Several things contribute to a great cannabis growth operation and having good water quality is huge part of them. This is because once you can understand water quality and its impact on plant health, you can help your plant achieve new heights of growth and optimum development.
Water is an important part of human life as the earth and all life contained in it use it to grow and survive. Every plant depends on water as it plays a crucial role in photosynthesis, transports nutrients, and gives the plant its virility. Also, it plays a major role in transpiration which is the evaporation of water through the stomata after traveling from the stem to the leaves to be exchanged for carbon dioxide. It is then combined with light to create sugars that feed the plant through photosynthesis.
The source of your water plays a major role in its quality as the levels of trace mineral and salts found usually vary due to this factor. For example, if the source of the water is untreated like a well, it is more likely to have a lower quality in the form of the presence of increased amounts of salts, pathogens, and bacteria. However, if it is a treated source such as water supplied to the homes from a central distribution system, it will be treated but might have high sodium levels due to the chemicals used in treating it.
How to Determine Your Water Quality
pH
One of the major things that have to do with the plant’s health is its pH as it determines its ability to move carbohydrates and nutrients from one part of the plant to another. Water with a pH level of 6.0 and 7.0 is the ideal for cannabis as 7.0 is the point where everything balances out and both the positive and negative ions are almost at the same level. As a result, there might be a case of limited nutrient solubility and availability if it is higher and if lower, there could be a decreased buffering capacity and excess hydrogen. This is because the more positive ions account for the acidity of the solution while the negative ions account for the solution being basic. Thus, the pH level of your plant needs to be at a consistent level and if it fluctuates above or below the required level, it could lead to nutrient build-up which is why regular flushing of your plants is recommended to keep your plants healthy.
One of the ways to keep constant checks on your plant by making use of pH testers which you only need to insert into a sample of your water runoff to determine the pH level of your plant. Many of these meters are uncomplicated and can be used by anyone without prior knowledge of its usage and will show you the correct reading of what your plants’ pH is.
EC or TDS
The electrical conductivity or total dissolved solids of your water are indicators to know the quality of your water and its hardness. EC is measured as high as 500 or 700 on the ppm scale meter to be sufficient for your plants while TDS needs to be below 640 to be good enough. If things change and any of these figures turn out to be lower or higher than they should be when you check your water or solution, then you might want to carry out filtration to reduce the salts in the water.
Water Test
Conducting a water test with a good water analysis laboratory is still your best bet when it comes to determining your water quality. This can be done by collecting the samples of your water or solution through the recommended means to ensure that your plant health is in good condition.
Impact of Water Quality on Your Cannabis
If the quality of your water is poor, it will affect your cannabis by disrupting its biological processes and thus affect your cannabis yield. You should also remember that both indoor and outdoor growth requires good quality water and not extra nutrients as many of the problems that emerge from issues with your water issue can seem similar to the normal problems your plants face. These issues could range from heat stress, fertilization issues, nutrient uptake among others which could only be identified by an experienced grower. As a result, it is important to conduct regular checks on your water quality to be sure if you notice any issues and if such is noticed, all it requires is for you to take a few steps to improve its quality.
As earlier mentioned, you could carry out the filtration of your water either the reverse osmosis filtration system or the ultraviolet filter to eliminate excess salts, pathogens, or metals in your water. Another option is to make use of some acids such as chlorine or other horticultural acids to help bring down the alkalinity of the water if it is noticed that the water has high pH although this might not be the best option for your plants.
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