Can I use pond water to water plants?

[Helmut79]

I'm growing in Coco and always adjusting PH to 5.7 - 6.0

I've been watering with rainwater with success, but there's no rain lately and my water tanks are almost empty.

I have a big pond on my yard. Can pond water be used to water plants?

My plan was simply filtering this water with a pre-filter and lastly with RO filter as it has algea, bacteria and insects in it... and 150ppm of salts.

Do you see any problem with my plan?

 

[ltecato]

If you can filter out all the nasty, I don't see why not, provided your pond isn't too close to a toxic waste dump or abandoned uranium mine. Maybe you could "shock" the water with peroxide or a similar anti-biological chemical just to be safe after you remove it from the pond. But if you can safely eat veggies from your yard, I would expect the pond water to be OK for irrigation.

 

[somebody1701]

Have you thought about how you would create the necessary pressure to push the pond water through an RO filter? I would just use it untreated myself unless you know of something wrong with it. You could also use a UV filter.

 

[ISK]

have the water tested....the report will tell you exactly what's in your water

PS: some regions will do this for free...or dirt cheap

 

[vostok]

as ur water depletes so does the pond

getting more shitty by the hour

shitty as in bacteria concentrations hit the roof as ph swings on the hour every day

then resetting 2 hours before sunrise

imo use well water, its deeper, older, and more stable, .. this you can 'play' with

and for $40 get an annual test

good luck

 

[Helmut79]

If you can filter out all the nasty, I don't see why not, provided your pond isn't too close to a toxic waste dump or abandoned uranium mine. Maybe you could "shock" the water with peroxide or a similar anti-biological chemical just to be safe after you remove it from the pond. But if you can safely eat veggies from your yard, I would expect the pond water to be OK for irrigation.

Basically there are all kinds of life forms in the pond except fish - frogs, lizards, insects, algae... which kind of proves it's not toxic imo.

 

[Helmut79]

Have you thought about how you would create the necessary pressure to push the pond water through an RO filter? I would just use it untreated myself unless you know of something wrong with it. You could also use a UV filter.

I actually have a pretty descent RO filter which has a pump inside that turns on when it feels pressure from outside. I would use a simple automatic water pump to pump the water from pond to through pre-filters and into the RO filter.

 

[DG1959]

I have a cattle water tank that we also have a lot of fish in, maybe a 100 gallon? My thoughts are it works,,,I use that water with no problem but you never know.

 

[Helmut79]

as ur water depletes so does the pond

getting more shitty by the hour

shitty as in bacteria concentrations hit the roof as ph swings on the hour every day

then resetting 2 hours before sunrise

imo use well water, its deeper, older, and more stable, .. this you can 'play' with

and for $40 get an annual test

good luck

It's quite a big pond. I could swim in it.

I measured 7.2ph yesterday. Would be interesting to measure the PH level now different times througout the day to see if what you said is true about how it swings. I've been using rainwater with success and I've had no problems adjusting PH accordingly. From your point of view I get and idea that pond water is not old enough to be stable, but rainwater should be even more unstable then. Haven't had problems though. Shouldn't have problems with pond water either then. I'll report back about PH.

 

[Helmut79]

I have a cattle water tank that we also have a lot of fish in, maybe a 100 gallon? My thoughts are it works,,,I use that water with no problem but you never know.

The safest way would be probably filtering it. Filters aren't that cheap at all to be honest. Especially when you have a lot at stake you know...

 

[wns99]

Test the water before doing it! It may harm your plant.

 

[Helmut79]

Test the water before doing it! It may harm your plant.

Even when filtering with RO filter? Why?

 

[wns99]

Even when filtering with RO filter? Why?

If your filtering the water youre good man! Goodluck

 

[Helmut79]

Thanks.

 

[Bakersfield]

If you are growing outdoors in coco, which sounds like what your doing, collecting rainwater and away from the domestic household water, then I would think your pond water would be even better for your plants than rain water.
As long as the pond is not polluted, it should be teaming with life and nutrients, giving your plants what they want.

When I use to grow outdoors, I would dig a deep hole and line it with plastic and allow it to fill during the winter, for my irrigation needs. All manner of forest life would live and some would drown in my little pond, it was absolutely disgusting, but the plants loved it.

 

[somebody1701]

Well water typically sucks, IMO. At least around here. Very hard and smelly. I wouldn't wash my car with the well water around here. If it's a large pond, I would use that before I used well water (from where I live).

 

[Helmut79]

Well water typically sucks, IMO. At least around here. Very hard and smelly. I wouldn't wash my car with the well water around here. If it's a large pond, I would use that before I used well water (from where I live).

Good to know.

If you are growing outdoors in coco, which sounds like what your doing, collecting rainwater and away from the domestic household water, then I would think your pond water would be even better for your plants than rain water.
As long as the pond is not polluted, it should be teaming with life and nutrients, giving your plants what they want.

When I use to grow outdoors, I would dig a deep hole and line it with plastic and allow it to fill during the winter, for my irrigation needs. All manner of forest life would live and some would drown in my little pond, it was absolutely disgusting, but the plants loved it.

I'm doing hydroponics though.

 

[Bakersfield]

[QUOTE="Helmut79, post: 12980344, member: 765826"

I'm doing hydroponics though.[/QUOTE]
As in worried about clogged drip emmiters or it might interfere with your nutrient balance feeding regimen?
If that were the case I would get a big tank and haul some water home from the fire station.

 

[Bareback]

If you put pond water in a res your going to grow a lot more than weed. I'm sorry I forgot about the filter.
I'm glad you asked this question, I too have a pond and was told to stay away from it for indoor growing. But I used to work at building water treatment plants. Installing filters was one of my jobs. So if your interested you could build a mini version of one with a 55 gallon drum. First drill a hole and install a buckhead then add a horizontal pick up ( pic pipe with holes drilled in it wrapped in landscape cloth ) next layer stones in progressive smaller size finally topped off with sand. Pump water over the sand when it comes out the bottom it will be free of sediment. Put that water in a tank with a uv filter. Probably ok to drink. Idk if this helps but if you try it I want to know. Peace out Bare

 

[Helmut79]

as ur water depletes so does the pond

getting more shitty by the hour

shitty as in bacteria concentrations hit the roof as ph swings on the hour every day

then resetting 2 hours before sunrise

imo use well water, its deeper, older, and more stable, .. this you can 'play' with

and for $40 get an annual test

good luck

I've measured my pond water at different time and different days. It varies between 7.1 - 7.3

Quite stable!