Question about my tap water.

[gratefuldawg]

I've always used an RO machine until I moved to a place where the tap water has been around 100. Which is actually 200 less then the bottles arrowhead water.

Couple questions..

How do I evaporate the chlorine?

How much calcium/magnesium do you think is in there?

I want to use blackstrap molasis, how much do I put in? Do I feed that in Veg and flower? Someone answered me once, but I forget if it's a teaspoon, or a tablespoon per gallon. Where can you pick up the best blackstrap? A wild oats type store, or regular grocery store? Whats the best brand that I'd most likely be able to get? I live somewhere where there's lots of vegetarians, so those uncommon health food stores aren't gonna be an issue.

Sorry for all the questions.

 

[quadracer]

Reverse Osmosis is the best way to purify water, as you already know. When you use tap water, you should let it sit for 24 hours to let the chlorine evaporate. Throw an airstone in there and it will evaporate a lot quicker.

A lot of places will do a water analysis for pretty cheap. Ca/Mg levels will vary from place to place, but it is probably low enough as to not harm your plants.

Blackstrap molasses is pretty easy to come by. Go to an organic food store and pick some up for $5 or so. There's a couple of brands you can use, but they all do the same thing.

I use molasses to feed my soil moreso than my plants, although they like it too. When I brew tea, I use it to feed the microheards in the worm castings. A tablespoon per gallon is a good estimate. If I brew for 48 hours, I will add a little more halfway through to make sure things are still active. It is good for the plant and the soil all the way through.

 

[Suby]

Tap water is actually better than RO with an organic grow IMHO because it contains a little Ca and Mg but use dolomite lime @ 2TBS per gallon to make sure these elements are covered throughout your grow.
Evap chlorine by letting it sit in the sun or aerate it with an airstone and pump for about 12hrs.
Health food stores will have the blackstrap, it is less purified and thus has a better array of macros and micros but in a pinch grocery store brand does fine.

Use molasses at up to 1TBS per gallon but not every watering, 1 in 3 times with water or ferts is fine.

Peace
S

 

[gratefuldawg]

You guys rule, thanks a lot. I'm off to Wakarusa!

 

[elevate]

other than chlorine not being organic - what can small amounts of chlorine in water do to marijuana plants? - and other plants as well (I am sure the effects are the same since MJ is a plant!).

 

[EZB581]

gratefuldawg, You can buy test kits for aquariums that test for all kinds of mineral levels in your water, The "red sea" brand is inexpensive where the "salifert" kits are more expensive & supposedly more accurate. The redsea kits can be found at the petsmart or such. A shop specializing in aquariums will have the salifert kits.

 

[Guest]

Ran a grow with tap water and never let the water sit... straight from the tap into the rez. Didn't really see any difference than grows run with water sitting out. Guess this means my personal experience is Chlorine doesnt seem to do anything.

 

[Suby]

Chlorine is put in your water to disinfect it, to kill any bacteria or fungus or other nasties in the water.
An organic soil food web requires beneficial aerobic bacteria to metabolize the organic ferts you feed the plants in the soil.
Organics are about feeding the soil which feed the plant, unfortunately chlorine kills indescriminately so any soil biology you have working for you will be dead or dying if you feed it water with chlorine still in it.

Klutter I'll assume you where using hydro nutes in a hydro setup, synthetic ferts do not require a microherd, the chlorine will help disinfect the res though which can be beneficial but not for organics.

In short it doesn't hurt the plant but attacks the soil biology which feeds it which will not allow your plant to reach it's peak potential.

Bubble or let your water sit.


S