the truth about tap water and microbes

I actually think they can still thrive in soil using synthetic nutes too ?

5.) If you're making compost tea with chloraminated water, that's likely to destroy some of the bacteria, which is one of the main benefits of this fertilizer in the first place. You can neutralize the chloramine by mixing 1 teaspoon of humic acid per 100 gallons of compost tea, according to one company that makes compost-tea brewers.

No we are getting somewhere. Just how to get it out of the end of the hose. Run it thru a carbon filter filled with humus ?

So less then 1ml of humic acid will remove all traces in 5 gal of water ....and alot of nutrients have humic acid in them already....

Do you have a info link, So want to read it. This has been on my mind for awhile in regard to outdoor growing with drip systems and tap water.

Get a spray gun with soap attachment and put some in there with yucca and it will act as a wetting agent also....2 birds with 1 stone

Maybe you could try buying some cheap activated carbon from a chain pet store or Wal-Mart. Fill a cheap pair of pantyhose with the carbon and drop it in bucket full of your tap water. Not saying it will work, but activated carbon is supposed to be one method of removal.

Good thread for a new guy with only 13 post. your first thread coulda been how much will I get off this POS plant. lol good job.

If your using a drip system with holes in the hose or whatever they make an inline rez kinda like the soap sprayer and all the water will be treated with whatever you put in it.....so add the humic and yucca in there....bammm done deal

brotherjericho said:

Maybe you could try buying some cheap activated carbon from a chain pet store or Wal-Mart. Fill a cheap pair of pantyhose with the carbon and drop it in bucket full of your tap water. Not saying it will work, but activated carbon is supposed to be one method of removal.

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right now I use an RV carbon water filter before the drip lines. Just don't really know how much it works. 1 plant drinks five gallons twice a day in the heat of August and September, x 20 is a lot of bucket feeding . No way. Our water smells like a swimming pool coming out of the shower head. It don't smell of chlorine after the carbon filter.

Thanks tws.....fact is ive been doing my thing for a while but im more of a listen and learn then just ask questions....plus i love to read when its something i love...so i read alot on this topic......thanks for the kind words .....

How about using chloraminated water on ornamental plants, vegetables or fruit and nut trees? Will beneficial soil bacteria be harmed?

The small amount of chloramines should have no effect on plants of any type. Beneficial bacteria will generally be protected by the soil in which they live. Chloramines will be removed by the high chlorine demand in the soil.

Tws....that last bit of info was from the american water website faq section..... Www.amwater.com

And yes microbes can still thrive in soil when using synthetic nutes ...they say to keep the soil ppm under 900 and your microbes will continue to multiply.....more then that and you start to get mass die off....and when using myco never use bloom boosters with hi p....they hate p....and thrive in a lower ph but if you go too low they will take over so try and keep a good balance.....

I have used synthetics with and with out ACT teas and have had amazing white root balls. One outdoor grow, my first, was with miracle grow nutes and no bennies with straight tap water and the roots were really white and healthy. I can all so tell the difference in growth and health when using Beneficials with synthetics. You said soil PPM / do you mean nutrient PPM ? That's interesting that they will continue to thrive under 900 and hate P. Now I understand why my mentor stops adding Bennies in flower because of boosting P organically. What happens when they take over ? I think I've seen that before and wondered what's up ? Like everything I do, I tend to over do it. lol . This year Im shooting for straight organic unless I have a problem I need to fix fast, which I doubt. One thing I can say is I have been top dressing and feed quano teas twice, They are looking fine but just seem a little off on color and vigor. Yesterday they all got Bennie and kelp tea and tonight I can all ready see the change in them. The dark green and velvet feel to the leafs.

Think of this....ammonium andurea based nitrogen sources are synthetic and used in potted plant nutrients but both have to be broke down by microbes in order to be available to plants....granted it might not be the best way to give you ladies nitrogen but the point is that even synthetic nutes needbeasties for some elements to work. Soo the microbes are there in the billions...companys like advanced will have you think different tho...fact is those bottles of bennies are a joke compaired to the numbers of microbes multiplying naturally by the second...every second millions of microbeasties die or get ate up by protazoa and release the nutrients in their bodies and in the same second millions more are born.....but advanced nutrients will have you think different....dont get me wrong they have done their homework and their base nutes are great but i pass on the nice labels.

And on your question tsw.....when you have a good fungi going they love an acidic ph in the medium but if it gets too low they explode and take over the medium and other bennies cant hold their own and you end up with a die off....and yea they say its 100% that myco cant deal with p and it will stop myco dead in its tracks from expanding in potted plants......outdoors you can get away with a little more but people who are into their myco colonys stay away from hi p 4sure

They actually are using bennies for fertilizing golf courses and parks etc now . One time I will read in depth the real TLO basis . My outdoor soil this year is amended indoor synthetic feed soil. I bought no soil this year.

Yea im sure they are using nitrogen fixxing bennies in order to push the lush green grass....that would be a time to add certain types of bennies to out number other kinds and push a type of growth, in this case lush green grass so it makes sence....and yea ive read the tlo book, there is some good info in there ....and he talks about the myco p issue i was telling you about. The best part of that book is he tells you what nutes do what to microbes and what they love eg. Calcium and nitrogen....i have all the main books and the tlo and eds new growers handbook are the best..

filthy piglet said:

Distilled water is soft and def my fav water of all.....just have to add 60ppm of cal/mag and your golden....dont get any betther then that....

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No soft water and distilled water are 2 different animals..

If your using a water softening system in your home, depending on how hard your water is to begin with, your sodium levels may vary. The harder your water before softening, the more sodium will be in your softened water.

Usually only the interior faucets use the soft water.... the exterior spickets still run the hard water

If all you use is softened water the sodium builds up in your soil... it will damage the roots and the plant. Sodium damage can be identified by brown edges on the tips of plant leaves.

You get the same effect from a constant high fertilizer use with no flushing.... a salt build up in your soil