Yes or No to EasyWater water softener by Freije
indygal
16 years ago
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mikeguy524_gmail_com
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I'm Lazy--What can you root in plain old water???
Comments (174)It's not appropriate to pitch a particular brand or type of rooting hormone because different plant species respond to different chemicals. The most effective concentration levels of rooting aids vary by species and type of cutting and the most effective chemical to use also varies primarily by6 plant species and can be much more important than concentration levels; so, it is a combination of the concentration AND the choice of chemical + type of cutting and time of year that determines the effectiveness of a rooting chemical. Rooting aids are synthesized forms of the plant hormone/growth regulator 'auxin'. Indole butyric acid (IBA) and naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) are the two most common chemicals that have been found to be reliable in the promotion of rooting in cuttings. IBA is widely applied in general use because it is non-toxic to most plants over a wide range and promotes root growth in a large number of plant species. Some plants respond better to either IBA or NAA, some respond to ONLY one or the other, some may have a toxic reaction to one but not the other which will lead to poor or no growth and actually, mortality; and, some respond best to combinations of both chemicals, or to other variations of either IBA or NAA based on K (potassium). Both IBA and NAA are commonly available in talc or in liquid formulations of varying concentrations. I do lots of propagating of several hard-to-root species, but only use a rooting aid occasionally for the most difficult. As a generalization, you should know on a per plant basis which chemical and concentration is most apt to be effective before applying it. I have found it mostly unnecessary. Learning a little about the cultural conditions cuttings prefer and some other tricks (like methods of wounding) along with cleanliness will add more to what it takes to be successful at propagating (plants) than rooting aids (except in the very hard to root plants). Al...See MoreWater Softener & Filtrer: Lots of General Questions
Comments (6)Q1. What are the key features to look for in a water softener? In other words, what features do you look for to judge the quality of the system? ...I have had excellent success with the a twin tank design. These give seamless treatment regardless of volume. They are highly salt and water efficient, which in CA is becoming an important issue. Kinetico invented the twin tank design. ...Because there are NO electrical components, there will be zero issues in service, maintenance, repair or replacement of electronics and electrical parts. ...Long warranties give an indication of reliability. Q2. Chlorine filter vs. carbon in the resin tank: mixing carbon in the resin tank to neutralize the chlorine seems illogical to me. Carbon loads up fast and must be changed frequently to be effective. I know this because I must change my pre-carbon filters at 4x's the frequency as my HEPA filters on my air purifier. Resin doesn't perform the same functions as carbon; ions simply cling to the resin surface; it takes years before its surface is rendered ineffective so it does not need to be changed frequently; I also understand it is very expensive to replace. My guess is if you replace the carbon, you will end up replacing the resin before you really need to; so it doesn't make economic sense to mix the two in the same tank. With the level of chlorine in our water, will a cartridge filter work? Or do I need something bigger? ...What is your chlorine level? I don't like mixing tanks with resins and carbon, in part, for the reasons you stated. A carbon cartridge or upflow tank ahead of the softener will perform well and be easier to to maintain. Q3. Drinking water filters: will a reverse osmosis filter system improve the taste of water AND remove the potassium, aluminum, boron, chromium, vanadium in our water? If so ... Yes, an RO will significantly reduce a very wide range of contaminants. The Kinetico K5 is certified to remove more contaminats than any other RO system available. Q4. What are the key features to look for a reverse osmosis filter system? In other words, what features do you look for to judge the quality of the system? ...A self-rinsing membrane will provide up to ten times the life of the membrane. A metering or monitoring system that indicates when to change filters. A water pressurized (rather than air charged) holding tank provides superior water pressure, volume and recovery. A pressure pump will also greatly enhance performance and water quality. ...There other features that incluse aesthetics (designer faucets), easy of filter changes, availability of filter elements, filter options to handle particular water quality problems, A looong warranty, ability to handle new fridge water flow issues, and how long the membane is expected to last. Q5. Salt vs. Potassium chloride: discharge of sodium into the citys sewer system is fast becoming an issue in our state; one city in the area banned the use of residential salt water softeners; all salt water softeners in that city must be removed by June 2009. ...I don't see a question here. Potassium chloride, is NOT recommended by some of the manufactures, such as Kinetico. Does anyone know why potassium chloride is not suitable for some softeners, but okay for use in others? What damage will result to the softener? What brands can potassium chloride be used in safely? ...Not sure why you say Kinetico doesn't recommnd KCl...? That is perfectly fine and salt dosage charts are there to provide settings. The cost of KCl is causing some problems with dealers who don't want to sell it anymore. There will be absolutely no damage to softeners using KCl. Q6. Is a sodium filter for water softeners available? ...I don't know of any sodium filter that will work and is cost effective. Are you talking about removing sodium from the discharges water (brine rinse)? An RO will remove it for drinking water purposes. Q7. Since there is no room in our garage for a water softener (downsized house came with a downsize garage), the logical solution is to replace the humongous water heater with a tankless one, then put a water softener where the water heater currently sits. So the question is can I place a cartridge chlorine filter next to the softener, or do I have to find a location some minimum distance "up stream" from the water softener? ...Kinetico makes a quad-tank system that removes chlorine before entering the resin beds or a cartridge can be installed anywhere ahead of the softener....See MoreYes or No to Easy Water (no-salt) water softener?
