Grow Mediums EC Tap Water + Nutes ?

[redevil]

I have been checking the web for sometime and would like to ask the gurus here if they can give me a definitive answer on this one

If my tap water is EC 0.5 and my nutes supplier/general advice is to feed at EC 1.6 should i make up my nute solution to EC 2.1 or 1.6 ?

I am thinking that you should factor in the water EC s if you were using EC 0 RO water then to get EC 1.6 nutes you would make the solution up to EC 1.6, if using Water at EC 0.5 then go EC 2.1

I assume that Tap water with an EC 0.5 is virtually no NPK and that the majority of the EC would be due to Calcium and Chlorine so making it up to EC 2.1 Would only be setting the NPK and minerals at EC 1.6

your thoughts

 

[DWCocha]

YEP , I think you would disregard the background ec & go for 2,1 !. but im no guru & 0.5 is high so i could be wrong ? !.... Its a good idea to leave the water for 24hours from the tap before using to dissolve any Chlorine (preferably with an airpump to airate it) ..An airpump may drop the ec a bit as well ?.

 

[redevil]

Thanks i have 8 litres of water bubbling away for 12 hours and it still shows EC 0.8 PH 8.0 !! I have calibrated my meters

 

[leeold7]

I am using

Phosphite downgraded PH(H3P03)

Elevated potassium hydroxide PH(KOH)

Let your reference

 

[DWCocha]

EC-0.8 out of the tap ??? :jaw:thats A LOT :jaw:.... Too much surely ?. Mine is like 0.1 .

 

[redevil]

well that is my reading after calibrating the meter, my EC and PH fluctuate a lot I have seen the tap water at 0.4 and ph 7.0 - 7.5

 

[KsjAuto]

Im not an xpert but
Hard Water Tends to fluctuate more than soft Water.
My own tap Water is 300 ppm 0,6 EC 7.6 ph.
it goes up 0,5 ph in 24 hours.
Peace

 

[TheLittleBoyWhoPointed]

I have a high ec water out of the tap, varying from ec 0.4 to ec 0.9 at times...I always factor that into my ec and nute readings and measurements. I suggest this as a good place to start, increasing the total ec of the solution with additional nutes incrementally and seeing how the plant handles it....back off in nute strength once you are happy with growth or you see a slight nute burn on the leaf tips.
It's really up to the plant, the strain, the medium and method used on the plants and the nutes....add to that mix a beginning water with an ec value and it's a try it and see scenario IMO.
Keep notes on this and as memory fades you can go back to them to refresh yourself...it also helps when trying to figure out the factors that can make one grow a success and the other a failure when on the surface, all things seem the same.

TLBWP

 

[YoungBudz]

Correct me if I'm wrong, I am going off of memory and how I've always done it, but Your EC measurements should include tap water strength. You should check your local water treatment facilities Water Quality Report or Consumer Report or something to that effect. Usually it is on their website. They will have ranges and averages for PPM's (including calcium and magnesium levels good stuff) which is easily converted into EC by the following PPM/1000 *2 = EC. You can compare their numbers to your readings and get a better idea of how accurate your meter is.

Now the reasoning I believe for using the EC of tap water in the total is that the total dissolved solids in the water impact the roots ability to uptake nutrients. It's like if your having a block party and the whole city shows up your going to get backed up really quick. But... someone back me up or shoot me down this is something I learned a while ago and could have it ass backwards.

Budz

*edit* for information sake for those who don't quite know, PPM and EC are measures of total dissolved solids suspended in an aqueous solution (water), one measures this through parts per million and one through electrical conductivity, but they both are a measurement of total dissolved solids.

 

[KsjAuto]

I agree with
Youngbudz.