RO vs Distilled water: same or different?

[james mickelso]

You have all the instruments you need right at your finger tips. Your eyes and fingers. That's all you need. Pebble trays don't raise the humidity very much if at all. What may need humidity is the roots down in the media and those don't need it much. Good watering practices and understanding what the orchid needs is what you need to learn. And that is very easy to do. Tailoring your media to the orchid and how you water will go a long way to growing your orchid correctly. A hydrometer could be useful to measure the moisture levels in the media but you could do that just by learning how heavy your pot is when it is moist and how light weight it is when it needs water. Here's how. Water well, lift the pot and "feel" how heavy it is. Then as the days go by, lift it occasionally and "feel" how light it is. In no time you'll be able to judge when to water. Try it. You'll see how well it works. The skewer method can be used too. Sonya can tell you about it. My skin is way to thick (along with my head) to use it well. What type set up for growing your orchids do you have? Pics of it would help. I know Renton gets very dry occasionally but that lets you water a little more. Small pots need water more often than larger pots. But orchids grow best in smaller pots than we think they would require. I use small pots with medium size media so I can water more often without the fear of growing fungus and molds. With a larger media the media out in the outer edges of the pot and underneath can stay more moist without worrying about fungal diseases too. Hope this is a little clearer.

[Ray]

I am biased because I produce and sell them, but I agree with David that you will find that RO water will be far less hassle and less costly than distilled. My own system in the greenhouse costs me less than $0.04 per gallon, including prorating the purchase price and that of replacement filters and membranes.

Older systems produced 3 units or more of flush water per unit of pure water produced, but all of the ones I work with these days are on the lines of 2:1 or better.

I recently had two very basic articles about pure water & orchids and RO systems published in the AOS "Orchids" magazine that you might find beneficial.

Also, please check your PM

[VMStearns]

James and Ray,

Thanks for the info. This is why I joined the Orchid Board. I am a beginner, able to read the various books that are available, and quick to believe everything I read (which can be confusing because of contradictions). Here I get the benefit of the expertise of many seasoned orchid growers.

I will post pics of my two set ups, both in east windows. I do NOT have a Greenhouse. My beloved has talked about setting one up when we can manage it financially, but that is more than a bit down the road.

All but one of my orchids get the benefit of EAST facing windows. My newest one gets sun from the WEST. We actually have virtually NO windows with a southern exposure (a 8inch by 3foot bathroom window is all). The majority of our windows actually face NORTH.

I will post pictures of my set up when I get home. I'm in Georgia now with the youngest grand kids and will return home on the 27th.

James, I've been experimenting with the relative pot weight method and am using the skewer method. I was quite shocked at how little water the orchids are using based on the skewer method, only one of my orchids really needed to be watered before I left, but everyone got a sip before I left since I was going to be gone for 17 days and my beloved was comfortable with misting the orchids but NOT with actually figuring out if they needed WATER, so I am trusting that the little bit they get will be enough for the time being.

Thanks for the advice. It is much appreciated.

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[james mickelso]

A GH is very easy to build and anyone can afford to make one. A few 2x4's and some 6 or 10 mil poly sheeting. Here's my set up. Poly lasts about a year or so. I think I have 4 4x4's, 8 2x4's and misc 2x4's and 1x3's. Very simple. Just a dirt floor right now.

[VMStearns]

Very nice. I'll show my Beloved and let him mull it over.

Are there any orientation issues? We have a large corner lot and the back yard gets primarily southern sun with western shade in the afternoon. We have a side yard that only gets full sun in the mid morning to mid afternoon as there is only about 10-12 feet between the 6' fence and the house.

[james mickelso]

Southern sunlight with shade in the afternoon would be a good bet. Summer....shaded afternoon sunlight. Winter....southern somewhat warmer exposure. Sounds ideal.