluctuate daily, sometimes jumping from 5.5 to 7.0 overnight, usually when I have added a mild bloom. This is caused by the aeration and the cuttings themselves are absorbing and giving off their individual small amounts of bicarbonates and acids as they absorb nutrients through their stems. So far, the slight raise in sulfur ppm has shown results. I have matched identically the processes and tips professionals use. The only differences is the cuttings themselves, and the composition of my water. I got some wettable sulfur to ammend a deficiency in my potted plants and veggies, then had an epiphany about how some people use plain tap or well water with great results. And how some cant get rid of orange slime no matter how much bleach they use. I realized treatment processes can vary immensely across states and so does mineral composition. Its you folks that say you have great results from well water that made me realize its probably not the chlorine levels, but more likely the sulfur levels that make a difference. Well water is almost always high in sulfur, anywhere in the country and even world. Sulfur is also bacteriostatic and fungicidal, which can account for the high success rate from well water.

I really appreciate the advice and voicces of personal experience!! Until I get 99-100% success rate, ill be digging into every nuance of the process 😂 keep an eye out for a “sucess” post! These are plants we are talking about, and I always succeed in the end when it comes to my quiet children 😇
 
Potfairy

Potfairy

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I found a very mild nutrient solution made a world of difference
That aligns with what the professional cloners say. Would you mind sharing with me what your rate of application is?? How often do you change your water and refresh the nutrients?

And I have started adding a mild bloom (Beastie Bloomz) to the res. About 1/4 to 1tsp per 10 gal. I dislike Foxfarm, but the Beastie was a good buy when taking the nutrients into account, at a 0%-50%-30% its super concentrated and will last me for a year or more.
 
Buzzzz

Buzzzz

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That aligns with what the professional cloners say. Would you mind sharing with me what your rate of application is?? How often do you change your water and refresh the nutrients?

And I have started adding a mild bloom (Beastie Bloomz) to the res. About 1/4 to 1tsp per 10 gal. I dislike Foxfarm, but the Beastie was a good buy when taking the nutrients into account, at a 0%-50%-30% its super concentrated and will last me for a year or more.
I ran it at 1/8 strength and it helped them strike quickly, I use gh 3 part. I just mix at mid strength then dilute it with water to the desired ppm. There is a fine line you will have to find the threshold for what you grow,if you use too much they won't strike and will green up,for me it was about 1/8 strength but i screwed up some to get there on previous attempts.
 
Potfairy

Potfairy

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I ran it at 1/8 strength and it helped them strike quickly, I use gh 3 part. I just mix at mid strength then dilute it with water to the desired ppm. There is a fine line you will have to find the threshold for what you grow,if you use too much they won't strike and will green up,for me it was about 1/8 strength but i screwed up some to get there on previous attempts.
Sounds like I need to break down and get me a 3-way pH/ppm/temp meter finally 😑 ugh. Lol
 
Chem77

Chem77

384
93
Have you rechecked your PH after 24 hours? I have and was shocked! Prior to ever using it, I did all kinds of testing. The PH the temp after 24 hours of running etc. My well runs from 7.2 to 8.9 at times. First round I dropped the PH to 6.5 after 24 hours retested and it was 8.2! My old method was 5.9. With that said I decided to just run it straight out of the well.
Surprisingly enough straight from the well, dipped in Clonex and nine days later roots galore.
No I never have, I didn’t even use any ph down this time.
 
Buzzzz

Buzzzz

1,127
163
Thank you for your voice of experience! Thats exactly why im on here, I wanna hear whats working for people.
Oh yes, pH was checked 4x a day until I got the hang of my water. I use city tap though. Low ppm, very low sulfur. My temp stays 73° maybe a degree of fluctuation down at night, but its 10 gallons of water, pH and temp stay extremely stable. My pH tends to fluctuate daily, sometimes jumping from 5.5 to 7.0 overnight, usually when I have added a mild bloom. This is caused by the aeration and the cuttings themselves are absorbing and giving off their individual small amounts of bicarbonates and acids as they absorb nutrients through their stems. So far, the slight raise in sulfur ppm has shown results. I have matched identically the processes and tips professionals use. The only differences is the cuttings themselves, and the composition of my water. I got some wettable sulfur to ammend a deficiency in my potted plants and veggies, then had an epiphany about how some people use plain tap or well water with great results. And how some cant get rid of orange slime no matter how much bleach they use. I realized treatment processes can vary immensely across states and so does mineral composition. Its you folks that say you have great results from well water that made me realize its probably not the chlorine levels, but more likely the sulfur levels that make a difference. Well water is almost always high in sulfur, anywhere in the country and even world. Sulfur is also bacteriostatic and fungicidal, which can account for the high success rate from well water.

