A slew of questions about water and sprinklers!

[HiOrcDen]

So I want to plan to set up sprinklers, and possibly use specialized water.

So when you have a reverse osmosis system setup, is it installed in the plumbing, so that it comes out of the outdoor hose fixture? Or do you use a free standing device to produce it, and then use a pump from some kind of reservoir to deliver it through the sprinklers?

So I understand that only certain orchids really benefit from reverse osmosis water, if I am not mistaken. And also that rainwater does benefit all orchids! (Also that steam distilled water does not carry all the benefits of rainwater, because it doesn't have certain essential elements)

So what if I were to get a whole slew of buckets? And then when it rains, I would collect as much rainwater as possible...

If the rainwater is stored simply in a covered bucket or water cooler jug, something like that, will it maintain its beneficial properties for an indefinite time?

So then, wouldn't it be a good idea to save as much rainwater as possible, and then use a pump in a reservoir system to send the rainwater through sprinklers, as opposed to using an attachment to the outdoor hose fixture?

And if I am out of rainwater, I could simply use tap or reverse osmosis water from a freestanding device in the reservoir and pump system.

Is this not a worthwhile approach to take?

[Subrosa]

Using buckets is a lot of work for the volume you get. 55 gal drums tied into the downspouts is more efficient.

[HiOrcDen]

Originally Posted by Subrosa

Using buckets is a lot of work for the volume you get. 55 gal drums tied into the downspouts is more efficient.

Thank you very much for this. I should mention that I only have 2 small shade structures, 5'x5'... would buckets and pumps still be too much trouble?

[Ray]

All orchids benefit from pure water. For some it is damned near essential, but for many it is not.

Unless you have one with a very large capacity ($$$), RO systems are not really “on demand” water supplies. A typical system is 100 gallons per day (gpd), which sounds like a lot, but that’s only about a cup per minute, and you’re not watering much at that rate.

Residential systems usually have a 3-4 gallon accumulator tank, which is plenty for drinking and cooking, but growers usually need a lot more that that, so use repurposed plastic barrels or tanks to store the water, then a pump to deliver it to a hose for watering.

[Louis_W]

I would like to add that water can stagnate, so if you plan to store it for any amount of time youll need to aerate it.

[Roberta]

Remember also.. if you want to run RO water through a sprinkler system (or out of a hose for that matter) you need a pump. I use a shallow well pump (which switches on when there is a demand and switches off when there isn't) I also have a pump on the "effluent" barrel so that I can utilize the (still good) water for other things such as watering the lawn.

[DirtyCoconuts]

rainwater is easily stored in barrel and then moved by can or bucket -