How Pure Does Water Need To Be To Be Pure Water

[Lil Duck]

Originally Posted by PuiPuiMolcar

I dont know if this is a norcal and centralcal thing but down here in Socal we have waterstore (where mostly immigrant family owned) that sell drinking water or just RO water. They permit bigger water container in any shape, and I usually refill my 5 gallon bucket at the local uncle's shop for $1.25. If you don't have them, you can also get larger RO water quantity from the local fish stores, aquarium hobbyist need RO water for their fish and plants so I can safely say that you can use it for orchid as well.

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[Ray]

All summer long, my plants get my tap water, which has a true TDS of 125 ppm, of which half is added calcium. I still add K-Lite @ 100 ppm N to that weekly, which bumps the true TDS to about 900 ppm and the Ca up to about 125 ppm.

I have seen no issues whatsoever.

[Lil Duck]

Originally Posted by Ray

All summer long, my plants get my tap water, which has a true TDS of 125 ppm, of which half is added calcium. I still add K-Lite @ 100 ppm N to that weekly, which bumps the true TDS to about 900 ppm and the Ca up to about 125 ppm.

I have seen no issues whatsoever.

Thanks, although I grow several Pluerothallids some of which I do let dry out between waterings.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by Lil Duck

Thanks, although I grow several Pluerothallids some of which I do let dry out between waterings.

Now it’s my turn to say “wow”.

My understanding of many pleurothallids is that they are often swathed in fog and dew when they are without rain, so letting them dry out seems counterintuitive to me.

[Lil Duck]

One of the ones I own is from a genus called Anathallis which has quite succulent leaves and can definitely handle drying out a bit, another is from the genus Trisetella which is known to appreciate drying out a fair bit between waterings, it is of my opinion that most Pluerothallids appreciate drying out a little bit between waterings as in nature many grow on tiny twigs with almost no moss and because all of my Pluerothallids seem to be those tiny twig epiphytes I will let them dry. Because of this quick dry and wet cycle I do have concerns of fertilizer build up. Do note that I keep my humidity rather high.

[Roberta]

Just an aside, the genus Acianthera, another Pleurothalid group, also tends to have very succulent leaves. Some actually grow lithophytically with rupiculous Laelias. Some, if not all, not only tolerate, but require drying out between waterings.