I am going to ask a simple rhetorical question that should put this debate to rest. How many large scale farms, meaning hectares of cash crops, use RO water? None!!!
That's not to say that using RO doesn't have it's place, however for the sake of this blog, I am going to show you how to bring your cost of production down to a point where you can remain competitive while producing top shelf flower.
Today you are seeing the effects of Prop 64 crushing the small and mid size farmers in California. What was supposed to be helpful for the local economy, opened the floodgates for corporate takeover. I am not here to debate politics. Just know that you are going to have step up your game if you want to stay in the game. This coming from an industry where the black market had no idea what their cost of production was. Let alone yield per watt. It was never treated as a business, which is why they will not be able to stay.
Now that my rant is over on that subject, let's get back to watering your garden.
For this lab testing, I am going to use city water. Yup, CITY WATER!!! And this is where the conventional wisdom and I start to divide.
The picture on the left is the EC (electrical conductivity) of the tap-water as soon as it comes out of the faucet. You will notice it has an EC of .8 after 24 hours, that EC drops down to .6 which I use as my baseline. Just for general info, the lower the EC the softer the water, conversely, the higher the EC the harder the water. For a matter of clarification, anytime I discuss nutrients and feeding, I base it off of EC, not PPM. The reasons are for another post.
Today's feeding of the Mom's consisted of the following ingredients:
20-20-20
CALiMAGic
1-Triacontanol
Sea Kelp
Root Stimulant
After adding all of these ingredients into the water my EC was:
An over all increase in EC of 1.1. This is an important number to remember as we adjust through the cycle.
The clones that were harvested the other day remain under a dome. I checked the plugs and they are still moist, so no need to do anything with them at this time. I did add some tap water to the tray underneath.
It is important to make sure that there is plenty of airflow and prevent any mildew from starting. Control the environment. Remember, this is your time to play GOD. You control every aspect of the room. Temperature, humidity, light cycle, air flow, CO2 levels, watering, nutrients, etc.
Reasons I ALWAYS Use R/O Water
Local tap water varies considerably
I Grow Strictly Hydroponic
You would swear my cannabis is grown organically. You'd be wrong though. The smoke is so smooth and soft, you'd swear you haven't taken a toke. The amount of exhale is always a surprise. The flavor and aroma are so strong you're chomping at the smoke (even on the last exhale) to prolong the experience. ;) Yeah, that's the kind of cannabis I'm talking about. :D
Most fruits and vegetables? Tap water all the way, as long as it's reasonably clean.
You raise some valid points. However, cannabis is a ***DICOT, *** which, if you are treating from a scientific aspect has certain characteristics that it follows. It's law of nature. Cannabis is not a unique plant when it comes to how it maintains a lifecycle. Yes, the are things that we can do to manipulate how the plant responds.
When working with any plant, these are the things to be considered:
What do I want the plant to do?
What can I feed or do to the plant that will get my desired outcome?
Taking all of these things into consideration, water is one part of the equation. If you are starting with RO, then you know what your baseline is and act accordingly. As you add your nutrient regime you know what your target is for that period of time of the plants lifecycle.
A great primer is the PH MANIFESTO. If you get past some of the ads there is some great information about the importance of PH. You can easily find it via Google, or you wait, you'll find a link in one of my future posts.
I imagine that you produce a fine product. I'm not questioning your skills or ability. However, I will question your methods. If you are using hydronic methods, what nutrient line are you using? What lights are you using? What is your yield per watt? What is your cost per gram?
I am not saying this is the only way to produce TOP SHELF. I am giving an alternative to conventional thought. The keys to top shelf production are:
•The Grower
•The Gentics
•The Environment
•The Process
I welcome the dialogue. Please don't be shy.
p.s. I have sold countless RO units over the last 3 years as the sales manager in the commerical division of one of the largest hydro stores in the country. I have used RO systems myself. There was not a noticable difference in product. Nobody could tell if I did or didn't use RO.
If nobody can tell the difference between using r/o and starting with .6 EC city water, your nutrient balance is off or you're overfeeding at some point.
End of story.
I see you avoided my questions. You took one part and jumped to a conclusion. It's ok. Follow along, the pictures and testing at the end will be proof.
My diplomacy is horrible, yes. The only response I made was to the important information. You talk a lot, with little to say. I read your entire post and jumped nowhere, I know exactly what I'm posting. :)
You also completely skipped the accumulator information. Go look up Phytoremediation. (It's the reason using R/O doesn't change your quality)
You run 6 plants in a 4x4 tent with one light. Come back when you are able to do something at scale. I'm not about being a hobbist.
LOL, Cannabis doesn't care what size your setup is. You're obviously one of the growers pumping out low quality without knowing it.
Your loss for not looking at contrary information. :D
Commercial producer, after commercial producer, all saying "Look how awesome this cannabis is!" I used to grow that low quality stuff, back before someone showed me what real quality is. Completely different ball game. :D
Like you said, nobody can tell the difference when you switch to R/O. Ty. :D
Curious how some of the best crops come from regular water...
The water is specifically formulated by Monsanto...lol
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