Is Tap Water Safe For Hydroponics???

Do you want to be using straight tap water for your hydroponic system?

When we talk about tap water we’re talking about the additives & impurities that can directly affect your nutrients and supplements that you are feeding your plants.

We know the water coming out of our taps isn’t pure we can tell this by using a TDS meter and measuring the (Total dissolved solids). Looking at this we can see a number around 200-300ppm, this number could be considerably more or less depending on where you live and where you water comes from. Pure water has a TDS of 0ppm and this is what all your hydroponic nutrients are based off of.

When you mix your nutrients following directions from your label it indicates what you should expect for a PPM based of the volume you’re mixing. These mixing instructions are assuming you are using pure water with a TDS of 0ppm. When you mix nutrients directly into tap water that already has a PPM of 200 do you mix less nutrient or do you just add what’s called for on the label? Most times we simple do the latter and over compensate when mixing our nutrients.

Ideally when mixing our nutrients we want to start with our base water being as pure as possible. Without R/O (reverse osmosis) or other filters is this even achievable? One of the biggest concerns with using tap water to grow plants is the Chorine which it could contain. And a simple method to removing the chlorine is simply to let it sit and evaporate. But here’s something you may not know. You’re water might contain chloramine instead, which means simple evaporation techniques wont remove it. My area uses Chloramine because it services a lot of rural areas and the water can be piped long distances. Using chloramine means the water at the other end will be safe for everyday use.

Chloramine can still be removed from your tap water but it’s slightly more difficult. Using chemical water conditioners, R/O system or even some higher quality under tap mount. It’s possible to end up with some very pure water that would be great for your plants.

Hard water could also pose a problem with your hydroponic system. When you have extremely hard water, your plants can be at risk due to an overabundance of minerals that they only need in small amounts. elements such as calcium and magnesium, both minerals that your plants need to thrive. However from your tap these could either be in excess amounts or the molecule form could be too large for your plant to uptake.

So can you use tap water for hydroponics? Sure! Ideally you’d start from the tap with a range between 200-300ppm. And ideally you’d remove the chlorine & chloramines from your water first.
But your plants have a strong desire to propagate, grow and seed. Using tap water directly won’t be the end of the world and you likely won’t kill off your plants. I personally feel the reason this becomes such a large issue in the hydroponic world and that when we’re talking about hydroponics we’re talking about controlled environments and giving the plants the BEST possible conditions to thrive. Using water that’s “tainted” opposed to pure means we’ve lost control of a part of the growing environment.

Do what YOU feel is best, most convenient and cost effective for YOUR garden. And be happy with your results.