Daily Dosing

[83mulligan]

Tom,

I just lucked into a free metering pump from a friend of mine in the turf industry. I plan on using it with a timer to dose daily. I'd like to set it up to dose one pint per day for a two week period (sometimes I travel for work). My first question is that with a two gallon mixture, can I use an airstone to keep it agitated as long as the container is vented? Second, my tank isn't set up yet and I have well water. Should I get the well tested to determine a starting point for the estimative index? I'll be using the water before it goes through a softener to eliminate variablilty.

Thanks,

Steve

 

[Tom Barr]

Re: Daily Dosing

I do not add aeration to dosing nutrient reserviors.
No need.

A softener will add salt(NaCL or KCL) and a lot.
I'd by pass that for your tank's water changes.

Check the KH/Gh of the well water.
There's not going to be that much variabilty and you end up trading Na/CL/K ions for Ca/Mg which are better and harder to dose back in.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[83mulligan]

Re: Daily Dosing

Do I need a well test for phosphate and nitrates to base calculations off of? Isn't 2 weeks a long time for a complex solution of fertilizer to keep without precipitating?

 

[Tom Barr]

Re: Daily Dosing

Probably don't need to worry too much in MI about PO4/NO3.
If there is some in the water, the excess will not hurt..........

You just might not need to dose one or both them once or twice a week....is all.

KNO3/KH2PO4 will not precipitate out, the trace mix should be dosed seperately from the macro's. So ideally you'd have 2 dosing pumps and resevirors.

I suppose you could have one dosing pump and 2 reserivors + a Tee but you'd have to mix them the same time which might cause some precipitation.

Regards,
Tom Barr