PH lvl 7.5 on my water? is that passable or hard?

[BoostedBonsai]

so my water has always left white residue on my pots and trees but i never gave it a second thought i knew what it was, it wasnt until recently its been brought to my attention that really hard water can kill my trees and since i got some fairly nice pre bonsai now that i really dont want to loose lol i bought a ph tester and it tested to 7.5 now i know thats not that hard and im guessin a normal garden tree thats established would not mind it at all, is it bad for bonsai though?

 

[PABonsai]

pH is measure of acidity/alkalinity. 7.5 is a touch alkaline but not bad. Still about neutral. Hardness is a measurement of dissolved minerals in water. They are not related measurements. pH is altered by adding or reducing acidity. Hardness is reduced by either softening with ion exchange softeners (adding salts) or by reverse osmosis. Hardness shouldn't kill a bonsai, but acid loving plants may need the water altered if the hardness is caused by limestone (white calcium deposits). Likewise acid loving plants may not like too high of pH, though 7.5 isn't super high.

 

[BoostedBonsai]

pH is measure of acidity/alkalinity. 7.5 is a touch alkaline but not bad. Still about neutral. Hardness is a measurement of dissolved minerals in water. They are not related measurements. pH is altered by adding or reducing acidity. Hardness is reduced by either softening with ion exchange softeners (adding salts) or by reverse osmosis. Hardness shouldn't kill a bonsai, but acid loving plants may need the water altered if the hardness is caused by limestone (white calcium deposits). Likewise acid loving plants may not like too high of pH, though 7.5 isn't super high.

oh shit okay okay, and shit junipers and jbp are more towards acid loving right? if so i might need to do something cus i love my ever greens

 

[PABonsai]

oh shit okay okay, and shit junipers and jbp are more towards acid loving right? if so i might need to do something cus i love my ever greens

Lol, no worries. They won't die. One thing that will help is a more organic soil, possibly high pine bark ratio. The folks here can probably provide lots of easy advice. I wouldn't worry about their health outright. It's more of a, will they possibly be their best, maybe? They won't die just because of pH, unless it's super high. Human blood is about 7.4 for a frame of reference. And remember, pine trees grow on mountains made of limestone all over the place.

 

[BoostedBonsai]

Lol, no worries. They won't die. One thing that will help is a more organic soil, possibly high pine bark ratio. The folks here can probably provide lots of easy advice. I wouldn't worry about their health outright. It's more of a, will they possibly be their best, maybe? They won't die just because of pH, unless it's super high. Human blood is about 7.4 for a frame of reference. And remember, pine trees grow on mountains made of limestone all over the place.

ahh yes i feel you man i appreciate the advice forsure! im not as panicked i guess as before but still alot to think about lol

 

[PABonsai]

ahh yes i feel you man i appreciate the advice forsure! im not as panicked i guess as before but still alot to think about lol

Keep an eye on it. You can do a hardness test too and get a TDS (total dissolved solids) number. Once you have that then maybe consider action. are you on city water? If you are pH and hardness can change from day to day, especially pH.

 

[BoostedBonsai]

Keep an eye on it. You can do a hardness test too and get a TDS (total dissolved solids) number. Once you have that then maybe consider action. are you on city water? If you are pH and hardness can change from day to day, especially pH.

ahh yeah okay ima need to just to know that way i know what the right mode of action is , and no i live in the cuts i have well water

 

[ConorDash]

I have “very hard” water. I would like one day to test it, for a number.. it’s always left white residue on trees but it’s not harmful, as far as I’m aware. I’ve always been told it’s silly worry about these things.

I remember Rockm on this forum, setting me straight in his brand of bluntness. I used rain water for a while but it’s a lot of effort to sustain, which is not necessary.

although if you find a good solution for washing away the residue, I’d be interested! Nothing working for me yet and a few of my little trees have quite an ugly build up. Annoying.

I’m in that mess of red. Difficult not to have very hard water in the UK lol.

Am I affected by Hard Water?

Am I affected by Hard Water?

www.calgon.co.uk

 

[Woocash]

I have “very hard” water. I would like one day to test it, for a number.. it’s always left white residue on trees but it’s not harmful, as far as I’m aware. I’ve always been told it’s silly worry about these things.

I remember Rockm on this forum, setting me straight in his brand of bluntness. I used rain water for a while but it’s a lot of effort to sustain, which is not necessary.

although if you find a good solution for washing away the residue, I’d be interested! Nothing working for me yet and a few of my little trees have quite an ugly build up. Annoying.

