View Full Version : ground water usage and filtering?
hi
well my grow spot has a high water level, about 1.5 feet below ground level. A hole a that depth becomes a pool in a few minutes! There is a large body of water about a 1/8 mile away, down hill from the grow spot.
The soil is 100% clay below a two inch or so layer of natural forest compost. The PH of the water is about 8.0 year round, give or take a half point. I haven't tested the water for quality yet. I'll be growing in 20 gallon above ground bed for each plant to maximize root space and yield.
how could i filter the water? would it be as simple as a carbon water filter (like a Brita) and PH down?
thanks
is there alot of pollution in your area? i probably wouldn't worry about the water filter... you could use an acidic nute like earth juice to bring down the ph of the water?
hey
nah, no pollution, this water is 'clean' in that regard.
The water is rust brown (same as the clay ;) ) but i assume it's been filtered by the clay so it should be rather good. heck, there is a medium sized lake about 1/4 mile away and it's basically at the same altitude as my grow spot...ground water is mostly likely same as the lake water.
you don't think it would be wise to filter out the residual clay partials and sediment?
outdoordreams
03-26-2008, 06:55 PM
Are you top feeding or using bottom feeding with wicks ect.?
Top feeding you might find problems, but bottom feeding you will probably have wicked results!
Keep us posted with your results!
... if the tap root finds its way into the ground water then i suppose it wouldn't matter too much about the high ph as its only looking for water but like OOD said i would bring it down when watering/feeding from above.
clay is supposed to be nutrient rich but i wonder if a clay solution would have benefits or not?
you could dig a mini well nearby and let it fill with water, most of the clay sediment should sink to the bottom unless disturbed.
Are you top feeding or using bottom feeding with wicks ect.?
Well to feed i'm planing on watering in metanaturals and i was planing on plain watering from the top on a regular basis too. but now that you've mentioned wick you REALLY have me thinking. I can't believe i didn't think of that too, thanks! :D
I could easily dig a few holes below my containers and bury a nylon rope in each, deep in the water. then lay the other end of each rope though the soil. then i wouldn't have to worry (as much) about watering them as they will be passively watered.
But what about the PH? Won't wicking up a high PH water be troublesome in that it can mess with soil PH? (I've added a good amount of dolomite lime to my soil mix)
Top feeding you might find problems, but bottom feeding you will probably have wicked results!
I'm curious why top feeding would be problematic but wick feeding would be good?
Keep us posted with your results!
I'll keep you updated. i've got a bunch of timebomb i'm gonna start this year, WooHoo!
...
to filter the water when used for feeding:
i was thinking of pouring the water though a large sieve (like for pasta) lined with a nylon stocking lined with fish charcoal (the kind in water filters and fish tank filters). The nylon would filter out the clay particulate and the charcoal would clean the water a bit too. I would put the water into a bucket and add brewed teas/nutrients and adjust the PH before feeding. does that sound reasonable or retarded?
c-ray
03-27-2008, 01:40 PM
check your local colleges for cheap or free water tests, then you will have an idea of what is in the water and if it is worth removing
ghostryder
03-27-2008, 05:08 PM
IMHO you dont make sense - are you growing outdoor? or are you combining outdoor/indoor methods? i'll explain! if you are growing outdoor in 20 gallon containers; it doesnt matter what the soil is. and clay is bad! for water, merely dig a tap well down 3' and pump it using a 12 volt battery or hand bucket it to a 45 gallon drum. then ph it down to desired levels. simple really if you think about it. if the water is readily available then dig several "wells" for usage and ph each bucket or container when you water. RO water is 7.0 and this can be used for veg months. so 8.0 should be easy on the ph
AN - advanced nutrients now has a concentrate out on the market for PH down/up. about 13.00 bucks a litre can.
IMHO you dont make sense...
ok :loco:
...i'll explain!...
ok :rolleyes:
thanks though ;)
ghostryder
03-28-2008, 03:03 AM
i said i was weird; didnt i?
outdoordreams
03-28-2008, 07:20 AM
The clay wont be a problem if you using the wick because the clay wont travel up the wick only the water.
The top feed might be problematic because you may end up with to much clay build up in your soil.
Not sure what you would do for the PH of the water in a wick system.
Astraltroll..............shushap rules! wierd as ya all are! i love it there!
GOJO, Timebomb! Great choice!
c-ray
03-28-2008, 11:59 AM
another idea would be to increase the amount of bokashi in your mix since the bokashi will probably reduce the pH of the incoming water
another idea would be to increase the amount of bokashi in your mix since the bokashi will probably reduce the pH of the incoming water
Thanks a good idea :D . I'll also add more fully decomposed bokashi compost as that sits about 5.0 and should help reduce the ph of the h2o also...hummm
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