Water quality is a critical factor in nutrient management. Understanding your water source helps create accurate fertilizer recipes.

Why Water Quality Matters

Your water source already contains dissolved minerals that contribute to your final nutrient solution. Ignoring these can lead to:

• Nutrient imbalances
• Toxicity from excess minerals
• pH instability
• Reduced plant uptake

Key Parameters

pH

Water pH affects nutrient availability:

pH Range	Classification	Impact
< 5.5	Acidic	May require pH up adjustment
5.5 - 6.5	Optimal	Ideal for most crops
6.5 - 7.5	Neutral	Acceptable for soil growing
> 7.5	Alkaline	Requires pH down, may cause lockout

Electrical Conductivity (EC)

EC measures total dissolved solids:

Low EC (< 0.3 mS/cm)    = Pure water, minimal minerals
Medium EC (0.3-0.8)      = Typical municipal water
High EC (> 0.8)          = Hard water, significant minerals

Warning: High EC water reduces your “nutrient budget” - the amount of fertilizer you can add before reaching toxic levels.

Common Minerals in Water

Calcium (Ca)

• Often present in hard water
• Contributes to plant calcium needs
• Excess can precipitate with sulfates/phosphates

Magnesium (Mg)

• Typically lower than calcium
• Important for chlorophyll
• Ratio to calcium matters

Sodium (Na)

• Does not benefit plants
• High levels can cause toxicity
• Common in recycled/softened water

Testing Your Water

Recommended Tests

1. Basic Panel: pH, EC, Alkalinity
2. Mineral Panel: Ca, Mg, Na, Cl, S
3. Complete Panel: Add Fe, Mn, Zn, B, Cu

Testing Frequency

Water Source	Frequency
Municipal	Quarterly
Well	Monthly (or after heavy rain)
Rainwater	Per collection
RO/Filtered	After filter changes