Does tap water kill plants?

[2Hearts]

Is tap water really that killer agent, are there really unknown scary chemicals in it and if you think its that bad surely its unfit for human consumption as well?

If i called my water board and told them their water was this bad i think they might just laugh at me for being so stupid.

This subject is confusing and ive grown plants in many different countries with tap water to no ill effect, hec i even had a choice of hard or soft water ferts to suit.

So propogander or hard science..... Are some municipal water suppliers plant killers and is this a systemic problem in your area/state or country?

 

[tip top toker]

If you can drink it you can grow with it.

 

[2Hearts]

If you can drink it you can grow with it.

Some growers make me think i should disconect and stop funding this noxious concoction that state water suppliers are pumping into my house by the bucket load.

 

[Rudi I&I Automan]

If you can drink it you can grow with it.

in theory at least

 

[tip top toker]

Some growers make me think i should disconect and stop funding this noxious concoction that state water suppliers are pumping into my house by the bucket load.

Some growers will also tell you that you must leave tap water out for 24 hours before using it, and that you must have a ppm meter, and that you must ABCDEFGH.

And yes Rudi. In theory. But it also goes the other way as well. Where i used to grow, my water was appaling, really nasty stuff, didn't taste too good. Had a spanish guy move in and the water actually made him sick, he had to buy water from the supermarket for 3 months instead, but it still grew my plants just fine

 

[Rudi I&I Automan]

you can dechlorinate it over night, filter it through water filter ion exchange resin A/B IIRC.. you can use those house water filters to get R/O water, but river or rain water is best

THE CLUE IS IN THE NAME "WEED", they will tollerate a wide variaty of growing conditions and ph ranges, the more complicated you make the grow, the more things can go wrong and growing should be a pleasure not a chore

 

[tip top toker]

you can dechlorinate it over night, filter it through water filter ion exchange resin A/B IIRC.. you can use those house water filters to get R/O water, but river or rain water is best

THE CLUE IS IN THE NAME "WEED", they will tollerate a wide variaty of growing conditions and ph ranges, the more complicated you make the grow, the more things can go wrong and growing should be a pleasure not a chore

But if they don't make it a chore then they lose one of the arguing points relating to why their weed prices are such a joke

 

[tip top toker]

See my point exactly, what science are you basing this on cause all water companies tolerances that ive used were well within plant tollerances.

Any evidence to why i have to treat my tap water or are you just passing on somthing you read?

I think he is more just stating a list of things you could do to it if you wanted, and then follows up by saying that it's called weed for a reason and these things are almost always unnecessary steps.

cannabis is one of those things where there is no science behind anything, look at flushing as an example. I don't think anyone has ever put forth a compelling scientific argument for flushing. But the myth get's passed from grower to grower that you have to flush or your weed will taste bad and smoke bad and yada yada bullshit. And they base this on nothing more than "i reckon.......". People have "good" reason to make cannabis a lot more complicated thatn it needs to be. Some want to be able to justify their prices, others want to feel self important checking and adjusting ppm and ph every 25 seconds. Some are just clueless and do what they're told to do no matter what they're being told to do. Few growers are willing to accept that it is just a plant, it is just botany. They want to believe that it's some magical thing and simple plant foods won't work, that general gardening practices cannot apply etc. Again, because they want to feel self important.

 

[Rudi I&I Automan]

the female pill is in towny water and non filrterable, heavy lime deposits to mess your feeding and ph up.
london tap water has been through 10 people by the time you drink it.

 

[2Hearts]

Sorry i misread my bad and apologies

I think he is more just stating a list of things you could do to it if you wanted, and then follows up by saying that it's called weed for a reason and these things are almost always unnecessary steps.

cannabis is one of those things where there is no science behind anything, look at flushing as an example. I don't think anyone has ever put forth a compelling scientific argument for flushing. But the myth get's passed from grower to grower that you have to flush or your weed will taste bad and smoke bad and yada yada bullshit. And they base this on nothing more than "i reckon.......". People have "good" reason to make cannabis a lot more complicated thatn it needs to be. Some want to be able to justify their prices, others want to feel self important checking and adjusting ppm and ph every 25 seconds. Some are just clueless and do what they're told to do no matter what they're being told to do. Few growers are willing to accept that it is just a plant, it is just botany. They want to believe that it's some magical thing and simple plant foods won't work, that general gardening practices cannot apply etc. Again, because they want to feel self important.

 

[tip top toker]

Not at all. I could very well have misinterpreted

all i know is that i violated pretty much every single "rule" their is for growing (many of which people will claim are absolutely mandatory) and my plants did just fine, all while using shitty super hard water straight from the tap.

 

[2Hearts]

Not at all. I could very well have misinterpreted

all i know is that i violated pretty much every single "rule" their is for growing (many of which people will claim are absolutely mandatory) and my plants did just fine, all while using shitty super hard water straight from the tap.

I miss the days when soil and water was good enough, plants these days are a lot more fussy!

