Mineral buildup in S/H

[ColoradoBirddog]

Okay, I have read a bit, but my dilema might be somewhat different. Keep in mind that over time, my plants got a bit of neglect in the form of not watering, so I reckon my buildup is fairly hard. I was thinking, next time I water, run them under the shower for a few minutes to try and nock off the crud, then fert? I also have not been good about flushing in the past. And when you folks flush, do you not re-water with fert.? Some are starting to show new growth, and I am not sure if I should hold back on the dyna-grow right now. I have well water, no softening. Thoughts??

[Tindomul]

When I flush, I water with pure water the week after(or during the next watering event), after that is when I fert. Im no expert, just my way of doing things. I've been told to fert more often.

[20jlr]

I also have well water that is very hard. I flush every time I water and I do have a little bit of mineral build up. I water only with fert, even when I am flushing the pot. The mineral build up is not bad at all, and my water is very hard. I gues flushing would help not get so much, but as to how to get rid of it i would suggest repoting with clean pots.

[Ray]

There are many factors in mineral buildup, but the primary ones are:

1. Concentration of dissolved solids in the nutrient solution (fertilizer and what was already in the water)
2. Capillarity of the medium
3. Humidity
4. Temperature

The higher the dissolved solids content of the water, the less evaporation it takes to cause precipitation to occur.

The better the capillarity (wicking action) of the medium, the more minerals are transported upward to replace the evaporated moisture.

The lower the humidity, and higher the temperature of the environment, the faster the evaporation will be.

Added thought: all of the above applies to all media, not just the inert stuff used in s/h.