they would probably both work just as well. i would go with 3/16 as it will work better when making seedling/clone mix. but either will be fine for soil.
Hello everyone! I've went ahead and sent a water sample from our well to get tested. Ive now recieved the results and was wondering if this would be acceptable water to use in no till? The lab made it seem like "fair" water for irrigation. Just wondering what someone far smarter than me might think? Am I good to go? Sorry its not in picture form, has my name and address all over it! Thanks! Analysis Result Unit lbs / MCL SMCL Acre Inch meq / L Nitrate Nitrogen, NO3-N 5.41 mg/L 10 N/A 1.2 0.4 Chloride, Cl 250 mg/L N/A 250 56.7 7.1 Fluoride, F 0.51 mg/L 4 2 0.1 <0.1 Sulfate, SO4 190 mg/L N/A 250 43.1 4.0 Sulfate-Sulfur, SO4-S 64 mg/L N/A N/A 14.5 4.0 Bicarbonate, HCO3 410 mg/L N/A N/A 92.9 6.7 Carbonate, CO3 <10 mg/L N/A N/A <2.3 <0.3 Total Alkalinity, CaCO3 340 mg/L N/A N/A 77.1 6.8 Hardness (CaCO3) 620 mg/L N/A N/A Hardness (CaCO3) 37 grains/gal N/A N/A Total Calcium, Ca 174 mg/L N/A N/A 39.4 8.7 Total Magnesium, Mg 46 mg/L N/A N/A 10.4 3.8 Total Potassium, K 6 mg/L N/A N/A 1.4 0.2 Potassium as K2O 7.2 mg/L N/A N/A 1.6 Total Sodium, Na 132 mg/L N/A N/A 29.9 5.7 Sodium Adsorption Ratio, SAR 2.3 ratio N/A N/A Adjusted SAR, SARa 6.0 ratio N/A N/A Total Boron, B 0.22 mg/L N/A N/A <0.1 Total Iron, Fe <0.05 mg/L N/A 0.3 <0.0 Total Manganese, Mn 0.017 mg/L N/A 0.05 <0.1 Electrical Conductivity, EC @ 25C 1790 µmho/cm N/A N/A Total Dissolved Solids (Calc), TDS 1150 mg/L N/A 500 pH, at 19.9ºC 7.3 unit N/A 6.5-8.5 Corrosion Indices Langelier Index, LI 0.8 N/A N/A Sent from my VS995 using Grasscity Forum mobile app
Ask @waktoo Your SAR seems to be Ok from what I've read. Maybe I'm doing the math wrong but it seems like your total ppm is 1150? That sounds really high to me. My water is 262ppm and I have hard water. I've heard of guys being in the 4-500 range. Curious what Wak has to say about this. RD
Was your water sample straight from the well head, or did it pass through a water softening system first? The lab said the water was "fair" for irrigation. What type of soil irrigation are they referring to? Did you tell them that it was for potted plants, our outdoor garden/farming use?
The lab said just gardening in general. Then said the "rating" for irrigation (which I'm assuming means watering of any and all plants) was fair. Said its possible for salt buildup to occur over long periods of time. From calcium and magnesium! But I'm also assuming that is hardness in general. They actually referred to the hardness as "brackish". I didn't let the well run for more than maybe 5-10 minutes before taking the sample, after further reading I see they say to let it run for 2 or more HOURS if possible (yeah right)! It was taken directly from the kitchen sink, using no softener! Thanks for the responses! Sent from my VS995 using Grasscity Forum mobile app
Yeah I agree with whomever said your PPMs are too high. I use RO water filter. Before that my PPMs were 400ish and plants would never make it to finish maybe not even flower with my water from the tap. I have city water. Lots of lead, yummmy good, tastes sweet like candy and great for my brain too! J/K. A simple charcoal filter would probably be enough, at least it would get out the chlorine and fluoride which aint good for plants or humans. Don't know why they would want you to run the water for 2 hrs. That would never happen in the real world. Take a shower then test, something like that would be more real worldish I would think but I'm not an expert and why I use a filter. That and just because your water tested this way 1 time doesn't mean it stays that way all the time. Food for thought.