 

[2Hearts]

Id love to suggest a forum for just those growers who can manage on simply shop bought soil and tap water and who dont bitch on about every single variable!

The bulk density science of soil means its one of the best buffering mediums available to us but most treat it like its the worst. These growers need to go hydro and stop panicking the crap out of the rest of us.

 

[Cobnobuler]

Of course you can use tap water. If you couldnt, I wouldnt be able to grow. I sure as hell aint buying the shit bottled.
I do fill up gallon jugs with pin holes in the lids and let them sit around and its always worked fine for me.

 

[2Hearts]

Well said although i dont subscribe to the theory of letting the water sit so chlorine gas can dissapate although i agree water companies do use it. This is of little effort and ensure water reaches room temp and would also be my only complaint on tap water that in the winter it can get a little cold.

Of course you can use tap water. If you couldnt, I wouldnt be able to grow. I sure as hell aint buying the shit bottled.
I do fill up gallon jugs with pin holes in the lids and let them sit around and its always worked fine for me.

 

[I'mSimplyStoned]

There are A LOT of variables in this one. First and foremost, the concentration of dissolved solids in the water. Sometimes; these numbers can reach 400+ out the TAP! MOST people have access to decent water. It's riddled with chloramine, but hey; that helps keep my reservoir sterile.

Tap; if conditioned properly will more than likely be fine for most indoor/ outdoor applications.
Adjusting PH, inducing nutes your growing media doesnt ALREADY provide.

Another fun way is to make a reservoir! put a submersible pump in there and get a 4 foot length of 1" tubing. BAM. pre mix, bubble out chlorine etc. I'm too medicated for 7:30 AM

 

[2Hearts]

Concentration of dissolved solids is noob stuff, now if you can quote the bio availability of each individual ion id start to have more of a discussion about these so called variables that people skimp over at mere basic levels.

There are A LOT of variables in this one. First and foremost, the concentration of dissolved solids in the water. Sometimes; these numbers can reach 400+ out the TAP! MOST people have access to decent water. It's riddled with chloramine, but hey; that helps keep my reservoir sterile.

Tap; if conditioned properly will more than likely be fine for most indoor/ outdoor applications.
Adjusting PH, inducing nutes your growing media doesnt ALREADY provide.

Another fun way is to make a reservoir! put a submersible pump in there and get a 4 foot length of 1" tubing. BAM. pre mix, bubble out chlorine etc. I'm too medicated for 7:30 AM

 

[2Hearts]

When people go on about water ppm i think they generalise that this is a high level, really is probably between 10 and 20 different elements all with a low ppm like 20 to 40 ppm with one or two elements like cal/mag/sodium accounting for anything higher.

Um probably why plants grow just sweet in hard water too!

 

[2Hearts]

Bio-availability: If i put a load of leaves into my soil the plant roots can assimilate none of the nutrients of the leaf but if i make a big pile of leaves in the back yard and let them sit for a year then add to my soil the plant roots suck up nutrients with ease.

Same with water, some elements are easily available to roots and some arent. Charge, size and wether osmotic or atp energy transport also play a factor.

Why worry about hard water rather buy a hard water specific fert or better still get the water analysis data which is publically available to down load and check max/min seasonal levels of each element in the water plus its ph and total ppm then make an informed descicion on wether your really maxing out on certain trace elements or not.

If you ph your water it can be tempreture dependant so make sure you ph at the same tempreture all the time.

Again im unsure what peoples problem on tap water is, really is it that dangerous? Some min waters in my shop hit 350 and i see plants loving it in some threads ( coincidentally i see there is a vast breakdown on the lables of some bottled waters, none of the ppms for each element make me worry if i was given it to a plant. Cal/mag/silica/chlorine mmmm plants love these elements, isnt that why seaweed extract/liquid is so damn good!

Really i call bs on these tap water haters, they like to grow the hard way omg....

 

[I'mSimplyStoned]

I dont know how to take you bud... but hey. whether you realize it or not, were saying the same thing. Might be noob stuff to YOU, but there are people out there that are still learning. Its easier to troubleshoot with BASICS first, then move onto the shit people dont have to really pay attention to.. just saying. Tap water is great. As long as you're not pushing 200ppm out the faucet youre good. You still have to PH adjust it, and in all honesty.. It's easier to PH water that has some content to it. (higher ppms)

My water comes out between 40 and 60 tops. Perfect. I water with cal-mag and my water sitting at 300 PPMs for my clones and seedlings. PPM's in my grow, are CRUCIAL. But thats just what I go by I guess.

Another thing to keep in mind is media. I grow in soil and hydro. I have one hempy going too. Interestingly, plants that are in soils with nutes for a life cycle did not like super hard water. Because the soil kept the root zone PPM's so high ALREADY, that when I added he water it became toxic. This was with regular flushing with PH'd DISTILLED water. Now, in hydro; its different as well. If youre starting with a base water that has 2-300 PPm's out the tap, that leaves you room for 100-200PPMs worth of nutrients through its veg cycle. Thats serious room right there to add some beneficiaries.