Local Tap Water Question

You have it right @anon34311147 @Bluedream1 Mixing mls would be using liquid nutes. grams would be with dry. What he is saying is would be basically like this. If you mix your nutes. And you came out with 500ppm If your starting water was 200ppm. You would add number to the 500 you got and your real number would be 700ppm. Nutrients 500 + water 200 = 700 :+1:

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Basically, that question would be difficult to answer without knowing what makes up the PPM in the tap water. I would not assume the the mineral content is balanced. For instance if it is about 50% iron the math will skewed anyway.
Without knowing exactly what is in your tap water it comes down to an estimate anyway. This is why a lot of us just bite the bullet and go with RO.

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That is correct.

I mix in 5 gallon buckets. I mix to my normal ratio, measure the TDS and either add more water or more nutes as needed to get to my target. No need to be really precise: within 100 ppm should do it.

Salts are salts so have to account for the TDS. To clarify your point though; this is why hydro growers typically use R/O or distilled so they have total control of their nutes.

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Thank you… i normally just dilute to get to the required PPMs using Jacks 321…

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@Myfriendis410, since it comes up so often, I attached a copy of our water quality report. I know that the hardness reading is the calcium and magnesium. What else? Do you think they on the .70 PPM scale? Also you were correct, after a closer look, I see that the ph level is an average, from a wide range of inputs.

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@Myfriendis410, also do you have any idea what level of fluoride is it a concern?

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I’ve never worried about it.

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OK, did some research on the effects fluoride has on plants. Found certain plants are more sensitive to it than others. Appears the most common sign is brown leaf tips or spotting.The only thing with some maximum numbers, that I ran across was an article by someplace call The Cannabis Cultivation Institute. I did not copy the entire thing, as it was lengthy. Just copied a few quotes and pictures.
Also it appears that the ph range of soil and maybe coco will help lockout the fluoride. Anyway I am staying with the RO water.


Here are the quotes from the article.
City water systems are legally allowed to dose Fluorine in the range of 1 ppm, but the toxic dose for plants is 1/5th of that amount at only 0.2 ppm.

Fluoride is an accumulativepoison in plant foliage. Accumulation may be gradual over time. Fluoride strongly inhibits photosynthesis and other processes. It will move in the transpiration stream from roots or enter as airborne particles through stomata and accumulate in leaf margins. Typical fluorine injury symptoms on broadleaf plants include marginal and tip necrosis that spread inward.

High concentrations of Fluoride in soil may seriously threaten the life of plants, devastate soil microbial activity, disrupt the soil ecology, and cause soil and water pollution.

Potential Remedies:

  • High calcium levels in the soil or rooting medium, such as use of dolomite, can help tie up fluoride and prevent injury.
  • Calcium foliar sprays can help tie up Fluoride in the leaves.
  • Water can be cleaned with RO filters.
  • Keep the water and fertilizer solution pH above 6 where Fluorine remains tied up and unavailable to plants.
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A great option for smsll grows, is to buy Zero Water filter. RO dispensrrs are .50 cents/gal.

Zero Water comes with TDS pen to insert into pitcher handle to test your water. I actually use my TDS pen to double check accuracy.

ZW or filtered to zero when filter is new. Highest reading thus far after 2 months use has been 15 ppm.

Tap water is considered safe to used upto 300ppm.  Anything higher is is not considered desirable for usage.

I use Jacks nutes, all parts measured and mixed correct except im not mixing a gallon of ready to use nutes., im mixing concentrated nutes. Ppm is over 4000 ppm…

Short experience has taught me i can pour half a shot glass of concentrated nutes with approx pint of water for diluted 300 ppm for feeding clones transplanted. I simply add my zero water to the concentrated nutes to dillute to exact ppm desired.



Newbie here, i have hlg light, ilgm genetics, thought i needed more for frostier buds. Just dialing in correct pH and nutes that means patience, letting your water settle for more than a minute and locking in that correct pH.

