Is this good water

[takeiteasy]

Have a water question. I was wondering..............
Is watering orchids from lake water good or bad??
How about water from a dehumidifier?
I use rain water but this summer what if I used one of these?

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

The answer to your question depends on what the water composition is like. You gotta run tests to see what the levels of dissolved minerals are like, etc.

Different lakes, different water chemistry.

The chemistry of the lake water depends on a lot of things such as where the water originates from, what kinds of minerals are present in the soils of the surrounding land, what kinds of rocks or sediments are present in the lake itself, whether or not there are any pollutants in the water, etc.

Also...

Certain types of orchids are more sensitive to dissolved mineral content than others. So it will also depend on the type of orchid you're watering.

[Ray]

Dehumidifier water is essentially distilled, so is fine for orchids, as long as you make sure the fertilizers you add don't throw the pH off too greatly.

[takeiteasy]

Thanks for the info.
What should my PH be?

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Anywhere between 6.5 - 8.0 is fine for many orchids (not all).

[Ray]

Personally, I shoot for the 5.5-6.5 range.