Tap water with organic fertilizer?

[The123321]

I have read about problems with chlorine and chloramine in tap water. I read that you cannot evaporate chloramine. I am using Dr earth dry fertilizer mixed in with coco with autos in autopots though hand watering for now. I use tap water with calmag with silicon on there.

Would you recommend using the tap water like it is or let it sit out like 24 hours or would you use an additive to remove chlorine and chloramine to keep it from messing with beneficial microbes in the organic fertilizer on there?

 

[superpedro]

I would recommend a reverse osmosis system if there is chlorine/chloramine in your tap water.

 

[h.h.]

Water companies are in the business of selling water, not chlorine. They use the minimal amount.

If water was over chlorinated, it will kill off your gut.

Chlorine is easily overpowered with organic material.

Chloramine is harder to get rid of. I refer back to the first 2 statements. There isn’t that much.

R.O. or activated charcoal filter or do your best and use what you got. While writers love to point out all the evils, they’re just repeating what they’ve read. Don’t stress over it.

 

[aridbud]

Let water sit overnight (5 gallon buckets) for chlorine gas to evaporate.....been doing that for close to 40 years.

 

[The123321]

Thanks. Do you have chloramine in your water? I read that letting the water sit out does not remove chloramine from the water. I would like to find either a brita type filter that you can put on the faucet or drops I can use in the water on there or do you think that it is so little in the water that it likely would not affect the dr earth dry fertilizer on there?

 

[troutman]

Unlike chlorine, chloramine cannot be removed by letting water sit out for a few days. Reverse osmosis is very good at removing stuff
from water. A UV light sterilizer is also another good option to neutralize your drinking water. It can also kill germs, bacteria,algae, etc.
I have a 24 watt AA Green Killing Machine UV light sterilizer that I use for my fish tank.

Check this link:

Removing chlorine and chloramine from drinking water

 

[aridbud]

Thanks. Do you have chloramine in your water? I read that letting the water sit out does not remove chloramine from the water. I would like to find either a brita type filter that you can put on the faucet or drops I can use in the water on there or do you think that it is so little in the water that it likely would not affect the dr earth dry fertilizer on there?

No, thank goodness! RO as others said, carbon filters, etc. Good luck!

 

[aridbud]

Thanks. Do you have chloramine in your water? I read that letting the water sit out does not remove chloramine from the water. I would like to find either a brita type filter that you can put on the faucet or drops I can use in the water on there or do you think that it is so little in the water that it likely would not affect the dr earth dry fertilizer on there?

That'd work, I would think.

Really enjoy RO home filter living in rural mountain. Back in the city or using rural water system for our business....do what you can do without breaking the bank!

 

[PurplePotion]

There’s a video on YouTube somewhere showing a pretty well done side by side to test this theory. I believe his water tested at 4ppm chlorine/chloramine and had 0 negative effects. As long as your water isn’t way off the charts (>5ppm Cl) there’s no need to let it set, condition it, etc. from what I gathered. A lot of people have found beneficial effects from Chlorine/chloramine, including direct correlation to plant health. It also keeps the bad stuff at bay and helps to prevent many rot & fungus issues. I would personally try to use it straight out of the tap at first and prove it for yourself.

 

[PurplePotion]

Found it

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tgvlE8YM1xI

 

[The123321]

Thanks. That would be ideal to not have to do anything to it. I have already spent quite a bit on the grow and using the tap water would be easier and less expensive. I may let it sit out to at least remove chlorine from it.

 

[The123321]

Duplicate.

 

[herbgreen]

You can use aquarium pump and air stone in 5 gallon bucket or whatever and bubble out some of the chlorine

Also works for making compost teas

chloramide wont come out of the water You can ask your local water facility if its in there or look it up online

Never considered the chlorine might be helpful but if you can test it and its low enough then it may be not worth the worry

I would say it kills off both beneficial and unwanted fungus but if you keep adding it maybe it wont matter

And @low level may be nil either way

Jeff Lowenfels is made himself a sort of expert on this subject also has a lot of youtube lectures easy to listen to...

was on the potcast recently

https://soundcloud.com/the_pot_cast/episode-43-ft-jeff-lowenfels-of-the-teaming-series




x

 

[Cvh]

Did you guys knew that Chlorine and Chloramine can be easily neutralised with something as simple as a teaspoon of molasses or compost or dirt or even an old shoe?

Read up first before you react or dismiss my post:
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=266590

Try to see it that Chlorine and Chloramine loves to react with anything organic and the only thing you need to do is to let it knock itself out.

A quote from that thread:

Molasses, compost or similar may well dissipate chloramines because they provide something for the chloramines to react with. That's why chloramines are deadly to microscopic life, because they react with organic matter, living or dead. They'll also react very quickly with the organic material in soil, with some deleterious effect on the microbial community

 

[Cvh]

Also be sure to read the PDF's in this link about the removal of Chlorine and Chloramine.

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showpost.php?p=6027270&postcount=48

 

[The123321]

Thanks. I have thought about adding molasses or ewc. Can you top dress ewc or would you habe to do a tra? I would rather not have to do teas. I do not have pumps. Think it would be worth it to top dress in ewc every 2 weeks? The molasses would help with different things too right? I have read that ascorbic acid like vitamin c powder would neutralize chloramine on there.

 

[Cvh]

How my mentor taught me was that you shouldn't be worried about Chlorine and Chloramine in tap water when growing organic. I had the same worries when starting with an organic growstyle.

I use straight regular tap water and I have zero issue with the microherd into my soil. There is simply to much organic matter into a pot where the Chlorine/Chloramine can react with before doing any significant damage to the soil life.

The thread I posted was created by Microbeman, if you don't know him but he's the same person that's behind microbeorganics.

https://microbeorganics.com/

And for your question, yes you can topdress EWC, you don't have to make it into an ACT tea.
And yes, Vitamin C aka ascorbic acid is supposed to work for removing Chlorine and Chloramine. See the PDF's in the last link I posted. The last one is all about Vitamin C, the other PDF's also mention it use.

But just don't worry about it all, no need to add Vitamin C to your water or anything else. I think that if you add to much Vitamin C you might even screw up your pH of your water.

 

[The123321]

Thanks. I may just let the water sit out because that is easy and at least that may help with chlorine. How I am growing in coco. I was thinking of adding in biochar to try to help with microbes in it. I may try that next time. Do you add ewc in during your grow? I have read that organics in coco is hard and I am wondering if adding in ewc every like 2 weeks may help. What do you think of that for it?

 

[Cvh]

I grow in peat based soils as most organic growers. EWC is usually mixed in with the soil before planting.
The only experience I have with Coco is when I still grew synthetic. I think it's best that you create a separate thread for your question regarding EWC and Coco that way you'll get more responses from other members.

 

[The123321]

Thanks for the information.