Flushing with chlorinated tap water

I have 3 plants in 5 gallon buckets that I need to flush to clear salt buildup out of my soil (they are starting to show burned tips). I know you're supposed to do 3x pot side. But there's absolutely no way I'm getting 45 gallons of distilled water anywhere. I also don't have anything to put 45 gallons of tap water in and let it sit out for 24 hours.


Can I just get straight tap water and PH it and just flush directly? That would be way easier on me. I have a 5 gallon hedpak tomorrow so I was thinking I could just fill that over and over and flush 5 gallons at a time.

I'm growing in Soil with only FFOF

Chlorine isn't as bad as people think. I've been watering with straight tap water for years and we even have chloramine in the water which doesn't evaporate out. That includes hydro, coco, and soil. Plants don't seem to care. Drowning the plants roots by flushing 15 gallons of water through the pots is more than likely going to have more of a negative effect on your plants than any chlorine in the water. If you're really worried about it most activated charcoal water filters will filter out the chlorine and are inexpensive.

it just kills microbes in the medium, i use ro for all my growing but using tap to flush is fine. dont run 15 gal through your plant at one time, do it over a few days....

distilled water is a bad idea anyway, you would want to use RO water. Can you give us a little more information about the grow so we can better help you?
How old are the plants?
What nutrients are you using, How much, How often and for how long?
What light are you using?
Can you post a picture of the plant and a picture of a leaf with burnt tips?

xtsho said:

Chlorine isn't as bad as people think. I've been watering with straight tap water for years and we even have chloramine in the water which doesn't evaporate out. That includes hydro, coco, and soil. Plants don't seem to care. Drowning the plants roots by flushing 15 gallons of water through the pots is more than likely going to have more of a negative effect on your plants than any chlorine in the water.

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I second this.
I water my outdoor with water straight from the garden hose religiously through the entire grow cycle. Never an issue. If grandma can water her vegetable garden for 70+ years with straight tap, and can grow tomatoes bigger than your face, I think my plants will be ok. And they have been. They dont skip a beat.

J.James said:

distilled water is a bad idea anyway, you would want to use RO water. Can you give us a little more information about the grow so we can better help you?
How old are the plants?
What nutrients are you using, How much, How often and for how long?
What light are you using?
Can you post a picture of the plant and a picture of a leaf with burnt tips?

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I'm going in Soil. Using only FFOF soil and FF nutes. They are a little over 4 weeks into flower. I only feed every 1-2 weeks because the soil was already hot. So a lot of the times I'll feed plain water. I just introduced molasses into my feedings last week so that was the biggest change.

I have a LED that's 380 W from the wall in a 2x4 tent and I also ordered an 100W QB to supplement on the way.

jdog127 said:

I second this.
I water my outdoor with water straight from the garden hose religiously through the entire grow cycle. Never an issue. If grandma can water her vegetable garden for 70+ years with straight tap, and can grow tomatoes bigger than your face, I think my plants will be ok. And they have been. They dont skip a beat.

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That is because of pot size, Grandmaws garden in the largest pot possible and it is easy for the soil food web to recover. the plants are also receiving the maximum amount of light. You cannot compare outdoor plants grown the ground to container plants with limited soil life. But I still agree with the statement "Chlorine isn't as bad as people think". Flush with city tap water

How much molasses are you using?
What nutrients from the FF line and how much?
"380 W from the wall" Like a bulb or what

Plants look great, I don't think you need to flush them.

J.James said:

That is because of pot size, Grandmaws garden in the largest pot possible and it is easy for the soil food web to recover. the plants are also receiving the maximum amount of light. You cannot compare outdoor plants grown the ground to container plants with limited soil life. But I still agree with the statement "Chlorine isn't as bad as people think". Flush with city tap water

How much molasses are you using?
What nutrients from the FF line and how much?
"380 W from the wall" Like a bulb or what

Plants look great, I don't think you need to flush them.

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1tbs per gallon. I'm gonna up it to two in maybe 2 weeks. I'm also gonna stop using nutes because maybe this soil is hot enough to carry me through the entire grow. I was using half the recommended nutes and still getting some burn no Matter what even after all this time. So.imma go pure water and just molasses until it looks like they need to be fed.

Armyofsprout said:

1tbs per gallon. I'm gonna up it to two in maybe 2 weeks. I'm also gonna stop using nutes because maybe this soil is hot enough to carry me through the entire grow. I was using half the recommended nutes and still getting some burn no Matter what even after all this time. So.imma go pure water and just molasses until it looks like they need to be fed.

