Do I need to add CalMag to tap water?

hotrodharley

hotrodharley

Well-Known Member
Craig1969SS said:
Man I agree with a lot of your contributions and thoughts here. I've learned from your replies but you're splitting molecular hairs here. The biosynthesis in the soil is being overlooked, enzymes and precursors produced by both the bio and plant make substances available in absorptive form.
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Just going from what I have learned from experience and actual commercial growers. For whatever they might know. These guys are hydro tomato growers. Water is like gold here so for them to use RO specifically to rid the water of Ca and Mg just to turn around and add it was no split second idea. They suggested (one is a smoker!) using any calcium nitrate or calcium acetate additive. However they said in soil actual calcium deficiencies are pretty rare.
 
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Sweeve

Sweeve

Active Member
@JESUS_420@ said:
sweeve, thanks for the reply, im trying to wrap my head around this ppm stuff before i get started have a couple of plants that are about to get there first feeding and want to learn as much as i can............ now as far as what u said, im assuming ur saying to just add enough nuets to my 90ppm tap water to equal 700 ppm,
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yeah, i mean that would work....just be gentle man....soil is forgiving....but every plant has its point
 
since1991

since1991

Well-Known Member
Snow Crash said:
Using Cal-Mag Plus at 5ml per Gallon will add around 90ppm to 120ppm to your water. Around 40ppm of calcium, 30ppm of nitrates, and 20ppm of magnesium. Most nutrients are designed for tap water with 150ppm to 200ppm, usually containing a variety of minerals in low concentration with a good deal of Cal-Mag already.

Personally, my tap water is soft, coming in around 60ppm. When it gets broken down, it is really very little calcium. This requires that I add about 5ml per gallon EVERY time I add water so I can get my tap water up to a level that my nutrient brand is designed for, and to prevent deficiency.

Without knowing what is in your water already you're really blind. The fact that your water is acidic (while most are more alkaline) actually indicates that it may not be the highest quality. Perhaps with very high levels of chloramines.

Your water company should be able to provide you with a report of your water quality free of charge. These usually contain readings in ppm that should let you know, even without a meter, about what your water has in it. Then you can adjust your Cal-Mag usage based on that.
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This ^^^ is advice from someone who is experienced and knows what they are talking about.
 
Dr. Who

Dr. Who

Well-Known Member
Craig1969SS said:
Add molasses 1-2 tsp per gallon if u want a cal/mag supplement. I can also say don't be treating something that isn't there. tap water is underrated and criticized for being this or that. Use it side by side with your RO supplemented water. You'll see no difference, nada, none. Keep it simple
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NOT a good solution to Ca needs.......better recheck the available amounts in molasses. Once you hit .whatever(mg) per ounce....your not delivering an effective amount....

Your also wrong on any side by side with Tap at 150 ppm or over vs. RO!

In hydro runs (Ebb) years ago. We had around a 15+% yield increase by using RO (0 starting ppm at 6.0 pH) and 5ml Ca/Mg per gallon over 152 ppm well (no iron problems).

You don't know just whats in that tap water!
 
Dr. Who

Dr. Who

Well-Known Member
TelecomJunkee said:
I am using filtered tap water and the PH is a perfect 6.5-6.8 If the PH is right, does this make the CalMag content right? Will adding CalMag to tap water going by the recommended dosage hurt a plant if the water does not need it? Thanks in advance!!
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ADD the Ca\Mg at 5 ml per gallon!
 
kaydeezee

kaydeezee

Well-Known Member
water report for my erea..Screenshot_2017-03-27-10-20-51.png Screenshot_2017-03-27-10-20-39.png Screenshot_2017-03-27-10-20-20.png
My question if some kind experienced grower could answer is : I'm seeing a calcium & magnesium deficiency in 2 different strain's grown at the same time

I'm using tap water obvious' and I'm using flora trio at a ec of around 1.3 with the run off 0.8 to 0.9
Plants are in coco/perlite , all hybrids at day 30 from seed.