Comments (40)I'd love to believe that these no-salt water softeners work as it is a chore to lug salt to the water softener but none of them have an understandable scientific basis with solid controlled experimental evidence to support it. While conventional water softeners work on a clearly understood and easily confirmed chemical process. When we move to our present home, it was clear our water had unacceptable levels of calcium in it. We're on a neighborhood well and well water in many regions has this problem. We have both a front loading washer as well as a continuous melting ice maker. Both had problems with our water immediately. Continuous melt ice makers don't tolerate scale at all. The deposits on the freezing plate interfere with the sheets sliding off and cause the unit to jam up. I was having to clean the freezing plate on ours monthly. Front load washers also have all sorts of problems with hard water. The soap forms scum deposits which quickly become smelly. I was running two packs of washing machine cleaner through ours every month to try to combat this. Plus I had the usual scale on the dishes and bath fixtures, plus the soap scum buildup in the showers. I installed a basic Whirlpool water softener from Lowes and this immediately solved all our problems. I clean the ice maker about once a year which was the same frequency I had done it in our previous house on city water. And occasionally I run a washer cycle with washing machine cleaner but no longer does our washer continuously get smelly. This is also a good place to point out that the science behind calcium removal using resins with salt or potassium salt is the same across all brands. I won't argue that $3,000 water softeners have a lot of extra features that you will not find in a $400 Whirlpool one. BUT the way the remove calcium is exactly the same. They ALL use an ion exchange resin that substitutes sodium for the calcium. Periodically the resin is flushed with super saturated salt water to unbind the calcium, dispose of it, and replace it with more sodium for a new cycle. Note, it is a myth that water softeners add salt to your water, they add sodium, not salt. For those that are concerned with sodium intake, for a little more money, potassium chloride can be used instead of regular salt in just about any resin based water softener. As a plus with potassium, those with gray water systems can have a water softener and still use the waste water on plants and the lawn....See MoreFiddle Leaf Fig Problems (Repost)
Comments (82)Question for ya'll. I got two fiddle leaf figs a few weeks ago. The little one looks great. The big one is leaning and I thought it would straighten out from the sun but it hasn't. I was gonna leave them alone till next year since it's late in the season but the one leaning is bothering me (OCD). I just bought some gritty mix and plan to buy some foliage pro 9-3-6. I don't wanna size up (unless suggested otherwise) I just wanna repot into better soil and set the plant up right. And since I'm doing the big one i might as well do the little one also, right? When you say to bare root it but keep it wet would I get a spray bottle and periodically spray the roots to keep them wet? Also when I bare root it how do I ensure that the gritty mix gets "all back up in the roots" when I repot. If that makes sense? Any videos you guys could link to help me visualize this? Should I trim the roots now or wait till next year? I'm open to suggestions. I really want to keep these babies alive as in the past I've killed succulents and this is my first plant ever owning. I'll attach photos of Shrek and Princess Fiona. Oh one more thing. On Shrek you can see some small growth at the bottom. Should I keep that? Thank you for any and all advice!...See Moremchub532_yahoo_com
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