R.O. filtering an OUTDOOR Crop

[Nor-Cal-Bud]

I'm at it again. Beginning this years outdoor crop had a question about Reverse Osmosis and growing outdoors.



I purchased a Reverse Osmosis Filter and am a little confused if it will benefit an outdoor / soil grow. I am completely convinced it works well in an indoor coco environment.

Here's a look at the early stages of my new garden

NCB

[SJP]

Lookin good. As far as using reverse osmosis outside, how do you plan to use it. I've only seen reverse osmosis filters in fish tanks and for drinking water purification. Can you define how it works well on an indoor environment....just trying to get on the same page.

On a side note I hope you fill your alotted space completely, nice and bushy .

[Nor-Cal-Bud]

Purified Water for My Plants???

Walk into any hydroponics shop and you will most likely see that they sell Reverse Osmosis water purification systems. You may ask yourself why someone would spend money on a water filter to grow plants. Most people give straight tap or hose water to their house and garden plants and they do just fine. But, what about more prized flowers and fruits? What if you only want give your vegetables the best and most pure ingredients? Most importantly, what if you were interested in pushing your plants to the max and achieving explosive growth? Serious gardeners have long realized how important pure water is to the success of their important crops. After all, water is the root of hydroponics and therefore the most important component to a healthy garden. Water acts like a carrier that bathes your root zone with nutrients, additives, and promoters.

If you look at the top nutrient manufacturer’s feed charts, you will notice a common theme. They all require using 0 PPM (parts per million) water as a starting base for the nutrient solution. Without this ultra pure base, it is much more difficult to dial in the PPM’s of your formula while making sure you have the proper amounts of each component vital to healthy growth. When the feed chart says bring the nutrient solution to 1200 PPM and you are starting with water that is at 500 PPM, what do you do? It is hard to even guess what that 500 PPM is composed of, nonetheless try and adjust for it in the nutrient formula you are trying to perfect.

The first step is to determine how bad your water is and what type of system would be most beneficial to your garden. Free water reports are available from your municipality or water company, although water quality fluctuates greatly throughout an area and over the seasons. Test kits can be ordered online and are quick and affordable. Some hydroponics shops do water testing and there are many labs that can do an analysis. A key indicator of water quality for plants is total hardness as expressed in PPM of calcium and magnesium or in Grains per Gallon (GPG). With too much hardness, the nutrient formula can be thrown out of balance and deficiencies and lockouts can quickly become a major problem. Any water source over 50 PPM of hardness should be purified. This translates to 3 GPG and is considered soft water, which few people have straight from the tap.

Organic gardeners using compost teas or bio-extraction solutions should use purified water. Anyone gardening with living micro-organisms such as beneficial bacteria, fungi and nematodes, mycorrizae, and trichoderma, must have chlorine and contaminant free water in order for those helpful microbes to survive and flourish. Unfortunately, it’s rare someone’s water source is perfect for their prized plants. Letting city water sit out overnight may get rid of some free chlorine but doesn’t affect the chloramines or other contaminants. Water from well or spring sources is often too high in minerals such as calcium, magnesium, sulfur, and iron. This water may be fine to drink but for hydroponics may be too heavy with these minerals and may contribute to nutrient lockup.

Gardeners that start using pure water never go back to untreated water. There are still plenty of people that haul 5 gallon jugs of water to their garden. They will go through these lengths to pamper their plants and make sure they only get the best. If you do the math, a water purification system from a hydroponics shop pays for itself quickly with the money and energy saved hauling water. There are several customized filtration systems available for gardening and hydroponics on the market.

Following is a table that shows the most common contaminants in your water, their sources, and what harmful affects they can have on plants. After looking it over and realizing how many things can do damage to your crop, you may want to grab yourself, and your plants, a nice glass of pure water!

What’s hiding in your water and plants?

