10 Reasons to use Filtered and Low EC Water

The growth of plants begins at the roots and in a soil based system there are friendly micro-organisms that contribute to this. Using filtered water encourages the roots to go stronger and means the micro-organisms can flourish.

Filtered and RO (reverse osmosis) is water that has had the impurities removed and is as pure as the rain that would fall from the sky before the days of air pollution.

Below are ten reasons to support the use of filtered and RO water and why a filter system from Geyser is a fantastic solution.

The electrical conductivity (EC) of water is determined by the amount of solids dissolved within it and plants perform at their best when the EC is between 1.4 and 2.2.

Pure water has an EC of zero which gives the grower more control over the amount and types of nutrients that can be added.

This definitely enhances the quality of the yield!

The EC of your water can easily be monitored with a Bluelab Truncheon

A lower EC means that less salt residue such as limescale will develop in the soil around the roots. This means that the plants can absorb far more of the nutrients that are added to the water solution.

There are many micro-organisms naturally in soil that protect the roots of plants. From their very own feeding and survival mechanisms they help the roots to keep healthy and clean.

Healthy and clean roots are far more efficient at absorbing nutrients.

Chlorinated tap water can destroy the micro-organisms so filtering the water is important.

Plants prosper when the pH of the water is close to 6.5. Using RO water that is devoid of impurities makes it far easier to maintain this pH.

A couple of great pH meters for level checks are the Plant!T and the Essentials

Water that has a high EC typically contains calcium and magnesium and it is these that cause limescale and what is known as hard water. These minerals, combined with the added nutrients, can oversaturate the roots, effectively blocking them from absorbing the required amount of the added nutrients.

This is often referred to as nutrient lock out

Reducing the EC avoids this issue.

Specialist micro-organisms can be added to a growth system for many purposes, for example the elimination of parasites or worms.

Adding these to hard or chlorinated water is almost pointless as they will struggle to survive.

Adding them to EC water means that they can effectively do their job.

Common problems in any growing system are dry or yellowing leaves and stunted growth of the plants.

This can be easily avoided when the growth is started with water of a low EC as the plants can then absorb exactly the correct amount of nutrients to prosper.

Providing pure water means that our plants will not absorb anything undesirable and that there will be nothing to counteract what the nutrients provide.

Just as we should build a house on a strong foundation, the same applies to plants. Plants can then reach their full potential.

Depending upon where we live, many of us will not drink unfiltered tap water.

Your plants deserve the same goodness and respect!

Many thanks to our colleagues at Growth Technology for the great advice on this subject!