I have everything to ready the problem if I can determine the problem,
Epsom salts
Magna cal+
Superthrive
Super vit
Rhizotonic
Liquid seaweed tonic

This is what's on my shelf from growing in soil for 2 years apart from veg&bloom boosters . Anyone please?

20170327_161616.jpg 20170326_225016.jpg 20170327_161607.jpg
 
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purpymane

New Member
wannaquickee said:
to much cal/mag could cause a def of other nutrients! in most cases adding cal/mag to tap water is not needed. tap usually in most case has more than enough available for use.

what is your ppm levels of your water.
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My ppm levels are 40 out of the tap should I use cal/mag to raise it in my 3w 5th node girls?
 
andy s

andy s

Well-Known Member
TelecomJunkee said:
I am using filtered tap water and the PH is a perfect 6.5-6.8 If the PH is right, does this make the CalMag content right? Will adding CalMag to tap water going by the recommended dosage hurt a plant if the water does not need it? Thanks in advance!!
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Give what your plant needs and not any extras no matter what fert medium ect. Less is more. But to answer the original question I guess more directly, if you use tap you might still have to add cal mag.
 
Kisskorv

Kisskorv

Active Member
After reading about this I have A question. When I tested my cold water 7* My ppm was 140. When the temperature rise to 14* the ppm went down to 20 ppm. I live in a small village and we have a drilled water resuate
 
F

Frigault

Well-Known Member
If you use fertilzer you need to see if it has calcium an magnesium in it.. A lot of fertilizer already have some and it js already abondant in many soil mix. Adding to much of one thing when it is already available can lead to other element lock out. Cal mag is good for hydro since a lot of chemical fert or isolated nutes. So anything with bone meal fish bone clam shell and sea product have calcium in it. So cal mag is a comlpementary additive for your fertilized if it lack of it
 
Kisskorv

Kisskorv

Active Member
Frigault said:
If you use fertilzer you need to see if it has calcium an magnesium in it.. A lot of fertilizer already have some and it js already abondant in many soil mix. Adding to much of one thing when it is already available can lead to other element lock out. Cal mag is good for hydro since a lot of chemical fert or isolated nutes. So anything with bone meal fish bone clam shell and sea product have calcium in it. So cal mag is a comlpementary additive for your fertilized if it lack of it
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Tanks for your reply. I'm a newbee and this is my secound grow. I use golden label nutrition. their standard package, with juts the basic nutes. I Will definitely start locking on what is in the nutes. It is just that when you start to read about it My head starts spinning. It's so much information :). Thats way I love you membets here helping a newbe out.
Tanks and happy growing
 
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Frigault

Well-Known Member
Kisskorv said:
Soil. When it saysfor example, "NPK 4 0 1". Is that the procent of the total amount?
Regards Kisskorv
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Yes.. So lets say youbuse 100g you have 4g of nitrogen in that mix and '' zero gram of phosphorus'' so when adding phosphor ratio you can add based on nitrigen. Level also. So if you were to mix a phophorus fertilezer to it that would have 0-4-3. You now have a 4-4-4 has npk ratio. Which would maje it all purpus if yiu had 0-8-12. Then you yould have 4-8-12.. And so on. Yiubthen look at the micro nutirient that are within the mjx sometime you must xheck online in order to check all of these. Butvit gives you an overa idee of what you have and what can be done in order to balance nutriens for which ever stage yiu are at. So you can buy fertiliser that are specifically based on individual element needs
 
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F

Frigault

Well-Known Member
Certain companie offers well balance nutrients and other offer selected mixes. And other offers mixes and individual ellemental additif so you can tweak your recepiies to your liking.. Like gaia green that offers a wide variety of ingredient in theur mixes and a wide variety of elematal fertilizer..
 
Kisskorv

Kisskorv

Active Member
Thanks for your Replay. I now hav a lot of studing to do.
I'm in week 3 of flowering and all the gitls are locking happy ' nock on wood" but I whant to lern what I'm feeding them and what it do to the plant.
happy growing :bigjoint:
 
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