gonna try a mixture of rainwater and hard tapwater next - any tips?

[Max Headroom]

after running into some problems which i'm 99% certain were due to hard water i am going to use a mixture of rainwater and the hard stuff from the tap on my next grow.
i'm thinking about going 50/50 - any experiences or tips?
(sorry, i don't have an EC meter or exact ppms for the tap water - it's just a tad too hard to grow without problems)

- what's a quick and easy way to oxygenize the water since the rainwater will have been sitting around for a few weeks before use?

- how long does the rainwater stay fresh? i read somewhere around here that it lasts a couple of months if stored properly (dark and covered)

- since water can hold less O2 the warmer it is, but too cold water shocks the roots - what's the best temperature for the water that balances these two concerns?

 

[2st4this]

i'm using rainwater only and it works very good.
sometimes i store it some months without any difference to fresh rainwater.
i only oxigenize if i cook a TLO tea (true living organics)
hope it helps...

best regards

 

[Snook]

straight rainwater seems a good idea... why mix?

no PPM or PH measurements makes it kinda guessey. you should at least know where you're starting with PH, especially in tap water. consider
PH strips, cheap and better than nothing. GL.

 

[flameninja]

Hi, im no expert but i did once try using newly collected rainwater and ended up with Fungus Gnats and other beasties.
Peace

 

[Max Headroom]

thanks for the feedback.

- i want to mix because i'm unsure if i'll have enough rainwater for the whole grow. if it doesn't rain or snow i might run out before the grow is finished.

- i DO have ph values! the tap is around 7.3 and i've always adjusted it to 6.6. (i have no money for a ppm meter ATM)

- i had some major fungus gnat problems last time but they came with the soil. i think it might be too cold for them now to come via the rainwater.

 

[Mr Heechops]

Ive used rainwater for years. I used to add a bit of well water as a substitute for calmag - like two shot glasses per five gals of rainwater. It dont take much. But nowadays, its only straight rainwater. I never worried about aearation. It does help to cover it if storing, itll stay fresher and wont smell but I dont make a big deal of it - many times I dont cover it. Never got fungus gnats either from it. I only get gnats from newly purchased dirt. I guess it all depends on what that rainwater passed thru. I suppose some leaf filled gutters might send you gnats. My roof gets so hot that gnats get fried away. Know that rainwater is basically like distilled water - it has no buffering capacity. Whatever you add to it will throw the ph way more easily than typical tap water.

 

[stoned-trout]

I have used a lot of rainwater...adding peroxide will freshen it up ..it don't matter how long it sits then IMHO...I have used some real old stuff without adding anything tho....peroxide will take care of any issues

 

[vostok]

after running into some problems which i'm 99% certain were due to hard water i am going to use a mixture of rainwater and the hard stuff from the tap on my next grow.
i'm thinking about going 50/50 - any experiences or tips?
(sorry, i don't have an EC meter or exact ppms for the tap water - it's just a tad too hard to grow without problems)

- what's a quick and easy way to oxygenize the water since the rainwater will have been sitting around for a few weeks before use?

- how long does the rainwater stay fresh? i read somewhere around here that it lasts a couple of months if stored properly (dark and covered)

- since water can hold less O2 the warmer it is, but too cold water shocks the roots - what's the best temperature for the water that balances these two concerns?

If you ain't gonna measure this 'test', then how you gonna get a correct answer, you fail to explain in detail what you define
'some problems' so is hardly scientific..?
Buy a $5.00 pmm meter and judge for yourself, buy in a RO water machine ...do it right!

 

[stoned-trout]

damn my last one cost 7$$$ lol

 

[Max Headroom]

thanks again.
wow, $7 for an ec meter? jesus, where i live a decent one is ~$100.

 

[2st4this]

ro water is very similar to rain water.
in my opinion a ro water machine produce to much waste water and whenever its possible to collect rain water it should be done.
during winter months i reserve approximately 800 liters in my grow room

best regards