Softeners and an R/o system - Orchid Board

leslieann79 · #1 01-07-2014, 09:26 AM

Hello all. I have a water softener and we use potassium chloride to soften the water. I got tired of having to go outside to bypass the softener to get water for my orchids, plus that water is very hard. We installed an r/o system last night. It is installed after the softener. From what I've read the softener makes the r/o system work better. Also everything I've been reading has said that the r/o system will remove the potassium chloride and make everything fine for watering the orchids. I thought I would check with y'all smart orchid folks. Any thoughts?

Paphluvr · #2 01-07-2014, 10:01 AM

Re: Water softener and RO system. What you have read is correct.

tucker85 · #3 01-07-2014, 10:53 AM

I agree, your R/O will remove most of the mineral salts from the water making it safe to use on your orchids. One word of caution, make sure that the fertilizer you use contains calcium and magnesium. Some fertilizers don't contain those two elements because the manufacturers assume that calcium and magnesium is already in your tapwater. The R/O system will remove all salts including calcium and magnesium. If your fertilizer doesn't contain calcium, you can use a cal/mag supplement a couple times a month. The supplements are available from hydroponics stores or online.

leslieann79 · #4 01-07-2014, 11:35 AM

Thanks. I will check the hydroponics store for that.

leslieann79 · #5 01-08-2014, 10:47 AM

I bought an msu fertilizer from ebay that is made for r/o systems and well water. Never heard of the fertilizer before, but before buying this I was using an orchid fertilizer made by my grocery store so its probably better.

Joseia · #6 01-08-2014, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by leslieann79

I bought an msu fertilizer from ebay that is made for r/o systems and well water. Never heard of the fertilizer before, but before buying this I was using an orchid fertilizer made by my grocery store so its probably better.

I have no idea if your store brand fertilizer is any worse or better than the MSU fert for RO water, but I have been using the MSU fert since I bought an RO system last spring and have had good results so far. The MSU fert is used by alot of orchid growers.

leslieann79 · #7 01-08-2014, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joseia

I have no idea if your store brand fertilizer is any worse or better than the MSU fert for RO water, but I have been using the MSU fert since I bought an RO system last spring and have had good results so far. The MSU fert is used by alot of orchid growers.

Well thats good to hear. I just got a phal mini mark in the mail today.