Water Quality question

SnoopyDoo

SnoopyDoo

Well-Known Member
So like my other threads in this forum, doing some research on changing my feeding schedule. Checking water quality reports for my area reveal average PPM for sodium be around 46ppm (I'm sure that's higher during the spring run off, lower the rest of the year). Chloride I find bothersome at 52ppm average. The report indicates this is from "Erosion of natural deposits", so again I assume higher in the spring and lower the rest of the year. Nevertheless, I've been battling what I thought was potassium deficiency or lock-out, but a little research indicates Chloride toxicity can cause marginal leaf burn too. It doesn't help that we have 3 treatment plants in my area and the water report is an average of the three and they use different filtration systems. RO is out of the question for now.

So my question is are those PPM levels for Chloride and Sodium "acceptable" or is it a cause for concern? It's not like my plants are getting nuked or something - quality and quantity is still there. Also there is a possibility my Potassium lock-out/deficiency may be from over application of Lime.

Anybody else fight this battle? Any suggestions?

TIA
 
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Beehive

Beehive

Well-Known Member
If you're concerned about chlorine. Vitamin C will neutralize it.

Cheap Vitamin C from the dollar store. 500mg tablets.

1/8 of that will clear a gallon of chlorides.1/4 tablet makes sure. Using a pill cutter. Then smashed to powder between two spoons. Stirred into the water. It works almost instantly. (The smell is gone)
 
cannabineer

cannabineer

Ursus marijanus
Beehive said:
If you're concerned about chlorine. Vitamin C will neutralize it.

Cheap Vitamin C from the dollar store. 500mg tablets.

1/8 of that will clear a gallon of chlorides.1/4 tablet makes sure. Using a pill cutter. Then smashed to powder between two spoons. Stirred into the water. It works almost instantly. (The smell is gone)
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Chloride isn’t chlorine. Your advice doesn’t work for chloride.

OP’s numbers are marginal. I would definitely look to RO to make the margin not so thin.
 
xtsho

xtsho

Well-Known Member
Beehive said:
It's 9pm. Grant me a pass on the chloride.

I use RO too.
Click to expand...

I don't know why some are so worried about chlorine in water. It's actually used by the plant and is a component in the process of photosynthesis. Plants need chlorine to convert light into energy for the plant. Plant's don't need vitamin C tablets in their water.
 
hotrodharley

hotrodharley

Well-Known Member
“
Chloride is easily dissolved in water and enters the plant through soil and air. It is essential to the chemical reaction that allows the opening and closing of the plant’s stomata, tiny pores that allow gas and water to be exchanged between the plant and the air around it. Without this exchange, photosynthesis can’t occur. Sufficient chloride on garden plants may inhibit fungal infections. Chloride deficiency symptoms include wilting due to restricted and highly branched root systems and leaf mottling. Chloride deficiency in members of the cabbage family is easily detected by the lack of cabbage odor, although research has yet to discover why.

Read more at Gardening Know How: Information On Chloride And Plant Growth https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/information-on-chloride-and-plant-growth.htm
 
cannabineer

cannabineer

Ursus marijanus
xtsho said:
I don't know why some are so worried about chlorine in water. It's actually used by the plant and is a component in the process of photosynthesis. Plants need chlorine to convert light into energy for the plant. Plant's don't need vitamin C tablets in their water.
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50 ppm of chloride is marginally enough to lock out anions from Cannabis.
Cannabis seems to do OK with <1ppm chloride.
 
SnoopyDoo

SnoopyDoo

Well-Known Member
Not concerned about Chlorine - tons of simple solutions to that problem. Chloride OTOH could be the reason I'm getting what appears to be potassium deficiency/lock-out, but can't seem to come up with a solution. I think I've narrowed it down to either the chloride or possibly over/improper application of lime.

Can't really do RO because the grow doesn't have plumbing. By my calculations I'd have to haul in twice as much water and then haul 50% of that back out, so triple the hauling around of water, triple my chances of spills, etc. My meds are supposed to help with my back problems, not cause them. So I'm stuck with the tap water for now.

Any comments on the ~50ppm of sodium???

TIA.
 
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SnoopyDoo

SnoopyDoo

Well-Known Member
Any thoughts on going with smaller plants? I recently increased plant heights and I wonder if that's just giving the Chloride time to build up???
 
SnoopyDoo

SnoopyDoo

Well-Known Member
hotrodharley said:
“
Chloride is easily dissolved in water and enters the plant through soil and air. It is essential to the chemical reaction that allows the opening and closing of the plant’s stomata, tiny pores that allow gas and water to be exchanged between the plant and the air around it. Without this exchange, photosynthesis can’t occur. Sufficient chloride on garden plants may inhibit fungal infections. Chloride deficiency symptoms include wilting due to restricted and highly branched root systems and leaf mottling. Chloride deficiency in members of the cabbage family is easily detected by the lack of cabbage odor, although research has yet to discover why.

Read more at Gardening Know How: Information On Chloride And Plant Growth https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/information-on-chloride-and-plant-growth.htm
Click to expand...
Thanks for the link - just dropped that site into the favs folder. The part you quoted wasn't very useful, but I know you meant well. The next section was very enlightening.

Too much chloride on garden plants, such as those grown by the poolside, will result in the same symptoms as salt damage: leaf margins may be scorched

I have scorched leaf margins.

Adverse effects of chloride and plant growth are rare because the element is so readily available through a wide variety of sources and excesses are easily leached away.

Read more at Gardening Know How: Information On Chloride And Plant Growth https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/information-on-chloride-and-plant-growth.htm

Which explains why when I was running a recycling hydro system with weekly flushes I wasn't having this problem. I miss that system; so easy to flush - fill res and run the pump for a couple cycles. My current grow (hand watered) isn't as conducive to flushing, so I reduced nutes and flushed less, which is probably allowing chloride to build up. So at this point it looks like I do have a Chloride toxicity problem. Unfortunately, the only workable solutions seem to be RO or increased flushes, both of which mean I'm going to have to move some water around. Increased flushing seems like the easier solution at this point. Guess I know what to add to my to-do list.

Thanks a bunch Gromies!!!! :blsmoke:
 
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