pH quality of water

Starting a new grow. I live out in country where water reeks of clorine. We buy bottled H2O for drinking , cooking , h20 for pets.
What bottled water is best? Was thinking distilled.
On another matter didn’t find topic, will cats leave a grow tent alone or any suggestive detergents!

Distilled is good, rainwater is good also. … Check ph at all times, especially when you add something to your water. … have you got ph, ppm tds meters? And ph up and down? If not go to Amazon and pick up these things. … You always have to protect your grow from animals, pet’s , wild animals so fourth… Welcome to the forum if this is your first time, Happy Growing. . . There will be someone along shortly to assist you. . .

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Yes distilled water wouod be perfectly fine, as stoned said a ph and tds meter is needed to be able to get the water and eventually nutrients if you want suited to your plants needs

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You can get a RO filter fairly cheap now days mine works okay ppm always under 25 usually in the teens . You can also leave the water open for 24 hours and all the chlorine will evaporate many of the minerals left wont hurt your plant . As far as cats just figure unless you vacuum really good and dont let them back in the room with the tent you will most likely be smoking cat hair because of the need for a fan in the tent. Also if they go outside and back in they will bring mites and other critters to the grow . Sorry but all my pets stay away from my grow I got spider mites from them my first grow and learned

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Use “de-natured” water (water let set out for 24hr’s)

Thanks, already decided this is a no pet zone.

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Yeah I hated doing that to my big boy he thinks he attached to my hip and he always follows me . Now he lays at the top of the stairs and whines until I am done and come back up but look at all the hair he has

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Pretty boy! And you just answered my next question. I’ve got aale & female GSD who also are joined at hip & 4 cats.
Not worth losing a harvest!

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What is a TDS meter measure & what is the allowed amounts of any elements?
Gosh, feel dumb, do I test pH & TDS of h20 before any nutrients are added?
Thanks

A tds measures the Total Dissolved Solids in the water. You should test it after you add the nutrients to determine the strength of the solution. I’m not sure about the second part of your question. Maybe @Majiktoker or @garrigan62 can help out in more depth

Which part of the question

That part brother

Ah gotcha hold on i can link him to a topic to read he will get all information and tds EC ppm and ph where me and Mcgyverstoner were teaching some one

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Yeah I had the tds, but the second part was out of my knowledge reach

Lol, no worries man

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Read this thread @Hawkeye_diesel and @Laurap, you’ll get all the information you need and will learn alot there is only 47 posts so its not all that long

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Cool, I’ll add it to my bank of knowledge.

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You’ll like it its a good read

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Many thanks to all of y’all!

@Laurap,

Here is what you need to know copy and paste it for future referance.

Will

When you’re growing marijuana in soil, it is always a good idea to measure the TDS (total dissolved solids) and pH (acidity) of the soil you are using.

Keeping soil balanced with the proper level of pH and nutrients will help ensure that you are growing healthy plants.

One of the positive aspects of growing marijuana in soil rather than a hydroponics system is that soil acts as a buffering system for the water and nutrients your plants have access to. Any mistakes in your TDS or pH levels won’t have any immediate negative effects.

One of the downfalls is that it’s easier for nutrients to build up in the soil, which can cause high TDS levels and lower your pH. The TDS and pH at the root level could differ drastically from whatever values you have in the fertilizer solution you are feeding your plants. Obviously, this can cause trouble.

Additionally, there are other factors which can determine how the nutrients are being taken in by a growing plant. If it’s chilly in your grow room, the leaves of your plant won’t properly evaporate moisture because of the low temperature.

This evaporation is a key part of the vacuum cycle that draws nutrients up through the roots, and without it, your plant won’t pull in all the nutrients available in the soil. This means that the nutrients will start to accumulate in the soil, lowering the pH around the root system.

High acidity in the roots limits the intake functions of the root hairs, which further exacerbates the difficulty your plant will have absorbing nutrients.

This is an excellent example of how your plant’s environment can become unbalanced, even if the pH and TDS levels in your nutrient solution are perfect. It’s very important to measure pH and TDS of your soil regularly— every two weeks works well. Don’t forget!

Measuring soil levels is very easy so let’s start with the basics. You’ll be mixing a 1:1 ratio of your soil from around the roots and demineralized water (water with TDS 0 and pH 7). Then you’ll let this mixture sit for 24 hours, occasionally stirring. Then, simply filter it and measure the TDS and pH. Voila— the values of your mixture are the values of your soil! For more tips on TDS and pH, be sure to download my free marijuana grow bible.

The devil’s in the details, so let’s go deeper with the step-by-step process you can use to measure the acidity and total dissolved solids of your soils. First, you are going to want to gather together everything you need:

-TDS and pH meter
-Demineralized water (water with TDS 0 and pH 7- you can get this at gas stations or drug stores)
-2 measuring containers (capable of containing at least 6 ounces!)
-4 cloth or coffee filters

To start your test, remove 3 fluid ounces of soil from around the roots and mix it with 3 fluid ounces of demineralized water in one of your measuring containers. Let this mixture stand for 24 hours, but continue to stir it occasionally. This way you will make sure all the nutrients dissolve completely.

After everything in your solution has dissolved completely, pour it through a filter into the other measuring cup. Continue to repeat this process until you have a totally clear liquid. Now use your meter to determine the TDS and pH values of the soil your marijuana is growing in.

The best TDS values fall between 750 ppm and 1500 ppm, depending on the maturation of your plant and the amount of nutrients it can absorb. The pH should be around 6.

What to do if you don’t have the right levels? Maybe your pH is too low. If it is 5.5, for example, you’ll want to raise the level up closer to 6. The next time you give your plant water, use water with a pH value of 6.5. The same method works for TDS levels.

If you want to start growing, download my free marijuana grow bible and order some marijuana seeds. All top quality marijuana seeds are available in my marijuana seed shop. We ship seeds to the US, CA and many other countries. For any growing related question please visit the marijuana support page.

Wrote by Robert Bergman
Posted By
garrigan62

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