Why Not Use Reverse Osmosis in Filtering your Water for Weed

Water is important to every plant’s life. Likewise, cannabis thrives for water in order to stay hydrated needed for themanufacture of starch and transport of nutrients to various parts of the plant. That is why it is not possible for cannabis to survive even a drench of water as part of its life. Otherwise, you’ll get an unhealthy cannabis not viable for medicinal purposes or even smoking. We don’t want that to happen, right? That is why we tend to be critical when watering our cannabis plants. As much as possible, we should not overwater or underwater our plants. Not just that we should take note of, but otherwise the quality and pH of thewater being used should be observed upon.

Because of this, a lot of cannabis growers use reverse osmosis as a process of filtering out their water for utilization on cannabis plants. This enhances the quality of water and removes contaminants including toxins and chemicals that could harm our cannabis if readily expose. But some experts saying that this process is highly unadvisable for some reasons. This article will examine the risks of utilization of this process to cannabis and likewise, its effects in the environment.

What is Reverse Osmosis Filtration?

Reverse osmosis is often employed not just on watering plants but also as drinking water among several countries where potable water is not readily available. To start though, osmosis, as known in our biology classes, is a natural process for which a less concentrated solution will diffuse out to a more concentrated solution in theresult for a neutral and well-balanced concentration. Nonetheless, a semi-permeable membrane is often incorporated along the process which filtrates out the passing of atoms and molecules towards the other channel.

Whereas, a reverse osmosis is a process in contrast with osmosis. It migrates a higher concentration of theliquid solution to a lower concentration in order to get deionize or demineralize. The semi-permeable membrane removes liquid impurities including pathogens and contaminants that could cause health risks. It effectively filters out up to 0.0009-micron particles ensuring a pure and clean water coming out to the effluent.

The Mechanism of Reverse Osmosis Filtration

Reverse osmosis removes out approximately 95% to 99% of water impurities by ejection of the high-pressure pump without using energy in order to migrate out high concentrated liquid to a low concentrated liquid.

This takes out water impurities effectively into a numerous filtration media that acts as a strainer removing all the microscopic particles that it passes through. The removal of harmful minerals like lead, arsenic, copper, nitrates, chromium, selenium, fluoride, barium, and organic materials that could possess pathogenic organisms are effectively done by this filtration method. Along with this, an array of filter media are being used for reverse osmosis systems depending on the water quality and availability of such medium. Usually, a thin film membrane made from composites are employed as a semi-permeable membrane for water filtration. Nonetheless, a carbon preliminary and post filter is often used to additionally secure out the removal of subsequent impurities. Modern filtration methods employ also ultraviolet rays to kill off the remaining pathogens that could thrive within the system.

Why NOT utilize Reverse Osmosis Filtration on Watering Cannabis Plants?

There is a big misconception with the use of reverse osmosis filtration for nutrient uptake among plants and even humans. Along with this, there are series of debates and arguments with experts regarding the utilization of such process.

Most reverse osmosis processes employ addition of a little chlorine for which is known to be toxic especially to plants. This exists in water as chloramine for which then upon absorption turns into chlorine. Additionally, theinclusion of chlorine into your plants could be helpful somehow killing off bacteria and microbes that could hinder up the growth of your cannabis. But then along the process, it could eliminate important nutrients that plants needed for growth and stability. But the worst thing about this chlorine is that it could be inhaled and smoked upon marijuana users which have been proven to have toxicity effects to thehuman body and cause numerous diseases.

Also, during reverse osmosis, a lot of important minerals are lost and removed along with the process. Iron and magnesium for which are important non-essential nutrients are eliminated from the filtration process. The removal of such process could stunt and prevent the growth of the plant and likewise, could kill off the plant.

Additionally, there are energy utilization concerns regarding this process. Since it incorporates a highly pressurized system using electric pumps consumes much energy as needed. But then, this could further wastes out water. Studies show that for every four gallons of water use in a typical household unit, one gallon is wasted out because of reverse osmosis filtration. You may not know but in the course of the filtration process, water is periodically backwashed to clean out filters. This water is wasted and most often utilized to other household activities like laundry and cleaning.

But then, additional costs also is needed upon regular maintenance and service inspection for this equipment. Likewise, you’ll compromise the growth of your cannabis and further, the health upon people who will utilize the cannabis.

Alternatives to Reverse Osmosis Filtration

Distillation

This process removes out and separates effectively inorganic chemicals like lead, arsenic, and calcium. Likewise, this eliminates also bacteria and any related pathogenic causing diseases. This process vaporizes water through a heater and then condenses it by segregation of non-volatile substances refers to as contaminants to pure water. This process is quite commonly utilized to developing countries as a source of their water source. In conjunction, one could use a carbon filter like reverse osmosis.

Activated Carbon Filtration

This process works through adsorption wherein pollutant molecules within thewater are trapped on an activated carbon film (adsorbent) resembling as a semi-permeable membrane. This effectively removes chlorine, volatile organic compounds, sediments, and odor from water. However, this filtration method does not remove minerals like magnesium and iron that plants needed for their immediate growth and nutrition.