All I can tell you is that I brew compost teas using my tap water, which has chloramine in it, and I have zero issues with microbial growth in those teas. The last batch I mixed up took less than 12 hour to be loaded with microbial life.
Many locales now use Chloramine as opposed to or in combination with Chlorine. Chloramine does not evaporate like Chlorine does, so it's prudent to find out what your municipality uses to treat its water if you're concerned enough to want to remove it.
Can either of you show me where in my OP I made any claims other than "to give consideration"?
Are you saying you want us to provide peer reviewed studies to back up what we are saying? If so, then where are yours? If chlorine or chloramine is so detrimental to plants, at the dosages normally seen in tap water, then why would so many people who use tap water not be having the issues you are claiming to be caused by it? For the record, I grew exclusively with RO water for over a year. I switched to tap, a year ago when I got tired of all the waste, and I've seen zero difference in how my plants grow.
If you're going to make a claim, yes, even one ref. for further reading would be nice. There's a reason broscience floods these type of forums.
I did provide a link earlier in the thread, and that provides links to the research that was done.
I don't agree with that, unless you are talking about watering your potted plants with water that has 10x - 20x the typically permitted levels of chlorine/chloramine in tap water.
That is in hydroponics, which is completely different than what we are talking about. It's still not a huge issue in hydro at low doses, based on what I've read, but soil itself takes a part in breaking down chloramine.@bk78 Edited to add - first link saved in my garden notes.
Induction of Root Browning by Chloramine in Lactuca sativa L. Grown in Hydroponics
Access full-text academic articles: J-STAGE is an online platform for Japanese academic journals.www.jstage.jst.go.jp
Krone, W. J. and F. F. Weinard. 1931. Experiments with solutions of chlorine and sodium chloride on pot plants. Proc. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 27: 444- 448.
I have a few others but I'll have to check to make sure they're still active.
Do you use a microscope to check for microbial life?
I did when I brewed my first batch, just to see how much life there was in there, but I don't do it with every batch. You honestly don't even need to use one to know if the tea is populating, though, because it will be very apparent by the bacterial slime that grows if you let it go too long.
I just went with the standard 36-42hr timeframe. I dont fuck with teas anymore, the cleanup is a pia, and topdressing dry ferts and fresh compost and ewc is easy. Just curious on how you were checking for life.
In the United States at least the levels are capped a 4 - 6 ppm. Those levels are still low enough that even in containers of soil it's not enough to kill off all the microbes. As the water passes through the soil the chloramine reacts with organic material. The chloramine is neutralized as it passes through the soil. It does kill some microbes but enough remain to repopulate in a day or so. They're pretty rapid breeders.
Not just scope but a DO meter is also required or we're just shooting in the dark. Some of the seasoned organic guys here have provided a ton of info on this. I cant recall the user, but he had posted shots of his slides. Foam =/= prolific bacterial life as we had once believed.
Bacteria can actually create chlorine but that's another rabbit hole.
Beautiful flowers xtshoIn the United States at least the levels are capped a 4 - 6 ppm. Those levels are still low enough that even in containers of soil it's not enough to kill off all the microbes. As the water passes through the soil the chloramine reacts with organic material. The chloramine is neutralized as it passes through the soil. It does kill some microbes but enough remain to repopulate in a day or so. They're pretty rapid breeders.
I water outdoor planters all summer long with tap water. And I even feed with synthetic fertilizer. The planters are full of healthy worms and even though I have never tested I'm sure a healthy microbial population. Well at least the flowers think so.
Aside from the whole Chlorine debacle, I just want to say that those are some beautiful specimens you've got there! I love flowers, both growing them and appreciating them.In the United States at least the levels are capped a 4 - 6 ppm. Those levels are still low enough that even in containers of soil it's not enough to kill off all the microbes. As the water passes through the soil the chloramine reacts with organic material. The chloramine is neutralized as it passes through the soil. It does kill some microbes but enough remain to repopulate in a day or so. They're pretty rapid breeders.
I water outdoor planters all summer long with tap water. And I even feed with synthetic fertilizer. The planters are full of healthy worms and even though I have never tested I'm sure a healthy microbial population. Well at least the flowers think so.
Just thought I'd try and brighten up the day with something nice.
Well, this grower appreciated it for certain.
Maintenance doesnt get much easier going with zinnias. Great cutting flowers easy to deadhead that keep producing all summer long. Lots of height variations and colors. Very nice shotsIn the United States at least the levels are capped a 4 - 6 ppm. Those levels are still low enough that even in containers of soil it's not enough to kill off all the microbes. As the water passes through the soil the chloramine reacts with organic material. The chloramine is neutralized as it passes through the soil. It does kill some microbes but enough remain to repopulate in a day or so. They're pretty rapid breeders.
I water outdoor planters all summer long with tap water. And I even feed with synthetic fertilizer. The planters are full of healthy worms and even though I have never tested I'm sure a healthy microbial population. Well at least the flowers think so.
I used to pfff at RastaRoy for claiming that not looking at your teas smart enough could start the next pandemic. Not so much now
I don't do a whole lot of teas, either, because of the fact that you can inadvertently grow harmful bacteria. Once I figured out how quickly the microbes grew, I cut my brweing time down, substantially, and use the process more as a way to add nutrients to plants that look hungry.