I really appreciate the advice and voicces of personal experience!! Until I get 99-100% success rate, ill be digging into every nuance of the process 😂 keep an eye out for a “sucess” post! These are plants we are talking about, and I always succeed in the end when it comes to my quiet children 😇
Nutrient strength,temp,algae,root exchange/release ,medium ,bacteria,plants using nutrients,sometimes order of nutrient addition or combinations of,can all have an effect on PH and precipitation of the salts.
 
Potfairy

Potfairy

45
18
Nutrient strength,temp,algae,root exchange/release ,medium ,bacteria,plants using nutrients,sometimes order of nutrient addition or combinations of,can all have an effect on PH and precipitation of the salts.
Of course. And usually the most recent of those would be the one you look to as the culprit of a sudden pH swing. I was just mentioning that an overnight pH shift within a controlled environment, is generally caused by biological activity separate from human intervention. Your mention of the microbiome is a very good point.
 
Saul.Goodman

Saul.Goodman

I just wet my plants...
Supporter
862
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My well water sits at PH of 8.4. The PPM sits at 340. This is with the addition of softening agents (Salt).

I use my water to feed all my indoor plants without an issue. There is of course salt build up if you do not water thoroughly each watering to 25% run off in my experience. Aside from that. I'm multiple grows deep with some super stonkers and some OK grows. The water wasn't the issue though. The issue was me and my processes.
 
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Saul.Goodman

Saul.Goodman

I just wet my plants...
Supporter
862
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Funny story time!

When we purchased our house the previous owners were renting a water softener. To us this wasn't a smart move since you can buy one for $300 USD. So the wife and I figured out usage plus some for guests and purchased a new one straight out.

Me being the man I am, called to cancel the rental gear. They came and disconnected everything and took their equipment with em.

I then started to install our new softener. To my amazement it went without a hitch! This was great news for a new DIY homeowner guy 🤣.

It wasn't until six months had past when my wife started asking why our shower keeps turning orange. I told her I don't know, the water tastes fine, feels fine when washing...

My next day off I went to the lower level to look at the system. The salt level wasn't reducing...Sure enough my wife was right, something is wrong here.

I followed all my plumbing back to the intake valve and realized the water was bypassing the softener because the intake was closed for installation....Lol.

I straight forgot to open it back up after the install. The great thing is that without a softener out water tastes great and I didn't notice anything. The downside was our shower was turning orange on a weekly basis.

Point being, sometimes instructions need to be read thoroughly....Lol. It clearly stated at the end to disengage the intake..
 
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Potfairy

Potfairy

45
18
Funny story time!

When we purchased our house the previous owners were renting a water softener. To us this wasn't a smart move since you can buy one for $300 USD. So the wife and I figured out usage plus some for guests and purchased a new one straight out.

Me being the man I am, called to cancel the rental gear. They came and disconnected everything and took their equipment with em.

I then started to install our new softener. To my amazement it went without a hitch! This was great news for a new DIY homeowner guy 🤣.

It wasn't until six months had past when my wife started asking why our shower keeps turning orange. I told her I don't know, the water tastes fine, feels fine when washing...

My next day off I went to the lower level to look at the system. The salt level wasn't reducing...Sure enough my wife was right, something is wrong here.

I followed all my plumbing back to the intake valve and realized the water was bypassing the softener because the intake was closed for installation....Lol.

I straight forgot to open it back up after the install. The great thing is that without a softener out water tastes great and I didn't notice anything. The downside was our shower was turning orange on a weekly basis.

