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#1
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water testing
I am wondering what types of tests do you perform on your water/solution mixtures? what types of testing and equipment do you use? and can you elaborate on why? what concerns do you have on water quality for your plants and how it affects the crop as far as quality and taste?
I am always trying to glen information from other doing what I do to increase my knowledge about what I am doing. there is allot of knowledge out there that is not written in a white paper or in books. |
#2
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Only test's i do, and i do them at least once a day is PPM and PH testing.
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#3
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Hello crad,
Well first the only tests I run on my nutrient solution is pH. I use pH drops to do that because the drops wont give false readings. With the drops there is no need to calibrate, and/or do regular maintenance that all will affect readings. Also you simply don't need to measure the pH down to 1 tenth of a point, and the drops are plenty accurate enough, as well as easy to read results. I also don't use a EC/TDS/PPM meter to test nutrient strength because I use the manufactures mixing directions as a general guide, and observe how my plants are doing daily. The only thing I really want a meter to do, their just not capable of doing. That is tell me what the concentrations of each individual element is, rather than just a total of everything in the water. Knowing if there's a element deficiency or toxicity is useful, but knowing the total amount of every element in the water wont do that. I also do regular nutrient changes to make sure the balance of the individual elements don't get to far out of balance. Meters simply cant tell you that important part. But If I had extra money to spend I wouldn't mind having a EC meter to use as well. Though at this point I would much rather spend a $100 on nutrients. Water quality Well that's one of the most widely debated issues among growers. Personally I use nothing but RO water right now. But because of the low volume of water the RO system puts out, it wont be acceptable on a larger scale. They make large volume RO systems that produce 700 gallons of water per day for as little as $400. But another drawback to RO systems is that they waist water as well, even more than they produce. One of the benefits to growing hydroponically is that it takes a fraction of the water than growing in soil, but if your RO system waists 2 gallons of water for every gallon of useful water it produces, that triples and significantly increases water usage. For a large scale setup that I'm planning, I'm planning on using a series of inline cartridge filters that wont waist water. Including sediment, two carbon cartridges, and probably even an ion cartridges, as well as a cartridge with an absolute micron size of 1 micron to filter spores. And for the heck of it I may even add a UV light to kill any pathogens that may somehow make it past all the filters (which is highly unlikely with the absolute 1 micron filter). Anyhow Here are a couple of articles about water quality: Hydroponic H2O: Water Quality and Treatment Water Wisdom For Hydroponics |
#4
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ok so I am little over board here. I test my water before anything for tds and pH so I knew where I am starting from. I test my water for TDS and pH after mixing just to make sure where I am. I test my water quality everyday and have to adjust my pH everyday. I have granular pH down coming as the cheap watered down liquid stuff is expensive with having to make daily changes. that is why I am building an insulated and heated water tank that way i can maintain water temp and maybe maintain pH balance better. I would also like to test for other nutrients but do not know how. I am also plumbing me a line outside before the softener so I can get straight well water. well water is cold so I am going to get some water bottles and fill them and warm them up before I do water changes to avoid temp shock on my plants. now it is getting to be more interesting as I now know more of what is needed in my new green house I hope to have ready by next spring.
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#5
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I also have well water with a watersoftner in the pumphouse and then for drinking water (kitchen only) we have another filtering system. I have read many different opinions regarding well water, softner water and regular tap water and I can see why people have issues with these sources of water. I have decided to build a rain water capture system to be used in my green house. If I could afford it I would build a huge underground sistern, but I think my only option will be to have several rain barrels on the side of the house closest to the greenhouse. My goal is to have it completed by the end of summer in time for the fall rain season.
As for water testing, as a newbie, of course I went crazy and tested all my water sources when I got my new toy I now only test my PH twice a week with the drops. I haven't yet purchased a PPM meter because I only have the one system up and going. I kind of agree with GPSFrontier that if I follow the directions and watch my plants there really shouldn't be a need. I will probably purchase one when I get the greenhouse up and going just because I like new toys and am somewhat of a control freak. |
#6
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Quote:
Rain water can still be an problematic because of the way it's collected and stored. The rain itself is generally good water (unless it's acid rain from smoggy areas), but rooftops and rain gutters are full of bird and rodent droppings that will bread bacteria and pathogens. As well as dead and decaying foliage that can harbor plant diseases, pathogens, as well as fungi and spores. City water has been chemically treated, but pathogens as well as fungi can still survive, and spores will germinate well after the chemicals are out of the water supply. There's a big difference between water quality, and a EC/TDS/PPM meter reading. Quote:
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