<table class="MsoTableGrid" style="border: medium none ; width: 520.8pt; border-collapse: collapse;" border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="694"><tbody><tr style="height: 36.4pt;"><td style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 108.05pt; height: 36.4pt; background-color: transparent;" width="144">Contaminant</td><td style="border-style: solid solid solid none; border-color: windowtext windowtext windowtext rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: 1pt 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 74.65pt; height: 36.4pt; background-color: transparent;" width="100">Source</td><td style="border-style: solid solid solid none; border-color: windowtext windowtext windowtext rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: 1pt 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 338.1pt; height: 36.4pt; background-color: transparent;" width="451">Effects on plants</td></tr><tr><td style="border-style: none solid solid; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) windowtext windowtext; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 108.05pt; background-color: transparent;" width="144">PPM of TDS</td><td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) windowtext windowtext rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 74.65pt; background-color: transparent;" width="100">Well/Spring
Municipal/
City
</td><td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) windowtext windowtext rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 338.1pt; background-color: transparent;" width="451">Water with high PPM of TDS (total dissolved solids) has unknown contaminants that is the key cause of nutrient lockout and deficiencies in plants.
</td></tr><tr><td style="border-style: none solid solid; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) windowtext windowtext; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 108.05pt; background-color: transparent;" width="144">Chlorine</td><td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) windowtext windowtext rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 74.65pt; background-color: transparent;" width="100">Municipal/
City
</td><td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) windowtext windowtext rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 338.1pt; background-color: transparent;" width="451"> Biocide that kills beneficial bacteria, fungi and micro-organisms. Any healthy organic or bio-hydro garden is chlorine free. If you are using or brewing compost teas or bio-extract solutions, removing the chlorine is essential.
</td></tr><tr><td style="border-style: none solid solid; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) windowtext windowtext; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 108.05pt; background-color: transparent;" width="144">Chloramines</td><td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) windowtext windowtext rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 74.65pt; background-color: transparent;" width="100">Municipal/
City</td><td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) windowtext windowtext rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 338.1pt; background-color: transparent;" width="451">Biocide that’s a combination of chlorine and ammonia and is much more stable than chlorine. It will not dissipate by bubbling or even by boiling off. Can only be removed by proper filtration. Toxic to beneficial bacteria, fungi, micro-organisms, fish and amphibians.
</td></tr><tr><td style="border-style: none solid solid; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) windowtext windowtext; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 108.05pt; background-color: transparent;" width="144">Hardness</td><td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) windowtext windowtext rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 74.65pt; background-color: transparent;" width="100">Well/Spring
Municipal/
City
</td><td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) windowtext windowtext rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 338.1pt; background-color: transparent;" width="451"> Dissolved calcium and magnesium that forms scale on equipment and tubing. Too much of either of these in your water and you are locking out key nutrients to your plants. Your plants will be unable to feed properly and will exhibit deficiencies. Pipes and equipment can eventually get clogged and fail. Mineral hardness is the key cause of water problems in hydroponics and other gardening systems.
</td></tr><tr><td style="border-style: none solid solid; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) windowtext windowtext; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 108.05pt; background-color: transparent;" width="144">Fluoride</td><td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) windowtext windowtext rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 74.65pt; background-color: transparent;" width="100">Municipal/
City</td><td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) windowtext windowtext rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 338.1pt; background-color: transparent;" width="451"> A hazardous waste product that is present in all municipal water. This is a toxic substance to humans and plants. Thirty-four enzymes in plants are affected by fluoride as is seed germination. Enzyme additives will not do their job properly with fluoride in the water.
</td></tr><tr style="height: 46.75pt;"><td style="border-style: none solid solid; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) windowtext windowtext; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 108.05pt; height: 46.75pt; background-color: transparent;" width="144">Volatile Organic Compounds</td><td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) windowtext windowtext rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 74.65pt; height: 46.75pt; background-color: transparent;" width="100">Municipal/
City</td><td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) windowtext windowtext rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 338.1pt; height: 46.75pt; background-color: transparent;" width="451">Some VOC's are known or suspected carcinogens. Trace amounts of these can end up in the plant’s tissue, flowers, and fruits.</td></tr><tr><td style="border-style: none solid solid; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) windowtext windowtext; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 108.05pt; background-color: transparent;" width="144">Iron / Sulfur</td><td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) windowtext windowtext rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 74.65pt; background-color: transparent;" width="100">Well/Spring
Municipal/
City</td><td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) windowtext windowtext rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 338.1pt; background-color: transparent;" width="451">Water containing iron or sulfur may have a metallic taste and an offensive odor. Nutrient lockout, algae growth, and equipment staining can be results of too much iron on the water.</td></tr><tr><td style="border-style: none solid solid; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) windowtext windowtext; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 108.05pt; background-color: transparent;" width="144">Pesticides/Herbicides</td><td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) windowtext windowtext rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 74.65pt; background-color: transparent;" width="100">Well/Spring
Municipal/
City
</td><td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) windowtext windowtext rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 338.1pt; background-color: transparent;" width="451">Local agricultural areas may be leaching harmful contaminants into the ground water. These can end up in your water supply and in your plants.
</td></tr><tr><td style="border-style: none solid solid; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) windowtext windowtext; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 108.05pt; background-color: transparent;" width="144">Bacteria</td><td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) windowtext windowtext rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 74.65pt; background-color: transparent;" width="100">Well/Spring
</td><td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) windowtext windowtext rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 338.1pt; background-color: transparent;" width="451"> Local water sources may be affected by animal and human waste. These toxic substances can be found in trace amounts in fruits and flowers and can be harmful to humans.
</td></tr><tr><td style="border-style: none solid solid; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) windowtext windowtext; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 108.05pt; background-color: transparent;" width="144">Nitrates</td><td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) windowtext windowtext rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 74.65pt; background-color: transparent;" width="100">Well/Spring
Municipal/
City
</td><td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) windowtext windowtext rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 338.1pt; background-color: transparent;" width="451">Runoff from agriculture, animal yards, etc. Toxic substances that contribute to over-nitrification and algae growth. Causes “blue baby syndrome”.
</td></tr><tr><td style="border-style: none solid solid; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) windowtext windowtext; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 108.05pt; background-color: transparent;" width="144">PH</td><td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) windowtext windowtext rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 74.65pt; background-color: transparent;" width="100">Well/Spring
Municipal/
City
</td><td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) windowtext windowtext rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 338.1pt; background-color: transparent;" width="451">Water that has either too high or low PH will not allow nutrients to be absorbed properly and can be corrosive to equipment. Adjusting PH may be difficult due to fluctuations in levels.
</td></tr></tbody></table>

