Well Water and how to work with it

[Robney]

Good morning, everybody,

Just moved into a new place, got my water tested as I wanted to know everything that was in it, and it looked pretty good, but I'm running into issues with my plants not looking the happiest.

I'm positive it's something in the water, but I don't know what it is, so I'm hoping some of you might be able to look at my water test results and give me an idea of what I could do to easily remedy my water. Or if I just need to use an RO system let me know.

I'm already using ph down, but is there something else I could add or do to make the rest of this good for plants?

Thank for the help everyone, and have a good one!

 

[St. Phatty]

I want to find a Chemical Analysis lab that can do a detailed chemical analysis of Chicken droppings.

Not easy to find. Looking for plastic residues.

 

[FletchF.Fletch]

Well water can be a real hassle to tame. First you should use a nutrient line geared towards Hard Water. General Hydroponics has a separate option for Part 1 (Micro) in their 3 Part liquid line, Jack's makes a Hard Water feed, Veg+Bloom has their versions. Lots of options, many pair up with the growing mediums so it's this one for Coco, that one for Soil, and so on.

Whatever nutrients you choose, you should monitor the changes to your mixed feed solution over the course of 48 hours to see if ph is fluctuating over that time. This is as easy as mixing an extra gallon, setting it somewhere away from light, and checking its ph every 12 hours for 48 hours. Ideally your solution should hold its ph, or at least stay within range. Measuring how it changes over time can help with your overall watering/feeding schedule and strategy whatever medium you choose to grow.

Also, get a cheap EC meter. They are worth their weight in perfect finished Buds and only cost a small amount.

Good Luck!!

 

[troutman]

All should be good if you lower the pH like you say you are.

I like pH 6.2 to 6.5 in soil.

 

[Robney]

Shit, I forgot to mention, I run a modified moonshine mix, which I use as a water-only mix. So I don't mix any nutes in there.

St. phatty - maybe tell one of the MJ labs it's just hash made from chicken shit og???

FletchF.Fletch - Forgot to mention it, but I use a water only soil, so I just need to make sure nothing in there is going to interfere with the plant. I used a RO filter before moving here, but I don't want to waste so much water, especially being on my own well. I'll get a cheap ec meter, any recommendations?

Troutman - I don't have to worry about chloride or the hardness of this water? I usually ph to just under 7, should I be aiming for 6.2-6.5?

 

[aridbud]

All should be good if you lower the pH like you say you are.

I like pH 6.2 to 6.5 in soil.

Use apple cider vinegar for pH down. Works like a charm! 1/4 c. to gallon of water. Then retest.

 

[aridbud]

Shit, I forgot to mention, I run a modified moonshine mix, which I use as a water-only mix. So I don't mix any nutes in there.

St. phatty - maybe tell one of the MJ labs it's just hash made from chicken shit og???

FletchF.Fletch - Forgot to mention it, but I use a water only soil, so I just need to make sure nothing in there is going to interfere with the plant. I used a RO filter before moving here, but I don't want to waste so much water, especially being on my own well. I'll get a cheap ec meter, any recommendations?

Troutman - I don't have to worry about chloride or the hardness of this water? I usually ph to just under 7, should I be aiming for 6.2-6.5?

Our golden spot is 6.2.

 

[troutman]

Use apple cider vinegar for pH down. Works like a charm! 1/4 c. to gallon of water. Then retest.

Cider vinegar would get too expensive in the long run.

Regular pH down is much less expensive and the phosphoric acid in it will be a
plant nutrient after it reacts with something else. All you need is a few drops also.

 

[HempKat]

Troutman - I don't have to worry about chloride or the hardness of this water? I usually ph to just under 7, should I be aiming for 6.2-6.5?

Yes just under 7 is too high but all you should be looking out above 6.5 is iron and manganese. I say going down as low as 6.2 is too low if you're in flower because then you're locking out phosphorous which is crucial in flower and you're locking out calcium and magnesium wich is important thru the whole life cycle of the plant, I would say for full availability of nutrients 6.5 is where you want to be but you have to be careful, it's not the water going in that needs to be 6.5 but the water in the root zone which is better judged by measuring the runoff.

