What kind of water do you use with your plants?

[420Forever]

rainwater for the win! ppp

 

[Doug58]

I live in Northern Michigan above the 45 parallel. I collect rainwater off my pole barn roof. When it doesn't rain I use water from my well. I don't check the Ph most of the time. I grow outside either in the ground or felt pots mostly.

 

[Green Hornet]

My village water sucks. I like rainwater (seasonal) when available or RO water, or distilled. I have been getting RO refilled in jugs for twenty some cents a gallon at a grocery store but just ordered a RO unit for home to reduce the water shagging. I hope my watering days will now be easier when it arrives.

 

[Mañ'O'Green]

rainwater for the win! ppp

Rain water can be much more contaminated than municipal or well water including heavy metals. If you are down wind from a freeway or industry it can be really bad. Even out in the country there is fresh animal shit of every type on roofs and in catchments. Just sayin'.

 

[BII]

I'm now using rainwater and air conditioner condensate, which I presume is relatively pure with very low salts.

As far as concerns about "animal shit" with outdoor surface collected rainwater, yes it is definitely not sterile, has all the microbes and particulates normally suspended in the air. I'd want to disinfect it (few drops of chlorine over a few days) before drinking it, and sitting around not well sealed it can quickly develops algae, mosquito larvae, etc. But none of this affects the plants. I just add a Bt toxin product and use the water without ever testing pH and without any problems.

 

[420Forever]

Rain water can be much more contaminated than municipal or well water including heavy metals. If you are down wind from a freeway or industry it can be really bad. Even out in the country there is fresh animal shit of every type on roofs and in catchments. Just sayin'.

i do live in the country & collect it the old fashioned way -> straight from the sky in nice, clean bucketz, then into gallon jugz to get well aerated & the plantz luv it! and hey, all i know is it seemz to have worked pretty damn well for the entire rest o' the plant kingdom for oh, about 3.5B yrz now, so...if it ain't broke, don't fix it...jus sayin :smoking: ppp

 

[Mañ'O'Green]

i do live in the country & collect it the old fashioned way -> straight from the sky in nice, clean bucketz, then into gallon jugz to get well aerated & the plantz luv it! and hey, all i know is it seemz to have worked pretty damn well for the entire rest o' the plant kingdom for oh, about 3.5B yrz now, so...if it ain't broke, don't fix it...jus sayin :smoking: ppp

Yep, too bad we came along to screw shyte up!

 

[Doug58]

I'm now using rainwater and air conditioner condensate, which I presume is relatively pure with very low salts.

As far as concerns about "animal shit" with outdoor surface collected rainwater, yes it is definitely not sterile, has all the microbes and particulates normally suspended in the air. I'd want to disinfect it (few drops of chlorine over a few days) before drinking it, and sitting around not well sealed it can quickly develops algae, mosquito larvae, etc. But none of this affects the plants. I just add a Bt toxin product and use the water without ever testing pH and without any problems.

Air conditioner coils and metal parts are joined by the use of lead based solder. Water runoff should not be used on plants that will be consumed. Don't ever drink that water. Dehumidifiers work the same way to remove moisture from the air. I can get gallons of distilled water from my dehumidifier but I just dump it onto my lawn.

 

[BII]

Air conditioner coils and metal parts are joined by the use of lead based solder. Water runoff should not be used on plants that will be consumed. Don't ever drink that water. Dehumidifiers work the same way to remove moisture from the air. I can get gallons of distilled water from my dehumidifier but I just dump it onto my lawn.

Mine is a new window air conditioner. My understanding is that consumer products manufacturers, particularly mass market items like air conditioners, have all abandoned lead, with anything involving any detectable lead release nowadays not good PR and inviting lawsuits, if not violating some regulations. I doubt that such a consumer product made for the U.S. market now uses readily leachable lead solder to any significant extent. [I vaguely recall looking inside the AC and seeing some type of compression fittings used].

 

[Shiva's Mistress]

I used to use an RO system with my Hydro dwc system. I am growing in soil now. Left my RO system at my old house. Im currently using tap water now filtered through a brita filter. I live in upper michigan and we have decent tap water where I live. Just wondering what you all use? Tap water? Well water? Spring water? Store bought water? RO=(Reverse Osmosis Water)? Carbon filtered water? Just wanted to make a thread to show all the different types of water growers grow with. . Growers chime in

For my guerilla plants out in the urban river-side park,
I water them by taking an old 2L plastic bottle,
and filling it up with water from a plastic-lined pond,
made by some old uncle farmer dude who grows
pumpkin, papaya, and sweet potato in his own river-side
guerilla garden.

The pond is about 2000 L or so, rain water fed,
with lots of green murky gunk, insects, frogs, and other critters.
If I fill up during the day, the water temp is about 35C,
but that's okay, because my girls get that, and hotter, every day.
And, as far as I know from govt reports,
the rainwater has a pH of about 5.0 to 6.0, give or take.

Just putting this out there for all you people who feel
you need to buy expensive stuff for your babies.

But I still got some sticky chunky colas of Thai Gold and Jack Herer!