# Making ferts



## robert2191 (15 Jan 2015)

Hi when you make your ferts up do you put cold water straight from the tap in or do you boil the water and let it cool


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## EnderUK (15 Jan 2015)

Best to boil it first and then let it cool down for 20 minutes.


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## ian_m (15 Jan 2015)

EnderUK said:


> Best to boil it first and then let it cool down for 20 minutes.


Why complicate something that is designed to be simple, I did when I started EI . Just use cold tap water, nice and simple, shake a bit, leave to stand over night and dose way. Tap water provides extra calcium, magnesium and nitrates all good stuff for plants.


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## tug (15 Jan 2015)

You would also be adding phosphate in many cases. I've always used distilled water for mixing a stock solution.


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## ian_m (15 Jan 2015)

tug said:


> You would also be adding phosphate in many cases.


Excellent, more phosphate, so even better for the plants and bad for algae. My tap water is looking better already....


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## tug (15 Jan 2015)

OK. That's fine for a water change but wouldn't tap water create a problem when mixing a stock solution for trace? For a little amount of money, a gallon of distilled water would be my recommendation but thats just me. 

Before recommending tap water for mixing stock solutions wouldn't it be important to know the KH or other variables coming from the tap water. Don't you ever worry about precipitates forming at the bottom of the bottle after the first week?


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## Paulo Soares (15 Jan 2015)

Wait a second.... i have always been told to mix the salts in distilled water ! And never tap water. 

Can you explain why? I never ask or ague i simply assume it. 
But now you´re making me confused. 

Why distilled water and not tap or otherwise?



> Why complicate something that is designed to be simple, I did when I started EI . Just use cold tap water, Tap water provides extra calcium, magnesium and nitrates all good stuff for plants.



This makes sense but i never argue or question my self why here in Portugal everybody mix the salts with distilled water.. i simply acepted as a fact.


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## Paulo Soares (15 Jan 2015)

tug said:


> Don't you ever worry about precipitates forming at the bottom of the bottle after the first week?



Explain better please. My KH is 10 . What it has to do with the salts?

I never had anything in the bottom of the bottle but i want to understand your point.


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## ian_m (15 Jan 2015)

tug said:


> Don't you ever worry about precipitates forming at the bottom of the bottle after the first week?


Nope. Never seen precipitates or undissolved salts in the bottle, despite me mixing EI at 1.5 times the amount due to my large plant mass (actually not that large now, but forgot to change mixing levels, oh well one day will remember to change).

As an experiment I did mix once some potassium phosphate and micro mix with tap water hoping to see some iron phosphate precipitate, but saw nothing after a week, bunged in tank. I suspect the pH was too low and the iron in the micro stayed in solution.

I doubt there would be sufficient phosphate in tap water (which won't be removed by boiling) to cause an issue with the micro salts and iron precipitating out. For instance phosphate in tap water at 1mg/l (1ppm) used in 500ml water could precipitate approximately 0.5mg which I doubt you would see. So using tap water you might have wasted 0.5mg out of one spoonful of 6 grams (0.008%). So used distilled water and save 0.008%. Great. 

Again people are "wasting their worries" on something, that if you think about it isn't an issue.


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## ian_m (15 Jan 2015)

You will be telling me next you have a pair of scales to weigh your ferts accurate to 0.01gr . I use tea spoons, much cheaper 6 for £2 and completely 100% accurate enough for EI dosing....


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## DanielC03 (15 Jan 2015)

I've always used tap water for macros, but: For micros also use tap water?


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## ian_m (15 Jan 2015)

DanielC03 said:


> For micros also use tap water?


Yes. Absolute worst case is a couple of mg of iron phosphate, out of say out of 6000mg (one tea spoon), of micro might precipitate out. So is it worth faffing around with boiled water & distilled water just to save a couple of mg.

Use your worries on more important things like CO2 distribution and flow not what type of water to use for mixing your ferts.

Actually change of mind... I take it all back...we should be using this water to mix our ferts...
http://www.quantumagewater.info/
http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2004-08/healthy-glow-drink-radiation


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## EnderUK (15 Jan 2015)

Boiling water part is more to kill any mold that might be lurking in my taps not harmful I know but meh, it also helps dissolve the Mg quicker again not that it really matters.


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## ian_m (15 Jan 2015)

EnderUK said:


> Boiling water part is more to kill any mold that might be lurking in my taps not harmful I know but meh


Couple of "wasted worry" points here.

Hopefully your tap water will be sterile (H2O2 in Netherlands or chlorine/chloramine elsewhere), thus unlikely to contain anything live like.
The strength you mix the macro will kill anything attempting to live in it.
The Micro usually contains ascorbic acid and potassium sorbate which make it acid killing mould and act as a preservative.
So again tap water is fine.


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## tug (15 Jan 2015)

Sure ya right Bama, after one experiment using your tap water, everyone's water is fine to mix with CSM+B.
At least you took the time to explain what can happen, when asked. It's a lot easier for people to come to their own conclusions that way. I have no problems with bringing home a gallon of distilled water once every month or two, even if it makes no sense to you. You made a lot of assumptions about people and their water. Thank you for providing a more complete picture and explanation. I wouldn't have wasted my time, if you had done so from the start, crotchety old fart. 



ian_m said:


> Nope. Never seen precipitates or undissolved salts in the bottle, despite me mixing EI at 1.5 times the amount due to my large plant mass (actually not that large now, but forgot to change mixing levels, oh well one day will remember to change).
> 
> As an experiment I did mix once some potassium phosphate and micro mix with tap water hoping to see some iron phosphate precipitate, but saw nothing after a week, bunged in tank. I suspect the pH was too low and the iron in the micro stayed in solution.
> 
> ...


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## GHNelson (15 Jan 2015)

ian_m said:


> Couple of "wasted worry" points here.
> 
> Hopefully your tap water will be sterile (H2O2 in Netherlands or chlorine/chloramine elsewhere), thus unlikely to contain anything live like.
> The strength you mix the macro will kill anything attempting to live in it.
> ...


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## GHNelson (15 Jan 2015)

Beg to differ Ian-m
 Above is not the case if you experience my outcomes of using Municipal Local Authority tap water!
 All my Macro goes cloudy and accumulates some white coloured fluffy bacteria.
 I assume its because we have a lot of Mg in our tap water....depends where you live.
 Even when I dosed the tap water with Liquid Carbon the outcome was the same cloudy Macro ferts after a few weeks!
 Only when I use RO or DI water there is no bacteria or reaction!
 So again tap water is not fine in my opinion.....hoggie


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## tug (15 Jan 2015)

Paulo Soares said:


> Explain better please. My KH is 10 . What it has to do with the salts?


The way I understand it is KH (not pH) has an effect on the ligand/chelator used.
In very hard water the bonds are more easily broken, some faster then others.
For an example, DTPA stays bonded to Fe longer in your hard water then EDTA would.
Gluconate would last the least amount of time. When someone asks me what to mix with fertilizers, I tell them distilled water. Just because EI proves a forgiving dosing routine does not mean we should become careless with the advise we give. It's not that hard to find distilled water.


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