Point being, sometimes instructions need to be read thoroughly....Lol. It clearly stated at the end to disengage the intake..
Oh boy 😂 yeah. Im coming to the conclusion, after numerous forum spirals about aerocloners, that there is a very particular point at which it is ideal to take aerocloner-ready clones. So I think the cuttings I have are going through an extensive growth process resulting in it taking longer to strike and me having to keep up on more water changes and foliar feedings. So far ive gotten great advice, built a cloner, and a veg light, learned a bunch about all kinds of peripheral subjects. Even with the frustrations its a fun ride 😂 attached some photos of my light fixture. Made it with a bathroom vanity bar I got from the ReStore for $2, a 14” piece of 4 x 1/2 board, and a grounded extension cord. With four 3000k 100 watt equivalent LED flood bulbs, im getting 102,000-116,000 Lux at canopy level 😊 I learned 3000k-4000k is ideal spectrum for veg and even flower as it has high red and moderate blue spectrum. At $20 for a 4 pack, cheapest grow light ever. I thought you might appreciate the DIY nature of the lamp is all 😅

The exposed wire is a ground that I connected at another point, NOT an exposed live wire!
 
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Buzzzz

Buzzzz

1,127
163
Oh boy 😂 yeah. Im coming to the conclusion, after numerous forum spirals about aerocloners, that there is a very particular point at which it is ideal to take aerocloner-ready clones. So I think the cuttings I have are going through an extensive growth process resulting in it taking longer to strike and me having to keep up on more water changes and foliar feedings. So far ive gotten great advice, built a cloner, and a veg light, learned a bunch about all kinds of peripheral subjects. Even with the frustrations its a fun ride 😂 attached some photos of my light fixture. Made it with a bathroom vanity bar I got from the ReStore for $2, a 14” piece of 4 x 1/2 board, and a grounded extension cord. With four 3000k 100 watt equivalent LED flood bulbs, im getting 102,000-116,000 Lux at canopy level 😊 I learned 3000k-4000k is ideal spectrum for veg and even flower as it has high red and moderate blue spectrum. At $20 for a 4 pack, cheapest grow light ever. I thought you might appreciate the DIY nature of the lamp is all 😅

The exposed wire is a ground that I connected at another point, NOT an exposed live wire!
I just use shop lights for clones,soft flourescent until they root then I put them under a a 4 bank flouro,before hid and led people grew the entire cycle under them.
 
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Potfairy

Potfairy

45
18
I just use shop lights for clones,soft flourescent until they root then I put them under a a 4 bank flouro,before hid and led people grew the entire cycle under them.
First may I take a minute to gush over those beautiful ladies!? 😍 😍😍 … ok im done now 😅

Ugh. You are so right. and here I went and thrust them under a 100w daylight bulb right off the stem.
Oh well. The whole debacle initiated a humble moment, then I followed up with more research and learned more about plant hormones and lighting. Went ahead and went on a tangent below in case anyone is curious-

Now I get to experiment with reduced lightning, which stimulates IAA production endogenously. Hence why too potent lighting makes em not root for a damn. I knew those facts separately, but never put them together 😑 on top of that, I learned yesterday that Auxins (of which IAA is one) move away from light, yet are produced in the growing tip! So alot of these obscure reports of 24hrs of dark to initiate rooting, or to speed up the bloom switch over, or even to give a terpene boost right before harvest, all of a sudden hold a bunch more weight. Consider how when you leave a plant of any kind in the dark for an extended period, you get EXTREMELY leggy lush vegetative growth. That is a direct example of IAA produced yet not pushed away from the growing tip. It also implies that IAA and auxin production arent necessarily “expensive” to produce in the grand economy of the plants internal marketplace. The times in which it has occurred with my own house plants and others, when bulbs have gone out during vacation or something, that the process is extremely quick, and the effects are recognized within days. Literally within 3 days there is new leggy growth. This implies (with what i know of plant metabolisms) that the hormone is produced and builds up within as little as 24hrs. Then, without light to push it away from the tip tissues, it initiates rapid green growth AT the tip.
The anecdotal evidence I have found in forums backs up this observation.

So I think ill experiment a bit more vigorously, now that I better understand the hormonal shifts that occur in response to light deprivation.
 
G

geemonty

119
43
I hope this isn't misplace but it seems like you are making cloning way more complicated than it is. I don't use an aerocloner so maybe its much harder to clone using that method so what do I know.

I am no expert when it comes to the entire grow but I have always been pretty good at cloning. I have been cloning all my house plants etc pot em'up give'em away as gifts for years so I am pretty good at this. With that said this is how I always get 100% success with cannabis clones in 7-10 days.

