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Help,water test

  • Thread starter cool85k5
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cool85k5

cool85k5

Hi,I just got some water tested by a pool company,and all they could tell me was this:Magnesium-.00,Copper-.06 and Iron-.02.Can anyone tell me if this is enough information to tell that the water is safe for my plants?This is all the info I can gather,as I'm limited to where I can have it tested.Thanks for any information.


Jerry
 
I assume the measurement were in ppm as this is the internation standard. It might be measure in German Degrees, in which case you need to multiply the reading by 18 to get ppm.

The low magnesium would "imply" a low mineral content, but this may not be the case. Magnesium is probably one of the least likely minerals to build up in you plants as it is quite soluble and can be flushed out quite easily, and is used by the plants in small amounts. The best way to get an idea of the total mineral content is with a TDS meter which measures the conductivity of the water, and the total disolved salts. You might be able to get your local Aquarium to tast the TDS for you, and at the very least give you a calcium reading.

The Iron and Copper levels should be fine, I think... I don't have any reference material in front of me but from memory these are well in the safe range for sensitive plants.

Where is the water coming from?

George
 
Yes it was in ppm,and the water comes from a deep well.I live in the country and do not have access to bigger cities without driving 2-3 hours.

Jerry
 
Another thing to be aware of is to Kow what the numbers mean. For instance, at our lab we analyze many things. They are referred to as analytes. they all have what are known as "detection limits." The DL's are different for each analyte and then differ whether they considered wastewaters, drinking waters, solids, TCLP's, etc... The bottom line question is concerns whether the numbers you receive are relevent to the real world. A low number may for a given salt may be intolerable to a VFT, but acceptable to Cobra Lily. Just like a soil media is great for cactus or a rose, but it could be deadly for a sundew. Maybe there is something published for salt content, relative to CP's?
 
As my collection grows,so does the demand for good water.Distilled water is good,but soon I wont be able to afford to buy it.I really didnt want to have to buy a RO filter,but it seems like I have to.But by the time summer temps get here(90f-100f) I'll have to go through 2-3 gallons of distilled water per day
sad.gif



Jerry
 
Hi Cool85k5,

Those readings aren't enough to know if your water is ok for cp's. You need to get an aquarium water test kits for pH, GH and KH. They are all around $10 or so. If you end up with the tests saying you have soft acid water -- which is quite likely in Georgia as the deep South has soft acid water usually until you get out of the Florida panhandle --- then it would probably be good for cp's. Your pH should be below 7. The KH and GH should each be below 30-40 ppms. That would be nice soft acid water. Now pure rainwater will be almost 0 on the KH and GH and usually around 6 pH. That's the best I can do for you.

Bobby
 
Thanks for the information Bobby,I'll look and see if I can get a kit local,Wal Mart might have them.


Jerry
 
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