Hello friends,
I live in an area where chloramine is used to disinfect the local water supply, but I'm concerned that this is greatly reducing the potential of my plants.
My general question is: how does chloramine affect the efficacy of certain plant fertilizers and teas?
My more specific question is: do chloramines make the use of plant enzyme products such as hygrozyme ineffective? Do chloramines make the use of beneficial bacteria products such as Advanced Nutrients Tarantula and Piranha useless? Does chloramine make the use of carbohydrate teas such as black strap molasses, Botanicare Sweet, and others useless?
Here is what I understand (or think I understand) about chlorine and chloramine and why I think using the above products might be less effective when using tap water that contains either chlorine or chloramine.
I understand that chlorine is used in local water sources to kill off many harmful bacteria in water and that this ultimately helps us humans drink cleaner, more disease free water, killing up to 99% of water pathogens. I know that recently municipalities are changing to use of chloramine because unlike chlorine, chloramine retains its chemical composition in the water long after the water has been pumped out from the local water source due to the addition of ammonia to the chlorine molecule. With water sources that use chlorine only, a farmer can simply let the water sit for 24 hours as the chlorine dissipates into the air and is then ready for use with plants. With chloramine this isn't so, as the ammonia makes the chlorine in the water much more stable.
This would lead me to think that the use of beneficial bacteria products such as Tarantula and Piranha are wastes of money, since the instant they are used in water containing chloramine, they are killed. And since sugar based products like molasses are used in plant food to 'feed' these beneficial bacteria and thus translates to faster growth and healthier plants, without any living beneficial bacteria culture in the food the sweeteners are rendered useless placebos.
I repeat, what's the scoop on tap water with chloramine in it? Does it make the use of the products mentioned above pointless and a waste of money? Do I need to get a reverse osmosis kit? Do reverse osmosis kits even filter chloramine or do they only work for chlorine? Maybe I need a de-chlorinator that also works for chloramine? Please help, I don't know if I've been wasting money on all these products and I'm reluctant to just go out and buy a dechlorinator just to be on the safe side. I don't want to just throw more money into this.
Thank you, and I apologize for the long post, I just wanted to avoid having to explain myself a dozen times before getting to the nitty gritty, if you know what I mean.
I live in an area where chloramine is used to disinfect the local water supply, but I'm concerned that this is greatly reducing the potential of my plants.
My general question is: how does chloramine affect the efficacy of certain plant fertilizers and teas?
My more specific question is: do chloramines make the use of plant enzyme products such as hygrozyme ineffective? Do chloramines make the use of beneficial bacteria products such as Advanced Nutrients Tarantula and Piranha useless? Does chloramine make the use of carbohydrate teas such as black strap molasses, Botanicare Sweet, and others useless?
Here is what I understand (or think I understand) about chlorine and chloramine and why I think using the above products might be less effective when using tap water that contains either chlorine or chloramine.
I understand that chlorine is used in local water sources to kill off many harmful bacteria in water and that this ultimately helps us humans drink cleaner, more disease free water, killing up to 99% of water pathogens. I know that recently municipalities are changing to use of chloramine because unlike chlorine, chloramine retains its chemical composition in the water long after the water has been pumped out from the local water source due to the addition of ammonia to the chlorine molecule. With water sources that use chlorine only, a farmer can simply let the water sit for 24 hours as the chlorine dissipates into the air and is then ready for use with plants. With chloramine this isn't so, as the ammonia makes the chlorine in the water much more stable.
This would lead me to think that the use of beneficial bacteria products such as Tarantula and Piranha are wastes of money, since the instant they are used in water containing chloramine, they are killed. And since sugar based products like molasses are used in plant food to 'feed' these beneficial bacteria and thus translates to faster growth and healthier plants, without any living beneficial bacteria culture in the food the sweeteners are rendered useless placebos.
I repeat, what's the scoop on tap water with chloramine in it? Does it make the use of the products mentioned above pointless and a waste of money? Do I need to get a reverse osmosis kit? Do reverse osmosis kits even filter chloramine or do they only work for chlorine? Maybe I need a de-chlorinator that also works for chloramine? Please help, I don't know if I've been wasting money on all these products and I'm reluctant to just go out and buy a dechlorinator just to be on the safe side. I don't want to just throw more money into this.
Thank you, and I apologize for the long post, I just wanted to avoid having to explain myself a dozen times before getting to the nitty gritty, if you know what I mean.
