Reverse osmosis and purified water

Light, water and food are the basic elements a plant needs to grow healthy and happy. Some opt for filtering water, but this is an expensive option and it can be replaced with something else. This is the reason why many people turn towards the reverse osmosis technique.

The reverse osmosis or RO was created for those that cannot use tap water in their hydroponic environment. As you already know, in different countries the tap water is not so pure and suitable for drinking. It seems like a contradiction, but it is the truth. This is the main reason why you should opt for reverse osmosis.

The logical question is the following: why to put so much hard work into removing the impurities that can usually be found in water? The most important reason is the fact that impurities prevent your plants from getting all from the nutrients you feed them. Always keep in mind the fact that tap water can come with calcium, magnesium, sodium, iron or sulfur. Depending on the region you live in, you will have different mixes present in it.

Reverse osmosis is meant to offer you a clean start for your plants. Its goal is to provide you the means of creating the perfect balance. If the water you use has no other elements in it, you can properly feed the nutrients to your plants. Therefore, there will not be any impediment for them in getting what they need.

For those that know their tap water is hard, special care should be taken. This is due to the fact that this type of water can cause damage in pipes. Reverse osmosis prevents this too and it saves you some trouble.

How does Reverse Osmosis function?

For a hydroponic system, reverse osmosis goes through three main filtering steps. Firstly, the sediment filter gets rid of those particles that could eventually harm the osmosis membrane. Secondly, by using a granulated carbon filter, chlorine is taken out from the equation. In the end, a membrane gets rid of all minerals that may be found in your tap water. The result will be the pure water which you can use it with confidence in your hydroponic system.

How do you know you need to use Reverse Osmosis?

You can determine if you need to use Ro by simply testing the water. Furthermore, if you already have a hydroponic system, you can analyze the residues the water leaves on the pipes and filters. If there is an increased accumulation of salt in the pipes, you probably need to make use of the Reverse Osmosis.

Disadvantages or not?

The main disadvantage of reverse osmosis is the fact that it wastes water. Purified water will be obtained in a small amount in comparison to the wasted one. Furthermore, this system can be a bit expensive, which means that you will have to spend extra. So to say, if you are planning to set up a cheap system, you may end up spending too much on RO. Also, reverse osmosis can interfere with the pH due to the fact that it gets rid of the bicarbonates too. In other words, you will need to supliment your plants with a variety of nutrients in order for them to grow healthy.

hydroponics, reverse osmosis

Hydroponics Reverse osmosis and purified water     Light, water and food are the basic elements a plant needs to grow healthy a... Hydroponics Growing media One of the most important elements of an aquaponic system is the growing media. The grow bed represe... Hydroponics pH and hydroponics   When you are talking of pH levels, you usually relate to alkalinity and acidity. Those... Hydroponics Fluorescent growing lights   When it comes to growing indoors, the need of growing lights is crucial. The tricky pa... Hydroponics Lack of nutrients in a hydroponic environment A common challenge for gardeners is how to observe that there is a hydroponic nutrient lack in the g... Hydroponics How to prevent pests and disease Some say that a hydroponic garden is safe when it comes to pests. But you have to consider the fact ... Hydroponics 6 basic hydroponic systems     Hydroponics can be a pretty simple gardening technique if you learn a few ba... Hydroponics Hydroponics What is hydroponics? By making a simple search into the dictionary, you will observe that the...