I think my tap water sucks

renyman

renyman

Active Member
What now? Spots are starting to creep up on my leaves again, but im using good soil (promix bx), only giving 1/4 strength feedings and ph'n everything so i dont think its my fault.

I dont have too many plants so buying water isnt a big deal. Not sure if i should go with distilled or spring. Or maybe i could start boiling everything? But dont they do that at the water plant?

What would you do if you found out your tap water wasnt good?
 
561crim

561crim

Active Member
if you're using "city water" make sure you let it sit in an open container for a day, the chlorine and shit will dissapate out of the water....check the pH also before watering...
if distilled water is practical for your number of plants you can do that also...good luck man
 
DaveCoulier

DaveCoulier

Well-Known Member
Do you have any pictures?

How old are the plants?

Are you letting the chlorine evaporate out of your tap water before using?
 
renyman

renyman

Active Member
DaveCoulier said:
Do you have any pictures?

How old are the plants?

Are you letting the chlorine evaporate out of your tap water before using?
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Theyre about a month old. The spots are just starting to form but it looks just like what i dealt with last grow when shit got out of hand.

I am letting the jugs sit out for a few days before i use it.

So spring water is better then distilled? Or both are fine? What if i went to the recycling factory here and got a bunch of free plastic jugs then filled them up at the local lake just after a heavy rain? Anyone see anything wrong with that idea?


I wonder if my issues are from me using the peet based promix bx? It has lime in it too which is suppose to be a ph buffer of sorts. Maybe the 6.5 ph tested tap that im pouring in is droping me too low. I havent tested ppm yet because i dont know what it means or how to. Or it could be because im not getting a runoff when watering. hmm. Thanks.
 
renyman

renyman

Active Member
So i went to my local water companys website and read the annual water quality report. And it looks like i was right about my water being unusable. It first says that they use chloramine instead of chlorine. Then it says "hardness levels within our distribution range from 120(hard) ppm to 400(very hard). It also says that the ph avg is 7.3 but thats bullshit because every time i test its around 7.7.

So would anyone who knows anything about water agree that its time for me to find a different water source for my girls?

Spring or distilled?

If i catch rain do i need to add anything before giving to my girls?
 
DaveCoulier

DaveCoulier

Well-Known Member
renyman said:
So i went to my local water companys website and read the annual water quality report. And it looks like i was right about my water being unusable. It first says that they use chloramine instead of chlorine. Then it says "hardness levels within our distribution range from 120(hard) ppm to 400(very hard). It also says that the ph avg is 7.3 but thats bullshit because every time i test its around 7.7.

So would anyone who knows anything about water agree that its time for me to find a different water source for my girls?

Spring or distilled?

If i catch rain do i need to add anything before giving to my girls?
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Id definitely get a new water source. Chloramine is harder to get out of water. I dont think evaporation works too well on it. You'd have to get aqarium chloramine remover drops from a pet store to get rid of it.

If you have a walmart near by, you can get RO water from them. They'll have a Culligan dispenser that you can refill your jug with for $.33 a gallon. Unfortunately they kick you in the balls with a $9 one time price for the plastic jug.

I imagine rain water would be fine. I mean hell plants grow outdoors with it just fine. Do a search around here or google it and see if you come up with any information regarding it.

If you use Distilled water or R/O water you'll need to add Cal/Mag. I use Botanicare's Cal/Mag plus.
 
G

gangjababy

Well-Known Member
Guys I doubt chlorine is the issue, I've used water from the tap for a year now and have never had an issue and my water is hard woth a ph of 8 before adjusting it.
So you are not using cal/mag? Do the spots look like little rust spots. What nutes are you using?
 
J

jakethetank

Well-Known Member
You should just buy one of those filters that runs your water through a little carbon sheet. This should eliminate your chloroamine and all most other solids within your water. Good luck with that, i too use tap water with chlorine, and my ladies are doinb bomb!!!
 
stoner1984

stoner1984

Active Member
i doubt this has anything to do with your water,your ph is ok too. more chance its a nute problem.

is the soil pre-nuted?
 
renyman

renyman

Active Member
DaveCoulier said:
.



If you use Distilled water or R/O water you'll need to add Cal/Mag. I use Botanicare's Cal/Mag plus.
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I was thinking the same thing until i rechecked all the ingredients in my soil and nutes and found out the the pro mix bx has dolimite lime in it which in itself is composed of calcium and magnesium. Fox Farm grow big also has both. I think i can avoid the cal mag supplements when i switch to distilled, you think?

Didnt know that wally world sold distilled that cheap. Thanks for the tip.
 
DaveCoulier

DaveCoulier

Well-Known Member
I looked on the back of my Grow Big, and I didn't see Calcium listed. It does have Magnesium though. I dont really know if you can get by without it, but it wouldn't hurt to have it just in case you start to show deficiencies.
 
renyman

renyman

Active Member
jakethetank said:
You should just buy one of those filters that runs your water through a little carbon sheet. This should eliminate your chloroamine and all most other solids within your water. Good luck with that, i too use tap water with chlorine, and my ladies are doinb bomb!!!
Click to expand...

I did alot of research on this issue last night and most are in agreement that chloramine is virtually impossible to totally eliminate if it is present in your tap and that over time if used in potted plants it can and will give you problems.

Chlorine on the other hand will evaporate if left out, but i would suggest to anyone who is using tap to go to their water companys website and find out if they use chloramine. The shit has ammonia in it.
 
renyman

renyman

Active Member
stoner1984 said:
i doubt this has anything to do with your water,your ph is ok too. more chance its a nute problem.

is the soil pre-nuted?
Click to expand...




Youre probably right man since bad water issues would probably take longer to present themselves. My plants are only about a month old and the spots formed just a couple days after my first fox farm grow big feeding. I only gave 1/2 tsp though which is why im puzzled. I poured 3/4 gallon into the 5 gallon pots. Nute burn produces burnt tips though right? Im looking at spots on the bottom leaves. Thanks.



No, the soil is Pro-mix bx. Here's whats in it: http://www.hort.purdue.edu/hort/facilities/downloads/proMixBX.pdf
 
G

gangjababy

Well-Known Member
Hey it's not your water!!!
As the previous poster said calcium is not in grow big meaning you need a supplement, use cal/mag. Your making this way more complicated then it needs to be.
 
doc111

doc111

Well-Known Member
I use reverse osmosis water and it has been my experience that FF nutes don't have enough calcium or magnesium for mj. I've had to use cal-mag since I switched to r/o water. Most people who use distilled or r/o water find that they need to add cal-mag to their feed/watering regimens.
 
renyman

renyman

Active Member
gangjababy said:
Hey it's not your water!!!
As the previous poster said calcium is not in grow big meaning you need a supplement, use cal/mag. Your making this way more complicated then it needs to be.
Click to expand...

Calcium is in my soil already like i previously stated. So I dont think i need cal mag.


And my water contains chloramine. Weather that is my issue right now or not is debatable, but either way, that shit is not good for plants. Your turn, go.
 
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