Here 70 hrs from the last photo. These plants are 6 days into flowering. I dropped the grow nutrient and bumped up the flowering nutrients. 300 ppm max with every watering. 
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Rain water and tap water discussion
- Thread starter blondie
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Here's another 70 hrs or 3 days later Lights off and lights on photos. Its time to bump up the flowering nutrients to double.
These plants are only getting 1/2 the manufacturer's recommendations of fertilizer. RO water and fertilizer doubled to 1/2 dose, and the plants are responding well. Here 3 days later.
The difference between RO and Rain is that RO is easier to manage. The RO water has a higher hydroxyl content with a stable pH before the osmosis filtering. Rainwater on the other hand is acidic and has a higher solute nutrient potential. The higher nutrient potential will burn much easier than the RO because of lacking hydroxyl in rainwater. Rainwater has to be fortified with calcium and magnesium to raise the hydroxyl so the pH won't burn the roots.
[Maschinenhaus]
Active member
For years I have been using a reverse osmosis system, previously we had collected rainwater in a large cistern, deep in the ground.
These cisterns go back to the ancient Romans and water also cleans itself there, pollutants fall with the mud to the ground and remain there until you stir them up.
But the dry years have forced me to act, although I still have spring water at 1,000m altitude, but it is very rich in minerals, good for a human cure but bad to water plants permanently.
Rainwater or osmosis water is the best thing you can give plants.
Modern concrete cistern
Garden septic tank/Soakaway
A soakaway is an underground shaft made of individual concrete rings or prefabricated plastic containers, so that a structurally enclosed soakaway is created in the garden or at any rate on the property. Rainwater runs from the downpipe or a drainage system underground into a collection tank, in which it - or from which it - can then gradually seep away over time.
These cisterns go back to the ancient Romans and water also cleans itself there, pollutants fall with the mud to the ground and remain there until you stir them up.
But the dry years have forced me to act, although I still have spring water at 1,000m altitude, but it is very rich in minerals, good for a human cure but bad to water plants permanently.
Rainwater or osmosis water is the best thing you can give plants.
Modern concrete cistern
Garden septic tank/Soakaway
A soakaway is an underground shaft made of individual concrete rings or prefabricated plastic containers, so that a structurally enclosed soakaway is created in the garden or at any rate on the property. Rainwater runs from the downpipe or a drainage system underground into a collection tank, in which it - or from which it - can then gradually seep away over time.
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Thank you for sharing Maschinenhau. Newbies often think of water as being secondary but it should always be of primary importance. Weed growth and plant quality is determined by water quality.
Here's a few days later.
Here's a few days later.
[Maschinenhaus]
Active member
No problem, I'll write something about rainwater vs. reverse osmosis in a separate chapter and would be happy if you take a look?
Great work that you show there!
Great work that you show there!
I have flowers that are starting to smell. The room is almost full. RO water with 10 ml of cal mag carbonate and let set for 12 to 24 hrs. Then put 8 ml of Gen Hydro Micro to 16 ml of bloom in 4 gallons of fortified RO. Note I add 2ml of acid to bring the pH to 6.3. Here's the end of the week
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Never use the "first rain" off the roof. Allow the rain to wash off the roof before collection. Always use an EC meter to check the ppm of the rainwater before harvesting. If the water is over 17 ppm it may have a few impurities. After using rainwater for over 60 years I'm still here without any problems. That goes for my vegetables too, because they get rainwater too. Every year since I was born the veggie gardens got rained on without any toxic waste. I'm over 66 now and still eating and vaping plants that get rainwater.
Hasch
learning and laughing
I am surprised by the argument "I have allways done it this way and I'm still well". Living next to a busy intersection in a large city is unhealthy even though one dosen't necesseraly have to show signs of deteriorating health.
And taking ppm reading as a safeguard
Afaiu some carcinogenic substances need not be present in larger quanteties to be hazardous...
And taking ppm reading as a safeguard
Afaiu some carcinogenic substances need not be present in larger quanteties to be hazardous...
