In The Lab

[dallin1992]

I like to use tap water whenever possible. If you've got toxic water, get RO. If you can, get a copy of your city's water report. It's public domain and is usually on the web. If Total Alkalinity is higher than 200 or so the RO unit will be helpful.

okay so i should be fine using regular water thanks

 

[Conradino23]

Consider using rainwater when possible, stimulates hell lot of the plants by providing nitrate boost and naturally occurring bacteria.

 

[Conradino23]

Ah Doc, I'm testing 3rd run HB soil currently. 21 seedlings are vegging in it currently outside. Nothing added, I just inoculated and gave a shot of compost tea later on. So far they look very good with no deficiencies, they have even survived a morning frost or two

 

[SlowToke]

I like to use tap water whenever possible. If you've got toxic water, get RO. If you can, get a copy of your city's water report. It's public domain and is usually on the web. If Total Alkalinity is higher than 200 or so the RO unit will be helpful.

Doc, what about tap water with Chloramine it it? I've heard that's a deal breaker for tap water, since it doesn't oxidize like Chlorine does. I sure would rather use tap water rather than install an RO system at this point in time. But don't want to mess up my grow, either.

Thanks!

 

[DrZiggy]

Doc, what about tap water with Chloramine it it? I've heard that's a deal breaker for tap water, since it doesn't oxidize like Chlorine does. I sure would rather use tap water rather than install an RO system at this point in time. But don't want to mess up my grow, either.

Thanks!

a simple carbon water filter should be able remove Chloramine

 

[ShiggityFlip]

I haven't got my catalytic carbon filter yet. I am using straight tap water with chloramine. My plan is to get one but the High Brix plants in my garden are out sugaring my Chem plants so it may not be optimal but it is doable!

If you do get a carbon filter get catalytic carbon. It is better than regular activated carbon at removing chloramine. I found a site online that has a refillable carbon filter that fits into a whole house filter called big blue. My plan is to have a two stage set up. The first stage will be a particulate filter. The second stage will be the refillable catalytic carbon filter. Each stage the filters are 4" X 20". I figure the filter will need to have the carbon changed each year. The catalytic carbon in bulk is much cheaper than buying non fillable filters. I figure for about 300 bucks in equipment and bulk carbon I will be good to go for the next 10 years lol. I will have to change the particulate filter here and there but those are pretty cheap. Reverse osmosis makes no sense for me because my tap water fluctuates from 40-50ppm at pH 6.5-7

 

[Gaffle]

hey i just got my kit today and was planning on prepping the soil but i noticed that there is no conditioner in my kit? did i not receive it or is it a thing of the past i should not worry about? or possibly labelled something else?

thanks

You have the "amendment" bag, right? Pro-mix, EWC, and amendment is what you need. I'm super late to this brix party, conditioner was from previous kits?

My soil has its 4 week birthday on Monday. Party time begins...

Edit - read older post before rest of thread, whoops!

 

[Doc Bud]

You have the "amendment" bag, right? Pro-mix, EWC, and amendment is what you need. I'm super late to this brix party, conditioner was from previous kits?

My soil has its 4 week birthday on Monday. Party time begins...

Edit - read older post before rest of thread, whoops!

Conditioner is basically biochar and humic acid. It is already added to the amendment now. Please refer to the most recent instructions which are always linked to in my signature.

 

[SlowToke]

I haven't got my catalytic carbon filter yet. I am using straight tap water with chloramine. My plan is to get one but the High Brix plants in my garden are out sugaring my Chem plants so it may not be optimal but it is doable!

If you do get a carbon filter get catalytic carbon. It is better than regular activated carbon at removing chloramine. I found a site online that has a refillable carbon filter that fits into a whole house filter called big blue. My plan is to have a two stage set up. The first stage will be a particulate filter. The second stage will be the refillable catalytic carbon filter. Each stage the filters are 4" X 20". I figure the filter will need to have the carbon changed each year. The catalytic carbon in bulk is much cheaper than buying non fillable filters. I figure for about 300 bucks in equipment and bulk carbon I will be good to go for the next 10 years lol. I will have to change the particulate filter here and there but those are pretty cheap. Reverse osmosis makes no sense for me because my tap water fluctuates from 40-50ppm at pH 6.5-7

Shiggity, I'm a little confused by your last comment. Wouldn't an RO system still be of value to remove the Chloramine? Or are you saying that is is overkill to go RO when all you need is a carbon filter for the Chloramine?

Thanks!

 

[SmokeyMcFly]

Shiggity, I'm a little confused by your last comment. Wouldn't an RO system still be of value to remove the Chloramine? Or are you saying that is is overkill to go RO when all you need is a carbon filter for the Chloramine?

