Water questions and deficiencies every grow

StonedGimp

StonedGimp

Active Member
I’m on my 6th grow and consistently keep having issues with a phosphorus and manganese deficiency along with the inability to turn my light up to the correct ppfd/dli for veg and flower without having serious issues. The only thing I haven’t really changed each grow to correct the issue is the water. I use well water that’s a ph of 7 and has an ec of 0.67 before ph’ing. After spending a lot of time researching this it seems like my ec is too high and there’s something in the water, possibly iron, that plants do not like. I plan to get it tested but I’m not quite sure where to go to get a reliable test. I would like to get something that will show exactly what percentage of minerals is in the water. What would be the best thing for me to do so I can actually grow without having issues? I was told to mix ro water with my well water so I purchased an ro buddy. I really don’t like using it due to the amount of time the water has to be on plus the amount of waste. Would it be possible for me to swap out ro water for distilled and mix it with the well water or should I eliminate the well water completely? I know some guys use spring water too so I’m in the process of testing several brands in my area to see what the starting ph and ec is. I’ve tested 3 so far and the ph seems to be 7.3 or higher with an ec of .2 before ph’ing down. I’m just at my wits end with this and need to get it figured out. Any help would be appreciated, thanks!
 
1

1212ham

Well-Known Member
StonedGimp said:
I’m on my 6th grow and consistently keep having issues with a phosphorus and manganese deficiency along with the inability to turn my light up to the correct ppfd/dli for veg and flower without having serious issues. The only thing I haven’t really changed each grow to correct the issue is the water. I use well water that’s a ph of 7 and has an ec of 0.67 before ph’ing. After spending a lot of time researching this it seems like my ec is too high and there’s something in the water, possibly iron, that plants do not like. I plan to get it tested but I’m not quite sure where to go to get a reliable test. I would like to get something that will show exactly what percentage of minerals is in the water. What would be the best thing for me to do so I can actually grow without having issues? I was told to mix ro water with my well water so I purchased an ro buddy. I really don’t like using it due to the amount of time the water has to be on plus the amount of waste. Would it be possible for me to swap out ro water for distilled and mix it with the well water or should I eliminate the well water completely? I know some guys use spring water too so I’m in the process of testing several brands in my area to see what the starting ph and ec is. I’ve tested 3 so far and the ph seems to be 7.3 or higher with an ec of .2 before ph’ing down. I’m just at my wits end with this and need to get it figured out. Any help would be appreciated, thanks!
Click to expand...
People need information to help. The medium and any amendments or nutes used are fundamental to a nutrient deficiency. Did you use the ro water? Did anything change?
 
bam0813

bam0813

Well-Known Member
Imo i don’t think the water is likely the issue. Tell us everything about your grows. What you use for media, what you feed , frequency of both, where it goes bad, your light(s), rh, temp etc. pics would probably help but might not be needed . The more you give people the more answers they can give
 
bam0813

bam0813

Well-Known Member
You started off saying you have deficiencies but all your discussing is water ph ec . What and at what Ec do you feed
 
Polly Wog

Polly Wog

Well-Known Member
I chased my tail for years. I had deficiencies at week 3 or 4 of bloom. All grows. I finally read lots and found my lights were too bright for the humidity and temp. I tried different soil, lights, fertilizer, calmag you name it. I even spent money on a quantum light meter. Now I run a climate control setup in my 5x5 and my plants are like I've never seen. My light was too bright making my plants transpire too much and cause deficiencies. So too much light and vpd were my problem.
 
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70's natureboy

70's natureboy

Well-Known Member
I would be very worried about well water that was .67 EC. Spring water is perfect if you can afford it. You should get your water tested or get some kind of filter to get the EC lower.
 
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