Watering

[Helen]

I was wondering if I can use tap water for all my new orchids. Or,let the tap water sit for 24 hours first? I heard this releases any chlorine in the water? Or should I use Brita filtered water? Please advise. Any advice would be appreciated.
FirstTimer

[markr]

Tap water should be fine unless it is quite hard or has chloramine in it.

Letting it sit for a day is best - this does two things: it brings the water to room temperature (or greenhouse temperature) and it allows any chlorine to evaporate. However, if your region uses chloramine to treat the water this won't help as it doesn't evaporate like chlorine does. It's rare, but some regions still use chloramine. Most charcoal based filters will remove much of it if the filter is replaced frequently, but I don't know if a Brita is good enough. Maybe?

Check with your local water authority - they should direct you to water analysis for your region. Often the reports are available online. Ideally, you want water that is not treated with chloramine and has low TDS/General Hardness. Also, pay attention to sodium levels, which are often high with water treated to adjust pH and hardness.

If you get really serious and your local water isn't great, you'll want to collect rain water or purchase an RO filter system.

[justatypn]

I use tap water once a month to cleanse the medium of all salts from previous fertilizer residue left behind. When I do my regular schedule watering (weekly) the day before I water I fill the water containers with the tap and allow them to set up for 24 hours. This I do when in a drought and no rainwater is available. The above from markr is great information...taking a water sample to a local lab is yet another way to determine if your tap is up to your orchid's likings.

[Helen]

Thanks for the watering tips...I'll give them a try.
FirstTimer