Can i use lake water?

Tons of bacteria, and who knows what else...

 

including beneficial ones perhaps?

one of the most healthiest plants I've ever seen was the one that a dude grew in their village(?) and used nothing but "backyard dirt" in a plastic pot and watering it from the pool which had fishes, frogs and buttload of algae in it.

What's wrong with the tap water anyways?

 

Agree tap water for the win.....if chlorinated, let it sit out for a day or so!!

 

If the Lake supports a healthy population of fish, wildlife, and insects I would try it. Fill up a bucket and let it warm up. Plants like warm water much better anyway. I always do this, no matter the source ( tap, rain, creek, etc).
Good luck
os

 

@JP double D my thought is like the others - stick with the tap water. I use mine and have for many a year with no problems. It would be a good idea to read the yearly water quality report required by the EPA for all municipal water providers just to put your mind at rest. Unless one has known contaminants such as Flint and a nbr of other places have in their public water supply municipal water is generally going to be "best" on the better/best scale of growing plants.

Lake or pond water holds many questions that need answers before using as irrigation water. A water test and ultimate treatment would be mandatory for a nurseryman growing ornamentals, herbs, flowering varieties, etc. Variables such as TDS, what compounds make up the TDS (nitrates, phosphorus, iron, sulfates, etc), alkalinity, hardness, pH, etc. etc. Treating municipal water shortcomings would be a much easier task IMO and IME. There are a lot of concerns with open watersheds being used for crop, plant, tree, culturing.

FWIW.

 

I do use creek water, except in the winter, but I tried it on many, many other plants for years before I used it on my canna. I also know the source (glacier run off / snow melt).
Listen to Possum's concerns, they are all valid. I don't know how gov't works in Canada (it probably works great ), but in many areas of the US, you can have water tested free, from the local extension agency. You just have to say it is from your well.
If you are in a Pristine area of Nova Scotia, you are probably alright using Lake water.
And hello from the far north left coast.
os

 

You don't need to let tap water sit. Chlorine evaporates rapidly and chloramine turns into chlorine when it comes in contact with organic matter, which in turn evaporates. If your soil has decent amounts of organic matter (as it should) it will not have any detrimental effects.

 

i used to use RO because i was worried tap would clog my thin blumat lines (hard water) but i have switched to tap about a year ago and the plants are growing as good as ever.

 

I bought a Garden of Eden filter from Body, Mind, Soil. Works great, costs about $100 but filters over 25,000 gal of water. At the price you're paying per gallon its more than worth it


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I don't see that location tossed around much.... A fellow east coaster, gotta love it!

Come check out my grow
https://forum.grasscity.com/index.php?threads/1425769/

 

Was in Halifax just recently moved outside the city but still close


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If you have Google Earth look at Fortuna, CA. Follow Hwy 36 East for 30-50 miles. Then zoom in on any road that heads up into the hills.

Among all the greenhouses and outdoor plants more often than not there will be a pond (man-made) located above with a creek not far away. If you don't see a pond, but see what looks like a huge sheet of black plastic, then you have likely found a military water bladder. I believe the one we had was capable of holding 18,000 gallons.

A thousand plant grow in this area is small. It's also uncommon to have running water from a tap or electricity. We were lucky enough to have a spring and water pump. Even if it ran day and night it wouldn't keep up with the amount of water needed. We sucked water from the creek to fill the pond and military bladder in the spring. We used the creek until it went dry. Then we used the military bladder up. Finally for the end of the season we used the algae infested pond as did one of our neighbors. And so it goes in those hills year after year.

Luckily, I live 1,200 miles away from this madness in a semi-arid, mountain plateau. In 2018, my state was the leading producer of barley in the U.S. Without irrigation water from rivers this wouldn't be possible.

The Ganges River in India provides enough water for agriculture to sustain 500 million people. I bet this heavily polluted water source has grown a pot plant or two.

There is of course the Scientific Method. Hypothesis/Experiment/Conclusion. For our purposes it's also known as a bioassay. Or in other words...try it on a plant or two!
RD

 

I use pond water for outdoor grows but would want cleaner water for indoors.