Lets talk WATER (buckets, filters, wands)

DrDukePHD

DrDukePHD

Well-Known Member
Ok so I've been told let my tap water sit in a bucket for 24hours to degas chlorine. I've been told get an expensive filtration system.

First time grower I've got 4 plants in soil (organics).

What should i get to (A) Store water in (B) Do i need filtered water (C) Whats the best way to get the stored water onto my plants? A wand of some sort? A bucket & a turkey baster?

I just transplanted to 5gal fabric bags & im realizing the past 2 weeks, i just used a Deer Park bottle to water. I need to scale up!

What are your methods? Pics & links please!
THANK YOU :p :p :p
 

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hotrodharley

hotrodharley

Well-Known Member
DrDukePHD said:
Ok so I've been told let my tap water sit in a bucket for 24hours to degas chlorine. I've been told get an expensive filtration system.

First time grower I've got 4 plants in soil (organics).

What should i get to (A) Store water in (B) Do i need filtered water (C) Whats the best way to get the stored water onto my plants? A wand of some sort? A bucket & a turkey baster?

I just transplanted to 5gal fabric bags & im realizing the past 2 weeks, i just used a Deer Park bottle to water. I need to scale up!

What are your methods? Pics & links please!
THANK YOU :p :p :p
Click to expand...
Use tap water. Keep it simple. No need to leave it out.
 
xtsho

xtsho

Well-Known Member
I can't post about chlorine in tap water because I just recently swore in another post that I would never discuss this topic again.

I'll just leave a link to that post.

I need to kill chloramines

So regular ascorbic acid in a fancy bottle? People have been using ascorbic acid for ages for water treatment. You're better of buying a bag of ascorbic acid, there's dosages and recommendations if you search this forum. In most scenarios it's not needed for plants, but handy in case you need...
www.rollitup.org
 
lusidghost

lusidghost

Well-Known Member
It depends on how big your grow is. Mixing up one or two 5 gallon buckets is okay, but if you need more than that a res is the way to go.

I use a water wand attached to small sump pump with silicone tubing that has a ball valve by the handle. I've tried a bunch of water wands and most of them suck, but the silicone tubing fits inside of most wands and makes them easier to control and clean.

This size tubing stretches over 1/2" barbed fittings:

I pump like this, around 400gph would probably be strong enough:

You can probably find a cheaper wand at a Dollar Store or Walmart, but one like this that doesn't have a "trigger":

A 1/2" ball valve like this:
 
lusidghost

lusidghost

Well-Known Member
You can use a wand and a garden hose or vinyl tubing, but they suck to work with and are very hard to keep clean.
 
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lusidghost

lusidghost

Well-Known Member
I ran RO systems up until about a year ago. They were never big enough for my needs, so I kept having to upgrade. The systems are expensive, but the filters are what kills you. Everything is easier when running tap, and so far I can't tell any difference with my plants.
 
DrDukePHD

DrDukePHD

Well-Known Member
hotrodharley said:
Use tap water. Keep it simple. No need to leave it out.
Click to expand...
Ok what do you use for water storage & administering that water to your plants, especially the ones in back. I see a cool wand suggestion above, whats your fav?
 
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lusidghost

lusidghost

Well-Known Member
I have to go get my dog food, but I'll take some pictures of my setup when I get back. I've gone through like 15 wands and various tubing setups, and this current one is by far the best.
 
DrDukePHD

DrDukePHD

Well-Known Member
xtsho said:
I can't post about chlorine in tap water because I just recently swore in another post that I would never discuss this topic again.

I'll just leave a link to that post.

I need to kill chloramines

So regular ascorbic acid in a fancy bottle? People have been using ascorbic acid for ages for water treatment. You're better of buying a bag of ascorbic acid, there's dosages and recommendations if you search this forum. In most scenarios it's not needed for plants, but handy in case you need...
www.rollitup.org
Click to expand...
Yup that was a Mic-Drop post for sure. Thanks, im definitely not giving my plants filtered water now. This will save me $100's a year in filters too. No brainer.
 
Budzbuddha

Budzbuddha

Well-Known Member
1 - or 2 gallon garden sprayer with wand , simple enough. Like 10 bucks.

51183303-E628-4514-AB3C-51ED19405355.jpeg

As far as water - unless you live next to nuclear reactor or in Michigan. Tap Water is just fine.

Your plants , lawns , ornamentals do not give a crap on “ special “ water , neither does indoor plants.
There are elements in water ( in you too ) that have accumulated that will never be stripped out - like micro plastics. Even your mediums cannot be considered truly toxic free.
 
lusidghost

lusidghost

Well-Known Member
Budzbuddha said:
1 - or 2 gallon garden sprayer with wand , simple enough. Like 10 bucks.

View attachment 5144783

As far as water - unless you live next to nuclear reactor or in Michigan. Tap Water is just fine.

Your plants , lawns , ornamentals do not give a crap on “ special “ water , neither does indoor plants.
There are elements in water ( in you too ) that have accumulated that will never be stripped out - like micro plastics. Even your mediums cannot be considered truly toxic free.
Click to expand...
You water with one of these? I tried when I first started growing and it took forever.
 
lusidghost

lusidghost

Well-Known Member
Tracker said:
Do you have a description/schematics of your system already posted anywhere? I recognize the logo on the controller next to what appears to be a short cycle timer. Didn't he advertise here last year? How are you liking that system?
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The company is called Growtek and the unit is an FM20. The timer is set to 12 hours, which turns the system on and off. From there the computer handles the watering cycles. That's because the guy used a limited third party app instead of making one from scratch. I love mine, but he recently stopped selling them to new customers. I guess he wasn't able to keep up on his own and the profit margin wasn't big enough. It's a shame really. I wish he would sell the company to someone who could take it to the next level.
 
xtsho

xtsho

Well-Known Member
lusidghost said:
These days I let this do the watering.
View attachment 5144835
Click to expand...
Holy crap. That photo made me think of all the CAT5 wiring and patch panels I've done. That's done pretty nice. Have you thought about mounting everything to a piece of plexiglass? Could hook some brackets up on the reservoir to mount it. I'm probably missing some reason for not as I've never dealt with an irrigation system like yours.
 
lusidghost

lusidghost

Well-Known Member
xtsho said:
Holy crap. That photo made me think of all the CAT5 wiring and patch panels I've done. That's done pretty nice. Have you thought about mounting everything to a piece of plexiglass? Could hook some brackets up on the reservoir to mount it. I'm probably missing some reason for not as I've never dealt with an irrigation system like yours.
Click to expand...
I mounted it on that plastic grid thing because I hung it from my tents and didn't want anything super heavy. I was also planning on moving it and wasn't sure about the spacing for the next location. The grid made it quick and easy. Plexiglass is a good idea.
 
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