Supplies needed:
-2 cups of appropriate size
-pruning scissors
-propagator with humidity dome similar to this -link- I dont use this brand just an example I got mine from the local hydro store cost ~$5 not sure the brand.
- ~3% hyd peroxide I buy 30% and dilute
-distilled water if yours is bad but I personally use my well water. I started with distilled but realized it was unnecessary for me
-superthrive 0.5-0-0 not sure if there are different versions.
-"rapid rooters" my local hydro store sells a generic brand in singles for super cheap I think they are 10 cents each.
-potassium silicate 0-0-3 (optional)
-clonex (optional)

1. Clean my scissors, the cups, and the propagator with the peroxide I dont even bother rinsing them after
2. In the first cup, mix up a solution of water plus a very small amounts of superthrive, peroxide, and pot silicate ~0.5ml/1ml/0.25ml per quart, honestly I just guess a bit. The pot silicate isnt even needed I just found it improves my root times a few days when I use it.
3. soak the "rapid rooters" in the solution for awhile an hour or so.
4. while RR's are soaking I fill my other cup with plain water and take my cuttings and trim them appropriately. I clip my leaves in half only for space purposes but honestly I have faster growth in veg if I dont cut the leaves in half. I place them in the water so they dont dry out while taking my cuttings.
5. I scrap the lower portion of the stems that will be in the RR's a bit with scissors taking care not to damage the nodes. I just do a flat cut on the stem bottom not a 45deg
6. Apply a little clonex to the bottom portion of the stem I found this to just increase rooting time but not needed.
7. Remove one of the RR's that has been soaking, squeeze a bit until still moist but not soaking. Shove the stem in and place in my tray. repeat for all the cuttings.
8. Fill bottom with a little of the remaining solution but not enough to touch the RR's in the tray, put the humidity dome on all vents closed, place under lights. I personally put them next to any plant thats in veg it gives them a bit of shade.
9. I open the dome once every day. I just lift off the dome entirely turn the dome upside down set it to the side and run my hand gently across all the clones, then place it back on. After 5 days I start checking the RR's during this step for roots peeking out. After 7 days I usually start to see the roots growing to the bottom drinking from the solution I put there. And open the vents a bit to start getting them ready for lower humidity.

I have had 100% success with this method, except for that one time that I forgot I had taken clones for some reason and half them dried out and died.

Everyone grows using different methods this is just how I do it. It pretty cheap, fast and easy. I don't need any pumps or spray nozzles etc. Honestly if there is a reason to use a more complex cloning system I would be game if someone could explain the benefits. I feel like a more complex system would be more for the fun of it, which might be what you are going for. An update would be awesome, hope the advice everyone gave increases your success. Awesome idea on the cheap light fixture btw.
 
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H

hydrodreams

100
43
Btw, some more questions popped up. When do you take the cuttings in relation to switching to bloom? Do you limit nitrogen before taking cuttings and for how long? Do you flush the mother for three days before taking clones? Do you feed the mother organic, all natural, conventional or a combo? Do you treat the mother for 3 days up to two weeks beforehand with fulvic and seaweed foliar?

If I knew how to limit nitrogen, I would do it all the feedings of the mother. But I dont know how to do that since you are tied to the NPK ratio of your fertilizer. There are good articles in the net about what too much nitrogen in the mother plant does to the clones.

I do flush the mother a few days before taking clones out of conviction. I fed for a long time without runoff and realized that in some of my pots the EC was up to 3.6!!!

I started to feed "organic minerals" (still don't know, what that exactly is). The fertilizer is Metrop MAM, I don't use it for long enough to state an opinion.

I just read a good guide for how to treat the mothers and it states as well the usefullness of foliarfeeding with kelp based extracts, which I am going to do from mow on. It states the previous mentioned harmfullness of having too much nitrogen in the fertilizer.

I really dont understand why there aren't more motherplant specific fertilizers out there that adress this issue with too high contents of nitrogen. For every little other thing there are countless products from every manufacturer but not a specific fertilizer for mothers, aside from the one I use.
 
Chem77

Chem77

384
93
Did you mention this because you think it boosts root development?

You never feed your mothers more than 200ppm and you don't have any visible deficiencies?
I didn’t word that very well. My tap/well water is around 200 ppm by itself. I do use foliage pro fertilizer.
 
Chem77

Chem77

384
93
Did you mention this because you think it boosts root development?

You never feed your mothers more than 200ppm and you don't have any visible deficiencies?
I honestly don’t know if co2 helps or not with root development. But yes I get nice roots now.
 
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