Water Recycling

[dennis4246]

Hello all:
I have been into orchids for over a year now and have collected more than 50 plants. At present I am using about 25-30 gallons of distilled water a week. The question I have is this: Do I dare try and save the water that drains out of the pots when i water and re use it, or am I taking a big risk if one of my plants has a disease that I don't know about and I pass it on to the other ones. Most of my plants are in S/H so most of the water just drains out of the pots and into the sink or bathtub. I am trying to save time as well as money. All comments and suggestions will be appreciated.

Dennis4246

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Well...if you'd like to try the insecticide canisters where you pump and spray, it saves money, water, energy, and time. I recommend the largest you can afford. It's easy just fill with water, pump and spray. Very little water dripping from the mounts or pots.

[neb]

I have tried to save water and it just caused problems after a while it seamed like I was chasing a fuzzy mold that was getting every plant even the one in S/H

[cb977]

I wouldn't do it, for the reasons you stated

[dennis4246]

I rather thought that those would be the answers I would receive about recycling water. I have finally figured out a way to water my plants under the lights and not have to move them to either a sink or bathtub. This way I can let the water drain out of the trays and just empty the bucket every time I water. One thing of note is, I have started to use Orchid Pro as an additional nutrient and it seems like my plants are on growth hormones even after I went to primarily S/H for all my catts and Phals and Cyms.

[RosieC]

When I water/fertilise I dunk the pots in water and several of them get dunked in the same bucket. BUT only on plants I have had for a long while and know to be healthy. New ones always get their own water for several months.

When I flush through with clean water once a month (just done it this morning) they all get fresh water run through the pot.

I think if you do share water then you need to be aware that there is a risk. I try to reduce that risk by not including my new plants, but I don't think I've eliminated the risk.

I know some people here with large collections (I only have a few any way) have said that if they share water they do it in groups which never change, that way if a group gets a problem it does not spread to other groups though the water.

[greenbean]

Do you have non-orchids that you could use the water on? That's what I do. I save the waste water from my orchids, especially after starting in on water culture, and use that to water most of my other houseplants. With a large collection, you could even water plants outside with the waste water, if you have any.

However, I'd have to agree with most of the others. My orchids are generally the healthiest, most disease-free plants I have, and I want to keep them that way. No cross-contaminating.

[billc]

Hi Dennis, I'm with Rosie on my watering practice. I have about 30 orchids and usually can get them all watered with 2 to 2 1/2 gallons per week. You just need to keep an eye out for critters and keep new plants isolated until you know they're critter free. I suppose if you have very expensive plants, you would want to make sure they were first in line, so no viruses are transfered. If I had good tap water or RO, I would give everyone their own fresh water.

Bill

[Ray]

Dennis, if you're buying that much distilled water, I'd suggest that you seriously consider an RO system, as it will cost far less in the long run.