Makes sense, however, if you read the above posts I'm not using rainwater, I'm using RO water. Rain water is mostly for people that can't get RO water. Its the poor man's RO.I am surprised by the argument "I have allways done it this way and I'm still well". Living next to a busy intersection in a large city is unhealthy even though one dosen't necesseraly have to show signs of deteriorating health.
And taking ppm reading as a safeguard
Let me ask you is it safe to eat vegetables that get rained on? Because I 've been eating outdoor-grown vegetables for about the same amount of time. Sometimes I get a Ton of rain in the Summer in my gardens.
Hasch
learning and laughing
Hey
"Let me ask you is it safe to eat vegetables that get rained on? Because I 've been eating outdoor-grown vegetables for about the same amount of time. Sometimes I get a Ton of rain in the Summer in my gardens."
Well that's great, kudos!
What are we talking about now?
Afair this started as a rant on how great rain water is for watering your cannabis plants.
I want to warn people about the rain water collected from running off of bitumius roof coverings.
I have no idea what tangent you are on now.
"Let me ask you is it safe to eat vegetables that get rained on? Because I 've been eating outdoor-grown vegetables for about the same amount of time. Sometimes I get a Ton of rain in the Summer in my gardens."
Well that's great, kudos!
What are we talking about now?
Afair this started as a rant on how great rain water is for watering your cannabis plants.
I want to warn people about the rain water collected from running off of bitumius roof coverings.
I have no idea what tangent you are on now.
Three Berries
Active member
A lot of asphalt shingles have copper in them to combat algae. Algae on roofs looks like dark stains. Never mind what is in the gutters.
If it's been a while since rain I will stop it from entering the barrel for the fist half hour of rain or so. Depends how desperate I am. My rain water is usually around the low 20 ppm.
I keep 20 gallons in the garage during the winter as a back up. Last winter I was harvesting the water dripping off the ice as the roof snow melted. Should have tested it.
If it's been a while since rain I will stop it from entering the barrel for the fist half hour of rain or so. Depends how desperate I am. My rain water is usually around the low 20 ppm.
I keep 20 gallons in the garage during the winter as a back up. Last winter I was harvesting the water dripping off the ice as the roof snow melted. Should have tested it.
Kudos, I guess you don't eat vegetables either. Show me your best plants so I will know what you are talking about. You show up with 30 posts and act like you have some super knowledge about growing. The truth be known the only plants I've seen from your grows are nothing to brag about. As a matter of fact, the plant I saw looks really bad and will fail soon. Untell you try something first you can't criticize it without being stupid. Because anyone that tells others how to do something before they have ever done it is a hypocrite.
Never listening to a poor man tell you how to be rich.
Nice plants you have thanks for sharingTake care Creeperpark
All the best!
There are many ways to harvest rainwater without having contact with toxic roofs. If you lay a clean tarp or greenhouse plastic over a harvest area you can harvest pure rain. Placing many collection containers can catch rain out of the air without contacting anything. Then after the rain is over dump all the collection into one big rez. for storage. Rainwater is liquid Gold friends.
[Maschinenhaus]
Active member
You can build a trickle filter for little money, pebbles, lava granules, sand and activated carbon clean the water before it flows into the cistern or barrel.
The five layers of our homemade filter are made of the following materials:
The larger pebbles:
Pebbles serve as the coarsest filter to fish smaller leaves out of the water, for example. Rougher stones are better for this purpose because less dirt sticks to smooth surfaces.
Gravel:
Gravel, on the other hand, is somewhat finer. This filters out solids up to 1 mm. No dead insects can get past it, for example.
Sand:
Finer algae and smaller dirt particles, as well as suspended particles, remain stuck in the sand. Optimal would be several times sieved and cleaned sand, but on the lonely island it works also with the sand from the beach.
The charcoal / activated carbon:
The heart of the filter is the (activated) charcoal. Beech wood is best suited for your self-made filter. To activate the activated charcoal, it must first be heated very strongly. This process turns the charcoal into activated carbon. Because of its very large and porous surface, it binds even tiny bacteria. Pressed, a 1 square cm cube of activated charcoal block has a surface of a soccer field. Insane or?
The substance:
Here you can really take anything that looks like fabric. No matter what. It simply prevents carbon from getting into your freshly filtered water.
