Using Microbes is very important. Most people take our drinking water from the tap for granted and thus forget it has been treated with chlorine so we never have to worry about pathogenic microbes cramping our style.
Though you have to remember that this same chlorine is a beneficial microbe killer as well.
So when performing any hydration work, it is important to de-chlorinate this water beforehand, which is as easy as peas.
Whenever applying water to your Hydro-Organic tanks, seedlings, or anything organic and living you can choose to de-chlorinate in a day, 20 minutes or in a few minutes.
De-chlorinate water using Patience
Place the water in an open-mouthed tank, bucket or container and let it sit out for a day. That’s it. I told you it was easy. Alternatively, if the quantity of water isn’t large and you’re in a hurry you can just boil your water for approximately 20 minutes (this will also remove the chloramines, if that’s what is used to treat your municipal water).
Chlorine (Cl2), over time, separates from the water and bubbles up and out. You can see that by filling a glass container up with tap water and letting it sit. Soon you will see the bubbles of chlorine gas on the edges of the glass.
Why is chlorine used for water treatment?
Chlorine has made its mark by virtually eliminating waterborne pathogens. This allows the world to drink it down safely. It is easily applied to water sources. Small amounts have the ability to be effective throughout a municipal distribution network, from the water treatment plant all the way to the faucet tap. The discovery of these benefits coupled with its low cost resulted in chlorine being chosen as the preferred chemical.
De-chlorinating water using air and sunlight
However, chlorine dissipates quickly if exposed to the atmosphere and sunlight. In as little as 10 hours of exposure. But if you have chloramine, a newer additive, used in place of chlorine in some water systems in the United States and Europe, it will not leave the water when exposed to air. You have to check with your water supply company to find out which is in use.
De-chlorinate water using vitamin C
Vitamin C is a somewhat newer chemical method for neutralizing chlorine. Two forms of vitamin C, ascorbic acid and sodium ascorbate, will neutralize chlorine. The United States Department of Agriculture Technology and Development Program has done a lot of work with this. Basically what it describes is simply adding 1 gram of Vitamin C per 100 gallons of water, stir for one minute and no more available chlorine to kill our little friends.
Adios for now!