Dechlorinate tap water or don't bother?

[Remystemple]

I'd actually like to do a poll on it but can't figure out how.
I've been debating on whether or not to keep off gassing my tap water. i have 25 gallons sitting out every day and it's a getting to feel a little bit crowded.

I'd like to hack into the water line across the hall and bring a line into the grow room. i'd be filling a rez directly from the line and then adding my nutes.

I feel like whether more people say not to do it, i'm probably gonna try.

So how afraid of the big bad chlorine are we really supposed to be?

found an interesting read on using tap water.

Tap Water pH for Cannabis | CTU

While you can grow cannabis with mediocre water, it won’t thrive. Learn about tap water ph for cannabis. Is it ok to use tap water for growing weed?

cannabistraininguniversity.com

 

[10gal]

I literally know zero people who off gas, use ro, or soften unless they are on a crappy well
and tap water here is like 250ppm and full of chlorine, if you are in the english speaking world and not on a well, or in some remote northern hamlet, your water is good to go from the line.

 

[Remystemple]

I literally know zero people who off gas, use ro, or soften unless they are on a crappy well
and tap water here is like 250ppm and full of chlorine, if you are in the english speaking world and not on a well, or in some remote northern hamlet, your water is good to go from the line.

yeah i should have said, it comes out between 65 and 80 ppm between 7.6 and 7.8. my friend works for the water treatment plant and acts like he knows everything until i ask him how many ppm ca and mg and iron are in the water lmao. but i always tell him they're doing a fine job.

I can't believe there are actually people in my town who won't drink the water here and use some disgusting and filthy office style water thing. our water is almost as clean as most bottled water. In fact i've heard of bottled water being tested up to 80,000 ppm lol. gross.

 

[Emilya Green]

It totally depend on your grow medium and method. If you are running an organic grow, where the living microbes are the only thing feeding your plants, then the chlorination of your water is a big deal because that stuff is added to kill off the very microbes you are trying to keep active and alive.
If you are feeding out of a bottle, using any of the synthetic lines of nutrients, the chlorine is not a factor. These grows rely on chelated nutrients who's only criteria is that the solution needs to be within a certain pH range, and microlife is not really a factor. Since microlife is not part of this sort of grow, the chlorine in tap water is not going to affect the grow in the slightest bit.
But then some astute growers will ask about the myco... the fungi that we try to encourage to grow around our roots to help with food intake. So many of our soils include myco, and many people add products to introduce the colonies upon transplants. Won't the chlorine in the water kill them off?
The truth is that it takes swimming pool levels of chlorine to actively kill off all of the fungi, algae and other microlife. The amounts that are in our tap water are not strong enough to actively kill off everything in our soil. Yes, it is enough to discourage the active multiplication of colonies of bacterium in an organic grow... but even then, if you are using a product like RealGrower's Recharge or URB or Voodoo Juice regularly to introduce new and active microlife with every watering... you can get away with using tap water too. Mostly, this fear of chlorine is just something to pontificate about on online forums.

 

[Remystemple]

It totally depend on your grow medium and method. If you are running an organic grow, where the living microbes are the only thing feeding your plants, then the chlorination of your water is a big deal because that stuff is added to kill off the very microbes you are trying to keep active and alive.
If you are feeding out of a bottle, using any of the synthetic lines of nutrients, the chlorine is not a factor. These grows rely on chelated nutrients who's only criteria is that the solution needs to be within a certain pH range, and microlife is not really a factor. Since microlife is not part of this sort of grow, the chlorine in tap water is not going to affect the grow in the slightest bit.
But then some astute growers will ask about the myco... the fungi that we try to encourage to grow around our roots to help with food intake. So many of our soils include myco, and many people add products to introduce the colonies upon transplants. Won't the chlorine in the water kill them off?
The truth is that it takes swimming pool levels of chlorine to actively kill off all of the fungi, algae and other microlife. The amounts that are in our tap water are not strong enough to actively kill off everything in our soil. Yes, it is enough to discourage the active multiplication of colonies of bacterium in an organic grow... but even then, if you are using a product like RealGrower's Recharge or URB or Voodoo Juice regularly to introduce new and active microlife with every watering... you can get away with using tap water too. Mostly, this fear of chlorine is just something to pontificate about on online forums.

did you know that I love you? LOL..

Thanks again for your awesome insight! you should probably try write paper back book and get published. this girl i grew up with just got a book deal and i'm shaking my head as to how. we grew up in a town of 100 people and the book is about " her life and what she's learned" LMAO. this woman is an abusive mother and total sociopath.

your book WOULD be helpful to some.. i'd buy it.

the only thing that i think is even close to that, that i add is floralicious plus. but i think the main thing in that stuff is the fulvic / humic acid. i'd imagine these acids shouldn't be upset by low amounts of chlorine either.

 

[Lancashire farmer]

My take on this..
Firstly I agree with you there is a lot of scare story's to do with chlorine and plants, majority of the country's we are from have adequate supply. Also there's no chance I'm going out and buying bottled water or fitting a ro filter (they take out all the goodness.)
I personally wouldn't run it straight from the tap, I grow in living soil and chlorine kills the microbes. saying that I'm not one of these that likes to leave it sitting days before us. Chlorine isn't really a issue to most growers, it starts degassing as soon as it leaves the tap. I have had water tests done in the past and my chlorine levels are trace after 12hr airation.
More of your issue would be your chloromide levels. This is the product of choice for water company's these days as it doesn't degass as quick and takes 3/4 times as long.
In the past if I've had to feed straight from the tap I add a couple of grams of sodium triosulphate.

