Total Dissolved Solids

[truckdrift]

I use tap water and the TDS(ppm) is 620. now i like my plants 1400-1500, but the question i have is, is it even possible to get water with a low TDS? i figure if i can get water with a lower TDS then i can put more nutes in the water instead of the minerals that are in the water to begin with. any info is always appreciated.

 

[truckdrift]

IT IS POSSIBLE...plants can only handle a certain amount of ppm, so with a lower starting ppm in the water means more nutes for the babies...its time to go cheif a bleezy...i feel smart today

 

[flyfishinrock]

my tap water is 34 ppm, I have to supplement cal, Iron and mag because of this; 620 sounds REALLY hi to me though.

 

[McBudz]

my tap water is 34 ppm, I have to supplement cal, Iron and mag because of this; 620 sounds REALLY hi to me though.

What do you use for supplementing C,I, and M?

 

[truckdrift]

Do the supplements help?....weve got really hard water where i live thats why its so high

 

[flyfishinrock]

botanicare "cal-mag" works good, but I'm a stoner and forget to put in in sometimes. lol should do it every week. I believe its mostly for soft water.

 

[MK Ultraman]

Yes, if you buy bottle water or get a R.O system. Soft water contains sodium which is bad for your plants, most nutes are made for tap water but with fairly low ppm around say 50-100 ppm. Where I'm at my tap reads around 650 ppm. Cal-mag plus is mostly made for low tap and R.O water which is filter through a membrane which removes all those so it needs to supplemented. My Merlin RO system reduces those numbers down to .025 ppm, Arrowhead bottle water came in at .085ppm. You can mix R.O water with tap untils it reads around 50-100ppm and then use the nutes or use tap water nutes.

Yes 650 ppm for tap is not good for your plants and may cause problems down the road.

Sometimes if I run out of Cal-Mag I just use garden lime pellets and sprinkle some on the hydroton it slowly releases as the water drips they green right up.

 

[flyfishinrock]

^ nice. very good advice/info

 

[mschviney9]

For whatever it's worth, water here runs about 80 ppm TDS. Some very close neighbors also with a well has water that tests 131. My friend in a big city says tap water there runs around 400. Just for fun today I tested distilled water, and it showed about 10 ppm. I see those 2 1/2 gallon jugs of distilled water for $1.99 sometimes, maybe that would lower the TDS.


-M

 

[Stix]

620 is crazy high. Do your sinks and bathtub have any orange stains on it? Do you have city water or are you using a well? PPM of 620 is considered "hard water" I know florseries nutes offer a "hard water" micro nutrient.