Salt Buildup Soil Grow...

Ok i dont have pics to show because i washed all the salt away but here is the prob...

I have a two week old plant that is getting SALT appearing around the stem and buildup showing on a few of the lower leaves... It looks and tastes like white SALT crystals... Even the soil around the stem tasted like salt...

I used 1/4 or less strength nuts around the 2nd node... Watered with normal ph adjusted water twice... And around the 4th node watered with 1/2 strength nuts... And my last water was with normal adjusted water...

This worries me because my last plants were destroyed because of nut burn and the leaves tasted like SALT... =[

I use Botanicare Pure Blend Grow, Liquid Karma, Cal Mag Plus and a few drops of Superthrive... 1st watering @ 1/4 strength was onlt Grow and Karma... 2nd @ 1/2 strength watering was with all 3...

I use Pro Ph Down and Pro Ph Down... I dont know who makes them... White bottles with green (down) and blue (up) labels that have arrows on them..

What could be causing the salt to collect like that... =O

EDIT:
Ok i lied there is a little salt left on this leaf so here you go... A lil fuzzy but you get the picture... =[

depending on what your waterr souce is, it could be too much calcium....... maybe try less of the calmag stuff........ i have hard water and was using calmag and getting serrious problems!

My last plants had the same problem but i did not have cal mag at that time... =[

Thanks though... Also i filter my water with a PUR 3 stage filter... =O

Here is the PH up and down i use... Could either of these be the cause of the salinity in the soil... Like i said i have added VERY little nutrients so it seems strange to have such bad salt build up...

hard water

I get rocky mountain water so it should be pretty clean and like i said i run it through a 3 stage PUR water filter... ??

My psychic impression is that it has something to do with your water.

How old is the filter you're using. They don't last long. Do you have a TDS meter? Is there a water softener in your home? Softeners add salts. Good luck.

Water softeners: How much sodium do they add? - MayoClinic.com

The amount of sodium a water softener adds to tap water depends on the "hardness" of your water. The best way to decrease your sodium intake is by cutting back on table salt and processed foods. But the water from your tap also may add a significant amount of sodium to your diet. Reducing dietary sodium can lower systolic blood pressure by 2 to 8 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg).
Hard water contains large amounts of calcium and magnesium — dissolved from the soil by rainwater. A typical water-softening system removes calcium and magnesium ions from hard water and replaces them with sodium ions. The higher the concentration of calcium and magnesium, the more sodium needed to soften the water.
Your local health department can tell you the sodium and other mineral content of your community's water supply. (Water naturally contains some sodium before it's softened.)
This information can help you determine the total amount of sodium your tap water may have before being softened. It can also help you estimate the amount of sodium (milligrams per liter) a softener adds to your water. Here's how:

• <LI class=doublespace>Ask your local health department for the hardness of your water in grains per gallon. <LI class=doublespace>Multiply this number by 8 &#8212; or 7.866 to be more precise. This tells you how much sodium is added to your water by softening.
• Add this figure to the amount of naturally occurring sodium in your water &#8212; also from your local health department &#8212; to determine the total sodium.

Water softener: How much salt does it add?Initial water hardness
(grains per gallon)Sodium added to water by softening (milligrams per liter)1854010802016040320
One survey found that, as a general rule, an 8-ounce glass of softened tap water contains less than 12.5 milligrams of sodium. According to the Food and Drug Administration nutrient guidelines, this is in the very low-sodium range.
If you find that your tap water is high in sodium, you may consider:

• Switching to another type of water-purification system
• Buying demineralized water for drinking and cooking
• Softening only the hot water and using unsoftened cold water for drinking and cooking

Would my PUR 3 stage filter be softening the water... ??

I am pretty sure that it is from my water but i am doing some tests to determine that... I left a little bit of my ph adjusted water out to see what would happen and it did leave a white SLIGHTLY salty tasting residue...

I just left two more samples out this morning one with the normal tap water and one with the water from the 3 Stage faucet filter... We shall see what happens once they have evaporated...

I will look into what exactly my filter is doing to the water but if anyone has any ideas shoot away...

Thanks for the info all... =] No wonder my last plants died... I though i over fed them but apparently there was a ton of salt just from normal watering... Just before i tossed them i took a leaf off and chewed it up but had to spit it out immediately as it was saturated with salt and tasted nothing like a pot leaf... =O

I do not have a tds right now and plan on buying one when its time to switch to hydro but for now i can not afford it... I was thinking about using a normal voltmeter to test EC of the water... Just a thought have no idea if it can even do that... =]

I wish i could afford a RO system too but maybe for a birthday present... =]

Dreaming... =] LOL... =]

Ok i checked with my local water reports... Not sure witch county i am in so i check them both and both report a sodium average level @ 19 ppm...

One of my counties and probably the one i am in states the TDS and its detected levels are 179 (56-192)... That should not be enough to produce the salt buildup i am getting... Could it... ??

And i looked on the PUR filter site and it did not say anything about softening with the standard sink mount 3 Stage filter...

your Pur filter isn't adding salt, but if the filter is worn out, it's not doing anything for you. The reason I asked about the softener is that softeners take out things the plant can use, like Mg and Ca, and add Na, which when combined with Cl becomes table salt in it's dry form.

A TDS meter might help you get sorted out. You can get them pretty cheap.
Mine came "free" in a ZeroWater pitcher package. The whole thing cost about 40 bucks.

You don't have to buy a RO system. You can probably find a RO machine in your community. They're pretty common in grocery stores around here. Assumming that you aren't running a huge operation, it's a good alternative to a RO setup. You can find big 5gal waterbottles at Wal-Mart or steal 'em where you find 'em.

i have had salt buildup for awhile we get alot of runoff water this time of year,but since it raised my ph and ive had to use ph down i have had many problems,like you im trying to figure it out.ive decided to stop useing ph down for my next watering and see what happens,because i never changed my ph before so im wondering if ph down does something in the soil,good luck.

I think it would be cheaper in the long run to get a RO... But store BOUGHT water might have to be a solution for now... =[

http://cheaphydroponics.com/cart/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=181

Cheap TDS i would almost rather buy a good one instead tho... =]

Could not find a Zero Water package got any links... =?

Z-Pitcher | Zero Water | Walgreens

That's a link to the Zero Water package I bought. I think I picked mine up at Walgreen's.

Since I decided I needed a Ph meter, later, I got myself a Hanna Combo meter.
This is the lowest price I've been able to find it at:

HANNA HI 98129 Waterproof pH/ EC/ TDS/ °C Tester, Meter, HI98129

The problem with the Hanna meter is that you're getting into needing to have calibration solutions on hand. Plus you gotta cal it. The cheaper meters are factory cal'd and essentially disposable.

This is what i need... Getting some this weekend... =]

Botanicare : Product Overview : Nutrients

I have some of this salty bud and its very white looking.

Id hate to dump it, but is it hazardous if smoked?

bump

having some issues aswell....

Greetings!