Unfortunately, I would not recommend using your well water for irrigating potted plants, especially no-till. The TDS is way too high, and it contains a LOT of sodium. While your water may be "fair" enough for use outdoors where excess soluble nutrients are carried out of the rhizosphere by leaching, soluble nutrient build up in your no-till pots will begin to affect nutrient adsorption as well as water uptake by the plant. Rising pH would also begin to present itself over time, as a soil's CEC is ineffective at buffering "liming" anions. I have high levels of sodium in my well water, but not as high as yours! These days I collect rainwater and snowmelt to water my plants, and utilize an R/O system during dry spells. Carbon filtration will not remove minerals from your water. That's not how they work... Carbon filtering - Wikipedia
Thanks a bunch Waktoo! I have an RO filter I use, and always have but had hopes of being able to bypass it lol. Filling jugs can be a pain sometimes. I also left my RO outside and it got algae in it, I took the filters out and stuck them in some diluted ammonia/water for a couple minutes. Afterwards I let them soak in some tweetmint enzyme cleaner and saponins for an hour or so. Hopefully that was enough to ensure my RO produces clean water still. That was my reasoning for the tests! Thanks again for your help! Sent from my VS995 using Grasscity Forum mobile app
Activated charcoal will remove minerals and waste products. Will it remove enough? Probably not in this case. We use carbon filters to remove smell AKA terpenes from air. We also use it as part of our RO filtration system to remove specific contaminants in our water prior to the water going thru the fine RO filter. I believe in an RO filter system the charcoal is there to remove chlorine and choramine and a few other ahem minerals/chemicals. Reason I mentioned it was the ability to remove chlorine specifically. Your plants can grow with salts and the other minerals but not so much with chlorine. Yes your pots will build up salts. There are ways to mitigate them organically. Sure but easier better to not have them there in the first place.
No. Activated charcoal does not remove ionic minerals from water. I've studied the various types of water filtration, in depth. Chlorine is not chloride. The chlorine used by water treatment facilities is a gas (as are most VOC's), and is readily filtered by activated charcoal. Chloride is an anion common in many ground water sources, and is not removed by charcoal filtration. "Active charcoal carbon filters are most effective at removing chlorine, particles such as sediment, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), taste and odor from water. They are not effective at removing minerals, salts, and dissolved inorganic compounds (DOCs)." Carbon filtering - Wikipedia
I read that.. still standing on carbon filter can/will remove "some" minerals. I did say "will it remove enough. Probably not in this case." Here's a quote: "Carbon filters are even more effective if you ad physical or chemical absorption to the mix. Iron, manganese and hydrogen sulfide can be removed by high quality carbon filters, but a manganese iron reduction filter is generally more effective at removing these particles, especially at higher concentrations. A sediment pre-filter is better at removing sediment and particulate material, and extends the life of the carbon filter by preventing clogs, according to Home Water Purifiers and Filters." Those highlighted above are minerals commonly found in tap water. Just sayin. I never said it was THE BEST... some folks for whatever reason dont want to spring for a RO filter. I do and have for many many years. A charcoal filter can "help" it surely is better than no filter at all for sure on that. Anyone that uses RO filter system has a charcoal filter along with the RO screen - why?
