Auto Flower Perpetual Redundancy Part 3

Week 5 Update Moved the girls into the bloom tent swinging the main colas to the outside edges of the tents and hit them with some nutrients. Humidity is running between 50 to 55% between waterings. TIP OF THE WEEK Affordable Reverse Osmosis Water Filter Review H2O, life as we know it wouldn't be possible without it. The biggest issue we as growers face is finding clean usable water for our grows. Believe it or not most nutrient manufacturers recommend using R.O. water. This is to avoid possible issues with their products properly staying in solution and leading to nutrient lock out. Hard alkaline water heavy with calcium carbonate and magnesium can lead to an unacceptable ph and high TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) for proper nutrient absorption. Not to mention the potential for other undesirable heavy metals, chlorine and dissolved organics which may be lurking in your local drinking water supply. Using a Reverse Osmosis (R.O.) water filtration system takes the guess work out of your water quality. I’ve found that I’m using over 160 gallons of water each grow between using it for my humidifier, regular watering and feeding to the big flush in the end. I’m in the USA and found a simple and affordable 100 gpd (Gallons Per Day) R.O. filter which will fill a 5-gallon jug in around 1 hour depending on the water pressure. Since I typically run 8 plants, I have 10 of these jugs which is enough to flush all of them in the end. I also have a number of 1-gallon jugs which are easier to use when the plants are smaller. I found the Aquatic Life RO Buddie at a local pet supply wholesaler called Chewy for about $70.00 USD. https://www.chewy.com/aquatic-life-ro-buddie-three-stage/dp/146153 It’s a small, simple yet efficient 3 cartridge design and comes with everything you need to get it up and filling those jugs in under 1 hour. The push in style connectors are great. Just use the supplied razor to cut the tubing to the needed length and push it into the fitting. It also comes with a standard hose hook up with a sink faucet adapter making it easy to use inside or outside your home. My tap water is typically 7.5+ ph and at least 360ppm which is not good. I have found this hard alkaline water can lead to something called ph bounce. In other words, you try to adjust the ph using phosphoric acid and initially you see the ph drop, but after a few hours it bounces back up. Causing nutrient lock out issues. After using the RO Buddie, I see my ppm’s in the low teens usually 12 to 15 ppm.( IMPORTANT) You always need to keep in mind that R.O. water has been stripped of almost all nutrients especially calcium and magnesium. If you try to water your plants with plain R.O. water remember to at least add a small amount of cal/mag or a weak nutrient solution because if not it will steal nutrients from your substrate causing future deficiencies. In terms of cartridge life, I’ve been running mine for as long as 9-10 months before I see the ppm’s rise into the 60 to 70 ppm range and need to replace the cartridges. As with all things replaceable the cost of the 3 cartridges is about $52.00 USD almost as much as the whole unit. My conclusion is investing in an inexpensive R.O system is worth the over all expense in the long run to allow plants to be efficiently able to absorb all the nutrients they need in order to grow and bud properly without the interference caused by poor water chemistry. This will also ensure your buds are not contaminated with toxic metals etc. Using this product will give you some peace of mind that you’re supplying a safe top-quality product for consumption.👍👍