You can grow great bud by doing basics, its a forgiving plant, you can grow killer bud by dialing the numbers in tight.

Love the numbers game.

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40.oo bucks at Walmart, filter is about 15.00 to replace. Filter is 5 stages, makrs 12 cups. Most filters sold are 2 part only.

Common filtering systems dont remove bacterial particles, neither does Zero.

Britta is a 2 stage filtering system, cheaper. Not as effective on ppm.

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Good point I checked my Britas after one month the ppm matched my tapwater.
And that was the blue long-life filter cart, almost $27. What a rip

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I’ve used the zero for drinking water, I had 2-3 units to keep up with drinking water demands. All of the meters were incorrect.

You can use the filter on its own in and upside down garbage can lid and pour water into to drain into a larger container as it processes the tap water slowly. The filters are awesome. Just slow.

Filters are best priced online in larger quantities. Our last tap was around 350 ppm and we got 3-4 weeks per filter.

Honestly you will spend more on filters in a year than you would on an RO system. BUT there is no discarded water with the zero system so that’s a plus and a good way to go if it meets your demands.

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Watering two plants by hand and living in an RV doesnt allow us to have bigger unit installed.

So, when having to drive a lot of miles to go get dispensed RO water, it isnt feasible as the portable unit.

Used to pay 200 to 300.oo every 3 wks for what we grow for pennies, so buying a healthier alternative doednt cost a penny based on a yr ago.

We got into this game for less than 600.00. Lights, nutes, seeds, and havent added alot of toys in our year of growing. Maybe a 1000.oo now due to new glass smoking devices.

We saved 2000.oo already from buying.   We can afford a monthly filter for 17.50
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That’s really cool. I understand, and it’s an awesome filter. I just have issues with the container mainly. The filter takes up so much of the space where the water goes.

I wish there was a way to attach the filter itself to a garden hose. I feel like a little bit of pressure would be a game changer with that filter.

I’m glad it’s working out for you! :grin:

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Adding pressure to that style filter would result in a higher tds it’s just not made for it but it wouldn’t be hard just buy a filter canister that tapere in the right diameter and some garden hose to 1/4 plex hose adapters about 30$ for the setup

You can get a ro filter for your garden hose tho not as cheap but if I was trying to do that I would get cheap ro setup from Amazon and put it in something like a 3 gallon bucket take the 1/4 plex tube that you would normally tap into a water line add a hose adapter if won’t be fast at 75 Gpd but that’s really alot of water

I wouldn’t drink from the made in China system on amazon I only buy dow ro filter for myself but for fish/plants it’s more than enough

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We have 2 solar water wells, no pump other than the well.

The pitchered filter, fits in frigerator, can be used for alot of things.

A 5 stage filter versus Britas 2 stage filter for my plants. Zero ppm to 15ppm
1000ppm subtract 15ppm equals 985 nutes to my plants.

Tap 0 to 300 ppm, census shows tap on average 153ppm. Not as big on flower feeding.

Seedling needing 200 to 250ppm gets what in developmental nutes using tap.

Another benefit that comes from RO water is trouble free and clean humidifiers. This little white humidifier is starting the fourth season. The AC Infinity one has been running for about a month, and no water stains whatsoever.


Once we tried RO in a new portable ice maker that was bought for the RV. The low water sensor in it wouldn’t recognize that there was water in the reservoir. Had to use tap water in order for it to start. The wife was amazed that I knew what was going on, as she thought we needed to return it.

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I will see what my friend here uses. I know the ppms are not super low. But it can be used on your faucet. And he has had no issues with any plants with it. I think it was in the 40.00 range. I will ask and show it to you. It may or may not be what you want. I am not sure if you have enough pressure to use a normal RO system. They take about 65psi minimum if I remember. I have a reducer to keep mine at 85psi here. I think it is cool you are growing in a RV. I bet it does save a lot.