Thanks!

The RO membrane isn't what removes chloramine it's the carbon stage in the RO system that removes it before sending the water through the RO membrane to remove the rest of the stuff that makes your water hard

Most RO systems have a course sediment pre filter and a carbon pre filter inline before the RO stage.

If your buying a pre filled carbon filter for chloramine make sure you get the KDF85 one like Shiggs said normal carbon doesn't really work on chloramine. The KDF85 cartridges are almost always an extra upgrade even on the monster unit I just paid 700 bucks for

 

[ShiggityFlip]

Right on as always Smokey. And Smokey raises a valid point. A lot of people get RO systems to get their ppm down and figure that chloramine is taken care of. But their RO has a standard carbon filter. A standard carbon filter will remove some of the chloramine but not nearly as much as a catalytic carbon filter.

And if you dont have any filters yet don't let it stop you from going high brix. Like I said I dont have any filters and I am really proud of my high brix flowering girls.

 

[stoopingcrane]

Shiggity hope this finds you well. Just some info concerning inexpensive filtering techniques.

I haven't got my catalytic carbon filter yet. I am using straight tap water with chloramine. My plan is to get one but the High Brix plants in my garden are out sugaring my Chem plants so it may not be optimal but it is doable!

If you do get a carbon filter get catalytic carbon. It is better than regular activated carbon at removing chloramine. I found a site online that has a refillable carbon filter that fits into a whole house filter called big blue. My plan is to have a two stage set up. The first stage will be a particulate filter. The second stage will be the refillable catalytic carbon filter. Each stage the filters are 4" X 20". I figure the filter will need to have the carbon changed each year. The catalytic carbon in bulk is much cheaper than buying non fillable filters. I figure for about 300 bucks in equipment and bulk carbon I will be good to go for the next 10 years lol. I will have to change the particulate filter here and there but those are pretty cheap. Reverse osmosis makes no sense for me because my tap water fluctuates from 40-50ppm at pH 6.5-7

San Francisco Water Power Sewer | SFPUC
and
"Chloramine is not a persistent disinfectant and decomposes easily from a chemistry point of view (Valeet al, 1998) but for water supply purposes chloramine is stable and it takes days to dissipate in the absence of
substances exerting chloramine demand (Wilczak et al., 2003b). Therefore, it is not practical to remove
chloramine by letting an open container of water stand because it may take days fo
r chloramine to dissipate.
However, chloramine is very easily and almost instantaneously removed by preparing a cup of tea or coffee,
preparing food (e.g., making a soup with a chicken stock). Adding fruit to a water pitcher (e.g., slicing peeled
orange into a 1-gal water pitcher) will neutralize chloramine within 30 minutes. If desired, chloramine and
ammonia can be completely removed from the water by boiling; however, it will take 20 minutes of gentle
boil to do that. Just a short boil of water to prepare tea or coffee removed about 30% of chloramine.... If
desired, both chlorine and chloramine can be removed for drinking water purposes by an activated carbon
filter point of use device that can be installed on a kitchen faucet. If desired, both chlorine a
nd chloramine can
be removed for bathing purposes
by dissolving Vitamin C in the bath water (1000 mg Vitamin C tablet will
neutralize chloramine in an average bathtub)"
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission

I am using

as the most simple an inexpensive solution to my chloramine problem. I use occam's razor whenever trouble shooting something.

 

[ShiggityFlip]

I saw that filter but decided that I really wanted something in line to remove all the chloramine from all my house water. So this way my drinking water and cooking water would already have it removed. The device you posted is a fantastic idea though for someone interested in using it just for garden irrigation water. Very cheap for a basic setup. Kudos for all the other info as well stoopingcrane. I am writing all that info down! +reps

 

[Graytail]

I've been using that same garden filter.

I mix 80% 5-stage RO water with 20% filtered tap water. My tap water is over 400 ppm, unfortunately.

 

[Conradino23]

Yeah a lot depends on where you live and what running water there is.

 

[Doc Bud]

Good info on filters guys.

 

[Noob4x4grow]

Just dropping by to read all this information. I needed to see what all the fuss was about.

 

[Doc Bud]

Just dropping by to read all this information. I needed to see what all the fuss was about.

We're fussing over stuff like this:

 

[Noob4x4grow]

Oh my Doc... Frosty doesn.t begin to describe those nugs.

 

[Doc Bud]

Oh my Doc... Frosty doesn.t begin to describe those nugs.

You can do it too! I use my kit, same as other folks who get similar results.