The Importance Of Water Quality
Water quality is crucial to hydroponic plant growth, and poor water quality can lead to toxicity problems, disease, pH issues, and the blockage of drippers and plumbing. To avoid these issues, it's important to test your water before using it and choose the most appropriate water source for your needs. Common problems include total dissolved salts (salinity), pH, alkalinity, hardness, iron, corrosiveness, cloudiness/turbidity, slimes and algae, odour, and colour.
Total dissolved salts (salinity) is a major concern in hydroponics, as high levels of salt can be toxic to plants and cause blockages in the system. To manage high EC water, you can ensure good drainage in soil or coco systems, flush accumulated salts below the root zone, discard and replace nutrient solutions frequently in recirculating systems, blend high-EC water with lower-EC water, and keep water off plant foliage if its EC is above 1.0mS/cm.
pH is another critical factor, as it affects the availability of nutrients to plants. However, a water's pH reading is not always a reliable indicator of how much acid or alkali is needed to adjust the pH, as different water samples can have different buffering capacities. Alkalinity is another important parameter that affects pH and is caused by bicarbonate ions in the water. To manage alkalinity, you can use acid injection, reverse osmosis, or buffering agents.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is also a factor that affects pH, as it can dissolve in water and lower the pH. In hydroponics, plants can benefit from increased levels of CO2, but this can also lead to pH fluctuations. To manage CO2 levels, you can use CO2 generators or injectors and monitor pH closely.
Overall, monitoring and managing water quality is a crucial aspect of successful hydroponic growing. By testing your water and addressing any issues, you can ensure that your plants have access to the nutrients they need to thrive.
For a more in depth look at water quality check out Andrew Taylors blog over on the Floramax website https://www.floramax.com/water-quality-for-hydroponic-gardening/
