Indoor grow room build watering solutions

[cfears]

I have a whole house salt water softener system. What should I use for watering? Bypass water softener with City water? Reverse osmosis for plants?

 

[ArtfulCodger]

I have a whole house salt water softener system. What should I use for watering? Bypass water softener with City water? Reverse osmosis for plants?

It will depend on the contents of your tap water, and what your water softener adds. The very best way to know for sure is to have your water tested. Alternatively, many municipalities publish their testing data. Or, you can stick a PPM/EC pen into your tap and softened water and see what it reads. Opinions vary, but one rule of thumb is that tap is OK under 200 ppms. My tap runs around 80, and I've grown with it for years without issue.

 

[cannafarmer420]

I have a whole house salt water softener system. What should I use for watering? Bypass water softener with City water? Reverse osmosis for plants?

They use salt to soften water so don't use that

 

[Natep]

I have a whole house salt water softener system. What should I use for watering? Bypass water softener with City water? Reverse osmosis for plants?

You need to bypass the water softener and install an ro. This is especially important if you are going the hydro route. If you are growing organic you can get away with a carbon filter only. The salt from your softener will kill everything.

 

[3cats]

You need to bypass the water softener and install an ro. This is especially important if you are going the hydro route. If you are growing organic you can get away with a carbon filter only. The salt from your softener will kill everything.

But its okay to drink? If you're not drinking salted water so its fine for your plants. I don't think you understand how they work. The salt is used as a flushing agent through a carbon filter to clean it and the water is filtered through the carbon filter not the salt. It does a back wash 3 -4 times a week to clean the carbon filter

 

[Zill]

Water is softened using mixed cation/ anion bed resins. Once the beads have sucked ions out of the water the resins need to be regenerated. That is done with by exchanging bound ions with NaCL at high NaCL concentrations. Larger ions knock off the Na during the “softening”.

If you drink the water and not suffer the plant will do the same. Or, as you mention bypasss the unit.

 

[cfears]

But its okay to drink? If you're not drinking salted water so its fine for your plants. I don't think you understand how they work. The salt is used as a flushing agent through a carbon filter to clean it and the water is filtered through the carbon filter not the salt. It does a back wash 3 -4 times a week to clean the carbon filter

Our softened water tastes no salt. But high tds will collect in the soil, destroying the soil over time

 

[Natep]

But its okay to drink? If you're not drinking salted water so its fine for your plants. I don't think you understand how they work. The salt is used as a flushing agent through a carbon filter to clean it and the water is filtered through the carbon filter not the salt. It does a back wash 3 -4 times a week to clean the carbon filter

I’m a journeyman plumber for 23 years. I have a pretty good idea how a water softener and RO system work. Reguardless of how the brine flushed the carbon. It leaves behind sodium levels in the water. Yes you can drink you can also eat salt.

 

[cfears]

I’m a journeyman plumber for 23 years. I have a pretty good idea how a water softener and RO system work. Reguardless of how the brine flushed the carbon. It leaves behind sodium levels in the water. Yes you can drink you can also eat salt

I was told by the Softener installer the salt not filtered will destroy the soil eventually?

 

[3cats]

I’m a journeyman plumber for 23 years. I have a pretty good idea how a water softener and RO system work. Reguardless of how the brine flushed the carbon. It leaves behind sodium levels in the water. Yes you can drink you can also eat salt.

I’m a journeyman plumber for 23 years. I have a pretty good idea how a water softener and RO system work. Reguardless of how the brine flushed the carbon. It leaves behind sodium levels in the water. Yes you can drink you can also eat salt.

I've been growing pot for 25 + years and until about 2 years ago we had a water conditioner adding bags of salt to a big blue 50 gallon barrel. I grow in promix, our water isn't / wasn't salted either were my plants.

Eventually it may cause a build up but it seems fine for 1 full grow 4-5 months. I still get salt on my bags from nutrients and I guess the water but were not talking house plants that live for years.

I only use my soil once then buy more when I'm out. I use GH flora clean in my auto pot system that helps with salt build up from my nutrients It may help with too much salt in your water as well.

 

[Natep]

I've been growing pot for 25 + years and until about 2 years ago we had a water conditioner adding bags of salt to a big blue 50 gallon barrel. I grow in promix, our water isn't / wasn't salted either were my plants.

Eventually it may cause a build up but it seems fine for 1 full grow 4-5 months. I still get salt on my bags from nutrients and I guess the water but were not talking house plants that live for years.

I only use my soil once then buy more when I'm out. I use GH flora clean in my auto pot system that helps with salt build up from my nutrients It may help with too much salt in your water as well.

I’ve used my soil for the last 4 grows. I am looking to keep it for the next several years. I do not add anything with any salts. They are bad for the microbes. No synthetic nutrients no flushing.

 

[alpha.ganjaguy]

tap water is fine, no need to even check the water report in for vast majority of people who have piped water to your home..

RO water tends to be the cause of more issues than fix.. look around the forums at how many people have issues and are using RO then check how many use tap and any issues they have..

 

[Comnconnection]

I have a whole house salt water softener system. What should I use for watering? Bypass water softener with City water? Reverse osmosis for plants?

Just ran into an issue on this with a friend. Definitely don't use water from a water softener. Use R/O water with 1ml/gal cal-mag for soil, or 3-6ml/gal cal-mag for soilless or coco. Tap is cool if the EC is at like .2, then you can just let it sit out for a day or two in a bucket with an oxygen stone. Keep in mind that things like chloramines don't evaporate out of water and would need to be filtered out. In CO water quality is good and I've had fantastic crops come from just good soil and tap water sitting out. I'd still recommend R/O water though just to eliminate water quality as a variable, especially when it comes to trouble shooting. Here is a picture of what plants that get hit with softened water, or high salt content, look like. This could easily be confused for a mag deficiency or something else.

 

[The_Greenist]

Just ran into an issue on this with a friend. Definitely don't use water from a water softener. Use R/O water with 1ml/gal cal-mag for soil, or 3-6ml/gal cal-mag for soilless or coco. Tap is cool if the EC is at like .2, then you can just let it sit out for a day or two in a bucket with an oxygen stone. Keep in mind that things like chloramines don't evaporate out of water and would need to be filtered out. In CO water quality is good and I've had fantastic crops come from just good soil and tap water sitting out. I'd still recommend R/O water though just to eliminate water quality as a variable, especially when it comes to trouble shooting. Here is a picture of what plants that get hit with softened water, or high salt content, look like. This could easily be confused for a mag deficiency or something else.

Geez, I need to cut down on the cal mag.

Been running 5ml per gallon of RO in soil.

 

[Comnconnection]

Geez, I need to cut down on the cal mag.

Been running 5ml per gallon of RO in soil.

Lol, you may be fine if you have a big plant in a depleted soil. Look for a darker green leaf color, curled under leaf tips, and burnt tips as signs of over doing it. But yeah if your in fresh or 3-4 week old soil, your prob not going to be higher then 1-2ml unless in week 5-6 flower on a crushing plant.

 

[The_Greenist]

Lol, you may be fine if you have a big plant in a depleted soil. Look for a darker green leaf color, curled under leaf tips, and burnt tips as signs of over doing it. But yeah if your in fresh or 3-4 week old soil, your prob not going to be higher then 1-2ml unless in week 5-6 flower on a crushing plant.

That’s exactly what I have, my plants are dwarfs.

Definitely going to cut back.