I’m in that mess of red. Difficult not to have very hard water in the UK lol.

Am I affected by Hard Water?

Am I affected by Hard Water?

www.calgon.co.uk

Hmmm, funny that a water softener company shows a map where most of the population needs their water softening!
But no, it is a problem for lots of people. Screwfix (and other reputable merchants) do something which joins to your pipework inline where water enters your property. Should sort it.

 

[PABonsai]

although if you find a good solution for washing away the residue, I’d be interested!

On things like pots I'd try vinegar first. Someone else can comment on whether vinegar is safe for the trees themselves. I can't answer that one.

 

[BoostedBonsai]

ahh

I have “very hard” water. I would like one day to test it, for a number.. it’s always left white residue on trees but it’s not harmful, as far as I’m aware. I’ve always been told it’s silly worry about these things.

I remember Rockm on this forum, setting me straight in his brand of bluntness. I used rain water for a while but it’s a lot of effort to sustain, which is not necessary.

although if you find a good solution for washing away the residue, I’d be interested! Nothing working for me yet and a few of my little trees have quite an ugly build up. Annoying.

I’m in that mess of red. Difficult not to have very hard water in the UK lol.

Am I affected by Hard Water?

Am I affected by Hard Water?

www.calgon.co.uk

ahh okay yeah thats sort of how ive seen it before not much of a problem besides leaving my trees and pots ugly lol but recently ive double guessed myself, how long have you been into bonsai?

 

[BoostedBonsai]

Hmmm, funny that a water softener company shows a map where most of the population needs their water softening!
But no, it is a problem for lots of people. Screwfix (and other reputable merchants) do something which joins to your pipework inline where water enters your property. Should sort it.

yeah ive seen what u talking about either way its not cheapp lol

 

[Meh]

The EPA requires all public water supplies to issue annual reports on water quality called the consumer confidence report. See if you can find a copy for your water supply. Mine includes total hardness and a breakdown for many minerals--it looks like all of that information is required. pH is not included, but apparently there are a lot of homebrewers in my town so they issue a separate report just for homebrewers including pH

 

[BrianBay9]

Generally speaking if you can drink it, your plants can tolerate it.

 

[chansen]

Water hardness does impact pH. Minerals in the water will buffer the available acid, raising the pH. That said, 7.5 isn't bad. Total dissolved solids (TDS) is how you measure water hardness, and is another important component if you're trying to optimize things. If your water is too hard and the pH is too high, you'll likely end up with chlorosis. Google is your friend .

I run an RO system to fill up large stock tanks with water, and then add muriatic acid to get the pH where I want it. My chlorosis problems have vanished and I generally get greener growth on everything. But again, I'm trying to optimize my water (and for an azalea that really doesn't like living in my climate). Vinegar is a fine solution too (I know others that use it and it works fine).

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

On things like pots I'd try vinegar first. Someone else can comment on whether vinegar is safe for the trees themselves. I can't answer that one.

In dilute amounts like kitchen vinegar, acetic acid should do no harm. In biotech, it's considered to be one of the 'safest' acids for biological use. Just don't shower the soil with it, mainly because the pH drop and (re)dissolving of salts are going to be an issue.

 

[PABonsai]

Water hardness does impact pH. Minerals in the water will buffer the available acid, raising the pH.

You can have hard water that is acidic, for example low pH and high iron content. Dissolved minerals are not just calcium. TDS is derived from iron and magnesium as well. Yes dissolved Calcium will raise pH, which his white deposits indicate. Which is probably why the water is a hair to the basic side. But you can't conclude that the water is basic because of TDS.

 

[Woocash]

I use river water for my plants. TDS to the max!

yeah ive seen what u talking about either way its not cheapp lol

Not too bad if you can trust your own plumbing skills, 40 pounds/dollars for the gizmo maybe.

 

[PABonsai]

The only concern I would have with softened water is the amount of salts coming out of the softener, which you won't notice as an issue on your lawn or landscaping plants. In something small like a bonsai pot though? I honestly don't know.

 

[Woocash]

The only concern I would have with softened water is the amount of salts coming out of the softener, which you won't notice as an issue on your lawn or landscaping plants. In something small like a bonsai pot though? I honestly don't know.

That’s a fair point. Much like most things, water sciences are not an area I have any great knowledge in. I assumed softeners were more mechanical, removing things from water rather than putting more stuff in.