no I would not drink the ro/di there's no minerals in it. You could probably drink the RO water.. I did not get it to drink from.....
Water, to buy or not to buy...
- Thread starter krazey dayz
- Start date
krazey dayz
Member
Gonzo I don't understand, near enough everything i've read has said to keep the PH down below 6.5 and now from your comment it seems ph isn't important? No-one has told me anything about EC , not even what it stands for i'm afraid. If someone could educate me on that point i'd appreciate it. Yes I really am that much of a n00b , we all were at some point 
Foomar I'm growing in soil myself at the moment, altho I must confess that this time around my medium was picked purely on the basis of quantity > price . Not a mistake I'm wanting to make again as I've found some rather strange loking things in the soil. May I ask if you make a mix with other ingredients or do you just use shopbought? if its straight form the shop might i ask what brand?
I know there's a lot of stuff I need to get yet but as I'm on JSA I seriously have to prioritise and get what I can afford to when I can afford to. So if someone could [erhaps tell me which I need most and maybe why then I can make informed choices and get on with saving to buy them.
Thanks again guys for taking the time to help educate this silly old fool , it really is apreciated by myself and the girls.
Peace.
Foomar I'm growing in soil myself at the moment, altho I must confess that this time around my medium was picked purely on the basis of quantity > price . Not a mistake I'm wanting to make again as I've found some rather strange loking things in the soil. May I ask if you make a mix with other ingredients or do you just use shopbought? if its straight form the shop might i ask what brand?
I know there's a lot of stuff I need to get yet but as I'm on JSA I seriously have to prioritise and get what I can afford to when I can afford to. So if someone could [erhaps tell me which I need most and maybe why then I can make informed choices and get on with saving to buy them.
Thanks again guys for taking the time to help educate this silly old fool , it really is apreciated by myself and the girls.
Peace.
ec stands for electro conductivity.. an ec pen is similar to a pH pen except it measures the mineral/pollutant content of water in ppm by firing a small electrical current through the water..
higher the ppm the more permanent hardness compounds are present like calcium and magnesium sulfates and others.. higher hardness higher pH.. cannabis likes its soil 5.5-6.2 so higher pH is bad..
say you found you were having problems with nutrient lock outs and you tested your water with an ec pen and found that it was fluctuating or hitting levels of over 200 ppms then that will be "hardening" the water and then driving the soil pH up..
if you have read that you live in a soft water area then you can forget all about ec and just keep an eye on pH and use tap water.. but still ec pens are really useful to see how strong the nutrient solution you have is..
higher the ppm the more permanent hardness compounds are present like calcium and magnesium sulfates and others.. higher hardness higher pH.. cannabis likes its soil 5.5-6.2 so higher pH is bad..
say you found you were having problems with nutrient lock outs and you tested your water with an ec pen and found that it was fluctuating or hitting levels of over 200 ppms then that will be "hardening" the water and then driving the soil pH up..
if you have read that you live in a soft water area then you can forget all about ec and just keep an eye on pH and use tap water.. but still ec pens are really useful to see how strong the nutrient solution you have is..
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lmao. I guessed that! I meant the waste water.. its not drinkable no? tbh In your situation I would use RO but I hate the idea of wasting water.
Z
Ziggaro
The price you're paying for distilled water is outrageous. Can't you get jugs of water at the grocery store? It should be less than a quarter of that price..
Most bottled water that isn't spring water will say "filtered using reverse osmosis" on the back.
I went ahead and bought the RO filter and installed it, and I consider it one of the best investments I've made for the house let alone the grow.
Most bottled water that isn't spring water will say "filtered using reverse osmosis" on the back.
I went ahead and bought the RO filter and installed it, and I consider it one of the best investments I've made for the house let alone the grow.
lol sorry im a bit medicated... The waste water is the same as tap maybe a bit better. You could drink it taste like crap through.
Anything 100ppm or less is ok to use IMO..