 

[Creeperpark]

Sodium and chloride ions separate when salts are dissolved in water. The dissolved sodium and chloride ions, in high concentrations, can displace other mineral nutrients in the soil. Plants then absorb chlorine and sodium instead of needed plant nutrients such as potassium and phosphorus, leading to deficiencies. You can use this water and get by, but it is not the best for growing weed. Fortified RO water would be best!!!!

 

[Dankwolf]

I struggled for years with my canal water and soilless style set up . Finally got it worked out by upping my citation (real soil) fully amended / recycled soil. Gypsum is your friend .

 

[PassionForMJ]

I see a mostly calcium and magnesium, chloride as well, all are probably natural, but I was still wondering, do you have a water softener?

Plants take up chloride as Cl- ion, so some is not bad for the plants, but too much and it can get to toxic levels, which will cause yield decrease, if not sicken them and stunt growth till corrected...
The additional calcium and magnesium is not bad, unless you feed them something high in and and overdo those levels as well..
Really your levels are so low I doubt you have a lot to worry about, but if you can afford to go RO, I had a 7 stage RO setup once, with black light, and a 1 gallon res for water, it was great, 0 ppm's of water..

 

[aridbud]

Cider vinegar would get too expensive in the long run.

Regular pH down is much less expensive and the phosphoric acid in it will be a
plant nutrient after it reacts with something else. All you need is a few drops also.

It's worked for us for decades.

 

[St. Phatty]

I don't remember if it was this post, but I started feeding Apple Cider Vinegar to the birds.

Might try & give it to the cats too.

And the people too ... well maybe in the form of salad dressing.

it's got a bunch of different minerals.

I guess they remove the alcohol from the storebought ACV.

 

[flylowgethigh]

My soil pHs at over 7 with no plant activity, but the reading goes way down to almost 3 when roots are active. I water with tap, pH'd down to 6.3.

 

[KONY]

Whats the TDS? Not sure it would help your problem, but it definitely won't hurt. I would shock/bleach the well. Depending on how deep your well is depends how much you use, but for our 400' well, I used 2 gallons of vinegar, followed by a whole gallon of bleach. Then takes about 2 hours of running the outside hose spigot for the bleach to make it up to the house/faucet. When that happens you can shut off the outside hose and avoid using the water for at least 24 hours. You can still flush the toliet a few times, but don't do anything else.

Then 24 hours later you run the outside water faucet again untill you no longer smell bleach. For me this takes about 3 hours.

 

[Three Berries]

My well water is about 450ppm with a limestone of around 8% Mg in my area. Use to use well water all the time and then went to rain water the last couple of years. The ran water gives me deficiency problems. I think I'll go 50/50 on rain well and then my usual nutes. The nutes are saying to add 1,5g Mg and 2,5 Ca so I'm hoping that works.

Part of that ppm is iron but I don't think it's too high.

 

[exploziv]

The nutes are saying to add 1,5g Mg and 2,5 Ca so I'm hoping that works.

Part of that ppm is iron but I don't think it's too high.

Can you tell us more about that? Are those grams? Per what quantity of water? Cause it seems like quite a big amount to add.

 

[Three Berries]

That is per gallon of water. It's Master Blends recipe. They call for calcium nitrate as the calcium. I've been using calcium acetate, ~25% Ca.

I mixed a gallon of well, gallon of rain. Rain is around 6.6 this time around and the well water is around 7.5.use vinegar for pH down and either ammonia or potassium carbonate for pH up.

 

[dramamine]

That is per gallon of water. It's Master Blends recipe. They call for calcium nitrate as the calcium. I've been using calcium acetate, ~25% Ca.

I mixed a gallon of well, gallon of rain. Rain is around 6.6 this time around and the well water is around 7.5.use vinegar for pH down and either ammonia or potassium carbonate for pH up.

The calcium nitrate they recommend is intended to provide most of your nitrogen too, which the calcium acetate doesn't do. Could be a problem, unless you have another nitrogen source going on.