Who's using straight tap water?

Never had a problem before using it, i just throw a res full of tap water and add my A & B nutes maybe a lil 0-50-30 if blooming and then balance with PH up and down. Been doing it for years, I also use RO water in other rooms and the only difference i see really is PH fluctuation seem to be less in the RO water.

I was using tap water in my hydro setup. That is until I figured out what my ph and ppm was. My ph was perfect at 6.5 but the ppm was through the roof. It was at 447. And unfortunetly they died. So I dropped the hydro setup and I am trying soil for the first time.

I want to remind you if you are using GH and the three part make sure ou get the "harwater micro" and not the regular micro. General Hydroponics has accounted for us cowboy types with the HArdwater Micro, same price. It buffers tapwater and has less cal and mag becasue our tapwater has all that already. It saved m grow. I dont even check ph anymore. Also GH has a nutrient calculator on their website that is awesome, it does all the work for me. I am using a mix of the normal and agresive programs. Only diference in flower I use the Lucas formula of 8 ml flora micro harwater and 16 ml of bloom. Theirs had two much N in flower for my tastes.

Ph of 7.0.
For some reason I don't get a ppm reading.

Inkslinger118 said:

I was using tap water in my hydro setup. That is until I figured out what my ph and ppm was. My ph was perfect at 6.5 but the ppm was through the roof. It was at 447. And unfortunetly they died. So I dropped the hydro setup and I am trying soil for the first time.

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Hate to say it, but your pH of 6.5 was FAR from perfect!!! 5.3 to 5.8 is where you want to be for hydro (in most peoples opinions, and yes I know some people say as high as 6.0, but my plants have never liked it that high). Having your pH at 6.5 was probably what caused you enough problems to stop growing hydro and switching to soil. And soil is even tougher to do correctly (again, in my opinion), so good luck to you....

PS,
for soil, i believe that 6.0 is pretty close to the standard pH that people shoot for.....So again, your pH of 6.5 is still outta whack...

tea tree said:

I want to remind you if you are using GH and the three part make sure ou get the "harwater micro" and not the regular micro. General Hydroponics has accounted for us cowboy types with the HArdwater Micro, same price. It buffers tapwater and has less cal and mag becasue our tapwater has all that already. It saved m grow. I dont even check ph anymore. Also GH has a nutrient calculator on their website that is awesome, it does all the work for me. I am using a mix of the normal and agresive programs. Only diference in flower I use the Lucas formula of 8 ml flora micro harwater and 16 ml of bloom. Theirs had two much N in flower for my tastes.

Click to expand...

Of course you only need to buy the "hard water" micro nutes if you actually have "hard water." I know this seems redundant, but I just wanted to mention it so that people that don't have a hard water problem don't blindly go buying the wrong type of nutes for their systems...

The difference betwen Hrad water Micro and regular Micro.
Micro
Nitrate 4.7 %
Ammonical N 0.3%
Potassium 1%
Calcium 5%
Iron 0.1%
Manganese 0.05%

No Mgnesium is in either forn mula Hard Water Micro
Nitrate 3.7 %
Ammonical N 0.3%
Urea 1%
Potassium 1%
Calcium 1%
Iron 0.1%
Manganese 0.05%

Urea uptake caussed the plant roots to put out H+ ions which are neutralized by the hard waters carbonates there for preventing high pH supposedly. While it works well with some hard water it deos not work well with all hard water. It tends to work best with hard water that is caused by carbonates not soluble calcium. One really needs a copy of their water anlysis to know what will work best.

If you have high levels of soluble calcium you will have white deposits in the bottom of pots in which you boil water (pasta pots). The best way to remove soluble calcium is to heat the water and while it is still hot run the water through a fine sediment filter. Heating the water turns the soluble calium into calcium carbonate precipitates. However once it cools it returns to a soluble calcium state. Soluble calcium is often referred to as temporary water hardness for just that reason. One can simply use a sediment prefilter and run hot water through it to remove that calcium. A RO filter is not needed. However a RO filter will remove calcium carbonates that heating will not cause to go out of solution as precipitates.