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GROWERS
GUIDE
BENEFITS OF SILICON H2O: To Filter or Not to Filter - That is The Question!
Water may seem like the simplest component of any hydroponic nutrient regime and is quite commonly overlooked, for this
reason. Water is actually one of the most vital constituents as it is the delivery vehicle for every bit of nutritive
enhancement you wish to bring to your plants. If your water contains unwanted elements you may experience nutritive
toxicity or deficiency symptoms, leading to crop failure or significantly reduced yields. Since water is available to growers
in a variety of forms, here is a brief description of the most commonly encountered:
Tap/Municipal Water:
While convenient and generally clean given the infusion of chlorine, tap water is known to have many components that
can be both beneficial and detrimental to many plants. Remember, chlorine only attacks organics, not inorganics. Calcium
and magnesium are commonly found in tap water and have nutritive benefits for plants. However, sodium, halogens (Br,
Cl), haloacetic acids (HAA5), trihalomethanes (TTHMs), and even a plethora of viruses and protozoans are known to be
encountered when using tap water, including the abundance of inorganic and organic chemicals like benzene and nasty
heavy metals like mercury, aluminum, lead, cadmium, arsenic, and more are also found in tap water.
Well Water:
These sources of water will generally contain little to no chlorine and have a plethora of beneficial ions like Calcium and
Magnesium. However, well water is also known to contain many microorganisms and toxic compounds that can endanger
human and plant health. Volatile organic compounds (VOC’s), heavy metals, nitrates, and even radioactive molecules can
also be encountered when using well water.
Rain Water:
While another free or inexpensive source, contaminant content is an important facet to consider. Generally, cationic
(positively charged ions – magnesium, calcium, etc.) content is relatively lower than tap or well water, however rain water
is also more acidic. The largest problem with rain water use is the method in which it was obtained. Metal roofing and
containers, plastic components and fittings can all lead to dangerous heavy metals and other impurities making their way
into the water. Pathogens are quite common when utilizing rain water – E. coli, Giardia, Cryptosporidium, and Salmonella
are all but a few of the many microorganisms that can live in rain water.
Since all of the previously mentioned water sources contain contaminants that could interfere with plant health, it is clear
to see that filtration is needed in some capacity. Depending on your original water source, your filtration demands may
differ. See below for a brief explanation of commonly encountered water filtration techniques:
Ceramic - used primarily for sediment filtration.
Carbon - removes VOC’s, lead, arsenic, chlorine, and many other contaminants.
Mechanical Filtration - used for sediment filtration. Not able to filter chemical contaminants.
Ultraviolet - used for eradication of microorganisms, bacteria, and viruses but does not filter sediment or chemical
contaminants.
Ozone - used for eradication of microorganisms, bacteria, and viruses. Not able to filter sediment or chemical
contaminants.
Deionization - utilizes ion-exchange resins to exchange hydrogen (H+) and hydroxide (OH-) ions for dissolved minerals,
resulting in mineral-devoid water. Primarily this process removes any negatively charged (anion) and positively charged
(cation) ions. Bacteria, viruses, microorganisms, and uncharged organic molecules are generally not able to be separated
from water through this process, however.
Ion Exchange - much like deionization, ion exchange utilizes specialty resins that exchange desirable ions for nondesirable ions. Water softening techniques use this technology - calcium and magnesium are exchanged for sodium. This
process does not remove bacteria, viruses, microorganisms, or uncharged organic molecules.
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GROWERS
GUIDE
BENEFITS OF SILICON Distillation - exploiting the differences in physical properties between water and many contaminants, distillation involves
boiling water to vapor. This vapor is then cooled and condensed, while the majority of contaminants are left behind. This
method is effective for the removal of bacteria, viruses, microorganisms, and minerals. Chlorine and various VOC’s are not
removed from this process.
Reverse Osmosis - a semipermeable membrane is employed to remove ions and large particles from H2O. This particular
form of filtration is able to remove bacteria and other microorganisms from water resulting in extremely clean water with
near-zero EC/ppm.
Is Your Water Hard Or Soft?
When referring to the ionic content of water, the terms ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ are commonly used. Calcium and magnesium are
the ions of most particular interest and when levels of these 2 ions are high, the water is referred to as hard. Conversely,
when water is nearly devoid of calcium or magnesium content it is referred to as soft. Water softening is employed when
as excess of cations is experienced - this process displaces calcium and magnesium ions with sodium and/or bicarbonate
ions. Water that has been softened in this manner is rather detrimental to plants (and even some humans) due to high
sodium levels and should be avoided. Hard water, on the other hand, can be quite beneficial to plants (and humans) given
that the cationic content is within appropriate levels and sanitizing agents (Cl) are allowed to dissipate. Growers using
hard water will need to consider the cationic content of their water to compensate for the reduction in Cal-Mag and other
minerals they will need to use.
For the purist, reverse osmosis is the most suitable option. Starting with pure H2O, growers are able to know exactly what
components are being feed to their plants. Having complete control over the components and their concentration
eliminates many errors leading to nutrient deficiency and toxicity. Also, the removal of heavy metals and both organic and
inorganic chemicals is necessary when growing crops meant for consumption.
Regardless of the water source you choose, lab analysis should be performed to understand actual content. While there
are many laboratories EPA-certified to analyze drinking water that can analyze a wide panel of ions and contaminants for
around $100, many at-home test kits have emerged in recent years - some for as low as $10 at local home improvement
centers. With technology this affordable, every serious grower should have their water source(s) analyzed for
content. With this last factor dialed in, you will be able to accurately and effectively provide nutritive enhancement to your
plants to fulfill their true potential! Start with clean water and nutrients and end up with a clean product! The Dutch Master
Commercial Edition range of nutrients is guaranteed to have no detectable heavy metals, is filtered to 0.5 microns and has
zero added hormones or PGR’s.
Summary
• Water can be obtained a variety of ways - most commonly tap/municipal, well, and rain. Content varies greatly but
all contain contaminants.
• Filtration is commonly used to clean water for use with plants - many types of filtration are available to the
grower. The particular type of filtration that will work best for your depends on the water source and what
constituents are desired.
• Reverse osmosis is the best and cheapest option when looking for a clean water source with no pathogenic and
ionic mineral content.
• Hard water contains a relatively high amount of cations such as calcium and magnesium. Can be quite useful for
plants, if ionic concentration is within appropriate levels. A bit hit and miss really.
• Soft water usually contains an excess of sodium that is used to displace calcium and magnesium from the water
source. This water should be avoided if at all possible due to the excessive sodium content.
• Water tests are simple and affordable, with at-home tests kits available from $10!
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