I want to start no till what's the easiest and cheapest way to start off tell I can get it down. I've started a worm bin last month to get things going any advice would be nice. Thanks
Interesting. I did a lil' research... The ONE "high quality carbon filter" that actually removes metal ions from water (available for sale from the company mentioned in your quote) isn't really your basic type of activated carbon filter, which is what I was/am referring to. It's a multi media filter, which contains activated carbon as part of said media. The other part of the media functions by the principle of ion exchange to remove heavy metal contaminates. This one in particular replaces removed metals with copper and zinc (they don't mention that, but that's how they work), much like water "softeners" replace dissolved calcium and magnesium with sodium (or potassium). So it's not going to remove everything from MW's well water. An RO membrane will. Activated carbon in and of itself does not remove ionic minerals from water. In this case, it's the ion exchange media that's removing said ions, and the point I'm trying to make. https://www.home-water-purifiers-and-filters.com/fbc/pentek-dbc-10ex2.php https://www.home-water-purifiers-and-filters.com/kdf-filter.php Sediment and carbon filters before RO membranes and ion exchange filters serve to extend the life and increase the filtering efficiency of the more expensive filter that comes after them in line. I understand what you've said, but given the very poor quality of MW's well water, I wouldn't recommend using anything other than a three stage RO system, possibly a two stage (sediment/RO membrane). I believe that savings over time will be realized through less frequent purchase of filters, AND piece of mind when it comes to near total filtration of dissolved solids.
I was looking to get some red wrigglers for my soil and noticed they come in varying amounts. I'm growing in 20 gallon smart pots, any idea how many worms I should add to each pot?
I would really suggest starting a worm bin at the same time. Not only would you have the benefits of the highest quality VC (your own), but you would also be assured of worms in whatever soil it was added to just from the cocoons (worm eggs), it contains. You also should never need to purchase worms again, having a constant supply. AFA the number of worms for a 20 gal, IDK, I never counted. I'm guessing 25 or so? It was usually a small handful, so it could have been more. I've pretty much stopped adding worms on purpose because the fresh VC is so loaded with cocoons and baby worms missed in the collecting that there's a bunch of worms added every time I use it. There are more than a few who make worm bins out of 20gal smarties, so you're ahead right there. Wet
Hey guys. I have a no till soil mix currently composting, just have a quick question. I know that woodlice being present is ok or even good for the composting process, but holy crap my soil mix is crawling with them. Is there such thing as too many? I let out a "holy shit" when I checked out the soil earlier today.
HI all, I have asome questions regarding the watering schedule: Day 1 Plain water Day 2 No watering Day 3 MBP top-dress watered in with Aloe/Fulvic/Silica (agsil or your silica source of choice) Day 4 No watering Day 5 Plain water Day 6 Neem/Kelp tea Day 7 No watering Day 8 Plain water Day 9 No watering Day 10 Coconut Water Day 11 No watering 1. Is each day intended to be in succession? In other words, you should be watering every day? This seems like it could cause over-watering depending on container size and environmental conditions. If not, then I'm assuming you let the soil dry out some between each "day" of watering in the schedule? 2. What is the benefit of the coconut water? I know that it is a beneficial additive for rooting, but after the plants are established what is the point of it? Also, what is the preferred source? Do I really have to buy coconuts at the grocery and crack them open? 3. How much pure coconut water per gallon? On a some-what unrelated note: 4. Can someone point me towards a "general purpose" foliar spray recipe? My grow is outdoors, so I could use the pest repellent benefits of such sprays. Also how frequent is it recommended? Thank you.
Spot on Wat... you are correct RO is the way to go for sure. They are fairly inexpensive. I get an RO Buddy off Azon for ~$50. I use a slightly more expensive one for my indoor garden @ $65. Hard to beat really and dedicated for just indoor garden the filters are going to last a while. I do pre-filter my indoor garden RO filter with a ... wait for it...... carbon filter! I had a problem with solids clogging up my filter so added a pre-filter. Easier to change out than the RO filters... I use RO filter cause our water is not potable and 450ppm on an EDS meter. So no way to know whats in there and the ph is all over the place. Not going to play that guessing game with pics; "whats wrong with my plants?". No guess no mess, problems solved. On the charcoal. I was under the impression from a lot of reading I did that its not "very good" at removing minerals but it will remove some. I think I researched it for our outdoor gardens. My wife likes to water with a hose (tap water she wouldn't ever drink) for some reason even tho we have 2 large rain barrels. She's not really lazy.. but I think she has that "I need to do something" mentality we see so often in container gardening. Which is weird but its a thing. Then wonders why some plants dont make it thru the winter.