Hard water

Hi again
Just so I can start ruling out everything that eventually turns my plants from healthy beasts to pale pathetic weeds over the course of there short lives, is my water too hard and do I need to filter it. Please don’t say the RO word as I flat refuse to invest in more expensive equipment and the wife will throw a fit if anything else turns up from Amazon right now. Our water is ph 7.6 ish and ruins my shower heads and thermostats. I always ph it down before feeding. Do I need to get a filter as both grows now have suffered from some sort of nutrient lockout and I want to rule out as many things as poss.

What’s the E.C. of your water,never mind the ph.

I’ve just got a new hm com-100 tds meter and tested the ppm. The thing is the meter reads in .5 or .7 ppm. .5 reads 280 and .7 reads 380 or thereabouts. The pen has a few too many setting for me a the mo. You can shed some light if you like.

You can try it mine is 280 and I use Ro

Gemtree said:

You can try it mine is 280 and I use Ro

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00204CQF6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_SXm8EbEMVGWQ0

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280 using which EC scale .5 or .7? Or does that question make less sense to you than does me?

Baron Von Thunderclapp said:

280 using which EC scale .5 or .7? Or does that question make less sense to you than does me?

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I use .5 that's what most guides are based on so 1ec is 500ppm

That’s the straightest answer I’ve ever got from a question here. So my tap water is .55. Should I have been using filtered or rain water from the start?

It depends on what's all in your water mine is a lot of rust, calcium and magnesium from hard water. I know there's hard water nutrients that use less of those minerals but not sure how it will affect lockout. I've just always used ro water maybe someone else will know.

I don't know your medium
but I grow in Promix and use straight well water 280 ppm and 8.1 ph
Never had an issue in a decade

Shitty conversions but this chart might help, stick to EC #s though imo

Herb & Suds said:

I don't know your medium
but I grow in Promix and use straight well water 280 ppm and 8.1 ph
Never had an issue in a decade

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I’m in soil. Bat special mix with biobizz light. Using biobizz grow and bloom. Autoflower started to show nutrient deficiencies just after flowering started and I’ve chasing my arse ever since. Loosing leaves from discolouration from bottom up. Had so many opinions I’ve gone crazy thinking. Everything else in tent is spot on, lights, heat ventilation. Probably either down to bad watering or bad water I thought. Thank anyway.

Baron Von Thunderclapp said:

I’m in soil. Bat special mix with biobizz light. Using biobizz grow and bloom. Autoflower started to show nutrient deficiencies just after flowering started and I’ve chasing my arse ever since. Loosing leaves from discolouration from bottom up. Had so many opinions I’ve gone crazy thinking. Everything else in tent is spot on, lights, heat ventilation. Probably either down to bad watering or bad water I thought. Thank anyway.

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I had fits with Autos
never more

I Grow in Coco and I use Tap water. I do have a ro filter but it takes too long to fill up for me. My ppms from the tap are 185ish. My hard water doesnt give me a problem at all.

Herb & Suds said:

I had fits with Autos
never more

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You recommend going to photos then? Don’t mind the idea.

Alphonso OG said:

I Grow in Coco and I use Tap water. I do have a ro filter but it takes too long to fill up for me. My ppms from the tap are 185ish. My hard water doesnt give me a problem at all.

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Thats because your tap water is not hard,anything over 300ppm is considered hard water,mine is 700ppm(1.4 e.c.) out of the tap..I mix r/o and tap to 150ppm that’s my starting point before adding nutrients in coco.

Alphonso OG said:

I Grow in Coco and I use Tap water. I do have a ro filter but it takes too long to fill up for me. My ppms from the tap are 185ish. My hard water doesnt give me a problem at all.

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Same for me so far, avg about 190ppm and just give it straight.

Baron Von Thunderclapp said:

You recommend going to photos then? Don’t mind the idea.

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Too much inbreeding and random phenos for my liking

Just to make sure...You said "...I always ph it down before feeding." are you adding all nutrients and supplements and then adjusting PH? I ask because most nutrients I've used bring my PH down at least 1 full point (FF Trio, GH floratrio, Canna Coco). If you ph your water first, then add nutes, you're PH is likely low.

SheeshM said:

Just to make sure...You said "...I always ph it down before feeding." are you adding all nutrients and supplements and then adjusting PH? I ask because most nutrients I've used bring my PH down at least 1 full point (FF Trio, GH floratrio, Canna Coco). If you ph your water first, then add nutes, you're PH is likely low.

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No, always ph test after all gubbins added. Do I look like an idiot! That’s a stupid question looking at my profile pic. Thanks for the advice.

Look up what makes up that 280ppm online, you should be able to see exactly what is in your water.

But post some pics of your plants. So we can see what your talking about.