 

[Emilya Green]

A good trick if you need to get rid of the chlorine is to fill up a bathtub and put ONE vitamin C tablet in there and swish it all around. The ascorbic acid immediately drops the chlorine and chloramine to the bottom of the tub as sediment. Bottle up your bathtub of water, and you are set to go.

 

[Remystemple]

i just remembered i read once that our skin can absorb chlorine out of water pretty quickly. maybe i'll just run the water from the tap off of my arm into the rez. or just toss a nice big piece of pig skin in there

 

[Emilya Green]

did you know that I love you? LOL..

Thanks again for your awesome insight! you should probably try write paper back book and get published. this girl i grew up with just got a book deal and i'm shaking my head as to how. we grew up in a town of 100 people and the book is about " her life and what she's learned" LMAO. this woman is an abusive mother and total sociopath.

your book WOULD be helpful to some.. i'd buy it.

the only thing that i think is even close to that, that i add is floralicious plus. but i think the main thing in that stuff is the fulvic / humic acid. i'd imagine these acids shouldn't be upset by low amounts of chlorine either.

I have been working on this book. It has turned into a massive thing, and every time I read part of it I have to rewrite big sections. One of these days, hopefully this winter, I will get done with this thing. "Aunt Em's Guide to Properly Growing Indoor Cannabis"

 

[Bigbud78]

Tap water absolutely fine check my diarys living proof

 

[Remystemple]

Tap water absolutely fine check my diarys living proof

just had a quick look at the results. fantastic broski. i'm sold on not doing this extra step any more.

 

[Nunyabiz]

Depends on if you're trying to grow organic with mycorrhazae, microbes, enzymes etc or if you're just feeding salt based nutrients.
If salt based nutrients then no it will make no difference because the nutrients are killing everything in the soil worse than the chlorine does.

If you're doing a full 100% organic LIVING soil then you're better off not adding in elements designed to kill bacteria and microbes into your living soil that relies on those microbes and bacteria to feed your plants.

In general most city water systems use Chloramine which dosen't evaporate off so the only way to get it out is to filter it or remove it with something like citric acid.

I use RO water for two reasons, my tap water sucks, fairly high Chloramine content and there are no doubt heavy metals and other shit that I dont want in my soil.
So I start with a blank slate and add only what I want to enter into my little ecosystem that I have created for my plants.
Is chlorine going to kill your soil? No, the chlorine gets bound up by the compost, it will kill some of the microbes, lots of the bacteria and such but it should bounce back fairly quickly.

I just personally prefer a clean slate with virtually nothing in it except what I add to it.
Especially heavy metals and today in the case of rain water it's got glyphosate in it.
I keep my ecosystem clean as possible.

 

[MickFoster]

Are you sure your water is chlorinated?
Half the country's cities use chloramine to purify their water.

 

[Remystemple]

Are you sure your water is chlorinated?
Half the country's cities use chloramine to purify their water.

yeah, there's actually both here lol.

if you google "walkerton water crisis" or something like that you'll see why this whole area of canada now has pretty crazy laws and regulations for water treatment.

 

[nivek]

my watering water sits at least 24 hrs. just cuz it does

cheers

 

[Bigbud78]

Mykos works amazing i swear by it roots explde in coco or 60/40

 

[bobrown14]

I literally know zero people who off gas, use ro, or soften unless they are on a crappy well
and tap water here is like 250ppm and full of chlorine, if you are in the english speaking world and not on a well, or in some remote northern hamlet, your water is good to go from the line.

Well I live in Philly - I use RO water for me and my plants.

Think about whats happening in Flint MI - remember people getting sick from lead and other good stuff in the water.

Our tap water is 400-450ppm its not potable and it will kill plants.

Your mileage will vary.

I'm surprised you suggest that living way out in the middle of no-where on a well is bad for plants??

If thats the case just get a water test done.

 

[10gal]

Well I live in Philly - I use RO water for me and my plants.

Think about whats happening in Flint MI - remember people getting sick from lead and other good stuff in the water.

Our tap water is 400-450ppm its not potable and it will kill plants.

Your mileage will vary.

I'm surprised you suggest that living way out in the middle of no-where on a well is bad for plants??

If thats the case just get a water test done.

not saying its bad for them, just makes ppm measuring a bit of a pain.

but city water is hard here and fluctuates from 170-230
but its awesome water and in a 5 gal pail is aqua blue like pic below

 

[bobrown14]

Lucky you man that looks sweet. Wish that was here! We moving to the up north farmland village thing. Stream water clean well water has sulfur so its gotta be filtered and home we bought has a whole home water softener. Cant use that water for plants.

 

[10gal]

Lucky you man that looks sweet. Wish that was here! We moving to the up north farmland village thing. Stream water clean well water has sulfur so its gotta be filtered and home we bought has a whole home water softener. Cant use that water for plants.

yup some times your only options are ro or a big cistern