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Do I need to pH correct?

How about buying cheap drinking water instead of using my crazy high pH tap water? Maybe I could avoid pH-correcting if I use store bought drinking water or “spring water”? Is this practical? Anyone ever try this?
 
Hi Rik
I found the 2019 St. Louis Water Report (attached below). I was surprised, they do seem to have high PH there (see page 7). Not quite as high as you are getting at your tap but real close. Save the report, some good info in there in case you ever wonder what is in the water and what they test for. You could also "ask around town" and see if other local folks are using tap water to grow, although I'm not sure maybe St. Louis is still still on the down-low as far as "asking around" goes. I'd be way easier if the tap water can work for you.
 

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PLreef I am getting the perlite out now, almost all of last years soils has now been dumped into a future garden area, maybe the rain will float away some of that shit! My chickens do eat it,
 
Rik I am using Black Strap Molasses for PH dowm and lemon juice to kill chloramine. I put in the lemon then let it set 12 hours and then PH it with molasses to the range I want (6.3-6.7). After setting another 12 hours the PH was stable.
 
Do remember these are RO water, 'cept that "spring" water could be what it claims. But I have watched a "spring water" truck filling at fire plug.
 
Hey JeffInCanada, thanks a bunch for finding that! Definitely going to study it... makes me feel like I have to use store bought RO water though that would be less convenient. As far as the legal climate around here... we’re just starting to emerge from the darkness lol. Growing and smoking are legal medicinally, and there are three dispensaries open (for a metro population of around 3 million people), and you see new billboard advertising dispensaries all the time.
 
It’s branded drinking water called “epura” short for electro purified, it’s a brand owned by PepsiCo. And sold door to door by big trucks here in Mexico. Each 5 gal jug is 2 usd and comes twice a week. Those guys love me because I buy so much
 
Actually waiting for the water truck, the plastic is 3 usd but i already own several so I only pay the 2 usd for the water and they take the empty ones

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Always glad to help Rik And I'm happy to hear St. Louis is making some 420 progress. It sounds the same as we were at just a few years ago. I was in St. Louis once, went to a Cardinals game. Went up the arch too, that was an adventure. Good luck with the water. You're doing it right by thinking ahead.
 
@9fingerleafs
Is that spring water and what is the pH out of the bottle. I get Walmart spring water for 62 cents per gallon and it pH's at 6.0 all the time.
I believe the springs are in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. We also drink this as the tap water makes the pets sick and causes my bride's migraines to act up.
Just another inexpensive option, what sucks is I can't use the tap water that I have to pay for except for bathing and cleaning, it pH's at 7.5.
 
It’s so low ppm that the ph never crossed my mind. It will take the ph of whatever I put it. Just like RO water. Haven’t actually tried to measure it’s ph before adding something. This is what I use to drink. Also my dogs and everything that goes into cooking. I don’t know if it’s spring water. It’s the same water Pepsi uses for soda, it’s deep ground water treated for human consumption. My tap water is 750ppm at ph 6.5
 
So it’s been a while but in case this info is useful to anyone, I’ve found a nice solution that works for me. My grocery store’s “purified drinking water” tests at pH right around 6.0, and the “natural spring water” tests in the upper 7s. After lots of trial and error, I determined that adding half a cup of spring water to a gallon of drinking water made the resulting water be right around 6.5, which is perfect for my FFOF/Nature’s Living Soil grow. Hope this might be useful to someone else!
 
That how its done. Have your basic plan, stay on top of your watering, lights and pH, and tweak it where you need to.
Its always cool when you can figure it out by yourself!
 
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