Anything 100ppm or less is ok to use IMO..
krazey dayz
Member
Thank you very much for that info, thats the sort of 'idiot proof' explanation I need
Kudos to you sir for not just laughing at me Peace .
Not experienced RO but I once used value asda bottled water for an entire crop and it was the cleanest burning bud I've ever smoked in my entire life.
The ash was never as white on tap water crops.
If you have access to RO water, I'd recommend using it if you care about burn quality.
Hope this helps.
Peace
The ash was never as white on tap water crops.
If you have access to RO water, I'd recommend using it if you care about burn quality.
Hope this helps.
Peace
krazey dayz
Member
nice one Piff , I'll check that out matey , I'm just about to head off to Asda to do some shopping fer sunday's dinner as it happens
Peace.
Peace.
Think im one of the lucky ones water ec 0 never had to use my ph up or down and i run hydro just on control ph with water and feed. Used to check ph daily with ph tester (not pen) for years without low/high results or any plant deficiency now i dont even check it anymore (keep thinking this will one day come back to bite me). Think i may get a new 2 in 1 ph + ec tester anyway so i know the exact reading of ph and not just a colour to go off.
There is huge variation in the quality of retailed composts between brands , and wide variance between different batches within a brand.
The more expensive are not always better , but getting a well known brand is a better chance of acceptable quality.
Those containing a high percentage of recycled woody material or reduced peat , have been less good for me than traditional mixes.
Lots of info on more general gardening sites , and which? do a compost review , too late to be much use , but highlights the lottery element.
Useing the unbranded John Innes and erin peat mix that a local plant nursery buy for their own plants and cuttings , its as cheap as the best DIY shed deals and they are not going to use crap on their own stuff.
Has a good weight to it , gives stability and allows a relatively large plant in a small pot with hand watering with no additional ferts required for 60 days flower.
Wilkinson,s supply most everything you actually need and keeps costs minimal.
if you are in manchester krazey,, we have the softest water in the uk basically because our water comes from reservoirs in the lake district and it isn't exposed to any limestone..
So thats why its so soft
was a slight lie, they have softer water in scotland..
low tds R/O is just fine. Been drinking/cooking with R/O water for over 10 years now. (edit: waaaay before the bottled/delivery water companies started pushing that line of propaganda. Some even sell more expensive water with minerals put back in for you. Wheeee! Nice profit on that one.)
Love it and cannot stand tap water anymore.
This is excellent information here:
Stay Safe!
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krazey dayz
Member
Er ummm how to put this... Asda value water isn't worth what you pay for it... its nothing more than tap water put thru a filter and marked up by 2500 % , at least according to this story in the mail online so guess that option needs more investigating.
http://http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2190027/Asda-Tesco-selling-tap-water-bottled-water-confusing-customers.html .. oh dear
Peace all
http://http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2190027/Asda-Tesco-selling-tap-water-bottled-water-confusing-customers.html .. oh dear
Peace all
no dont buy water for plants,, they consume maybe around 300 litres plus in a lifetime depending on whether its soil or hydro..
it is always more cost effective to get an ro unit hooked up than pay for water..
it is always more cost effective to get an ro unit hooked up than pay for water..
Aardwolf
Member
I find my best results come from mixing R.O and my tap as a base. This method brings down the PPm's and allows me to feed at the same rate over the entire grow.
I find that the chlorine and bicarbonates in the tap have added performance at a lesser cost compared to bottled additives.
By the end of the cycle my media ppm's are lower than my tap water, I let the plants dry out the media.
I can push them harder with the R.O water with less nutriments. Less salt build up in the media with R.O.
I find that the chlorine and bicarbonates in the tap have added performance at a lesser cost compared to bottled additives.
By the end of the cycle my media ppm's are lower than my tap water, I let the plants dry out the media.
I can push them harder with the R.O water with less nutriments. Less salt build up in the media with R.O.
Jealous here.
10 years and I've YET to live in a place I could use a mixture of R/O and tap... or
straight tap water!Feel rich.
Stay Safe!
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