Water Quality

Your source water is the foundation of your nutrient solution. Hydro-Calc allows you to define and manage different water quality profiles, ensuring that your nutrient calculations are as accurate as possible.

Why Water Quality is Crucial

Raw water sources (tap water, well water, reverse osmosis water) are never pure H2O. They contain varying levels of dissolved minerals, salts, and other elements. These naturally occurring elements contribute to the overall nutrient profile of your final solution.

Ignoring your source water's composition can lead to:

• Nutrient Imbalances: You might inadvertently over-supply or under-supply certain nutrients if you don't account for what's already present.
• Antagonism: High levels of certain elements in your source water can interfere with the uptake of other essential nutrients by your plants. For example, hard tap water often contains significant amounts of Calcium (Ca) and Magnesium (Mg). If you don't account for this, and you add more Cal-Mag to your mixture, you could create an antagonistic environment that locks out other nutrients.
• Inaccurate PPM Readings: Your target PPMs will be skewed if you're not factoring in the baseline nutrient load from your water.

Creating a Water Quality Profile

To create an accurate water quality profile, you'll need a water analysis report. This can be obtained through:

• Home Testing Kits: Basic kits can give you a general idea of some key parameters.
• Professional Lab Analysis: Recommended for the most accurate and comprehensive breakdown of your water's elemental composition.

Once you have your analysis:

1. Navigate to the Water Quality page.
2. Click the "New Water Quality Profile" button.
3. Give your profile a descriptive name (e.g., "My Tap Water - Summer 2025", "RO Water").
4. Enter the elemental concentrations from your water analysis report into the provided fields. Ensure you use the correct units (typically ppm).
5. Click "Save". Your new water quality profile is now ready to be used in your mixtures.

Using Water Quality in Mixtures

When creating or editing a Mixture, you will have the option to select one of your saved water quality profiles. When a profile is selected:

• The Hydro-Calc optimization engine will automatically factor in the nutrients from your chosen water source.
• The amounts of your added Substances will be adjusted to compensate for what's already in the water, ensuring your final solution precisely matches your Nutrient Target.

By leveraging the water quality feature, you gain unparalleled control over your nutrient solutions, leading to healthier plants and more predictable results.