I’m still waiting on my PH meter but I got a TDS/EC meter from Amazon today. I poured a cup of tap water that comes straight from our well and the results were ugly: 931ppm TDS! We cook with it but drink bottled water because the water tastes gross. I haven’t had any issues growing other plants and vegetables but after reading (here and online) how low your TDS should be, I’m pretty down in the dumps.
I know the PH will be alkaline but that can be amended with PH down but removing dissolved solids will be a big problem. From my reading, I’d have to install a RO filter down by the garden or on the water line leading there; and that would require power (electricity) wherever the filter is located. Not only would that be a huge expense and hassle, it’d make it hard to hide! Water lines can be buried and hidden and aren’t too hard to install but running electricity would be a much bigger headache.
If those dissolved solids are just minerals (which I’m sure they are) and I lower the PH is it possible that this water will work? Especially if I grow in the ground with lots of really good soil with tons of organic matter in it?
Thats a very high tds reading without added nutes. I am not really sure what to suggest other than collecting rainwater for your plants. Organic soils will buffer ph and nutrients somewhat by themselves ,but that reading is very high and we dont know what that mineral content is comprised of.I am sure others on this forum have to use well water also, hopefully they can help with some better info.
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Yikes!! My well water only reads 23 on the PPM meter. I agree, collect rainwater or you can boil water and collect the steam and condense back into purified water. I have a large inline filter, no power needed, you could also give that a try.
If your soil is amended correctly and you are using something to lower the ph in your water, or soil. You are fine I have a grow I am doing with hard water over 1000 TDS. It’s minerals in the water because it’s not softened by a city or a filter you installed.
They will grow just fine with the water if the ph is in range for cannabis. The plants I have with that water are 7 feet wide and 7 feet tall and growing…
@LF-the-OG Thanks for the good news! I mean, I’ve had great luck with most everything I’ve from with our well water but I’ve always used really good soil and amendments to our native soil. Lots of great farming in our area from corn to cotton and cucumbers to milo. So, I’ll remain hopeful. I’m going to look into getting a water analysis done but I can’t really afford a water treatment system for the house right now and I doubt all the salt from a water softener is going to do my plants much good either.
Ay-Yi-Yi! It’s ALWAYS something!
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I agree with @LF-the-OG. My well water is nearer the 700 ppm. Just Ph and its all good. Whenever I check my ppm, I just subtract the 700 from the total ppm to know what my nutes are reading.
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