Water choice

[Amatuerhour]

Just getting back into growing after taking a few years off. I’m planning on using tap water and letting it sit for a couple weeks to allow the chlorine to disaster then perhaps ph it before adding my go box nutrients. Am I completely out to lunch here? Should I just buy filtered water with minerals added? Should I ph before I mix bites? If so to what level before adding? It’s a soul grow with lots of perlite and vermiculite in it. General Organics go box bites.

[golfnrl]

Hi Amatuerhour welcome back to growing. The off-gassing of your tap water shouldn't take two weeks. 24-48 hours should do it. At least that's what I was doing before I switched to a hydroponics dechlorinator. Now I just add a few drops of a dechlorinator to the fresh water and use it right away, no problem. I wouldn't spend the money on filtered water but that's your call. Have you had your tap water tested? What's the natural PH? Where I am it's a constant 7.2. Check the PH after you mix your nutrient solution. In the beginning cut the manufacturers recommendations on the strength of the nutrient solution in half as you don't want to burn your plants. But also watch them, they'll tell you what they need . If you're growing in soil you might want to check the PH in your runoff as well.

[PuravidaC]

Golfnrl is spot on...

[Rwise]

On tap water, not all systems still use chlorine, many like mine have switched to chloramine which does not gas off.
My tap water is 7.1, the rain water is a point or 2 from that.

[9fingerleafs]

Use bottled water if you can. Don't pH before nutrients, pH at the end just before using. You don't need fancy mineralized water. Regular drinking water is fine

[DW2]

Howdy Amaturehour, there is not enough chlorine or chloramine in the tap water to harm the plants. You use it on your lawn without killing it, don't you? the best benefit of using tap water (in my opinion) is that it is infused with oxygen by going thru the 'aerator' on the end of the faucet. The aerator is there to prevent the water from splashing back at you when it is turned on at a high flow, but it adds air to the water as it is doing that. If you can smell a chlorine smell, then there might be a problem. You can check with your local water treatment / provider and get a printout on the water quality and mineral content in it.

[Amatuerhour]

Thanks for all the great advice.

[SoOrbudgal]

I water my outdoor plants now with my city water from a garden hose. Yes i've smelt some sort of cholorine but it does'nt seem to have a negitive effect on my potted plants that i've seen yet. Yes i do fill jugs with it and it sits out but i use that for my nute mixes when needed. I was concerned at first cause i used to be on a great well without nothing but minerals. Best of luck to you

[MagicMike66]

Not sure if you get in it where you are but look up Ecothrive neutralise. Add 1 drop per litre to your water and it neutralises the shit that comes out the tap. I’ve used it since I started growing and it works great. Good luck on your growing 👍🏻

[SoOrbudgal]

OK thanks for this tip MagicMike66 gonna go look it up as i doubt i can find it in my little town.

[Gingerbeard]

You people got my ginger up to check a few things.
Used to be I would pH my before nutes and not check pH after. Never had a lick of an issue with it. The numbers were between 6.1 and 6.7.
This time I added nutes, then pH'd. It was 6.2. No need for pH down.
If I've been pre-nute'ing to 6.1-6.7, a drop from 7.5 from the tap, then I've been giving nutes at around 5.0 or lower.
I'm stumped. My juice is sitting on the counter at 6.4, nutes only and I don't know if I should use it. The pen was calibrated a few days ago. If I'm ever unsure about the reading I shock the pen by putting it in something acidic, then washing it with tap water and sometimes get better readings. No dice, this time.

[MagicMike66]

Always check ph after you’ve added the juice Ginger

[Gingerbeard]

Until this very moment, 'taint been a thing.

[dirtymike]

Same here @Gingerbread , I ph'ed the water and roll. Havent had a issue yet. Good to know. Ill switch to after nute and right before adding to plant. Fairly simple change. Im in. Thanks MagicMike66

[Gingerbeard]

Gingerbeard. I like gingerbread, gingersnaps, and ginger Altoids. But I like my gingerbeard best. It catches gingerbread and gingersnap crumbs.

[dirtymike]

Correction Gingerbeard

[StickyNugsAZ]

If your tap water is exceptionally hard with minerals it can cause nutrient lockout and you're wasting nutes.

[Bluey]

Gingerbeard I had a serious pH problem last grow. The base nutes I use are a 2 part nute mix and I normally add a silica suppliment during veg but personally I think its bullshit.

I had at least 2 different strains on the go and 1 of them was showing a severe calmag deficiency, so first I added epsom salts and then when my calmag arrived in the mail I added a calmag micro nutrient to the 30gal tank...pHed at 6.2. 5 days later it was reading 7.2 in the tank and it took me 3 weeks to work out it was the calmag doing it combined with my base nutes, the 2 were from different manufacturers and definitely not compatible.

That caused a ton of stress on my mid flowering plants...stressed me too but got there.