"Hard" and "soft" are terms used to describe the quality of many water sources. Hard water has a high mineral content, which can cause hard, white lime scale to form on surfaces and growing equipment. Hard water may also have a high alkalinity and a high pH, meaning that considerably more acid is required to lower the pH in the hydroponic system to ideal levels. Soft water, by comparison, is a low mineral water source. Often rainwater is ‘soft’, while municipal water sources across the country range from very hard to soft, depending on where the individual city water supply is taken from. Other water types Some growers prefer to start with water which has been pre-treated to remove any chemicals, pathogens and other contaminates. RO (reverse osmosis), distilled water, filtered and bottled water are all options for small growing systems and those concerned with water quality. To understand your water type, simply immerse your EC/CF meter in your background water, read the display and select the applicable 'water type' or enter your own 'Custom' value.

The grow room environment strongly influences the water and nutrient uptake of your plants. Please select your feeding type from the information provided below.<br><br><ol><li>Light feeding for grow rooms where the leaf temperature is consistently above 25°C and the relative humidity is below 50%.</li><li>Standard feeding for grow rooms where the leaf temperature is consistently below 25°C and the relative humidity is above 50%.</li><li>Heavy feeding for grow rooms with LEDs and/or for closed-looped grow rooms utilising 'active cooling' with the injection of CO2.</li></ol>