Ecothrive Neutralise is a natural, organically derived solution that instantly dechlorinates tap water. This protects beneficial microbes from the devastating effects of chlorine and chloramine in tap water. Chlorine is a potent disinfectant and is added to most water supplies across the UK. Its job is to kill potentially harmful bacteria. Chloramine is a relatively more stable form of chlorine, this is created by mixing ammonia to chlorinated water, resulting in a product that is more superior to killing bacterial.
How it works
Chlorine compounds kill microbes by oxidation. They will readily oxidise enzymes, proteins, bacteria and other living microorganisms. The issue with this, is that they cannot distinguish between bad bacteria and beneficial bacteria, therefore chlorine and chloramine can potentially destroy the helpful microbiology in your growing media that your plants heavily rely on. Ecothrive Neutralise uses concentrated Vitamin C, which is completely safe for your plants and soil. So, when this formula is added to chlorinated water, it is rapidly oxidised. This reduces the chlorine compounds to chloride, which is completely harmless to microbes. At very low levels it is also a macronutrient required by plants.
When chlorinated water is added, it will kill some of the microbes located in the root zone, these are usually at the surface and within the top 1/3rd of the pot. Chlorine compounds have also been known to antagonise the root growth of some plants, studies have shown reduced plant health and root growth in tap water with typical levels of chloramine.
In the UK the average amount of total chlorine is 0.5mg/l. however this target can go up to 1mg/l. The WHO set a guideline of 5mg/l for drinking water, however, to be sure you can purchase a chlorine testing kit or digital meter. If you decide to use a microbial tea such as Biosys, using untreated tap water will result in the chlorine antagonising the organisms that are attempting to be activated in the water.
How to use Ecothrive Neutralise
Ecothrive Neutralise is available in 50ml and 250ml bottles. It is formulated to deal with 0.6 mg/L of total chlorine when used at 1ml per 20L, of is using the dropper bottle 1 drop per L. This rate should deal with the majority of tap water that you experience in the UK, however if you find you have more than 0.6mg/L you can double the dose to 2 drops or 1ml per 10L.