[cman86]

you should collect rain water, but if not ro water would be beneficial i would imagine. my parents are getting one for there japanese maples to take the boron out of their nor-cal water.

[skoinkins]

i'd say don't worry about it, i can see how it would help a hydroponics grow, but outdoors the least you have to worry about is how pure your water is, i use gross pond water and have great results.

[Nor-Cal-Bud]

I received a PM from a member and thought 'd post it so everyone else could read it.

wats up. im in the market for a 100 gpd ro/di system and was curious if you have any recommendations. your post was great, just hoping you could give some insight on brands. i am looking to use a trash can or large fish tank... maybe the typhoon reefkeeper or aquasafe. thanks for any help.

Hey there GG.

After doing some investigation, I'd say that R/O is a great investment....especially for running indoor with coco. Dirt already has a lot of micro-organisims and worm castings help facilitate bacterias and funguses for the colonys your trying to develop underground.

Keep in mind that tap water has chlorine and other elements in it that kill your beneficial bacterias and funguses so it is great to use for outdoor too but not as importan as indoor.

When using an R/O filter.about 80% of the water you send thru the filter goes down the drain. So if I have a 20 gallon resivour, 80 gallons is sent down the drain. Over the course of a month that can add upt to a lot of water. Were fortunate enough to have flat rate water and only get charged 35/ month for all the water I need. I have a tube that drapes around my back yard and water my other plants with the excess water.

So in my opinion, if you've done 4-5 grows and are somewhat successful, purchasing a R/O filter is the 2nd best "micro tuning" add-on you can get next to a ppm, ph meter.

PLEASE NOTE in the pictures below. I have my tank logged in between the house and the support pillar for my patio. These plastic Tupperware tanks are great, but also an accident waiting to happen indoors if OVERFILLED. Keep your resivour a good distance away from your ballasts and power as seen in the 2nd picture the platic will weaken and collapse. I'm thinking about placing a few rounds of Duct-Tape around the res to support the extra weight.

[comrade]

I just go to the water machine in front of my local super market. The water is filtered 7 different ways reverse osmosis being the last,the best part is I fill two 5 gallon arrowhead bottles for only $1.50.

[Nor-Cal-Bud]

Wouldn't work for me mid-summer. I bet I'll be going thru 250-300 gallons a week

[comrade]

Holly shit, you must have a lot more plants than just the six in that pic.

[auntiesocial]

Just making sure you are aware that the "waste" line from an R/O filter isn't filtered water. The machine uses the power of running water to supply itself with pressure. The R/O filter siphons off some of the water and sends it through the filters and to a small holding tank, the rest goes down the drain. It works like a water bed/aquarium hose attachment.

I have an R/O that claims to produce 100GPD. It doesn't, and frankly none of them do. Filling a 20 gallon reservoir is a two day affair. My system has a 4 gallon holding tank and it takes about 2-3 hours to refill the tank when I drain it. So using it for plants outdoors--which probably require a lot more water than indoors or even hydro systems--will be a pain in the arse. I would look into some kinda large pressurized holding tank that the filter can fill overnight. Most systems come with a 3 gallon tank, for an outdoor crop you will need something much bigger.