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How long ago did you transplant them and from what size pot to what size pot? When did you start feeding them? Are you using all 13 Bottles of nutrients or just the trio?

J.James said:

How long ago did you transplant them and from what size pot to what size pot? When did you start feeding them?

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I'm using a LED light, FF liquid trio (grow big, big bloom, tiger bloom) and beastie bloom powder. I transplanted them straight from solo cups right into 5 gallons because I don't like doing multiple transplants so they've always been in 5 gallons and I never had too many issues. I've been feeding on and off for about a month. Sometimes I go two weeks at a time with just water because the soil was hot.

4 weeks isn't enough time to have salt buildup
You are chasing a nonissue

Herb & Suds said:

4 weeks isn't enough time to have salt buildup
You are chasing a nonissue

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There'd something happening all over on of my plants. Maybe a deficiency then?

Armyofsprout said:

There'd something happening all over on of my plants. Maybe a deficiency then?

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looks like a pest of some sort

Armyofsprout said:

There'd something happening all over on of my plants. Maybe a deficiency then?

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insect issue?? burned tips and clawing too...

look for Insects on the underneath side of the effected leaf, Break the fan leaf off and get it under natural light so you can see, and if there are bugs snap a picture. Little black dots (poop) are an indication of thrips so keep an eye out for these also

No, I see only minor overfeeding issues with that plant.

You don't have any nute or salt "burn"...
The spots are not all over the plant.

FF trio isn't and never has been on my list of nutrients "I" would use...

Your N is high and you should NOT increase feeding it more! That stuff is not charted for cannabis.....

Dr. Who said:

No, I see only minor overfeeding issues with that plant.

You don't have any nute or salt "burn"...
The spots are not all over the plant.

FF trio isn't and never has been on my list of nutrients "I" would use...

Your N is high and you should NOT increase feeding it more! That stuff is not charted for cannabis.....

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Yeah my N has been high since the beginning with this soil and never lowered. I wasn't feeding for the longest and it was still getting N toxicity with just pure water feedings. Next grow I'll try something different or mix this soil with a lighter soil. Before I used to use a mix of Ocean forest and light warrior. But this time I messed up and used all ocean forest.

I'm gonna feed just water and molasses the rest of the grow until I see it needs more

I have learned that if I am using straight FF OF or 50% FF OF / 50% FF HF, I don't ever need to use FF GB because I start everything, clones n' seedlings, in 1 gallon pots, and I leave them there for 4 to 5 weeks, then up-pot them to 2 1/2 gallon pots if I am going to veg them for 12 weeks for 7 or 10 gallon final pots. But if I am not going to veg them for 12 weeks, just 8 or 9 weeks, I put them into their final pots, then I give them 4 or more weeks to settle in before I flip them, then from the start of flower until 1 week before I flush I give them 15ml FF BB every watering and 2ml FF TB every 3rd watering along with 1/4 tsp epsom salt, and 2ml of go camg+ if using tap water or use 5ml of go camg+ if using distilled water per gallon, will flower beautiful, big bud plants, every time. Also as a side note... the go camg+ isn't always needed, but I still give it to my plants when I am using FF salts, because it contains just the right amount of soluble N that I know my plants needs even during flowering!

Some people say that chlorinated water kills soil microbes. If so then those microbes don't do much. I have used rain water side by side with tap water to water habanero peppers in pots. I wanted to see if rain water was better. No difference in size or vigour of plants, size of peppers, or yield. Just to be clear, I do think soil microbes are important, I just haven't seen any evidence whatsoever that chlorine harms plants.
Side note, my father is a research scientist with Environment Canada, Canada Center for Inland Waters. He uses chlorinated water to water his veg and decorative gardens, and his lawn.

FF Nutes often salt up fast ... ruined many smart pots. Agreed your N is too high ( dark leaf ) .

Run it on 6.3 to 6.5 ph only. Not more , not less.
Run a water only diet to allow plant to consume some of the excess stored.
Beastie can be overload to plants ... I only use it at week 6 - 7 .
Tiger is “ ok “ as a bloom but ...... have found cutting all bottles and powders out and merely
doing a top dress of FFOF to recharge medium was superior .

With a regular water only run for awhile , you are STILL carefully leaching the soil and still breaking up salt. Without adding unnecessary stressors to equation .... Instead of a brutal flush .

Just ph your tap ... it will be fine . Save the stupid distilled water for your steam iron and slacks.

Think about it .... does your lawn , tomatoes, ferns , ivy plants really give a shit what kind of water you give them right out of the hose ?